Optimize Windows XP for Enhanced Performance and Speed

Posted on Dec 6, 2024 in Computers

Complete Optimization Techniques for Windows XP
1. Disable Unnecessary Services
Windows XP has many services running that can slow down the system, and many of them are not needed. Here is a list of services that can be disabled on virtually all machines:

  • Alert Service
  • Portfolio
  • Computer Browser
  • Tracking Client Distributed Link
  • Support Fast User Switching
  • Help and Support (do not touch if you use Windows regularly)
  • Access to Human Interface Device
  • Indexing Service
  • IPSEC Services
  • Messenger
  • NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for security reasons)
  • Session Manager Remote Desktop Help (disabled for security reasons)
  • Management of Remote Access Auto Connection
  • Remote Registry (disabled for security reasons)
  • Secondary Logon
  • Routing and Remote Access (disabled for security reasons)
  • Server
  • SSDP Discovery Service (Unplug and Play will disable)
  • Telnet
  • NetBIOS Helper TCP/IP
  • Upload Manager
  • Plug and Play Device Host Universal
  • Windows Time
  • Setting fast laptop (do not disable if you use Wi-Fi)
  • Workstation

To disable these services:
1. Go to Start -> Run, and type “services.msc”
2. Double-click the service you want to disable.
3. Change the startup type to “Disabled” or “Stop” (as system).
2. Disable System Restore
System Restore can be very helpful if your computer has problems, yet keeping all the restore points can take up significant space on your hard drive. To disable it:
1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click “Performance and Maintenance”.
3. Click “System”.
4. Open the System Restore tab.
5. Activate ‘Turn off System Restore on all drives’.
6. Click ‘OK’.
3. Defragment the Page File
Defragmenting this file can significantly increase boot speed. One of the best ways to do this is to create a separate partition on your hard drive just for this, which is not affected by normal use of the hard disk. Another way to defragment this file is to run the application PageDefrag. This handy application can be used to defragment, but also to set it to defragment every time you start your computer. To install:
1. Download and run PageDefrag.
2. Check “Defrag at next Reboot”.
3. Click “OK”.
4. Restart.
4. Accelerate Folder Access – Disable Last Access Update
If you have many folders and subfolders on your computer, you’ll notice that accessing those folders can be time-consuming because Windows XP needs to update the last access time for each. To stop this, simply edit the registry. If you think that is too complicated, do not worry; it is not hard.
1. Go to Start -> Run and type “regedit”.
2. Navigate the tree to the left until you reach “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem”.
3. Right-click in the right window and select ‘DWORD Value’.
4. Create a new DWORD and call it ‘NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate’.
5. Right-click the new value and press ‘Modify’.
6. Change the value to ‘1’.
7. Click ‘OK’.
5. Disable System Sounds
Surprisingly, the sounds emitted by your computer to indicate different actions can slow it down, particularly at startup and shutdown. To disable this:
1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click ‘Sound and Audio’.
3. Select ‘Place volume icon in the taskbar’.
4. Open the tab “Sounds”.
5. Choose “No Sounds” in the Sound scheme.
6. Click “Apply”.
7. Click “OK”.
6. Improve Startup Speed
A new feature of Windows XP is the ability to perform boot defragmentation. This places all boot files sequentially to ensure a much faster boot. By default, this option is enabled on many versions of XP, but here is how to enable it just in case:
1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. Type ‘Regedit.exe’.
3. Search for “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction”.
4. Select “Enable” from the list on the right.
5. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
6. Change the value to “Y”.
7. Restart the computer.
7. Improve Swap File Performance
If you have more than 256MB of RAM, this tweak will considerably improve performance. It ensures that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than the swap file) before using the swap file.
1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. Type “msconfig.exe”.
3. Go to the System.ini tab.
4. Expand 386enh by clicking on the +.
5. Click New and type “ConservativeSwapfileUsage = 1”.
6. Click OK.
7. Restart the computer.
8. Speed Up Menu Access
