Speed up Windows XP
Tweak #1: Turn Off Windows Messenger For Good
Have you tried to disable messenger, but it still shows in the system tray icon every now and then? If so, this next tweak is for you. To completely turn off Windows Messenger:
1. Go to "Start", the "Run"
2. Type in "RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove" and press enter
3. Restart and you'll never see Windows Messenger again!
Tweak #2: Turn off Indexing to Speed up Response Time
If you don't extensively use the search feature in XP, this next tweak is for you. By extensively, I mean like everyday. Windows XP has this "feature" called "Indexing". It's supposed to speed up searches by keeping all the files on your computer tied to memory. By tying up these files to memory, it can really slow things down. Disabling this service will remove this files from memory, inturn giving your applications and files faster response times. You will still be able to search with the Indexing turned off, but the searching will just take a little log to perform. To turn off Indexing:
1. Open up "My Computer"
2. Right-click on your hard drive (usually "C:") and choose "Properties"
3. Uncheck the box at the bottom that reads "Allow Indexing Service to..."
4. Click OK then the files will be removed from memory. This removal may take a few minutes to complete, but it's worth it.
You will also need to disable the indexing service here too:
1. Go to "Start", then "Run"
2. Type "services.msc" and press enter
3. Scroll-down to "Indexing Service" and double-click it
4. If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button
5. To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled"
Tweak #3: Turn off Hibernation
If you don't use the Hibernation feature of XP, it's taking up a lot of unnecessary hard drive space. The space it takes up depends on your RAM. If you have 128 MB RAM, Hibernation takes up 127 MB, if you have 256 MB RAM, Hibernation takes up 254 MB, and so on. "Standby" and "Hibernation" are not they same thing. You will keep the "Standby" feature when you disable Hibernation. To turn off Hibernation:
1. Right-click on the desktop and click "Properties"
2. Hit the "Screen Saver" tab
3. Then click the "Power" button under "Monitor Power"
4. Click the "Hibernation" tab, then uncheck the box next to "Enable Hibernation"
5. Press "OK" and you have just saved a load of hard drive space!
Tweak #4: Remove "Messenger Service" Advertisements from non-Service Pack XP PCs
The "Messenger Service" is not the same as "Windows Messenger". So if you removed "Windows Messenger", you might still be getting "Messenger Service" pop-up advertisments like this one, even if you're offline and have all broswer windows closed.
To remove these nasty ads:
1. Go to "Start", then "Run"
2. Type "services.msc" and press enter
3. Scroll-down to "Messenger" and double-click it
4. If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button
5. To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled"
6. Press "OK" and say goodbye to those nasty Messenger ads!
Note: If you already have Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later, this service is already disabled.
