Win xp optimization for a weak machine. Several Ways to Optimize Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system that many users have long retired from. In vain: she perfectly copes with basic tasks - Internet surfing, watching videos, working with documents. For an old computer, this is the only full-fledged and fast-working OS. To make Windows XP even more efficient, you can optimize its performance.

Improving the system with standard tools

Optimization is needed, since the “brakes” of Windows are most pronounced when you turn on and load working components. To reduce the time from the appearance of the desktop to the opportunity to fully work, follow three simple steps:

• Remove the “wallpaper” by replacing it with a nice background color.
• Remove all shortcuts from the desktop.
• Exclude everything unnecessary from startup.
• Work on adjusting the computer's speed settings.

The first two points may seem silly, but it does work with older versions of Windows, and XP is no exception. Of course, the "heaviness" of a high-resolution picture as a desktop background is felt only on really weak machines, but this is not an unnecessary action. Right-click on an empty area of ​​the computer desktop and select "Properties" and then "Desktop".

When the computer boots, all shortcuts on the desktop are polled, and if they are not there, the process will speed up significantly, and the system will be less “stupid”. Buttons for launching popular programs can be placed on the panel near Start. Right-click on any empty space on the panel and select a special item from the context menu called “Properties”.

In the window that opens, check the box next to “Show the quick launch bar” and uncheck the box next to “Lock the taskbar”. As long as it is not pinned, icons can be dragged directly from the desktop to the panel. Then fasten it back.

To make Windows XP easier to boot, you need to remove all unnecessary programs from startup. Select "Run" from Start and type msconfig in the empty line that appears.

In the window that opens, in the “Startup” tab, you can safely uncheck everything that is not related to Microsoft or programs that you will start in any case immediately after turning on the computer.

A real storehouse of settings awaits you at: Start / My Computer (right-click) / Properties / Advanced / Performance / Settings. The settings window looks like this:

You can select the "Ensure the best performance" setting and apply, or you can optimize your Windows XP by unchecking selective items. You can also turn off all effects. So you will achieve maximum graphics performance. True, the operating system will look much worse. Or experiment with individual items.

This completes XP optimization by standard means.

Improving the functioning of the OS with third-party programs

The most popular application for optimizing and improving the performance of Microsoft operating systems is CCleaner. You can download it for free on the official website of the program.

The main window of the application offers the following items:

• cleaning
• Service
• Settings

You need to use the features of CCleaner carefully: the program works hard and will easily delete saved passwords in the browser or the browsing history. In the “Cleanup” section, you can choose what exactly should be deleted and what should be left. Carefully study the “Applications” tab: it lists what will be cleared in third-party programs you have installed.

Launched for the first time, the #1 cleanup application can free up up to several gigabytes of hard drive space and significantly speed up the system until it clogs up again. The Registry section is intended for advanced users. It can be used to remove incorrect registry settings. Do this only if you are 100% sure that your actions will not adversely affect the operation of Windows XP.

The “Service” section duplicates the Uninstall Programs in the Control Panel, as well as the startup settings. There are some other options here that are not related to system optimization. In "Settings" you can customize the operation of CCleaner in more detail.

other methods

There are other ways to optimize the system. At the address in Windows XP: Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Restore / System Recovery Options - you can disable this feature and thereby delete previously created points. This will make it impossible to return to a previously saved state, but will slightly reduce the size of Windows XP on disk.

If you often install new programs and remove old ones, often move files around folders, copy, and so on, then the disk may need to be defragmented. After it, a performance increase is possible. Despite the fact that the OS offers a built-in utility for this purpose, it is better to use third-party programs, such as Q&Q Defrag.

To reduce the size of your system on your hard drive, you can delete the %SystemRoot%/Driver Cache/i386/ folder. Advanced users can set the SFCQuota parameter to 0, located at: Start/All Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt (type regedit and press Enter)/ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion /Winlogon)/. Using this action, you can reduce the system by about 400 MB.

