The Windows XP Optimization Guide

Intro: The Windows XP Optimization Guide

The Complete Guide to Optimizing Windows XP. This guide will keep your computer responsive and snappy.

STEP 1: Procedure

There are several options with which to begin optimization. Before beginning, it is suggested that you back up all your files.

If your computer has 2+ user accounts, and it has not been reformatted for an extended period of time, you are probably better off reformatting the computer and starting fresh. Most computers have a built-in destructive recovery. If you choose to start by reformatting, backup all your files and reformat the computer, preferably with the built in recovery tool.

Alternatively, you can create another user account with administrative abilities. Then login with your new account and delete the old account. This essentially gives you a fresh computer because most slowdowns are caused by a bogged down registry from extended periods of use. The new account has a fresh registry and is like new.

STEP 2: Decrapifying (Deleting and Uninstalling)

You can decrapify manually (the way I do it) by going to start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and manually remove programs.

Or you can run PC Decrapifier. This nifty little application requires no installation. Just run it from a USB. It will automatically recognize bloatware and other junk so you don't have to search.

Now if you own an HP or Compaq PC, they will have a folder called SWSETUP under your C:\ drive, which contains all the installer files for the software that came with your PC. You can delete this entire folder if you want, but if something goes wrong with the drivers, you will have to do a complete restore with the recovery partition. Only delete this folder after you have uninstalled everything that uses installers from the folder; otherwise it will leave shortcuts in the Add/Remove Programs menu that cannot be removed. I would manually go through and remove the bloatware installers, and leave driver installers and such.

Now go to start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup > More Options > (Under Windows Components) Clean Up. I removed the Mouse Pointers, Internet Games, MSN Explorer, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express, (and if you are running Windows XP MCE) Windows Dancer.

Go to start > Search and type in the names of programs you removed. Usually some dead links and folders will come up.

When you are done with all of this, restart your computer. Then go to start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter and defragment your hard drive.

STEP 3: Basic System Properties Edit

start > (Right Click) My Computer > Properties > Advanced > (Under Performance) Settings. Set them to what is shown. These settings strike a good balance between aesthetics and functionality, since most of the "animations" are horrendously ugly.

Now right click on the desktop and go to Properties > Appearance > Effects and set them what is shown.

STEP 4: Useful Tweaks and Mods

- Delete the Useless "My" Prefix
Open the start menu, right click on the items and edit them.

- Customize the Windows Explorer Toolbar
Right click and customize! Remove text labels, rearrange, and add buttons to your liking. The "Go" button can be removed by right clicking.

- Use the Quick Launch Toolbar
Right click the taskbar and set up your Quick Launch toolbar. This will save you some clicks when accessing your commonly used applications. Vastly superior to the annoying memory-hogging "docks" that seem to be all the rage.

- Kill the Annoying "Throbber"
The waving Windows flag in the upper right corner is the throbber. Run "ShellThrobOff.reg" file. If you ever want to undo it, just run the ShellThrobOn.reg.
link

- Move the Recycle Bin to the start Menu
This just makes more sense, and it helps keep your desktop tidy. Just right click and install.
link.

- Change Windows Explorer to Show the Top Level Drives by Default
Change the target of Windows Explorer to %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\

- Open folders in Windows Explorer Mode by Default (With Folder Pane Enabled - Vista Style)
Go to Folder Options > File Types. From the list, locate the entry FOLDER with extension of (NONE). Go to Advanced > Explore > Default. This will kill the special icons for the "My Pictures" and "My Music" folders.

- Delete the Menu Bar
link

- Add "Open With Notepad" to your context menu.
link

- Skip the Annoying "Use the Web Service to Find the Appropriate Program" Dialog
link

- Resize unresizeable windows
link

- Rearrange system tray icons and taskbar buttons
link

- Questionable (although they might work) speed tweaks
link

STEP 5: Services

Services can be adjusted by going to start > Run > (type) services.msc. Services are components of the operating system that provide different features. Right Click the item, go to Properties > Startup Type: to modify the setting.

There are three different settings for each service - Disabled, Manual, and Automatic. Disabled means the service cannot run. Manual will run the service when needed, and Automatic will start the service whenever Windows starts. Do not disable unless you are certain the service is unnecessary and will not be run.

These settings are to be changed assuming that all your services are at default and you have SP2. If not, get SP2 first! These settings will apply the next time Windows starts up.

Modify the following to the indicated settings:
Distributed Link Tracking Client - M
Fast User Switching Compatibility - D
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service - M
Indexing Service - D
Net Logon - D
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing - D
Remote Registry - D
Secondary Logon - D

From TweakHound
Another good resource

Optimization Myths Is a good read, however, deleting certain services does indeed speed bootup time.

STEP 6: Recommended Applications

Internet Explorer 8 It looks and works better, has tabs and is more secure.

Windows Media Player 11 It looks good and works great. (However, I suggest killing its memory-hogging "wmpnetwk" sharing service which consumes up to 8000K. To do this, go to start> Run > services.msc' and look down the list for WMPNetworkSvc. Right click for properties to open and stop the service from running and then in the Startup Type dropdown list choose Disabled and then Apply.)

Avast A solid and free security suite.

Process Explorer An upgraded version of the basic process explorer.

Mozilla Firefox Faster, more secure and more stable than Internet Explorer.

Paint.NET Free, open source image editor.

Foxit PDF Reader A lightweight alternative to the bloated Adobe Reader.

