TECHNO IN HAND

Part of optimizing Windows XP involves doing cleanups on your computer system by getting rid of unwanted spywares and viruses. It also involves removing obsolete data files and system settings that are no longer needed or are causing the system to do unnecessary operations, thus eating up memory resources. Here we look at 7 things you can do in optimizing Windows XP.

1st Step - Remove spywares

The very first thing you should do in optimizing Windows XP is to make sure that your system is free or at least 90% free of malicious codes like spywares, Trojan horses and viruses. 80% of problems with Windows performance resulted from these unwanted programs that has the potential to corrupt your system or steal information. In fact, almost 90% of the home PCs are infected with one or more of these programs.

When we talk about removing viruses and spywares, automatically you will think about virus scanners and removers. But before you jump in and buy or even download any of these scanners, do note that there are many bogus programs out there that contain spywares themselves. So it is better to go for more reputable ones such as Spybot and Microsoft Windows Defender. They are free anyway so use them. After you have cleaned up your system, put in place Windows firewall that comes with SP2 as well as Anti-virus programs like AVG or Avast thus optimizing Windows XP through protection against future attacks.

2nd Step - Remove cache and temporary files

You can do so easily by using the "Disk Cleanup Tool" that comes with Windows XP. Simply go to Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> and select Disk Cleanup. You should check all boxes and leave "Compress old files" and "Catalog files" option uncheck for optimizing Windows XP. Click OK to proceed.

3rd Step - Uninstall unused/unwanted programs

Optimizing Windows XP also involves uninstalling programs you are no longer using. Go to Control Panel >> Add/Remove Programs and go through the list. Remove any programs that you no longer need. If you are unsure what a particular program is, do a search on Google to find out more and then decide whether to remove it. Some programs run the moment Windows startup which causes the system to boot slower.

4th Step - Windows update

Contrary to beliefs that Windows update causes more problems and slows the system, doing an update will actually contribute to optimizing Windows XP. This is because Microsoft continues to tweak the system and remove parts that are not needed and not optimized or can be exploited. System administrators running Windows Servers have to be careful with Windows Update but home users should not fear doing it.

5th Step - Hardware drivers

Another way of optimizing Windows XP is to use the latest device drivers for your graphic cards and motherboards especially. Updated drivers will have bug fixes and system optimization built in. It is advisable to use a proper driver release instead of beta or prerelease to ensure system stability.

6th Step - Disable File Indexing

File indexing was designed to help in optimizing Windows XP by shortening the time it takes for the system to locate files. However, as time passes and more and more files get indexed, the system performance is adversely affected due to growing pagefile size and increased usage of CPU time.

Due to the fact that file indexing is enabled by default, you need to disable it manually. You can do this by going to "My Computer" and right click on every hard drive partitions and select "Properties". Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching". Click on "Apply changes to subfolders and files". If any files cannot be updated, select "Ignore All".

7th Step - Optimize Windows Registry

Just as temporary files can built up over time, the Windows registry will also grow in size with more and more entries being created. As programs get installed and uninstalled and spywares and viruses come in, the registry begins to get clogged up with tons of invalid and obsolete entries. This affects Windows performance and causes multiple errors. Use a registry cleaner to remove unwanted entries and remove Windows errors.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=George_Tho