Tips and Tricks to Speed Up Your Windows XP

Microsoft developed Windows XP with performance in mind, but this doesn't mean that there's nothing you can do to improve the experience further. Gathered below are some of the simplest tips and tricks available for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system.

Tip #1: TweakXP
The most simple option available will always be to download specialized software that does the hard work for you. While manual tweaks are useful, there's simply no comparison; TweakXP and similar programs cover many aspects of Windows XP and can perform the tweaks that would take you and I hours in a matter of minutes. You choose what you wish to see and these tweaking programs do it for you.

TweakXP is recommended due to its ease of use and freeware status. It can be found at:
http://www.tweakxp.com/tweakutility/

Another highly recommended application is Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP, which is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Tip #2: Disable File Indexing
Windows XP contains an indexing service designed to extract information from documents and aid you in a "searchable keyword index." While this process can (in some cases) be useful, the amount of resources necessary to properly index your computer can also slow it down greatly! In addition, there are many users who will never even use this search feature. If you want to squeeze more speed out of your XP machine, disable the file indexing.

To disable this file indexing, double-click on My Computer and right-click on your C:\ Drive (or whichever drive you wish to disable indexing for). From here, select "Properties" and uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, you must apply these new settings to "C:\ subfoldersand files." Voila! You will notice a performance boost with these changes made.