How To Speed Up XP
Top Ten Ways On How To Speed Up XP
I’m definitely no mind reader but I think I have a good ides of why your here. You are frustrated, irritated, angry even a little disappointing with your computers performance. Well my friend you are in luck because today I am going to show you simple steps on how to speed up XP.
I know it can be frustrating, but there are so many things you can do to really help you speed up xp. I am going to show you the top ten ways on how to speed up XP. By the time you are done reading this I promise you that you will see a pretty sizable increase in the performance of your computer.
I have personally made step by step instructions for you complete with screen shots. Please feel free to click on any of the screen shots below to see a enlarged image. I give you my word that ANYONE can follow these super easy steps. Now start reading so you can see how to speed up XP.
If you can’t click on any of the pics below to enlarge, simply right click on the picture and click on view image.
Real quick disclosure- Some of my pics will display the name http://www.computerht.com. This is fine and the site is owned by me. Feel free to visit if you have anymore computer how to needs.
How To Speed Up XP
1. How To Optimize Your Display Settings In Windows XP
Okay I know that those awesome graphics in XP are super sexy, but are you after looks or performance? I think its safe to assume since your here its probably performance. Trust me this can actually have a pretty big impact on overall computer performance, give it a try and with the nine other methods I promise you it will make a difference. Now go ahead and follow these simple steps below to help speed up XP.
1.Click the start button, and select the control panel.
2.Switch your control panel to classic view.
3.It will now look like this, go ahead and double click system.
4.Click on the advanced tab up top, then select settings in the performance section.
5.Leave only the following ticked:
- Show shadows under menus
- Show shadows under mouse pointer
- Show translucent selection rectangle
- Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
- Use visual styles on windows and buttons
There we go, see how simple that was! Your only nine steps away now from getting that clunky machine back up to par! Keep reading for the next step on how to speed up XP.
How To Speed Up XP
2. Use Registry Fix
E
very Microsoft Windows operating system has a registry. Your system registry holds a wealth of information about your computer, which is why we constantly hear from users that after using their PC for a short length of time, it no longer works the way it used to. This is due in part to invalid entries that exist in your system registry, that might exist because of software you are no longer using or software that was not properly removed. By removing these invalid entries, you can significantly increase the performance of your PC.
Ok I know that was a lot of technical mumbo jumbo and its really not necessary for you to understand it. What is important is how much this little piece of software is going to improve your computers performance.
There are a lot of similar products out there, but this one worked the best for me. Its consistent and always finds the correct problem. I have actually used a program claiming to be similar to this one that says it finds and repairs errors but actually does nothing, just a scam.
You get a Free Scan so you can try it out to see how many errors your computer has. Go ahead and click below to get your free scan to see how many errors your computer might have.
Okay I know this cost a little bit of money, but I am giving you my word as a father and a husband that this software is absolutely crucial in making your computer run like new again. If you are serious about speed up XP you will give this software a run. I promise you that this is by far the most important part of these ten steps and for the little bit of money you spend you WILL NOT regret it. Go ahead and click below for the free scan!
Click Here Now For Your Free Scan With Registry Fix
Want to learn more about windows registry and what you can do to help it?
Click here for a whole section dedicated to windows registry on one of my partner sites.
How To Speed Up XP
3. Disable Indexing Services
Windows comes with a nice little program called Indexing Services. This little program is a RAM hog. (You will find out more about RAM below.) RAM allows you to run your programs smoothly and when something is eating RAM its going to slow you computer down. On top of that it can actually make your computer run loud.
This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary. Luckily for you I am going to show you how to turn this little program off.
1. Go to your start menu and click on control panel.
2. Now you need to go ahead and click on control panel
3. Your gonna get a screen that looks like the screen shot below. Now you want to click on add/remove windows components. Be patient this screen may take a few moments to load. (Please excuse my lack of artistic ability. The huge black blurp is to cover the programs that are on my computer.)
