41 XP Speed Tweaks Part 1/2 (1-21)

41 XP Speed Tweaks Part 2/2 (22-41)

After years of experience in optimizing Windows XP, the following low to high risk tweaks should increase performance and security.

All users should back up all data before attempting any tweak.
Please discuss any problems or view user comments in our forum.
Please Note:
Last updated 01/06/2008.

Each tweak contains:
A link to the top of this page.
Tweaks 1-17 are Low risk, 18-21 are Low/Medium risk.

01. Remove/Replace Windows Background image
03. Run Disk Cleanup
05. Adjust Visual Effects
07. Disable windows sounds
09. Remove viruses, trojans and spyware
11. Turn off Error Reporting Service
13. Reduce recycle bin size
15. Disable performance counters
17. Load menus faster
19. Shutdown XP faster
21. Disabling indexing service

23. Use Dual Channel Memory
25. Edit Boot.ini to disable GUI boot
27. Reduce Applications Autorunning on Startup
29. Remove junk files and shrink registry
31. Convert your drives to NTFS
33. Improve RAM performance with Cacheman
35. Disabling unused devices from device manager
37. Disable unnecessary services
39. Update hardware drivers and firmware
41. Automated windows installation		Tweaks 22-36 are Medium risk, 37-41 are Medium/High risk.

02. Fix system errors using ScanDisk
04. Run Disk Defragmenter
06. Windows Explorer performance
08. Remove annoying balloon tips
10. Apply Windows updates
12. Turn off Remote Desktop & Remote Assistance
14. Replace software with free alternatives
16. Speed up boot sequence
18. Improve RAM/Swap file performance
20. Access Folder's Faster

22. Remove windows fonts
24. Move swapfile to new hard disk
26. Optimize your internet connection
28. Cleaning the Windows Registry
30. Remove windows login password
32. Disable unneeded features and ports in the bios
34. Defragment Windows Page File
36. Using DMA transfer for hard drives
38. Setting manual IP addresses
40. Turning off system restore

01. Remove/Replace Windows Background image


The default windows background called Bliss takes up 1.37mb of space and consumes extra memory and slows down loading of essential security software on startup.

Setting a plain coloured background or converting the image to a JPEG from its current BMP format will improve loading times.

Right click on the desktop and select Properties.

Select the 'Desktop' tab.

In the 'Background' window select 'None'.

Click OK.

02. Fix system errors using ScanDisk


Scandisk is a windows program which fixes a number of errors that can occur whilst running windows. These include problems with bad sectors on the hard drive, invalid filenames and wrong file sizes. It should be used if you are experiencing software or hardware problems.

If the drive you want to scan is an active windows partition, you will have to restart the computer before it is scanned. It is a good idea to run scandisk before running Disk Defragmenter which is tweak 4.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'chkdsk /f C:' and press OK.

Repeat the process for other partitions by replacing the drive letter.

03. Run Disk Cleanup


Disk Cleanup will remove unnecessary junk files from your computer which will free up disk space. Temporary files e.g. internet browser history and temporary files accumulate rapidly. These need to be cleared on a regular basis.

Open Disk Cleanup by selecting Start and then select Run.

Type in 'cleanmgr' and select OK.

Then select your drive letter and press OK.

Now press OK to delete files that you no longer require.

Select the More Options tab to remove more unwanted files.

04. Run Disk Defragmenter


As your computer is used over time, the data is written as quickly as possible. This results in files being split into 2 or more parts. Disk Defragmenter joins files up and stores them up in complete parts which speeds up access to them.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'dfrg.msc' and select OK.

Then select your drive letter and press Defragment.

Now press Close when it completes.

Repeat the process for other drives on your computer.

05. Adjust Visual Effects


The visual performance by default is set to best appearance by default. This should be changed to best performance. This may make Windows XP look less attractive but will increase productivity. By leaving the last checkbox checked this will increase performance but windows will still look good.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'sysdm.cpl' and select OK.

Then select the Advanced tab and then the Settings tab.

Now select Adjust for best performance and select OK.

Leave the last checkout checked if you still want the default theme.

06. Windows Explorer performance


On slower machines especially, when loading windows explorer there is always a slight delay. This is due to Windows searching for network files and printers each time Windows Explorer is opened. By disabling the searching for network folders and printers, you should see a slight boost in performance.

Select Start and My Computer.

Select Tools -> Folder Options.

Select the View tab and uncheck the first checkbox.

This is 'Automatically search for network folders and printers'.

Click OK and restart your computer.

07. Disable windows sounds


Whilst using the computer for certain tasks windows plays sounds to alert the user. These are usually uneccessary e.g. windows startup sound. By disabling these sounds it should improve pc performance.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'mmsys.cpl' and press OK.

Select the 'Sounds' tab.

Set the 'Sound scheme' combo box to 'No Sounds'.

Select OK.

08. Remove annoying balloon tips


Windows XP shows a variety of messages using balloon tips which are usually unneccesary. These are not only annoying but reduce performance.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'regedit' and press OK.

Navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced'.

Create/Edit a REG_DWord value for 'EnableBalloonTips'.
Set its value to 0.

09. Remove viruses, trojans and spyware


Viruses, trojans and spyware can cripple unprotected systems which is why, up to date security softare is essential. It is almost always better to reinstall Windows once the system has been compromised as removing all problems is very time consuming.

Download and install an all in one package with a 30 day trial.

Kaspersky Internet Security 7 or ESET NOD32 Smart Security.

This includes an antivirus, spyware remover and firewall.

To remove spyware alone download the free Spyware Terminator.

