The Ultimate Windows XP Optimization Tweak Guide

This is one of the most complete Windows XP Tweak guides
on the net. This guide will show you how to do everything from
disabling startup programs to defragging your page file in order to get
the most performance out of your Windows XP machine. My previous post
on speeding up Windows XP startup times
was one of my most popular posts for awhile. I encourage you to check
that post out for some easy tips on speeding up Windows XP startup
times.

The Ultimate Windows XP Optimization/Tweak Guide is a comprehensive
guide that will give you performance increases all across the board,
perfect for a slower machine, and amazing for a fast machine. These XP
tweaks will speed up XP dramatically along with improving Windows XP
start times, shutdown times, file copying performance, playing games,
installing and using programs.

The guide is organized into 3 different sections, because it
includes over 20 different tweaks and optimizations: Easy XP Tweaks
include quick and easy XP optimizations that you can do in a matter of
seconds and work your way through easily, Intermediate Tweaks includes
performance enhancements that take a little more time and moving around
in Windows XP to implement, while last but not least, Advanced Tweaks
include things like modifying the registry and using 3rd party programs
to optimize Windows XP. Don’t let the section names fool you, just
because one is labeled advanced and the other is labeled intermediate
does not mean that you’ll have a hard time performing the advanced
tweaks, it’s just these take a little long to implement, and they are
all fairly easy to do. The Ultimate Windows XP Optimization Tweak Guide
will take you through each tweak, step-by-step.

As with anytime you mess around with your OS, you should make
backups of your important files and folders just as a precaution. I
have been optimizing my Windows XP for a few years now, and have never
had any problems with these tweaks as long as you follow the
instructions.

Sections:
Easy Windows XP Tweaks
Intermediate Windows XP Tweaks
Advanced Windows XP Tweaks

Easy Windows XP Tweaks

1. Turn off Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop:
   Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> Remote
   -> Uncheck ‘Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this
   computer’, and ‘Allow users to connect remotely to this computer’ ->
   Click ‘OK’
   
   This saves memory by disabling these services that you’re most likely
   never going to use, and it increases XP security by preventing unknown
   people from trying to remotely connect to your computer.
2. Turn off Windows Automatic Updates:
   Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> Automatic
   Updates -> Select ‘Turn off Automatic Updates.’ -> Click ‘OK’
   
   This saves memory and increases performance because your computer
   doesn’t have to check Windows regularly for updates anymore, but since
   there won’t be anymore automatic updates you’ll need to make sure you
   check Windows Update Web site once a week so you don’t miss any
   important updates.
3. Disable System Restore:
   Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> System Restore -> Check ‘Turn off System Restore’ -> Click ‘OK’
   
   System Restore is only good for if you end up breaking your computer a
   lot, having children that are on the computer, and love to download
   unknown files. However, if you somewhat know your way around the
   computer chances are you’ve probably never used it and probably never
   will. This will save you a ton of hard drive space (at least a couple
   gigs), and provide a decent performance boost.
4. Set Your Virtual Memory To 1.5-3.0 Times Your Computer’s Memory:
   Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> Advanced
   Tab -> Performance Settings -> Advanced Tab -> Change ->
   Select Custom Size -> Set the Initial size to 1.5 x amount of memory
   installed in your computer (I have 1024mb, 1GB of RAM installed so I’d
   set it to 1.5 x 1024 = 1536 MB) -> Set the Maximum Size to 3 x
   amount of memory installed in your computer (I have 1024mb, 1GB of RAM
   installed so I’d set it to 3.0 x 1024 = 3072 MB). -> Click ‘Set’
   -> Click ‘OK
   
   This makes sure the paging file stays put, by doing this it will
   perform better, and it is optimized for the amount of memory you have
   so Windows XP doesn’t have to keep adjusting the paging file
   automatically. It also helps prevent the paging file from becoming
   fragmented.
5. Disable Windows Error Reporting:
   Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> Advanced
   Tab -> Error Reporting -> Select ‘Disable error reporting’ ->
   Check ‘But notify me when critical errors occur’ -> Click ‘OK’
   
