We all know that Windows does a poor job of providing you with the optimal computing experience. However, performance can be enhanced by several Windows tweaks. This guide is mainly a compilation of tweaks that others found -- when I was trying to tweak my comp, I needed to visit several sites to do everything I wanted. This guide, therefore, is an attempt to put all those tweaks in one place. Credit for these tweaks does not belong to me.
Disclaimer: This article was written for a WinXP Professional machine, but probably applied to XP Home and other version of Windows. Before I go any further, I recommend you switch to Linux if you want a top performing computer.
Eliminate some basic resource hogs:
Kill the indexing service unless you frequently do file searches. I search for a file maybe once a month, so this service is just a waste. It also uses a lot of processor time and takes up some disk space.
To do this, open up My Computer, and right click on the c drive. Select “Properties.” Under the “General” tab, at the very bottom, is a check box marked “Allow Indexing Service to index this drive for fast file searches.” Uncheck this.
Then, go to Start > Run and type services.msc. Hit enter. Now you will see a display of all the services Windows has running. Scroll down and find the one called “Indexing Service.” Double-chick it and hit “stop” and then change the Startup Type to “manual”. More about Windows services can be found later in this guide.
Disable the System Restore feature. This is unneeded 99% of the time – I never use it. If you mess up your computer often, the service may be handy. However, in my experience the restoration of your computer will move files and delete programs, essentially confusing you as to what you have and have not done. If you really screw up Windows, you’re better off reinstalling everything. Of course, I have heard stories about how System Restore saved people, so you may want to keep it running – your option. If you really know what you are doing to your comp, there’s no need for it.
To disable system restore, go to the Control Panel. Click on “System”. If you are using the default appearance, the system is found under the Performance and Maintenance category. In the “System” window, go to the tab marked “System Restore”. Check “Turn off System Restore” and click OK.
Go to Start > Run and type services.msc. Hit enter. Now you will see a display of all the services Windows has running. Scroll down and find the one called “System Restore Service.” Double-click it and hit “Stop” and then change the Startup Type to “manual”. More about Windows services can be found later in this guide.
Restart your computer.
START-UP PROGRAMS
There are a number of programs on your computer that will start immediately when Windows starts that just sit there running. They will consume resources and slow your computing experience. Examples of such programs are antivirus software (Norton, MacAfee, etc.). While you no doubt want your virus software to run, there are many things you do not need. Most are not Windows software because Microsoft has taken to calling Windows things “Services” (more on that later). Most of this third-party software is unneeded.
To check out what gets launched at startup, go to Start Menu > Run and type “msconfig”. Jump to the last tab, labeled “Startup.” I recommend you do not mess with the other tabs unless you know what you’re doing – particularly, don’t change anything in “Services” because you could cripple Windows – instead, see the next section. Now browse through the startup programs and I bet you can find some things you know you don't need.
A couple of common things you can disable:
Microsoft Office – MS Office loads into memory to launch faster; even with it disabled, I have no trouble opening Word really quickly.
Msmsgs – the easy way to stop Windows Messenger from loading with Windows, unless, of course, you use it
Don’t disable anything that goes with your virus-scan software.
For some very comprehensive lists of nearly any program you may find in the startup menu, and whether or not you should disable it, check out these pages:
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
SERVICES
Windows XP has a bunch of programs called services running all the time. They do things for your computer, such as manage Automatic Windows Updates, keep the computer’s clock running on time, and install plug and play devices. Microsoft plays it safe and has nearly all the services you may want running all the time. Obviously, this consumes a whole lot of resources that could be better put to use. By you. Anyway, you can safely disable many of these services simply because you do not need what they do.
Rather than type a bunch of redundant info here, I will instead give you a link. Go to http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm for a description of all the Windows services, and turn off the ones you don’t need. This guy really knows his stuff.
As stated at the above link, to see the list of services to modify them, type services.msc in the run dialog box. (Start Menu > Run > “services.msc”). While on Black Viper’s page, he tells you “disable” a bunch of services, I recommend only stopping them and setting them to ‘manual’. This way Windows can start them up if you really do need them, but they will not be running all the time. If, however, you notice some service you really hate running all the time despite being set to ‘manual’, then change it ‘disable’.
SPYWARE
It’s not the 90’s anymore folks, and we have more to worry about than simple viruses. That’s right, I’m talking about spyware and adware. These malicious little programs or files either collect personal data without your consent or serve you up ads while you’re browsing (or, actually, other annoying things). You get these programs in the form of cookies or JavaScript files or other things when you browse the net. To remove them, run either Spybot: Search and Destroy or Adaware, both of which are free programs that do an excellent job at eliminating spyware
MISC PROGRAMS
I would recommend downloading Powertoys for Windows XP – TweakUI. This little utility gives you a lot more control over the look and performance of Windows XP. You don’t delve quite as deep into the OS as you do with the above tweaks, but you can have more power than you ordinarily would.
SOURCES
Yes, I actually got my information from someone else, as opposed to just making it as most people do. These sites are a great place to find out more about the previously mentioned tweaks and some additional ones. All the tweaks I mentioned above I personally use, but there are many others things you can do, at your discretion. I did not mention them because I thought they were not worthwhile or involved sacrificing some feature I liked. For example, you can disable Window’s eye candy in Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings but then XP looks even uglier. Anyway, without further ado, my sources:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm
http://iamnotageek.com/articles.php?aid=10&page=1&topic=Windows_XP_Performance_Tweaking_Guide