This is one of my favorites because it noticeably improves the machine’s responsiveness. This trick removes the slight delay that Windows has when opening menus.
1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. Type ‘Regedit’.
3. Find “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop”.
4. Select “MenuShowDelay”.
5. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
6. Reduce the number to around “100”.
This is the delay in microseconds for menus. You can set it to “0”, but I find it a bit difficult to use then. You can adjust these values between 50 and 150 according to your preference.
9. Make Programs Load Faster
This little trick works with most programs. If your program misbehaves after making this change, you can revert it.
1. Right-click the program shortcut you usually use.
2. Select Properties.
3. At the destination, add to the end ‘/prefetch: 1’.
4. Click “OK”.
Voila – your programs will run faster now.
10. Improve XP Shutdown Speed
This trick reduces the waiting time before closing all active programs when you select Shut Down:
1. Go to Start -> Run.
2. Type ‘Regedit’.
3. Find ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop’.
4. Select ‘WaitToKillAppTimeout’.
5. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
6. Change the value to ‘1000’.
7. Click ‘OK’.
8. Select ‘HungAppTimeout’.
9. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
10. Change the value to ‘1000’.
11. Click ‘OK’.
12. Now find the following string:
13. ‘HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop’ and select ‘WaitToKillAppTimeout’.
14. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
15. Change the value to ‘1000’.
16. Click ‘OK’.
17. Now find the following string:
18. ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control’ and select ‘WaitToKillServiceTimeout’.
19. Right-click and select ‘Modify’.
20. Change the value to ‘1000’.
21. Click ‘OK’.
11. Uninstall NetMeeting
Go to Start -> Run and enter the following line:
RunDll32 advpack.dll, LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\msnetmtg.inf, NetMtg.Remove
12. Uninstall MSN Default in Windows XP
Go to Start -> Run and enter the following line:
RunDll32 advpack.dll, LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf, BLC.Remove
13. Uninstall Unwanted Windows XP Programs Easily
Simply download XPlite and use it to uninstall many Windows XP components that you may not use (Outlook Express, Address Book, Wireless Configurator, Internet Explorer, MSN, NetMeeting, Movie Maker, Media Player, etc.).
14. Link All Temporary Files to C:\Temp
I) Go to My Computer -> Right-click Properties -> tab, Advanced Options -> Environment Variables ->
User variables, and change the destination to C:\Temp.
II) Now in Internet Explorer, go to: Tools -> Internet Options -> Browsing History, Settings -> Move Folder and select C:\Temp (which must be created).
When you want to delete all temporary files, simply go to C:\Temp and delete them; it’s that simple.
15. Configure Recycle Bin
Right-click the Recycle Bin, Properties -> and set it to 5%.
16. Increase Bandwidth in Windows XP
Go to Start -> Run and enter the following line:
gpedit.msc
Then a window will open; look for the option: “Local Computer”, within this: “Administrative Templates”, select “Network” and finally “QoS Packet Scheduler”. Look for the option that says “Limit the reserved bandwidth”, click “Enable” and set “Bandwidth Limit (%)” to 1.
17. Clean the Registry
Regularly use programs like RegCleaner or RegSupreme Pro to optimize and clean the Windows registry cache, and also check the boot entries for unnecessary services.
18. Defragment Your Hard Disk Regularly
1) Run the Windows Defragmenter. There are 2 ways:
– Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter.
– Start -> Run -> dfrg.msc -> Enter.
2) Choose the disk that you think needs defragmentation and click Analyze.
3) If notified that the disk should be defragmented, click Defragment.
Important: This maintenance task may take a few minutes or hours, depending on the fragmentation.
19. Disable Error Reporting in Windows XP
Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Error Reporting -> Disable Error Reporting
20. Configure Windows XP Visual Performance
To accelerate the visual effects without losing Windows XP functionality, go to:
Go to My Computer -> Right-click Properties -> tab, Advanced Options -> Performance -> Settings -> Customize:
And once there, you can uncheck these options:

  • Show translucent selection rectangle
  • Show shadows under mouse pointer
  • Show shadows under menus