   By disabling error reporting you will no longer get those annoying
   messages that your program has encountered an error, and asks to send
   information to Microsoft, this saves memory by getting rid of the
   feature. I think it’s a good trade-off to get rid of those critical
   error messages. You’ll still be notified when a bad error occurs.
6. Turn off Indexing Service:
   Start Menu -> My Computer -> Right Click Local Disk (C:) (or
   available hard drives) -> Properties -> Uncheck ‘Allow Indexing
   Service to index this disk for fast file searching’ -> Check ‘Apply
   To All Files And Folders’ -> Click ‘OK’
   
   The indexing service hogs a huge amount of system resources. It keeps
   certain files in memory to allow your Windows File Folder Search to run
   faster, so unless you’re using the Windows Search multiple times per
   day you don’t need Indexing, the search will still work, but just not
   as fast as it would if indexing is enabled.
7. Change maximum size of the Recycle Bin to something more manageable, and get rid of the display delete confirmation dialog:
   Desktop -> Right click Recycle Bin -> Properties -> Set
   ‘Maximum size of Recycle Bin’ to a smaller, more manageable percentage
   like 3-5% -> Uncheck ‘Display delete confirmation dialog’ ->
   Click ‘OK’
   
   Lowering the maximum size of the recycle bin makes sure that it doesn’t
   use up more than a gig or few, because it’s normally set to 10% of each
   drive you have, and 10% of 250GB is 25GB, that’s a lot of space to be
   dedicated to your recycle bin. Unchecking the display delete
   confirmation dialog stops Windows from asking you every time if you’re
   sure you want to delete the file that you want to delete, which of
   course we always say yes. If you accidentally delete something it’ll
   still be in your recycle so you don’t have to worry.
8. Disable Hibernation:
   Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Power Options -> Hibernate Tab -> Uncheck ‘Enable Hibernation’ -> Click ‘OK’
   
   Hibernation is one of those things that you’re just never going to use,
   unless you have a laptop, it makes it so that when you put your
   computer into hibernation mode it saves everything that was in your
   memory onto your hard disk. It sounds handy, but they don’t make it to
   put it into hibernation and it just mostly wastes space and processing
   power. Just put your computer in stand by if you don’t want to use it
   for awhile.
9. Disable automatic search for network folders and printers:
   Start Menu -> My Computer -> Tools Menu -> Click ‘Folder
   Options’ -> View Tab -> Uncheck ‘Automatically search for network
   folders and printers’
   
   By disabling automatic search for network folders and printers when you
   open up Windows explorer your computer will not automatically search
   for network folders and printers that may or may not be there. Chances
   are you have no network printers or folders, and if you do Windows
   wouldn’t need to search for them every time you want to get into My
   Computer. This speeds up file browsing, access and Windows
   responsiveness.
10. Defragment your hard drive:
    Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Click ‘Disk Defragmenter’ -> Click ‘Defragment’
    
    Defragmenting your hard drive is very important to the performance
    health of your computer, it can speed up Windows XP significantly if
    you never have defragmented your computer before. It takes your folders
    and files and moves them around on the hard drive so Windows XP can
    have better and faster access to them, the more files you have the more
    they need to be organized on the hard drive.
11. Check your hard drive for errors with Disk Check:
    Start Menu -> My Computer -> Right Click ‘Local Disk (C:)’
    -> Click ‘Properties’ -> Tools Tab -> Click ‘Check Now’ ->
    Check ‘Automatically fix file system errors’, and ‘Scan for and attempt
    recovery of bad sectors’ -> Click ‘Start’
    
    The Disk Check will require a reboot, and it certainly takes some time
    to check the disk (1-2 hours). Disk check allows Windows to scan your
    hard drive for any errors, and automatically fix any errors if they are
    found. If you hard drive contains errors it can slow down your computer
    and your overall Windows XP experience.

