bdsr80
--This was written a long time ago, so forgive duplications of suggestions already made.
(And note that Defragging is one of the least important things that can be done. Use the Analyze button as noted below.)
1) Have you scanned the PC for viruses, spyware, etc.? (Be sure to use programs with updated reference definition files.) Delete whatever these programs recommend. And if you did find such malware, you should also probably install and run HiJackThis. It may find bits and pieces which were left behind
http://www.download.com/Trend-Micro-...-10227353.html
2) Disk Cleanup. There are several ways to reach it. One is Start|All Programs|Accessories|System Tools|DiskCleanUp. That will start a scan of the PC to tell you what files might be deleted or compressed. (The scan takes a while.) I would certainly delete Temporary Internet Files, Temp files, Downloaded Program Files and probably Compress Old Files. See
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312 for details.
3) Then I would run ErrorChecking. (left click on MyComputer||right click on C:\ drive icon (assuming that is your hard drive)|Tools|Error Checking. Check the box "Automatically fix file system errors". Click Start (within the error checking window). You will be told to reboot. Do so. Error checking will then run as part of the reboot. It can take a while.
4) Start|Run|type MSCONFIG|OK|Startup tab. WinXP actually needs very few thirdparty programs (the ones you see in msconfig) to run at start. Antivirus, Firewall, Antispyware, programs associated with wireless connections such as mouse, network, etc. would be among the few. Uncheck the box to the left of any program you feel you do not need at startup. Click Apply. This site will help you make decisions what you do and do not need
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
5) Run Disk Defragmenter. ((left click on MyComputer||right click on C:\ drive icon (again assuming that is your hard drive)|Tools|Disk Defragmenter|Defrag Now click Analyze) Unless the analysis shows defragmentation is not needed, proceed to run Defragment. That also takes a while.
6) Disabling Services. This could be dangerous unless you know what you are doing. The main reason is that some Services depend on others, and some others may depend on it. Unless you have studied these dependencies, you may delete something needed to run what would seem to be unrelated. (You can check Dependencies by right clicking on the name of a Service|Properties|Dependency tab.) See this reference
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
The Elder Greek used to be very aggressive about disabling services, but you can see from the paragraph in red at the top, he has changed his mind now.
There are many other programs that start at boot, and more info can be provided whether they should or should not be allowed to start. But the ones that usually cause problems have been covered above.
Events
Linear Mode
