Safe to run PC

I have a very old PC, a Dell 233, which is running Windows XP, SP3. THe machine uses a wi-fi connection to connect to the internet and is on no network. It is a single user machine and I use it exclusively as an Internet radio visiting trusted sites, almost exclusively bbc.co.uk.

I do not use if for general internet browsing or for any email application.
There is no data on this machine that I need to conserve.

My question is this. The machine is now running low on resources. (the OS, for example, half fills the HD!). Would it be safe for me - given the use of the machine - to switch off and uninstall the AV protection suite currently installed (Avast).
What would be the risks? What additional precautions should I take if I do remove the AV suite?

Many thanks for your thoughts...

 

You could also tweak the settings and delete some of the things you are not using in XP

http://www.tweakxp.com/performance_tweaks.aspx

Also this will help.
* Go to Start
* Click Settings
* Click Control Panel
* Click System
* Click Advanced tab
* In the Performance tab click Settings
* 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

 

Thanks for that.
Those performance tweaks (and more) got done long ago. On the same subject, what are the files I can safely delete from my now enormous Windows folder on this machine?

 

One of the biggest applications is system restore and removing all but the last restore point will give you a good boost.

1. Click on Start

2. Select "All Programs"

3. Click on Accessories

4. Click on System Tools

5. Then Select Disk Cleanup

6. After that Select the drive on which Windows XP is installed (normally "C") and click OK

7. Now click the More Options tab

8. In the System Restore section, click the Clean up button

9. Click "Yes"

This is also helpful.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

 

If your PC is running well, consider removing the Hotfix backup files (it's something I commonly do manually, even with my Windows 7 machines). Ccleaner used to have this option in the advanced section, I'm not sure when or why they removed it.