4. Now your going to get a screen that looks like the one below. Your going to want to put a check mark in the box labeled “indexing services” and click next.
There ya go your all done, great job! Your doing a great job! Maybe you should be telling me how to speed up XP, haha. Alright lets keep this ball rolling shall we! Keep reading!
How To Speed Up XP
4.Use Your Built In Defrag Tool
W
hen you add a file or a new program to a new computer, the hard drive is relatively empty so new data is saved to the hard drive in one whole block. When you need to use that information, the computer can quickly access it because it is all in one place.
As you use your computer adding files and applications, the hard drive begins to fill up. Deleting files or removing programs creates small empty gaps among the other data that the computer will reuse. After awhile, the computer is no longer saving information in large blocks. Instead, it stores information in the many little empty nooks and crannies of your hard drive. The result is that one program or file is broken up, or fragmented, into little pieces and stored in many different areas of the hard disk. The computer ingeniously keeps track of the addresses of each piece of data and puts it all together when it is needed. Yet, obviously, the more broken up the information is, the longer it takes to access the data and the slower the computer becomes. To speed up XP we need to defrag it, read below to find out step by step how to do this! Check out the screen shots or scroll down to the video!
1.From the start menu point to “all programs”
2.Point to “System Tools”
3.Click on “Disk Defragmenter”
4. The disk defragmenter will display the hard drives on your computer. Just select and click Defragment.
If you have multiple hard drives here, defrag each drive. Make sure to do this when you have a little extra time. Overnight is perfect, defragging can take a while and the computer does not run real quick while your doing it. I suggest doing it before you go to bed and check out the results when you wake up in the morning.
You’re going to be able to call yourself a computer expert before long. Before you know it your going to be showing your neighbors and family how to speed up XP!
How To Speed Up XP
5. Get Rid Of Spyware
Spyware is software with malicious intent – by design; it does something bad to your computer. Usually, it gets installed without your knowledge. It sometimes takes advantage of the fact that most people click “I Agree” to software licenses without reading them.
Facts About Spyware
1.Use up your computer’s system resources, memory, & Internet bandwidth, making your computer and/or Internet connection slow.
2.Delete, modify, or disable files, folders, programs, and essential Windows components and services.
3.Use worms, trojans, and “back doors” to open your computer to further invasions and these programs may also install software to enable your PC to be a “Host” or commonly known now as a “bot”. Bots are everyday normal PC’s that send, collect and analyze information all over the world.
4.Use your computer to send spam – yes, really! It’s estimated that 80% of the world’s spam is sent by “zombie” home computers infected with “spam trojans” which were installed by spyware or worms.
5.Conflict with other programs, causing your computer to crash or freeze up.
6.Hide the presence of other parasites, and protect them when you try to remove them.
7.Install “keyloggers” which record your keystrokes, that is, they record everything you type.
8.Steal your passwords, credit card information, & other personal data to be used for identity theft.
9.Monitor your web surfing habits and record the web pages you visit.
10.Relay any of this collected data back to its makers & sell it to other companies or bad guys.
11.Collect your e-mail address & make you the target of spam (junk e-mail).
12.Pester you with pop-up ads, even if you have pop-ups disabled in your web browser.
13.Hijack your web browser and change your home page, add favorites/bookmarks, or redirect you to other sites without your permission (more on browser hijacking later).
Pretty scary stuff huh? Having spyware on your computer is a serious threat to you and your family. Many have become the victims of idenity theft and other various crimes through spyware. There is a solution though, see the next section on how you get spyware on your computer and how to get it off.
Here are some ways you may have obtained spyware on your computer.
1.It may hide inside of another program’s installer: Many free programs, especially file/music sharing programs like Kazaa, but also screensavers, games, etc. install some form of spyware. They may or may not tell you that they’re doing this; if they do tell you, they will do so in the license agreement. They of course count on the fact that no one actually reads those license agreements! You should read to the end of all EULAs (End User Licensing Agreements).
