What PC user hasn’t suffered at the hands of their Windows XP? I doubt you’ll find anyone who’s completely satisfied with their version of Microsoft’s operating system. You can put up with it, and curse at your PC every time it freezes and crashes, or you can join the crowds of XP tweakers, who fiddle around, improving settings and functions in their operating system in the hope that this will make it work better. I came across a very thorough guide this morning of 20 Windows XP tweaks, going from easy, basic ones for beginners, to intermediate and more advanced optimization tips.
You’ll start out learning how to switch off these annoying automatic updates, disable system restore or check your hard drive for errors. Intermediate skills then involve deleting unused fonts, uninstalling unused Windows components or unused devices while advanced skills entail things like getting your hands dirty with MSConfig or disabling unused Windows XP services. I wouldn’t say any of these tweaks are difficult to do, especially if you follow the clear explanations in the guide. To me the real difference between beginner, intermediate and advanced tweaks has to do with the consequences they will have on your PC. Obviously playing around with beginner tweaks, like enabling or disabling automatic updates, won’t put your PC at as much risk as an advanced tweak, like disabling startup items. That’s why when optimizing your version of XP it’s best to take your time and go through the simple ones first. If you really can’t see any improvements in your PC’s performances then you should move on to more difficult tips, but not without making a backup beforehand.