These are the main ways to optimize the old, but beloved version of Windows. With the right approach, they will help to significantly speed up the system.

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Optimizing Windows XP is a whole range of activities that need to be periodically carried out on a computer so that it always works smartly and without failures. Conventionally, Windows optimization can be divided into several stages:

1. System Disk Cleanup.
2. Defragmentation of the hard disk and registry.
3. Cache cleaning.
4. Cleaning the Temp folder.
5. Installing and working with utilities for optimizing Windows.

How to speed up Windows XP with the built-in Disk Cleanup feature

First of all, let's turn to the built-in tools of Windows, for this Windows XP has its own capabilities, such as disk cleanup and system file cleanup.

• We open " Mycomputer"And on the local disk we perform the right mouse click, in the context menu we need a section -" Properties».

• In the window that opens, there is a button " cleaningdisk”, click on it, the system will analyze the junk files in the system, after which it will be possible to delete the found files.

Below there is a column where it is proposed to compress this disk forsavingsplaces, it is not recommended to mark this item. This can adversely affect the performance of the system as a whole, and space will save no more than 100 megabytes. We remove the label from this item and clean it up.

• If you switch to the " Additionally”, then you can find a few more partitions for cleaning system files, recovery files, temporary Windows components. Here you can also remove unnecessary programs on your computer.

Defragment your hard drive and registry

In the properties window of the local disk, in the tab " Service”, we can check the disk for errors and fix them if any are found. The built-in utility is responsible for this function. CHKDSK.


Here we can defragment the hard drive. Usually, when we are actively working at a computer, we download something, delete something, and so on again and again. The hard disk itself consists of many mirrored disks, which are divided into sectors. Each sector is the minimum addressable unit of information storage into which we write something, and then we delete something from it. Initially, on the new system, all information is written in order, but after deleting some previously recorded files, disk space is freed up and new files are written to this place. If the sector is too small to write the whole file, then this file is divided into parts and recorded in different parts of the disk.


This is fragmentation, when one file is divided into many parts and scattered throughout the disk. Defragmentation gathers all the fragmented files together and arranges them on the disk in order. The process is quite lengthy in some cases may take several hours. The same applies to registry defragmentation, but it is better to do it with the help of third-party utilities, which we will talk about later.

Clearing the cache

In this case, we are talking about clearing the browser cache. This can be done manually, directly in the browser itself, simply by deleting the history (the procedure for clearing the cache and clearing the browsing history in each browser is different). Here in the image is a short list of hotkeys to bring up the settings menu of a specific browser and the path to clear the browser history.

Cleaning out the Temp folder

There is such an interesting Temp folder on the computer, it is located on the system drive in the Windows folder. And it serves as a temporary storage for files intended for updating, restoring the system. This folder contains temporary files for installing programs, drivers, and utilities. Some programs delete temporary files after installation, but most do not. And over time, the size of this folder grows to an incredible size of tens of gigabytes. Naturally, significantly reducing the speed of the computer, when free disk space tends to zero, and it is not clear what exactly takes up so much space. Tip, look into this folder and delete everything that is there. The folder itself cannot be touched, but its contents can be safely deleted.

Installing and working with utilities for optimizing Windows

The easiest way for a novice user is, of course, to optimize the system using third-party software. There are a lot of utilities that help optimize Windows on the Internet, both good and not so good - both paid and free. Which program to choose for solving the optimization problem is decided, of course, only by the user. But among them there is a wonderful program that should be on the computer of every user - this is CCleaner. As part of the Free version, it copes with the bulk of the problems of the user's system perfectly well. For example, cleaning the cache of all browsers at the same time, fixing registry errors, defragmenting the disk and registry, working with scheduled tasks, and much more.


Installing CCleaner, like any other program, is very simple, in just a few clicks. It has a Russian-language user-friendly interface. The program is free and easy to use. Even an inexperienced user can handle it.