2.It may be installed by a “drive-by download”: installed behind your back when you visit a web site or click a link, especially advertising links or those that say you won something. In these cases, you don’t even have to do anything other than visit a web site or click a link!
An e-mail or web site may make you think that you need to download something: For example, an e-mail may say that someone sent you an electronic greeting card but that you need to download a special viewer to see it, or a web site may say that you need to download a special “media player” to view their site.
3.It may pretend to be something essential, helpful, or desirable: Spyware may masquerade as some type of security warning, a “free virus scan,” or even a spyware removal program to get you to click on it.
4.A web site may keep pestering you to download something until you say yes: Normally, your web browser should ask you for permission if a web site you visit tries to install anything. Unfortunately, when you say No, your “No” is only good until you go to the next web page, where you’ll be asked again. After being asked several times, some people will just give in and say yes. (Don’t!)
And now the answer…
SPYWARE REMOVER
Spyware Remover- is one of the oldest and most established spyware blockers on the market. I have used and trusted Spyware Remover for years now. I have used many other spyware blockers, but nothing compares to Spyware Remover.
Be careful of fake spyware blockers out there. There are a lot that sound legit but will actually add spyware to your computer. Be very cautious when selecting a spyware blocker. Over 8.5 million people can’t be wrong with Spyware Remover!
Click below now for your free scan with Spyware Remover!
Wow now you are a spyware expert. Bet you didn’t know a lot of that stuff. Im not trying to scare anyone or anything but they are even making programs that can be installed in cell phones and can track every move you make and every conversation you have. SCARY!
Anyway lets keep this going shall we! Keep reading!
How To Speed Up XP
6. Free Up Disk Space
I
f you want to speed up XP you have to free up disk space, you can really make your computer perform better by doing this. Windows comes with a disk cleanup tool that helps you free up space on your hard drive. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete without messing anything up, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files. This is a necessary step when learning how to speed up XP.
Use Disk Cleanup to….
- Remove temporary Internet files.
- Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
- Empty the Recycle Bin.
- Remove Windows temporary files.
- Remove optional Windows components that you don’t use.
- Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
Disk Cleanup calculates the amount of space you will be able to free.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. (If you have multiple hard drives you will have to select which one to scan.)
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don’t want to delete, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click OK.
Don’t worry I am here to take care of you. If you have no idea what all those options are here is a breakdown for you!
File Categories in Disk Cleanup Utility
There are a few different types of file categories that Disk Cleanup targets when it performs the initial disk analysis. Depending on the your system, you may or may not have all the categories listed in my example. An excellent example of this would be Backup Files from a Previous Operating System. If a clean install of XP was performed then this category will not exist. It pays to click on each of the categories and note that the [View Files] button can change depending on the category selected. Here is a rundown of each category.
Downloaded Program Files
These are ActiveX controls and Java applets downloaded from Web sites that are temporarily stored in the Downloaded Program Files folder. It’s not program files or zip files that you have downloaded from other locations.
Temporary Internet Files
This refers to Internet Explorer’s cache of Web pages that are stored on the hard drive for quicker viewing. None of your personal web settings are affected by selecting this category, nor does it delete any cookie files.
Recycle Bin
The main thing to be aware of in this category is that it only refers to the Recycle Bin for the selected hard drive or partition. This is important since XP uses an individual Recycle Bin for each drive and partition, not just one as is the case in some Windows versions.
Temporary Remote Desktop Files
These files are the result of using the Remote Desktop utility. If you repeatedly use Remote Desktop with the same computer or group of computers, leaving these files intact will maintain the speed of future connections. Deleting them will necessitate downloading the remote systems icons and wallpaper the next time a connection is established.
Setup Log Files
These are really pretty useless unless you have a specific reason to go back and see what occurred during XP setup.
Backup Files For Previous Operating System
I mentioned this category earlier as one you may not have, but if you did upgrade from a previous Windows version and selected the option to be able to uninstall XP, it may well exist. It takes some major hard drive space to copy all the files necessary to back up a previous system’s core files, drivers, etc. This entry can range anywhere from a few hundred megabytes up to a gigabyte, so unless you are still considering dumping XP this is a good category to select.
