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Author: Mehmet Onatli Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Defragment Your Hard Drive
Over time, the data on your hard drive gets scattered. Defragment your hard drive puts your data back into sequential order, making it easier for Windows to access it. As a result, the performance of your computer will improve.
Scan Your Hard Disk
Has your computer ever crashed, making it impossible to shut it down properly? Have you ever experienced a power outage?
These problems and others can cause damage to your system files. Windows provides a utility called scandisk that will automatically detect and fix much of the damage, improving your system's performance in the process.
Scan for Viruses
Viruses can wreak havoc on your computer. Detecting and cleaning viruses is an excellent way to improve your system's performance. There are many antivirus programs to choose from, but the About Guide to Antivirus Software provides a list of the Top 7 Antivirus Programs for Windows.
Check for Spyware and Adware
Spyware is software that allows companies to monitor what websites you visit or even access your computer. Adware is software that displays advertisements. Both use system resources and slow your computer down. Detecting and removing the programs will improve system performance.
Uninstall Unneeded Programs
Removing programs that you no longer use can free up space on your computer and speed up your system's performance. However, you need to uninstall the programs properly to see much improvement; deleting them is not enough.
Adjust Visual Effects for Better Performance
Windows XP provides a number of interesting visual effects like animated windows and fading menus. These effects, however, can slow down your computer. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to customize the visual effects to match your preferences and performance needs.
Stop Programs from starting on Windows boot
One way you can speed up your computer is to prevent programs from launching themselves at start-up. Not only do the unwanted programs delay the start of Windows, they also continue to slow down your computer since they use system resources.
Disable The Unwanted Services
Disable Services you do not use or need. Open control panel, open Administrative Tools, and select Services. Disabling the wrong Services may lead to serious problems that you may not notice right away. Please consult a reference such as overclockersclub.com for information on specific Windows XP Services.
Some Tips
If this is your first defrag, do it after the disk clean up twice, then a disk defrag, and then another disk clean up.
Do all the above steps quite often to keep the speed of your PC going.
Although time-intensive, a re-partition and re-format of the hard disk drive, along with a clean installation of Windows XP will improve performance.
Performing this task will remove all of your existing data, so a back-up or file copy is recommended first. Only save the files you created, as you will need to reinstall each application on the new installation of Windows. If you did not change the default location when saving documents, it may be safe to copy only the user folder and all files and folders within it (ie: "C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)").
Typically, most users will need to be sure to copy these files:
Documents created using applications such as Microsoft Word or similar office suite programs
Bookmarks/Favorites from your Internet browser
Fonts installed that are not included by default with Windows (note that some fonts are installed by applications).
E-mail in-box and folders if you use an e-mail client that does not use an Internet browser.
Any schedule data for programs such as Outlook
Financial records for programs such as Quicken
Optimize the registry either manually or with a third-party application. Many of these registry tweaking programs are available on the Internet, including commercial applications that are released as free trials.
If you are not familiar with the registry, do not edit it manually -- the registry is vital to Windows' operation.
Mehmet Onatli is a computer technology enthusiast and an expert in computer performance optimization. His site is about Free Registry Cleaner and gives you effective tips and information on how to maintain your registry. Visit his website at: http://www.registryheal.com/
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