How to speed up Windows XP - for these purposes, you can also pay attention to another program, from the so-called cleaners, a very good utility is AVG TuneUp - it is, of course, paid, but has a trial period when you can test it before buying.


In terms of its properties and capabilities, it is probably difficult to find a better one. It is easier to say what this program does not know how to list all its capabilities.

Today we will talk about why we need to optimize the work of Windows XP and what items it actually consists of. Many modern programs also support work in XP, which indicates its relevance even today.

Some users use Windows XP on modern hardware - there is nothing wrong with that, but in this case, optimizing Windows XP for performance is of dubious benefit - it will work very quickly anyway. Very, because modern computers are dozens of times more powerful than those for which Windows XP was developed.

Personally, I have already switched to Windows 10 (you can even say that it is forced), but I never would have thought that I would ever leave my beloved Windows XP, with which I spent more than ten years of my life. Well, that's all the lyrics, let's go directly to the optimization. As I already wrote, even if you do not configure anything after a clean installation (provided that you have at least 1 GB of RAM and at least a dual-threaded processor - I mean Hyper-threading technology), then the high performance of Windows XP is already provided to you. But there is no limit to perfection - you can make it even faster, and today I will tell you how.

Where can Windows XP optimization for better performance come in handy?

Windows XP Performance Optimization

There are several ways to increase the performance of Windows XP, the main ones I will list below. Will the effect be strong? Well, in general, to be honest, it is noticeable. Personally, when I used XP, I used all the methods, I also advise you to try them, there is nothing complicated, at least I will try to describe everything in an accessible language.

Each OS is installed, by default, with its own set of settings, which are far from optimal for ordinary users. This set is more aimed at people who first got acquainted with such an operating system as Windows. If you do not know how to set up Windows xp, then read on. In turn, I will tell you how, in my opinion, the setting and optimization should look like.

I think many have met a window with a notification that some kind of error has occurred and with the question “Send” or “Do not send” a report describing the error, doubting that someone has sent at least one such report to Microsoft :). I’ll tell you a secret, no one is even waiting for your report there, it was relevant at the time when Windows XP just came out and, accepting them, the developers finalized the bugs and errors that were made and released new updates with all the fixes. But the majority got used to such a message, and out of habit they clicked "Do not send", not knowing that the appearance of this window can simply be turned off.

Also, at startup, a standard set of services is loaded, which, many users do not even use, as a result, they take on some of the resources, such as RAM, while reducing the speed and performance of your computer. Or when launching an application that is connected to the Internet, it was blocked by a firewall, as a result of which this application was simply abandoned.

To avoid such unpleasant moments, in this article, you will learn how to optimize and configure Windows XP for fast and comfortable work with your computer.

Setting up Windows XP SP3

1.Disable automatic update.

The first step in setting it up is to disable updates, because Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows XP, so you don't have to wait for new updates.

2. Turn off the Windows Firewall.

To avoid blocking any programs, turn off the Windows Firewall

3.Setting the date and time.

We set the correct date and time and on the next tab select the time zone we need. In the "Internet Time" tab, uncheck the box for synchronizing time with the Internet.

4. "Taskbar and Start Menu."

By clicking on the "Start" with the right mouse button and selecting "Properties", check and uncheck the boxes, as shown below. But this item is to everyone’s liking, this is the setting for the appearance of the Start, it’s just that for me this is the optimal setting.

5.Internet Options.

In the "General" tab in the "Address" line, we can specify our start page for the browser, or simply write "about:blank" to display a blank window. For temporary files, we set a small size so that the "C:\" drive does not become clogged in the future.

Go to the "Contents" by clicking on the "Autofill" button, uncheck the "username and passwords" box.

In the "Advanced" tab, check the boxes as indicated in the screenshot.

In general, we check the box to use regular Windows folders, as a result of which the graphic menu on the right will be removed when opening any folders, but if it is convenient for you to work with it, we leave everything as it is. Go to the "View" tab, put and remove marks in the selected items.