Offline Files
Users with slower dialup connections and those using laptops frequently make websites they use often available offline. Depending on how many levels deep you save the sites, they can eat up gigabytes of hard drive space very quickly. Worse than taking up space, the sites often contain outdated information. A good candidate for deletion.
Compress Old Files
Unlike the other categories, Compress Old Files doesn’t delete any files from the drive. It compresses files that Windows hasn’t accessed for a specified period of time. The files are still available, but there will be a slight increase in access times because the files will be decompressed the next time they are accessed. Note that when Compress Old Files is highlighted an Options button appears. Clicking it will allow you to set the number of days to wait before an un-accessed file is compressed.
There may be other categories that appear in your Disk Cleanup window, but in all cases, highlighting the item will display an explanation of the category in the Description area.
Post Disk Cleanup Procedures
Using Disk Cleanup will almost certainly rid your system of a substantial amount of unneeded files. You could stop here and not suffer any ill consequences, but there are a lot of gaps and empty spaces on the hard drive where the files were removed. This would be an excellent time to run Disk Defragmenter to organize the hard drive into contiguous sections. The hard drive heads will spend less time seeking all the pieces of a file and you’ll see another performance boost.
Ok your starting to scare me with all that knowledge of computers. I know that by now your XP must be speeding up. Lets keep moving shall we!
How To Speed Up XP
7. Find And Fix Disk Erros
I
n addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility. As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should try to run this utility weekly to help prevent data loss. It will also aid in your attempt to speed up XP!
To run the Error Checking utility:
Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error-Checking utility.
1. Go to the Start button and then click My Computer.
2. In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
4. Click the Check Now button.
5. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
In most circumstances, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
6. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
I think I found a new nickname for you. How about….. Hmmm….. COMPWIZ. Ya that fits. With all that computer knowledge seeping out of your head you’re gonna need some towels. Moving on!
How To Speed Up XP
8. Upgrade Your RAM
U
p to a point, adding RAM (random access memory) will normally cause your computer to feel faster on certain types of programs. RAM is important because of an operating system component called the virtual memory manager (VMM).
Okay get ready to yawn, I am gonna fill you with some crazy computer talk. In all honesty this is the only step on my list that actually requires some sort of computer skills. This one you may need to hire someone to do or find someone who is pretty computer savvy.
When you run a program such as a word processor or an Internet browser, the microprocessor in your computer pulls the executable file off the hard disk and loads it into RAM. In the case of a big program like Microsoft Word or Excel, the EXE consumes about 5 megabytes. The microprocessor also pulls in a number of shared DLLs (dynamic link libraries) — shared pieces of code used by multiple applications. The DLLs might total 20 or 30 megabytes. Then the microprocessor loads in the data files you want to look at, which might total several megabytes if you are looking at several documents or browsing a page with a lot of graphics. So a normal application needs between 10 and 30 megabytes of RAM space to run. On my machine, at any given time I might have the following applications running:
- A word processor
- A spreadsheet
- A DOS prompt
- An e-mail program
- A drawing program
- Three or four browser windows
- A fax program
- A Telnet session
Besides all of those applications, the operating system itself is taking up a good bit of space. Those programs together might need 100 to 150 megabytes of RAM, but my computer only has 64 megabytes of RAM installed.
For some of you that is a lot of technical jargon and may not mean a whole lot. I will put it a little bit easier to understand.
Basically every program you open up, is using RAM. If you have 128MB of RAM on your computer but your using 200MB your gonna run very slow. Upgrading RAM is a fairly inexpensive way on how to speed up XP. The cost of RAM is getting super cheap, go ahead and do some shopping!
To check your RAM…
1. Go to start and click, then right click my computer and select properties.
2.Select the General Tab and you will get a screen that looks like this.
