Master Tutorial to Make Your Windows XP Super Fast



This tutorial is meant for increasing the performance of Windows XP, either it can be a fresh installation or an older windows.

1.) Following is a registry file containing a few registry modifications, which are completely safe and can increase the performance of Windows. Just download the attached ZIP file, extract it and then run the file:

Tweak Windows XP

Restore Default Settings (Use this file if you want to restore default Windows settings)

2.) Right-click on Desktop and select Properties, Now in the new window goto Appearance tab and click on Effects button. Now in the new opened window uncheck the following options:

a.) Use the following transition effect for menus & tooltips.
b.) Show shadows under menus.

3.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press <WIN> key + <Pause/Break> key), now goto Advanced tab in new window and click on Settings button in Performance section.

Now disable all unnecessary options in Visual Effects tab, you can remain following options enabled according to your requirements:

a.) Show window contents while dragging.
b.) Smooth edges of screen fonts.
c.) Use common tasks in folders (If you use the left side pane in My computer)
d.) Use drop shadows on icon labels on the desktop. (to make the desktop icons label transparent.)
e.) Use visual styles on windows and buttons. (If you use XP themes.)

4.) Open Tools -> Folder Options and click on View tab:

Now uncheck following options:

a.) Automatically search for network folders & printers.
b.) Display file size information in folder tips.
c.) Display simple folder view in Explorer's Folders list.
d.) Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.
e.) Show pop-up description for folder and desktop icons.
f.) Use simple file sharing.

Other options don't affect the system performance. You can enable/disable them according to your requirements.

5.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage (You can also open it by typing services.msc in RUN and press Enter). Now goto Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set a few unnecessary services to Manual, which will not start with windows and will decrease the boot time and will increase system performance. Please follow the following tutorial to know about which services can be safely set to MANUAL:

Windows XP Services that can be Safely set to MANUAL

6.) Type msconfig in RUN and press Enter. Now goto Startup tab and deselect the unnecessary entries, which you don't want to start automatically with Windows, e.g. you can disable VGA driver utility, Sound Card utility, etc to speed up the startup time and to increase system performance.

7.) Open Sound & Audio Devices in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN), goto Sounds tab and select No Sounds in Sound Scheme section. Or you can remain some of your favorite sounds but set Exit Windows, Start Windows, Windows Logoff, Windows Logon to (None).

8.) For more options/tips-n-tricks, you can use TweakUI, Tuneup Utilities 2006 and gpedit.msc (Windows XP Professional built-in tool).

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This article was posted in Windows XP.


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  • I have a question....
    is vishal gupta a real person or is it an alias used by many people?

  • Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
    Scan saved at 11:22:15 AM, on 9/24/2009
    Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
    MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
    Boot mode: Normal

    Running processes:
    C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
    C:\Program Files\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\msiexec.exe
    C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe
    C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE
    C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
    C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

    O2 - BHO: Skype add-on (mastermind) - {22BF413B-C6D2-4d91-82A9-A0F997BA588C} - C:\Program Files\Skype\Toolbars\Internet Explorer\SkypeIEPlugin.dll
    O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar_32.dll
    O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Notifier BHO - {AF69DE43-7D58-4638-B6FA-CE66B5AD205D} - C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\5.2.4204.1700\swg.dll
    O2 - BHO: Google Dictionary Compression sdch - {C84D72FE-E17D-4195-BB24-76C02E2E7C4E} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\Component\fastsearch_B7C5AC242193BB3E.dll
    O3 - Toolbar: Google Toolbar - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar_32.dll
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IgfxTray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HotKeysCmds] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [KernelFaultCheck] %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -k
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [googletalk] C:\Program Files\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe /autostart
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LogitechCommunicationsManager] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\LogiShrd\LComMgr\Communications_Helper.exe"
    O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] "C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe"
    O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
    O9 - Extra button: Skype - {77BF5300-1474-4EC7-9980-D32B190E9B07} - C:\Program Files\Skype\Toolbars\Internet Explorer\SkypeIEPlugin.dll
    O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
    O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
    O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
    O16 - DPF: {E2883E8F-472F-4FB0-9522-AC9BF37916A7} - http://platformdl.adobe.com/NOS/getPlusPlus/1.6/gp.cab
    O18 - Protocol: skype4com - {FFC8B962-9B40-4DFF-9458-1830C7DD7F5D} - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\Skype\SKYPE4~1.DLL
    O23 - Service: Google Software Updater (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe

    --
    End of file - 3051 bytes

  • HEY VISHAL I HAVE TRIED THIS ALL WAY BACK DA
    THESE ARE OLD !!!!

    "IS THERE SOMTHING NEW SOME NEW TWEAKS "

    JUST MY SUGGETION

  • hey man ! i also need a perfect dock and a perfect sidebar for my windows xp pro 32bit

    see man i have tried all the available stuff such as thoosje ,desktopbl bla bla

    plz reply and send me the links

    THANKYOU

    plz...............

  • Hello:

    I typed msconfig and a window appears then immediately disappears and I don’t get any chance or time to change the settings. I think there are background processes that aren’t turned off even though the appilcation is closed. What do you think?

  • VG

    ^^ It seems a virus symptom. Post your HijackThis log file in "Free Virus Scan" topic.

  • Access Denied with "Open Command Prompt here"..
    How to fix that? :d

  • hi
    i want my xp is little slow and how to make it fast can help me

  • Hi vishal you rocks man!
    But in my xp the aero shake is not working!!!!!!
    so what should i do?
    Please reply via email

  • Hey vishal you rocks man!
    but in my xp aero shake is not working!!!!!!! and i have only 224mb of ram servies pack 3

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