| Windows XP is currently the most popular operating | | | | software that siphon of your WinXP machine's |
| system for personal computers and comes in two | | | | performance. |
| broad categories--XP Home and XP Pro. XP home is | | | | Once you have implemented the above vital |
| designed for home users who do not need the more | | | | Windows XP tweaks, it is time to look at other |
| heavyweight corporate applications such as a web | | | | performance based steps that you can use. The |
| server but still require a scalable and reliable operating | | | | WinXP registry is a centralized data structure that |
| system. While Windows XP runs well out of the box, | | | | WinXP programs, including WinXP itself, use to store |
| there are tricks that can be used to optimize your | | | | configuration data. The registry can quickly become |
| installation. There are great Windows XP tweaks that | | | | crowded and hence more slow to search. Particularly |
| involve broadband settings, registry entries, and other | | | | if you remove unused programs that do not uninstall |
| under utilized components of WinXP. | | | | properly, they may leave behind garbage in the |
| While this first group of tips can not properly be | | | | registry that can cause registry searches to slow. |
| considered Windows XP tweaks, they are so | | | | Since registry searches can occur at any time during |
| important that they should be included in any guide | | | | program execution (particularly during start up), a |
| that discusses WinXP performance and efficiency. | | | | clogged WinXP registry can cause the entire system |
| The single most important thing you can do to | | | | to slow. There are numerous free and share ware |
| ensure to WinXP performance is to make sure that | | | | programs out there that can help you clean your |
| your computer is free from viruses, trojans, | | | | WinXP registry. It is not advisable to muck around |
| spyware, and other pieces of software that could | | | | the registry yourself, and always be sure to back up |
| serve to slow down or otherwise compromise the | | | | your registry before making any changes. |
| functioning of your WinXP computer. The first thing | | | | Another important class of Windows XP tweaks is to |
| that you should do, particularly if you have an always | | | | keep your hard drive defragmented. Hard drives |
| on broadband connection, is to install a firewall. A | | | | become fragmented when application programs save |
| firewall locks down the software entry points (called | | | | different parts of files in different places on your |
| ports) that applications use interact with your | | | | hard drive. For example, in order to maximize available |
| computer. Ports are simply numbers that, when | | | | space, WinXP may decide to save part of your file in |
| combined with your internet protocol (IP) address, | | | | different places on the hard drive. This means that |
| specify a single channel of network communication. | | | | access time for that file will become slow. Over time, |
| Some ports should usually be open, such as port 80 | | | | your hard drive can accumulate many such |
| which allows web HTTP communication to occur, but | | | | fragmented files and generally become a mess. This |
| others should be locked unless they are needed by a | | | | can slow your computer down a great deal. |
| legitimate program. By default, the entire range of | | | | Fortunately, it is easy to de-fragment your hard drive |
| ports is open to the world on a WinXP machine. A | | | | using built in WinXP utilities. The process can take a |
| firewall blocks all unused ports and lets the WinXP | | | | number of hours to complete, so many people |
| user decide which ports to open. WinXP service pack | | | | choose to de-fragment their hard drive overnight. |
| 2 contains a firewall that is on by default. Another | | | | Optimize, secure, and maintain your computer |
| member of this class of Windows XP tweaks is to | | | | absolutely FREE with these explosive Windows XP |
| install anti virus and anti spyware software. These | | | | Tweaks! |
| programs can clear up the malicious pieces of | | | | |