This screen will tell you how much RAM you have.
Tip) To view how much RAM you are using right now hit Control ALT Delete to bring up task manager and click the processes tab. This will tell you how many processes you are using and how much memory each is using.
HAH! And you though RAM was an animal, or an NFL team. Well that serves you right for assuming. You know what they say about assuming right? Well they say it make an a$$ out of you and me. Get it… Assume.. Ass-u-me. Nevermind I’m an idiot… Anyway moving on.
How To Speed Up XP
9. Update Your Drivers
It’s very important to keep all your drivers on your computer updated. Usually when a driver is updated it means that something has improved with that peice of hardware. Almost everything in your computer uses drivers.
- Sound card
- Printer
- Video card
- Motherboard
- Webcam
- Wireless
- Bluetooth
- FireWire
- Ethernet
- Windows
- Windows
- USB
- Chipset
- AC97
- DVD Player
- Router
Now this one can get tricky. Usually to find a driver you have to go to google and type in your hardware name with serial number and driver. Like this. Type in… “HP R776 Driver” And find the latest driver. You must do this for all your different types of hardware. You even have to find driver update for XP. Good luck.
The bottom line is… Many people don’t realize how important having the latest drivers is. Hardware manufacturers often release drivers that improve performance, enhance functionality, and generally speed up xp on a regular basis – if you know where to find them, and which ones to get. Well I was one of those morons that was looking for everything manually. Finally a friend told me about this software.
Driver Robot was a savior for me. It eliminated all the manual work for searching for drivers. With a few clicks of the mouse this software found and installed all my drivers automatically. If you think all this driver talk sounds confusing, dont worry. This software was created with a novice computer user in mind. Most people that use it have no idea whats going on in the back ground they just see that its helping keep their computer maintained and running smooth.
Go ahead and read more and download Robot Driver now, click here!
Alright lets to our last section!
How To Speed Up XP
10. Get An External Hard
A
dding an External Hard Drive to your computer will allow you to clear out a lot of the things you don’t need to be storing on your normal hard drive.
A great example would be your music or pictures. All those songs and pictures are sitting on your computer making it go slower. You will see a decline in your computers performance as soon as you use over half of your hard drive space.
Moving all your songs or pictures to your external hard drive will free up a lot of space on your main hard drive. You can even move applications such as photoshop or games.
An external hard drive is also handy because it is portable. You can unplug it from your computer and take it to a friends house and plug it in there, sharing photos and pictures very easily.
Most external hard drives connect using USB, so its very easy and practical and doesn’t require any installation or technical knowledge. The price of these little buggers is really coming down a lot. You can pick up a really big one for around 20-30 bucks at your local walmart or computer store. They go on sale all the time so watch your local adds. Or go to slickdeals.net. This is a nice little hidden gem on the internet. You will love it.
(I am in no way affiliated with slickdeals.net I just think its a super cool site!)
I will now show you how to check how big your hard drive is and how much you have used of it.
1. Click your start button and click my computer.
2. Right click your hard drive and select properties.
3. Select the General Tab. This page will give you a pie chart of your hard drive. It will show you how much you have used and how much you still have available. If you are anywhere over half you may want to consider an external hard drive. This will do wonders for your computer. This is one of the best ways on how to speed up xp.
You are officially a computer expert now, well sort of. If not don’t worry you can book mark this page and come back and visit whenever you want!
I know there were a few things on here that cost a little money but trust me they are necessary. We all know that for good quality anything its gonna cost a little. I personally use everything that I directed you to tonight and I would not tell you to use it if I had not tested it first! I have used a lot of different peices of software and programs and these are my solid rocks. They work consistenly and keep my computer running smooth.
Thank you so much for your time, I really hope that you really take something from this. My goal is to really help people! Lets end this with some computer humor!
Please keep smiling and have a great day! Don’t let that aunry computer get you down! Please never be this guy! Check out video below, enjoy life!
HOW TO SPEED UP XP
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