These changes will help gain more speed, disk space, performance, and overall stability of Windows XP. Apply these steps whenever you encounter a problem. Best regards.
21. Disable StickyKeys
Control Panel -> Accessibility Options and disable the keyboard tab StickyKeys.
22. Speed Up Windows XP Shutdown
Start -> Run -> Regedit.
Navigate to the key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop” and locate “WaitToKillAppTimeout”. Double-click on it and change the value from 20,000 (default) to 4,000.
Now, without leaving the editor, access “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control” to locate the key “WaitToKillAppTimeout” and repeat the same operation, changing the value from 20,000 to 4,000. Now your Windows will wait less time to “kill” an application when it is not responding and will close the system much faster.
23. Clean Swap File at Shutdown
By default, the swap file of Windows XP is always kept on the hard disk, occupying space that may prove useful, especially in dual-boot environments.
To change this behavior and remove its content upon system shutdown, open the registry editor with the command “regedit.exe” from Start / Run and locate the key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management”. Here, create or modify the DWORD value “ClearPageFileAtShutdown” to “1” to eliminate the swap file upon system shutdown or “0” to keep it.
24. Ensure Complete Shutdown of the Computer
Start, then Control Panel.
Once in the Control Panel, double-click the Power Options icon.
Click on the APM tab and check “Enable support for advanced power management”, then click the OK button.
25. Deactivate the Alarm for Newly Installed Programs
Start, right-click on the Start menu that shows your name, and then click Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, under Taskbar and Start menu, in the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
Click the Advanced tab, then clear the check box for “Highlight newly installed programs”.
Click OK and OK again.
26. Disable Messages for Uncertified Drivers
Right-click the My Computer icon and choose Properties. Once there, on the Hardware tab, press the Driver Signing button where you will be asked [What action do you want Windows?] Select [None: install software without asking for my approval]. This way, you will not receive warnings about drivers.
27. Clean the Swap File at Shutdown
To change this behavior and remove its content upon system shutdown, open the registry editor with the command “regedit.exe” from Start / Run and locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. Create or modify the DWORD value “ClearPageFileAtShutdown” to “1” to eliminate the swap file upon system shutdown or “0” to keep it.
28. Force Applications to Close at Shutdown
Sometimes Windows XP may take time or show a window when shutting down, indicating that some application is still running. We can avoid this by forcing the system to close all these programs quickly. To achieve this, follow these steps:
Open the Windows Registry.
Look for the key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
There is a value called AutoEndTask, which we will modify.
Set it to 1 to force them to close or 0 to keep the default behavior, allowing Windows to operate as before.
Close the registry and restart the session.
29. Increase Speed of Access to HTTP Servers
Click the Start button and click on Run, type Regedit and press the OK button.
Once in the registry editor, navigate to the following string:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.
In the right window, create or modify the following DWORD values:

  • MaxConnectionsPerServer: double-click on it and set the value to 4 (for ADSL, set it to 20).
  • MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server: double-click on that value and set it to 8 (for ADSL, set it to 20).

These values represent the number of simultaneous requests for access to a server of type 1 or 1.1. Close Regedit and restart Windows.
30. Use General Keyboard Shortcuts

  • CTRL + C (Copy)
  • CTRL + X (Cut)
  • CTRL + V (Paste)
  • CTRL + Z (Undo)
  • DELETE (Remove)
  • SHIFT + DELETE (Permanently delete the selection)
  • CTRL while dragging selection (Copy the selection)
  • CTRL + SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to that object)
  • F2 key (Rename an object)
  • CTRL + Right Arrow (Move the text insertion pointer to the beginning of the next word)
  • CTRL + Left Arrow (Move the text insertion pointer to the beginning of the previous word)
  • CTRL + Down Arrow (Move the text insertion pointer to the beginning of the next paragraph)
  • CTRL + Up Arrow (Move the insertion pointer to the beginning of the text above)
  • CTRL + SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select the text block)
  • SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one object in a window, desktop, or text)
  • CTRL + A (Select All)
  • F3 key (Search for a file or directory)
  • ALT + ENTER (Display the properties of a selected item)
  • ALT + F4 (Close the active object or exit a program)
  • ALT + SPACEBAR (Open the menu of the title bar in the active window)
  • CTRL + F4 (Close the current document in a program that allows multiple documents to be open simultaneously)
  • ALT + TAB (Switch between open objects or windows)
  • ALT + ESC (Switch between open objects or windows in the order they were opened)
  • F6 key (Select items in a window)
  • F4 key (Display the Address bar in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
  • SHIFT + F10 (Display the right-click menu for the selected object)
  • CTRL + ESC (Display the Start menu)
  • ALT + Underlined letter in menu item or command name (Display the menu or execute the selected command)
  • F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
  • Right Arrow (Open the next menu to the right or open a submenu)
  • Left Arrow (Open the next menu to the left or close a submenu)
  • F5 key (Update the active window)
  • Backspace (Go up one level in the directory in Windows Explorer)
  • ESC (Cancel the current task)
  • SHIFT when inserting a CD (Prevents the CD from booting automatically)
  • CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (Open Task Manager)

