Win XP on Slower PC's

Discussion in 'Software' started by swalsh19, Dec 15, 2006.

  1. swalsh19

    swalsh19 Private First Class

    Can someone give me some tips as to things I can disable to make XP run faster on a slow PC. I would like to install it on a laptop I have here. It is a dinosaur I know but I just want it for email and web browsing.

    The unit is a P3-500 w. 320megs RAM.
     
  2. Mada_Milty

    Mada_Milty MajorGeek

    Wow!

    Well, the first thing I would suggest is to turn off the visual effects. Here's how:

    1. Hit windows key + break (or right-click 'My Computer' and select 'Properties')
    2. On the 'System Properties' dialog, select the 'Advanced' tab
    3. Under 'Performance' press the 'Settings' button
    4. On the 'Performance Options' dialog, select the radio button next to 'Adjust For Best Performance'
    5. Apply your settings

    I would also recommend you read this thread titled, Disable Unneeded Services In Windows XP, to minimize the number of programs being launched by the system at startup.

    My last tip would be to manage user-defined startup programs. CCleaner is excellent for this task. Here's how to use CCleaner to manage startup programs:

    1. Launch CCleaner
    2. Hit alt+t (or click the 'Tools' tab)
    3. In the 'Tools' section, select the 'Startup' button.

    Here, you should see all programs that run at startup for the current user. Delete as many as you can without compromising your system's security. (ie. Do NOT delete entries for antivirus, antispyware, or firewall... they should be running all the time)
     
  3. bigbazza

    bigbazza R.I.P. 14/12/2011 - Good Onya Geek

    2 programs I'd recommend that will help.

    Process Explorer. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4566

     
  4. swalsh19

    swalsh19 Private First Class

    Thanks guys. I was just going over the thread you provided. I had done the basic computer performance you mentioned.

    I will look into the others.
     

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