SPEED UP WINDOWS XP
DROP A BUCK AND SUPPORT MY WEBSITE
WINDOWS BELLS AND WHISTLES DISABLE THEM
KEEP SYSTEM TRAY APPS FROM EATING RESOURCES
TURN OFF UNNECESSARY SERVICES IN WINDOWS XP PRO
DON'T STOP AT WINDOWS PROTECT YOUR WIRELESS LAN
Get The Latest Drivers BACK TO TOP
This should always be your starting point. Getting the latest drivers can increase performance and at the same time make your computer more stable. Things like your video card, motherboard chipset, and soundcard you should update regularly, and things like your mouse, keyboard, and USB devices only update when you have problems with them.
WINDOWS BELLS AND WHISTLES DISABLE THEM BACK TO TOP
Windows XP is the best looking OS from Microsoft to date, but those good looks impact your PC's performance. But you can disable these features.
First, go to System Properties by pressing the windows key and Pause/Break. Go to the advanced tab, and press the Settings button in the performance section.
On the visual effects tab of the performance dialog (image bellow) change the setting to "Adjust for Best Performance." You can also pick and choose your settings by using the custom option if you prefer. When you're done, press OK, and close system properties.
Now cruise over to display properties by right-clicking an open area of your desktop and click properties, then appearance, then the effects button. For best performance, make sure all the options here are unchecked.
Drawing a bunch of icons on your desktop can impact performance, especially if you have a multi-monitor display. If you'd rather take a solid kick to the groin than clean up the unneeded icons, you can sweep them under the rug simply and easily. Just right-click an open area of your desktop, go to arrange icons, and uncheck "Show Desktop Icons." and Voila, your problem is solved!
KEEP SYSTEM TRAY APPS FROM EATING RESOURCES BACK TO TOP
Every frickin application we install lately seems to dump some sort of craptacular applet into our System Tray. We're so sick of it, That we now summarily give these tiny apps the death penalty. Don't worry, it's easy to kill them.
To kill the apps, you need to root them out at their source. You could visit the Registry, the startup folder, and the other secret places where software apps hide their auto-starting hellspawn, but it's easier to use the msconfig tool. To start it go to Start, run, and then type msconfig.exe. When the app opens, go to the startup tab. The vast majority of your evil systray apps can be disabled from here.
The difficulty lies in figuring out which apps you need and which you don't. Stretch the command heading far enough to the right so you can see the entire path to the app. Most of the time you'll be able to tell the name or manufacturer of the app by looking at the place where it's saved on your hard drive. If the path to the application doesn't give you a hint, open My Computer and browse down to the program. Right-click it and select Properties. Click the version tab, and browse through the options there. Look for a company name or product name to tip you off. I recommend leaving alone any apps that use rundll32 to run; if you mess with those you can disrupt vital windows processes.
To disable the startup apps, all you need to do is uncheck the box next to each app's name and reboot your PC.
TURN OFF UNNECESSARY SERVICES IN WINDOWS XP PRO BACK TO TOP
By default windows XP Pro loads more than 20 services that do everything from facilitating easy wireless networking to monitoring your PC's health. Many of the services can be safely disabled by home users, which frees up memory and the occasional CPU cycle. To disable a service, go to control panel, then Administrative Tools, then the Services hotkey. Right-click the service you wont to disable and select properties. Then change the startup type to disabled or manual. Disabling the wrong service could cause odd things to happen, so keep track of what you're modifying, and if you experience any unexplained PC phenomena, re-enable the services you've turned off. Here's a list of tried and true services that are safe to disable:
ClipBook:
This service lets you share stuff on your clipboard with other people across the network. Kill it.
Application Management:
Not on a network? Don't ever plan on remotely installing an app? That's what this service does, so feel free to kill it.
Distributed Link Tracking Client:
Another network-based service, this automatically updates your shortcuts to files on remote volumes if they're moved. If you don't use a file server, Kill this one.
Error Reporting:
Automatic error reporting can get pretty annoying, especially if you're dealing with a misbehaving app. You can Kill this service to permanently disable the error report.
TPC/IP NetBIOS Helper:
You only need this service running if you use NetBIOS over TCP/IP. If you don't, Feel free to Kill it.
INSTALL A FIREWALL BACK TO TOP
This isn't so much a tip as a general guideline. Everyone whose PC is directly connected to the net, whether it's via dial-up or broadband connections, should install firewall software. A firewall moderates your connection to the network. Whenever an app tries to send out data or someone on the internet tries to connect to your computer, the firewall will ask you if that behavior is allowed. You can then allow or disallow the connection.
Firewall software is freely available for personal use, and protects your PC from most worms and viruses that spread without user intervention. You can get a firewall from http://www.zonealarm.com It has ease of configuration and use, even for relative newbies.
INSTALL ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE BACK TO TOP
Antivirus software is absolutely vital today, especially if you download e-mail using Outlook or Outlook Express. Having proper anti-virus software installed will stop those pesky viruses that e-mail everyone in your address book a message containing an infectious attachment. If you don't already have an antivirus program, you should purchase one as soon as possible. I recommend Norton Anti-Virus 2004. You can download AVG 7.0 Free Edition from http://www.grisoft.com.
DISABLE UNSECURE SERVICES BACK TO TOP
I've already touched on a few of the unnecessary services anyone can disable, but there are also some services that are actual security holes. If your not sure how to disable services, go back to TURN OFF UNNECESSARY SERVICES IN WINDOWS XP PRO.
Messenger:
Spammer Scum have realized that they can use windows built-in messaging service to send spam to millions of XP users. Disabling the Service kills all the Messenger service for actual system administration messages anymore.
Remote Registry:
The only purpose of this service is to give other users access to your registry. If no one but you should have access to your registry, disable it.
Telnet:
If allowing other people to log on to your computer and do whatever they want seems like a good idea, then by all means go ahead and leave the Telnet service enabled. If you'd rather your PC not be taken over by Croatian haXOrs, you should disable it now.
DON'T STOP AT WINDOWS PROTECT YOUR WIRELESS LAN BACK TO TOP
Once your windows install is properly secure, turn your eyes to your wireless LAN. Most of the wizard-type access point installations leave your wireless network wide open for any passing scammer to use. Make absolutely certain that your Wi-Fi LAN uses something other than the manufacturer's default SSID, and always encrypt data moving across your LAN with either WEP encryption or the newer, better WPA encryption. To find out how to change your SSID and enable WEP, you should consult the documentation that came with your access point.
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