10. Apply Windows updates


Ensure that you are running Windows Service Pack 2 and have all the latest windows updates. There are now over 100 important security updates released after Service Pack 2. Ensure automatic updates are turned on to download the latest updates.

Select Start -> All Programs -> Windows Updates.

The first time this is done Windows Genuine Tool must be installed.

Then select and install any new updates.

Or download each of the 103 XP updates and install manually.

11. Turn off Error Reporting Service


Error reporting service is responsible for the annoying error messages that pop up each time an error occurs. It is possible to see critical error messages only. Or if you really want to save resources, simply turn off the service by following tweak 35.

Select Start and Control Panel.

Select the 'System' icon.

Select the 'Advanced' tab.

Select the 'Error Reporting' button.

Select 'Disable error Reporting' and press OK.

12. Turn off Remote Desktop & Remote Assistance


In order to improve security and prevent random people from trying to remotely control your computer. It is a good idea to either uncheck or turn off the remote services by following tweak 35.

Select Start and Control Panel.

Select the 'System' icon.

Select the 'Remote' tab.

Uncheck 'Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer' and 'Allow users to connect remotely to this computer'.

Select OK.

13. Reduce recycle bin size


As modern hard disk drives are very large, the default 10% usage for the recycle bin is unnecessary.

For average users a maximum of 5-10gb should really be used.

This is really dependent on the size of the users hard disk. Anything from 2-5% should be enough.

Show the desktop and right click on the 'Recycle Bin'.

Select the 'Properties' tab.

Adjust the slider to the required percentage.

Press OK.

14. Replace software with free alternatives


This involves replacing bloated software with some of the 17 Recommended Free XP Software or 17 Recommended Open Source XP Software alternatives.

Some examples include replacing:
Adobe Acrobat Reader with FoxIT Reader (Lacks plugins).
Windows Live Messenger with Miranda (Lacks Some Features).
Winzip/Winrar with 7-Zip (Lacks Winrar Usability).
Internet Explorer with Mozilla Firefox (Superior security).
Windows Media Player with VLC Media Player (Superior file types).
Outlook Express with Mozilla Thunderbird (Superior features).
WS FTP Pro with FileZilla (Lacks FTP Pro Usability).
Adobe Photoshop with Gimp (Lacks Photoshop Usability).
Microsoft Office with OpenOffice (Lacks MS Office Compatability).
Nero with CDBurnerXP Pro (Lacks Nero Reliabilty).

15. Disable performance counters


Windows XP monitors the performance of certain applications. This monitoring increases the resources needed without giving the user any productivity. By disabling these, the resources can be freed.

Download and install the Extensible Performance Counter (615kb).

Run it from 'C:\Program Files\Resource Kit\exctrlst.exe'.

Uncheck the 'Performance Counters Enabled'.

This should be done for each item in the list.

Close the program.

16. Speed up boot sequence


On most computers the order in which devices are loaded is Floppy, CD Drive and Hard Drive.
If hard drive is set to first it can save about 1-2 seconds on your boot time. As soon as the pc is started, the key to enter the bios is sometimes displayed.

To enter the bios press either F2/F6/F8/F12/Delete key.

Find the 'Boot Order' menu onscreen or check your manual.

Set hard drive to first in the list.

Select 'Save and exit setup' to update and restart the pc.

17. Load menus faster


This simple tweak will simply load windows menu's faster. The 'Start' button menu will see a considerable difference especially on older computers. I would recommend setting a value between 0 (experts) and 200 (novices). If the speed is too fast, leave the value set at the default 400.

Press Start and Run.

Type in 'regedit' and press OK.

Locate 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\'.

Double click 'MenuShowDelay' to edit the value.

Set the value between 0-200 and press OK, close regedit.

18. Improve RAM/Swap file performance


This tweak requries greater than 256mb RAM, or it will reduce performance. It forces your PC to use all its RAM before accessing the swap files which is alot slower.

Press Start and Run.

Type in 'msconfig' and press OK.

Select the 'System.ini' tab and expand the '386enh' tab.

Select the 'New' button' and enter 'ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1'.

Now press OK.

Restart the computer.

19. Shutdown XP faster


This tweak should allow Windows to shutdown faster, as it sets very little time for applications to close. Usually an application is given over 10 seconds to close, before being forced. This simply reduces the waiting time for forcing an application. Remember to press OK after setting each value to 1000.

Click Start and Run.

Type in 'regedit' and press OK.

Locate 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop'.

Double click 'WaitToKillAppTimeout', set value to 1000.

Double click 'HungAppTimeout', set value to 1000.

Locate 'HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop'.

Double click 'WaitToKillAppTimeout', set value to 1000.

Locate 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Control'.

Double click 'WaitToKillServiceTimeout', set value to 1000.

20. Access Folder's Faster


This simply stops Windows wasting time updating the time stamp on each folder/subfolder on your computer. This should only be attempted if you have a very large number of folders and you are using NTFS file system.

Click Start and Run.

Type in 'regedit' and press OK.

Locate 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Control\FileSystem'.

Right click in the FileSystem directory and select 'New'.

Then select 'DWORD' value.

Enter the name for the 'DWORD' value as 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate'.

Double click on 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate'.

Enter 1 as the value.

Press OK and close regedit.

21. Disabling indexing service


This program gives each file in your computer an index which makes it alot faster to find when searching.

The problem with this is it uses alot of resources and searching is rarely done.

Select Start and Control Panel.

Double click on 'Add or Remove Programs'.

Select 'Add or Remove Windows Components' tab.

Uncheck the 'Indexing Service'.

Select 'Next' to finish uninstalling the indexing service.

Start of page

41 XP Speed Tweaks Part 2/2 (22-41)

© PC Callouts, 2008
All rights reserved.