After a couple of months of using Windows XP, you probably feel that its performance is getting slower. I have been using Windows XP for more than 5 years now, and reinstalling or recovering Windows XP once per 6 months has become my schedule. Even though I have to do this, I still feel that Windows XP is the best Windows operating system ever made by Microsoft. I still don’t like Windows Vista or Windows 7 so much.
Here I want to share some tips on how to make your Windows XP faster, other than reinstalling like I used to do.
1. Check your RAM (Random Access Memory). To do this you can download CPU-Z, install it, and look at the memory tab. If your memory is 512MB or less, I suggest you buy more memory. At least 1GB, but I prefer to have 2GB.
2. Check your hard drive — is it already Ultra-133 or SATA with 8MB cache? To find out, please open your case and look at your hard drive manufacturer details. You can ask any PC shop with support in your town. If you don’t have one, please change your hard drive.
3. Please make sure that your C: drive (or where you installed your Windows XP) is using the NTFS file system. If not, please convert your file system to NTFS. I will show you how in my next post.
4. Disable file indexing. Windows XP has a built-in search function to search any keyword or phrase in a document file. Most users don’t need this feature. So you can disable it, since it will consume your resources. To disable it: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching.” Next, apply changes to “C: subfolders and files,” and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as “Access is denied”), click the Ignore All button.
5. Update your BIOS, motherboard, and VGA card drivers to the latest versions. Please see your manufacturer’s official site to download the latest driver.
6. Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can “prefetch” portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
7. Once a month, run a disk cleanup. The best free tool for this is CCleaner. Download it and install it. With the user-friendly interface, I’m sure it will not be hard for you to understand how to use it.