__sare__

Here is the risk-free guide on how to tune and tweak your XP!

You will need:

* An XP installation
* Some time and patience
* The following Apps:

Advanced XP Tweak - Must have

[Only registered users can see links. ]
[Only registered users can see links. ]

The Majority of this tutorial is going to be based around the program "Advanced XP Tweak so make sure you download it

Here is the main interface:



You will already notice the vast amount of options we have so lets get started!

UTILITIES

Step 1

Usually the main cause of losing hard drive space is due to useless programs which you never use just sitting there. Use the uninstall tool to explore your hard drive and uninstall the ones you no longer need. For example:



I no longer use this app so I'll just get rid of it

Simply click "Uninstall" and then respond to the pop up messages accordingly - notice the program will delete all the old shortcuts etc



Repeat this step for as many programs as you wish!

Step 2

Start Up Programs. This is what causes lag in your boot up and log in times. Removing apps which you could either start manually, or don't want starting at all can reduce startup times dramatically. For example:



Although I use MagicISO regularly, I never use it at startup and therefore I can remove it from my startup list. If you have many apps like this, removing them from the startup list will result in a noticible change in startup times Simply select the process you don't want to start and click "Delete"

When prompted, confirm the deletion:



Do this for as many startup items as you like, as you can see I have only the neccessary items which means I startup very quickly however whatever you do, if you don't know what an item is, don't touch it

Step 3

Disk Clean Up. This is probably the easiest way to free up hard drive space. All of the default settings are correct for this part however if you have more than one partition there is no harm in scanning both. I would suggest keeping all the file types the same as they are all simply temporary files which have no use at all



Once you have clicked "Search" the program will literally search for the temporary files. This may take a while depending on the size of your hard drive and the amount of junk that needs to be cleared During the scan, the program will show you the files which have been found and once it has finished simply click "Delete":



Step 4

Cookie Management. If you do not set your browser to delete them automatically then delete them manually here:



TWEAKS

Step 5

System Performance. This step offers some decisions for you to make yourself. I have shown the standard settings for anyone wanting to speed up their PC however you may want to keep / remove some of them:





After you have selected the chosen services click "Save"

Step 6

Start Menu. This is mainly a userface tweak to tidy up the start menu - choose the settings to your liking Notice the feature to change taskbar transparency too After you have made your choices, click "Save"



Step 7

Explorer/Desktop. The main feature in this part is "Restart Explorer When It Stops Unexpectedly" This is very useful for an unstable system Once you've finished click "Save"



You may also want to try these apps, they will boost the performance of your XP even more!

Startup Faster! - Optional
[Only registered users can see links. ]

Ram Cleaner - Optional

[Only registered users can see links. ]