Basic Windows XP Tweaks That Boost Performance

Windows XP comes in two broad categories, XP Home and XP Professional, and is the most popular operating system for personal computers. Windows XP has been upgraded with three service packs and additional tools to make it the best system yet! There are a few strategies that can be utilized to optimize the installation of Windows XP, even though it runs well out of the box. Windows XP has many great tweaks that use underutilized components of Windows, such as broadband settings, and registry entries.

The first group of tips, firewalls and other protective software, cannot truly be considered Windows XP tweaks, but they are so important that they must be included in any guide that talks about WinXP performance.

To guarantee WinXP performance, the most important thing you can do is to be positive that your computer does not have viruses, trojans, spyware, and other pieces of software that could hinder the functioning of your WinXP computer. A firewall should be installed first, especially if you have a broadband connection constantly running.

A firewall blocks the software entry points that applications use to communicate with your computer. A port is a number that, with the use of your IP address, identifies specific channels of communication with your computer. Some of these ports should always remain open. For example, the port that allows all HTTP communications should stay open. Others should be locked until called into use by a particular program by the user. If a WinXP machine is using the default settings, every port is open. Using a firewall will shut down some of these ports and allow the user to determine what should be open. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a firewall that will remain on unless the user turns it off.

The installation of an anti virus program and anti spyware software is in this class of Windows XP tweaks. Malicious software that can damage your WinXp machine's performance or destroy your hard drive can be eliminated by using these programs. Once the above Windows XP tweaks have been implemented, it is time to look at other performance steps that you can use.

The WinXP registry is a centralized data structure that is used to store configuration data for many WinXP programs. In a short period of time, the registry can become quite crowded, which slows down search times. Unused programs that uninstall incorrectly may leave behind junk in the registry that can cause such slowing to occur. Cleaning up your WinXP registry can make your computer run much more smoothly.

Many shareware and free programs exist that can help you clean the WinXP registry. Make sure to back up your registry before making any changes you deem necessary; however, it is not advised to explore the registry yourself.

Keeping your hard drive de-fragmented is another important class of Windows XP tweaks. Be aware of how files are being stored on your computer. WinXP might decide to save part of your file in different places on the hard drive to maximize your available space. Fragmenting files this way makes it more difficult for the user to access them. Your hard drive can build up many fragmented files over time and become very cluttered. This accumulation of fragmented files can significantly slow down your computer's system performance. It is easy to use WinXp utilities to de-fragment your hard drive. It can take hours to de-fragment your hard drive, so many people start the process before they go to bed.