Intermediate Windows XP Tweaks

12. Turn off Windows Visual Effects:
    Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> System -> Advanced Tab -> Performance Settings -> Click ‘Custom’

    Uncheck:
    Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
    Fade of slide menus into view
    Fade or slide ToolTips into view
    Fade out menu items after click
    Show window contents while dragging
    Slide open combo boxes
    Slide taskbar buttons
    Use a background image for each folder type
    Use common tasks in folder
    
    This gets rid of certain visual effects. You won’t hardly notice any of
    the visual effects that have disappeared, but this saves lots of memory
    and processing power by disabling these visual effects. The only one
    that you’ll most likely notice missing is the Common Tasks in folder,
    if you want to you can go back and enable that one, but you don’t need
    it for anything.

13. Delete unused fonts in the fonts folder:
    Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> Fonts Folder
    
    Delete
    any unnecessary or fonts that you will never ever use. As a precaution
    first move the unused fonts to a different folder so you make sure
    there are no side-effects, because you could move a system font that’s
    needed for Windows by accident. Feel free to delete Wingdings and
    Symbol and all those Eastern/Western fonts that you’re never going to
    use. Windows checks this folder each time it loads, and then it loads
    the fonts into Windows memory so they’re easily accessible with the
    click of a button, by deleting these fonts you save system memory and
    increase start up time.
14. Disable unused Windows sounds:
    Start Menu -> Classic Control Panel -> Sound and Audio Devices -> Sounds Tab
    
    Set all the unused Windows/Application sounds to ‘None’. I just go
    through each sound and listen to it, and if I don’t need it’s disabled,
    some sounds you hear all the time, those are the ones I don’t disable,
    but the ones that are for Net meetings or Windows startup I disable,
    the more you disable the greater the performance boost.

    Here’s a list of the sounds I didn’t disable:
    Critical Stop
    Default Beep
    Exclamation

15. Uninstall unused Windows Components/Programs
    Start Menu -> Add/Remove Programs -> Add/Remove Windows Components
    
    Uncheck
    the Windows Components that you don’t use. I uncheck Fax Services,
    Indexing Service, Internet Information Services, Management and
    Monitoring Tools, Message Queuing, Other Network File and Printer
    Services, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express, and MSN Explorer. They’re
    probably handy tools and services for businesses, but I will never need
    Message Queuing and Fax services. Also while you’re in the Add/Remove
    Programs menu look for any programs that you don’t use and uninstall
    them as well, it’ll save disk space and increase performance.

16. Set all of your ATAPI drives to DMA:
    Start Menu -> Right Click ‘My Computer’ -> Click ‘Manage’
    -> Click ‘Device Manager’ -> Click ‘IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers’
    -> Right Click on each individual IDE Channel -> Click
    ‘Properties’ -> Advanced Settings Tab -> Select ‘DMA if
    available’ for ‘Transfer Mode’
    
    This setting changes your IDE device’s transfer mode to DMA. Switching
    all of your IDE devices over to DMA provides a significant performance
    boost compared to PIO only transfer mode, DMA is much faster.
17. Disable unused devices in Device Manager:
    Start Menu -> Right Click ‘My Computer -> Click ‘Manage’
    -> Click ‘Device Manager’ -> Right Click unused devices ->
    Click ‘Disable’
    
    Be careful when disabling unused devices that you don’t disable
    something that may be important to the necessary functions of your
    computer. Only disable something if you have an onboard sound card, or
    an onboard ethernet adapter that you’re not using because you have PCI
    slots filled with a sound card or network adapter.
18. Defragment your page file:
    Download PageDefrag at Microsoft TechNet -> Open the .zip and run PageDefrag -> Click ‘Accept’ -> Select ‘Defragment at next boot’ -> Click ‘OK’
    
    Just like the Microsoft TechNet website said one of the problems of
    Windows XP/2000/NT is that files that are in use cannot be defragged,
    and that includes the pagefile. This program will defrag your pagefile
    at the next boot to ensure it’s working to it’s maximum efficiency.

