10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP

Everton | Dec 03, 2005 | Comments


Tip: Click here to Improve Windows Speed & Performance with Free Scan

8. Run BootVis – Improve Boot Times

BootVis will significantly improve boot times

  • Download and Run
  • Select Trace
  • Select Next Boot and Driver Trace
  • A Trace Repetitions screen will appear, select Ok and Reboot
  • Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, analyze and log your system’s boot process. When it’s done, in the menu go to Trace and select Optimize System
  • Reboot.
  • When your machine has rebooted wait until you see the Optimizing System box appear. Be patient and wait for the process to complete


9. Remove the Desktop Picture

Your desktop background consumes a fair amount of memory and can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it will improve performance.

  • Right click on Desktop and select Properties
  • Select the Desktop tab
  • In the Background window select None
  • Click Ok


10. Remove Fonts for Speed

Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.

  • Open Control Panel
  • Open Fonts folder
  • Move fonts you don’t need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:FONTBKUP?) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.

Hope you find these 10 tips useful please leave a comment below and please share any other tips you may have with other readers.

Update: This guide has been updated and augmented in The Complete Guide To Optimising Windows XP

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About the Author: Everton is based in London and has worked in the internet and mobile space for over ten years now, and before that worked in corporate strategy and consulting. He has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University.He also writes for Windows 7 News, Windows 8 News and One Tip A Day.

  • Anonymous
    As specified in the Windows Design Guidelines. Apply saves settings and keeps the dialog open, while OK saves the settings and closes the dialog.
  • Anonymous
    The last option in suggestion 2 doesn't apply to the Windows Classic style - if you try to enable it Windows will change to the default XP style.
  • Anonymous
    http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/sysperf/fa...
    About Bootvis.exe
    Bootvis.exe is a performance tracing and visualization tool that Microsoft designed to help PC system designers and software developers identify performance issues for boot/resume timing while developing new PC products or supporting software.
    Please note that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users. Contrary to some published reports, Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system's boot or resume performance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe are built into Windows XP. These routines run automatically at pre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operating system.
  • Anonymous
    1. It may be more prudent to simply disable or set to manual the Indexing service from the Service Control Manager, rather than to un-install the service, which would imply that you would never need it in future.
    2. The author has not provided links to any of the utilities mentioned, such as CacheMan, TCP/IP Optimizer etc. Their utility in these cases also is disputed at best. My suggestion is that readers should critically analyze these products, before trusting them to make your Win XP faster.
    3. Rather than suggesting that users remove their desktop background altogether, which would seriously impact their user XP-erience, I would suggest that they install a wallpaper that is lower in file size and resolution. For instance, .bmp files are generally quite large in size, and may take more resources to display.
    4. Be very careful about the fonts you remove from the Fonts folder, since some fonts may not be needed by you, but may be used by the system, or associated programs.
    5. I agree with the first post, which questions the application of BootVis to speed up Windows XP.
  • Anonymous
    I agree about the fonts-- I removed most of them and suddenly in the windows title bars I get wingdings instead of text. But as for bootvis:
    http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/bootvis/
    "I'm not sure what kind of game they are playing but the "Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users." is a blatant untruth. From what I understand, Windows XP runs the routines that Bootvis does every 3 days (isn't it strange that all 4 machines showed improvements even though XP is supposed to be doing this by itself?). That may be all well and good but suppose I want to put my machine in a optimized state NOW (especially if I want a clean and optimized Ghost image)? For MS to say it will not improve boot times is ....ridiculous. They may not have created this tool for end users, but it does work."
  • Anonymous
    .....heh
    well i will try this if i ever use windows xp, until than, i guess this list is useless, unless any of it applies to SuSe and KDE
  • Anonymous
    Sure would be nice to quantify the improvements... some may not be worth much...
  • lachdanan
    man..this is cool..but i's like ''how to tweak XP for dummies''..
    y hope you to postanother guide...wich is more difficult to do..but will have his great reward..
    and plizz...put the links...or at least the versions of the programs that you used...
    thxs anyway
    see ya!
  • hudz
    what does happen if virtual memory is set way off the recommended (1:1.5). Something like (1:2 / 1:3)? Does computer has any trouble with that?
  • Anonymous
    I ran BootVis the other day -
    before:- [boot + driver delays] - 49.82 seconds to boot completed
    after:- [optimize system] - 15.24 seconds to boot completed
    but it still takes TO a minute for my other stuff to load & my Anti-Virus to finish the
    boot-time scan
    It is definitely faster to boot !
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