Sunday 19 September 2010

Windows XP Slow? - Top 5 Ways to Fix it Now

What Makes Windows XP Slow?
With so many people using Windows XP and it being nearly 10 years since its release in 2001. There has been a surge in the number of people wanting to know what makes Windows XP slow and more importantly, how to fix it. The answer is simply - daily use. Unfortunately, the Windows operating system is good at doing a large number of things except keeping itself running at its best. As people use their computers, a large amount of information is gathered over the years and accumulates on their PCs. As you install new programs onto your computer, remove old ones that you no longer use, install new devices like iPods, cameras and webcams, you PC begins to get clogged up and naturally begins to slow down.

The first sign of your computer slowing down is the start-up time. If you can easily, switch on your PC and make yourself a coffee, come back and watch it still loading, then you have the signs of a slow Windows XP computer. If you avoid taking any action at this point, then things will only tend to get worse. As a quick example, do you remember when you first got your PC and how quickly everything was? It's amazing how over time, it can slow down to the point of absolute frustration. The good news is that you can fix it relatively quickly and easily.

The Top 5 Ways To Speed Up Windows XP
  1. Get rid of all the programs that you're no longer using. To do this, open the Control Panel and click on 'Add/Remove Programs'. Then browse through the list and remove those applications that you don't use anymore. They are just making Windows XP slow.
  2. Remove programs from the start-up folder. From the 'Start' menu, open the 'Startup' folder and 'right click' on the programs listed in & select 'Delete' on the ones that are not necessary. For example, if there is an Anti-virus program, you'll want to make sure you keep that one. The same for any firewall software as these are important for your computer.
  3. Defragment your hard drive. This can be found in the 'Accessories->System Tools' folder and the program is called; 'Disk Defragmenter'. It may be an idea to let this run over night depending on how many files you have on your computer.
  4. Turn off System Restore. Most people hardly use this feature. And even if you did leave it running, most people wouldn't know how to restore their PC back to a previous instance if they really wanted to.
  5. Clean up your registry. Get your hands on a proper Registry Cleaner. When referring to proper, that means avoiding the freebies on the internet. They are very reasonably priced and may set you back $20-$40 however; the huge difference to your computer's speed will be worth every single penny.
Now that you have a short list of ways to speed up you r computer and what makes Windows XP slow, you should get started today and open your control panel right now to get rid of those unused programs.

If you're not sure which registry cleaners will make a difference to your, check out some of the latest reviews here: http://xpslow.org