7. "Network connections".

In network connections, turn off the QoS packet scheduler, it will not be needed for a home computer. And check the box at the bottom of the window to display the connection status. By clicking on "Properties" we set the receipt of an IP address automatically ( Some providers give their users static IP addresses, in which case you will need to register the settings provided by your provider manually).

8.Setting System Properties.

Visual effects are customizable depending on the amount of RAM. Below are recommendations for computers with 256MB of memory.

Going to "Advanced" click "Options" where we remove the checkmarks from sending administrative alerts and performing an automatic reboot on failure or error with a blue screen. Turn it off in the Error Reporting menu.

I think that it is unlikely that someone will remotely connect to you, so we just turn off this item.

To restore the system, we put only the "C: \" drive for monitoring and set about 10% of the reserve space on the disk ( if your system is on the “D:\” drive, then, accordingly, select only it).

We turn off all notifications from the security center, which constantly screams that the antivirus is not installed and the computer is in danger.

10. "Screen"

Go to your desktop settings and turn off automatic cleaning every 60 days. Next, we remove the splash screen by specifying in the “No” field, and go to the “Power supply” item - for stationary machines, turn off “sleep mode”, and on the “Parameters” tab we set the optimal screen resolution.

11. "Language and regional standards"

In this menu, set the location and locale, and on the "Advanced" tab, set the language "Russian".

12. "Services"

To speed up the computer and turn it on, it is imperative to configure Windows xp services, for this we set the following services to the "Disabled" position:

• Machine Debug Manager (will appear after installing the MS Office package);
• Automatic update (due to the lack of support for Windows XP);
• Wireless setup (leave on for laptops);
• Uninterruptible power supply (if there is no UPS);
• Smart card support module (Smart Card Helper);
• Smart cards;
• Remote registry management service (it is unlikely that someone will pick your registry remotely);
• Fast user switching compatibility;
• Help and Support (The service is always on but is usually never used);

Here is roughly a basic list of services that you can disable on your home computer. Of course, for each computer, you can pick up a couple more, depending on how it will be used.

I also forgot to describe one point, after installation, the “Getting to know Windows” window constantly appears in the lower right corner, just click on it and wait until the browser opens with a description of XP, but if you close it with a cross on the next reboot, it will appear again. Also, if you have not installed the necessary drivers yet, I recommend reading the article installing drivers for Windows XP. This concludes the basic setup of Windows xp, in my opinion, the OS after installation should look exactly like this. What would you add or remove from the above guide?

Windows XP optimization and tuning

Introduction

In this article, you will learn how to make Windows XP work at full power for several years! There are many articles on the net on this topic, but I assure you that all this is not serious! Some are crammed full of tips that do not speed up the system, and sometimes slow down your work!

Well, now to the point! You all know that all the data of the system and programs are in the registry ... .. You have to be very careful with the registry, otherwise we won’t see the system! Yes, but why do we need a registry? There are parameters in the registry that have a "default" value, therefore, by changing the parameter to a non-standard one, we can speed up the work of the program and the system! So what are we waiting for!? Begin! We need straight arms, a sober look and composure :)

Work fast!

1) Disable System Restore

I don’t know if you use this dubious feature, but I always disable it, because the constantly running System Restore service monitors all file operations on disks and writes changes to its folder for possible future restoration of the original state. But how does it slow down the system if the activity of this service coincided with the activity of the user playing Max Payne 2 ... Therefore, I strongly advise you to disable system restore as soon as possible. To do this, in System Properties > System Restore, check the box Turn off System Restore on all drives. You can also turn it off in this way: Start-Run, write msconfig in the Services tab, disable "System Restore".

2) Disable automatic update

For most Runet users, communication with the Network is worse than ever, and if Windows XP secretly uploads dozens of megabytes of updates for itself, downloading an already frail communication channel ... Disable it like this ... .. Start-run-msconfig - services and uncheck " Automatic update".