Dialogs

  • CTRL + TAB (Move between tabs)
  • CTRL + SHIFT + TAB (Move backward between tabs)
  • TAB (Move between options)
  • SHIFT + TAB (Move backward between functions)
  • ALT + Underlined letter (Perform the command or display the corresponding menu)
  • ENTER (Perform the command of the selected option)
  • Space bar (Select the checkbox if the current selected object is a checkbox)
  • Dates (Select an Option Button if the current object is a group of Option Buttons)
  • F1 (Show help)
  • F4 (Display the current list items)
  • Space Behind (Open the container of the current dialog in the Save As..)

Windows Logo Key

  • Windows Logo (Display the Start menu)
  • Windows Logo + BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog)
  • Windows Logo + D (Display the desktop)
  • Windows Logo + M (Minimize all windows)
  • Windows Logo + SHIFT + M (Restore the minimized windows)
  • Windows Logo + E (Open My Computer)
  • Windows Logo + F (Search for a file or directory)
  • CTRL + Windows Logo + F (Search for computers)
  • Windows Logo + F1 (Display Windows Help)
  • Windows Logo + L (Lock the keyboard)
  • Windows Logo + R (Open the Run menu)
  • Windows Logo + U (Open Utility Manager)

Navigation in Internet Explorer

  • CTRL + A (Select all the contents of the active frame)
  • CTRL + F (Open the search utility)
  • CTRL + H (Open the History bar)
  • CTRL + I (Open the Favorites bar)
  • CTRL + L (Open the dialog “Open”)
  • CTRL + N (Open another browser window to the current web address)
  • CTRL + O (Open the dialog “Organize Favorites”)
  • CTRL + P (Open the Print dialog box)
  • CTRL + R (Refresh the current web page)
  • CTRL + W (Close the current window)

Windows Explorer Navigation

  • End (Move the navigation bar to the end of the contents of the window)
  • Home (Show the start of the active window)
  • NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*) (Display all subdirectories below a selected directory)
  • NUM LOCK + Plus (+) (Display the contents of a selected directory)
  • NUM LOCK + Minus (-) (Close the selected directory)
  • Left Arrow (Close the selected directory if it is expanded, or select the directory containing it)
  • Right Arrow (Display the selected directory or select the first subdirectory)

Accessibility

  • Right SHIFT for a few seconds (Enable or disable filter keys)
  • Left ALT + Left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN (Toggle high contrast)
  • Left ALT + Left SHIFT + NUM LOCK (Toggle MouseKeys)
  • SHIFT five times (Enable or disable StickyKeys)
  • NUM LOCK five times (Enable or disable ToggleKeys)
  • Windows Logo + U (Open Utility Manager)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

  • CTRL + O (Open a saved console)
  • CTRL + N (Open a new console)
  • CTRL + S (Save the open console)
  • CTRL + M (Add or delete an object to the console)
  • CTRL + W (Open a new window)
  • F5 key (Update the contents of a window)
  • ALT + SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
  • ALT + F4 (Close the console)
  • ALT + A (Display the Action menu)
  • ALT + V (Display the View menu)
  • ALT + F (Display the File menu)
  • ALT + O (Display the Favorites menu)
  • CTRL + P (Print the current page or active pane)
  • ALT + Minus (-) (Display the window menu of the active panel)
  • SHIFT + F10 (Display the right-click menu for the selected object)
  • F1 (Display the Help topic for the selected object if there is a selected item)
  • F5 (Refresh the contents of the windows)
  • CTRL + F10 (Maximize the current window)
  • CTRL + F5 (Restore the current console window)
  • ALT + ENTER (Display the properties menu of the selected file)
  • F2 (Rename the selected file)
  • CTRL + F4 (Close the console)

Remote Desktop

  • CTRL + ALT + END (Replaces Ctrl + Alt + Del)
  • ALT + PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right, like Alt + Tab)
  • ALT + PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left, like Alt + Tab)
  • ALT + INSERT (Switch between programs in the order they were opened)
  • ALT + HOME (Display the Start menu)
  • CTRL + ALT + PAUSE (Change window to full screen)
  • ALT + DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
  • CTRL + ALT + Minus (-) (Take a snapshot of the active window on the remote console)
  • CTRL + ALT + Plus (+) (Copy a screenshot of the entire area of the remote console)