VLC Media Player A lightweight media player that supports many formats.

NetStumbler A superior alternative to the Windows wireless network detector.

WinRAR Free Zip file extractor.

MediaCoder The ultimate video and audio format converter.

For Java, go to 'start > Control Panel > Java' and disable automatic updates.

STEP 7: Maintenance

Run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter regularly. If you're too lazy to do that, just add it to scheduled tasks. It's also a good idea to install programs sparingly and to remove programs you don't need. Use a spyware and virus scanner, and look into buying a disk maintenance program if necessary.

Comments

[NLD]

Recently I throw together a dual Athlon MP for XP retrogaming. Found my XP tuning reg file what I was tweaking from 2003-2006. I thought it might be a good idea to write something like your guide since the retro gaming scene is growing. If you want I can send it to you and some other useful XP tricks and you can add them to your guide.

[crestind]

I'm down update this 13 year old guide lol

[JesusG33k]

Better advice for you:

Get Windows 8. XD

Thanks for sharing!

[RichieG2]

You do realize that there are computers that aren't good enough for Windows 8, right?

[naka]

Don't get Norton, don't get norton, don't get norton, don't get norton, don't get norton! If this is an optimization guide, I'm baffled by your advice to get Norton :(

[morgan.fairbanks.1]

IK Nortron terriblle optimization, get avira for free, anything but nortron

[crestind]

Norton is the best security software out there, and the extra security is worth a slightly slower computer to me. I'm assuming that the computers being optimized have 512 MB or RAM or so, so Norton won't slow things down too much.

[crestind]

Disregard my ignorant comment above lol "best security software out there".

[naka]

It's been a while, welcome back to 2008.

[naka]

For all the times I have fixed computers, I can't count how many times uninstalling Norton solved a problem you can spend hours trying to fix. I actually had a laptop myself where the wireless was suddenly not working for no reason at all, I had tried everything and Norton had been disabled since I bought it, I actually had to go in and uninstall under add and remove programs and my wireless started working again. Besides the random problems it seems to cause for a lot of people, it has it's fingers in EVERYTHING and uses system resources it just doesn't need to be using, I want to know how you formed the opinion that Norton is good because I have never seen any sort of anti-virus site showing off good stats for Norton anyways. Do a search for Top Antivirus, I didn't find anything in the 5 top results saying anything about Norton. I did a search for Top Antivirus + Norton and the only thing that showed besides download sites and Nortons website was this "Reviews agree that Kaspersky is better than the bestseller Norton AntiVirus 2008 in all aspects."

[Muscelz]

If this waz my windowz optimization guide i wud write in big fat letters "REFORMAT"
and install linux, xp isnt worth your trouble

[TheShawMaestro]

Linux loser...

[Muscelz]

don't get involved with stuff you don't know about, obviously you know nothing, otherwise you wouldn't be mocking linux. linux is a very powerful tool, alot more open than windows, alot more editable, rules don't apply for linux. linux can cause alot more damage, but ofcource it has its program compatibility issues but that doesn't matter, its what it can do. look matey windows is good, but linux is better. I run Win Xp 64 Pro KDE 4.25 and then Win Xp 64 Pro Sandboxed Under KDE

[TheShawMaestro]

I know it is a lot more open than Windows. Windows is by far the worst operating system I have ever come across. I run Mac OS X. And have have used more than my fair share of Linux distributions. I might have been a little too judgmental.

The term 'linux loser' applies to someone who ran Windows, then switched to Linux, thinking they were great, but knowing little about the operating system. They also see themselves as 'non-conformists' or 'hax0rs'. From your style of writing, and the whole 'big fat letters' thing, you seemed to fall under the catergory of 'Linux loser'. Sorry for upsetting you.

[Muscelz]

I didn't switch to linux, i used both OS's (mainly Windows)
actually my friend introduced me to it and i thought oooo this can come in handy, anyway he is a magor linux geek, he mainly uses it because he has his computer going 24/7 and needs a stable platform to run his server. hosting world of warcraft servers, his webpage "chrisand.no-ip.info" a simple webpage used to upload files etc, and other things.

linux can pretty much do everything windows can't, (that dusnt mean bypass other OS's) its simply more manipulative, thers commands off commands, sub commands off sub commands and etc, pretty much anything is possible in linux except the obvious which i don't need to get into

some of the most powerfullest computer in the world "Super Computers" as they call them run a linux based OS because of its versatility and how open source it is and etc

it takes time to learn linux, once learnt it is a VERY powerful tool, and see how i use the world tool, i would so much class it as a program platform just yet intill they can intertwine it with windows a little more and get directx operational and integrated to there is a seamless difference between the both, which is quite complicated because directx was built around windows, so linux's directx would have to be build around linux, what a task

[crestind]

I can see Linux being useful for a home server, but what's the point of having it on your main PC?

[Muscelz]

its weird ino this stuff lol, it wud be funny if u met me in person im not the sorta type of guy who would look like he's knew this stuff lol freaks most people out

[crestind]

If this was your optimization guide, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to understand your English either.

[Muscelz]

1 last thing, why would you get at sum1 for their writing? like this is about computers, dnt change the subject. people can read my writing, YOU CAN. anyone with half a brain can

[crestind]

I wasn't getting back at you. If you feel that way, then you obviously realize that your writing quality isn't great. This is about computers. This is about optimizing Windows XP, as the title clearly states. This is not about converting to Linux, which is why that was not included.