Speed up Windows XP Without Defragmenting

Are you only defragmenting your disks to speed up your computer? While it undoubtedly has its uses, it also has its limitations. There are several other steps and procedures that you can take to keep your Windows XP computer running efficiently.

Steps

1. Execute some simple software fixes.
   1. Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. Most modern hard drives run NTFS.. You can check by doing the following:
      1. Double click My Computer on the Desktop.
      2. Right click on the C: drive.
      3. Select Properties.
      4. Examine the File System type. If it says NTFS, then everything is good. If you are running a FAT32 file system, it is strongly recommended that you convert to a NTFS. Note that FAT32 drives are most prominent on smaller and older-generation hard drives.
   2. Disable file indexing. Windows XP's indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index", which is used to make searching for files more efficient. This sounds ideal but, as you can imagine, this process is quite taxing on any system. The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. Disabling this feature will slow down the search tool, however unless you search quite frequently, this should not be very noticeable.
   3. Update the video and motherboard chipset drivers.
   4. Update and configure the BIOS.
   5. Run disk cleanup monthly.
      1. Double-click the My Computer icon.
      2. Right-click on the C: drive and select Properties.
      3. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.
   6. Remove all spyware from the computer.
   7. Remove unnecessary programs items from Windows Startup.
   8. Ensure DMA is enable for each hard drive.
      1. In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device.
      2. Double-click on Primary IDE Channel.
      3. Click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1.
      4. Repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
   9. Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
   10. Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations.
       1. Click on the System icon in the Control Panel.
       2. Click on the Advanced tab.
       3. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer, only its responsiveness.
   11. Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.
   12. Update the anti-virus software on a weekly, or daily, basis. Only have one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
   13. Have fewer than 500 type fonts installed on the computer. The more fonts, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than previous versions of Windows, too many fonts will noticeably tax the system.
   14. Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
   15. Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. A free program that does this is MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette, which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, only replaced.
   16. If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed.
   17. Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that you most likely do not need.
   18. If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.
2. Component Upgrades
   1. If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.
   2. Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
   3. At least once a year, while turned off, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks.

Tips

• To avoid damage, if you open your computer, ensure you are grounded and not using a magnetic screwdriver.

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