3) Increase menu speed

Point to Start - All Programs ....... tired of waiting .... Then do this ...
Start - run - regedit.exe and HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay put any number in place of 400 .... the less the faster. Recommend "0".

4) Disable visual effects

They say that XP is a decorated Christmas tree! Compared to Windows 98, it is! A variety of effects slow down the memory and the system. We need to turn them off!
Right click on My Computer, select Properties, then Advanced.
You saw a window in front of you, in which there are items "Performance", "Download and Recovery", "User Profiles". We need "Performance" ... click on "Options" and then "Visual Effects". Turn off everything except

Smooth scrolling of lists

Using Common Tasks for Buttons

Using Button Styles

Click Apply… See the effect!? Windows open faster! We needed this!

5) Optimizing work with NTFS

If you open any folder in Explorer located on a disk with the NTFS file system, then Explorer will certainly update the “last access time” stamp for each file in this folder! But there are very large folders with several hundred or even thousands of files. And the procedure for updating these labels may be delayed ... In any case, we do not have a server where information about the last access to all files is important, so we disable unnecessary brakes. To do this, create a key in the registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ FileSystem\ NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate

and assign it the value 1 (type dword). To be honest, a useless parameter, but sometimes it helps!

6) Disable error reporting

To send or not to send? That's the question! Of course, do not send .... Yes, and generally disable this function! Get in here:
My Computer - Properties - Advanced - Error Reporting. And we turn it off!

7) Disable autorun disk

When we insert a disk, a window (autorun) appears. Personally, I disabled this feature. If you want to disable, then set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ Cdrom\ AutoRun to 0.
You probably guessed where to go.

8) Disable zip files

By default, the main archiver is the standard Windows ZIP. But we are coolhackers and we use Winrar. Nothing will disable ZIP support. Press WIN + R and enter the command

regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll

Memory is the most valuable!

So we optimized our work in Windows. Let's now move on to freeing memory. In XP there are many services that sit in memory all the time, thereby occupying it! Some of them are just useless! We press the familiar WIN + R combination, enter msconfig.exe. And go to Services. You don't have to turn everything off! I disabled the following…..

DHCP client

DNS client (if you don't have a network)

Help and support (we are hackers)

NetBios support module (if you don't have a network!)

Wireless setup

Finding the serial number....

Task Scheduler

Removable storage

Smart cards

Secondary login

You can experiment with other services, but feel free to disable these!

I will tell you a secret. I've had XP for two years already! No glitches, fast!
Why!? Well, I did all of the above and, of course, I use optimizer programs. I recommend the following software

PCBugDoctor- a very necessary thing! Finds broken shortcuts, files and heals them! The speed of the program is very high! I've been using it for a year now and not a single glitch!

RegOrganizer- every optimizer should have this program! It is a set of tools for working in the registry. Has a registry cleaner, file cleaner! Very fast and reliable! You can easily find it on the Internet.

Ad-Aware SE Personal- If you have access to the Internet, then this program is indispensable. Removes adware from the system. Constantly updated! Fast work speed! Do not eat resources!

Here, in principle, my set of frequently used programs. Hope you enjoy them!

If you delve into the registry, find a couple of interesting programs, you can achieve the desired result. I hope you make even more changes that speed up the system! The main thing is to know what to do! And then you will succeed!

P.S The work of Windows XP on older computers is not very fast, but I noticed that this optimization method significantly speeds up the work on such computers….

This operation is possible only on Windows XP, because only here programmers
took care of the possibility of disabling the CPUID check. To do this, at the very beginning of the installation of Windows XP, when the screen says "checking
hardware" on a black background, press F5 and from the proposed list of processors
choose i486 and continue with the installation. I did it, purely spontaneously. This method was tested on several computers. The effect was one! Really works!!!

Good luck to you in the difficult task of the user!

Kurt95
kurt95(a)bk.ru
09 /03.2005