Advanced Windows XP Tweaks

19. Use MSConfig to disable any unnecessary startup items:
    Start Menu -> Run -> Type ‘MsConfig’ -> Startup Tab -> Uncheck unnecessary startup items
    
    Extra startup items are one of the main things that slows down a
    computer. The startup items are the programs that are loaded into
    memory when a computer starts up, like AIM, Antivirus programs, all of
    the little programs sitting in your task bar, and some programs you
    can’t see. Go through the list and look for any familiar programs and
    disable those first, then go back and look at the unfamiliar programs
    and try to find out what application they belong to, google the process
    name like ctfmon.exe and it should come up with a detailed use for the
    program in the listings and if it’s harmful or just a system program.
20. Download TCP/IP Optimizer to enhance the internet connection:
    Download TCP/IP Optimizer at SpeedGuide.net -> Open TCPOptimizer -> Click ‘Optimal Settings’ -> Click ‘Apply changes’ -> Check ‘Backup’ -> Click ‘OK’
    
    TCP/IP Optimizer is a program that changes your Windows XP Network
    settings to optimize your network and internet performance, it change
    the amount of bytes it transfers among other things for your network by
    modifying some registry keys. It gives you a nice boost with your
    internet connection that Windows XP otherwise limits, and it makes
    backups that you can restore just in case something goes awry.
21. Download and Install Cacheman to maximize performance of the caches:
    Download ‘Cacheman’,
    not CachemanXP -> Install Cacheman -> Run Cacheman -> Click
    ‘Show wizard’ Menu -> Click ‘All’ -> Go through the wizard and
    leave everything at the default settings, Cacheman will optimize
    everything -> Go to ‘Options’ -> Uncheck ‘Load Cacheman on
    Windows startup’
    
    Cache man goes through your cache and optimizes them for maximum
    performance. It also changes a few other settings that help with memory
    throughput, performance, and lower the time it takes for Windows to
    shutdown an application, speeds up the start menu and speeds up Windows
    XP shutdown.
22. Disable unused Windows XP services:
    Start Menu -> Run -> Type ‘Services.msc’
    
    It’s important to always save the best for last. This last tweak is
    going to provide the most performance out of all other tweaks, and it
    takes the longest to implement. After
    you’ve opened up the Services windows you’re going to go down the list
    and look for services that you don’t need, then right click on them, go
    to ‘Properties’, pull down the ‘Startup type:’ menu and click
    ‘Disabled, then click ‘OK’. It’s not hard but you have to go
    through the list of services and figure out what’s needed and what’s
    not. Actually, someone else has already done that. Head over to Black Viper’s Windows XP Service Configurations.
    He has a table built that tells you what safe to disable and what you
    should leave alone, but if you don’t want to take time deciphering his
    table I’ll just tell you which ones you can go ahead and disable with
    no problems.

    Disable These Services:
    Application Management
    Clipbook
    Computer Browser
    Error Reporting Service
    HID Input Service (Note:
    This service will disable the multimedia functions on many multimedia
    keyboards, so if you have a multimedia keyboard it is recommended that
    you do not disable this service)
    Indexing Service
    Net Logon
    NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
    Network Location Awareness (NLA)
    Network Provisioning Service
    Portable Media Serial Number Service
    QoS RSVP
    Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
    Remote Registry
    Secondary Logon (If you only have one user on your computer)
    TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service
    Telnet
    Uninterruptable Power Supply
    WebClient
    Windows Time
    WMI Performance Adapter

There you have it, the Ultimate Windows XP Optimization Tweak Guide
has come to an end. These tweaks have been hand-tested, hand-proven,
and took the contributions of many people over the years to discover
all of these optimizations to Windows XP. I’d like to thank you all for
making this OS faster than ever. If any reader has a major tweak that I
may have missed somewhere that offers signicant performance boosts
please be sure to drop me a comment or send me an email about it, and
I’d be glad to add it to the guide if it is worth it.