This is a massive guide to tweaking the crap out of Windows XP. I'll be covering a lot of ground over the next several parts... if your stability is already in question, I'd stop after Part One. Part two, three and probably four are going to contain more extreme tweaking, hardware and software-based overclocking, and some other ways to tweak maximum speed out of your rig. I've spent the last week trying and testing this stuff, so if it's workin' on mine... I'm pretty sure it'll work on yours.





Without further ado...

Note: There may be a day or two in between parts, some of these I'm making sure I can't pair 'em down further before I put 'em up

Well gang, I was going to do this as one major friggin' post... but there is too much ground to cover... so I figure I'll break it up over a few days and give everyone a chance to test-run these puppies and see how well it's going before stepping up to the next level.

NOTE: This is going to start easy and progress to harder stuff (Part two is services editing, part three is hacking the crap out of your registry... there might be a day four, but I'm still testing some of these myself).

The whole goal is total Windows performance for a STANDARD FAMILY computer. This is geared more towards the hard-core gamer, but allowing for some services to stay in place... like print spooling. Trust me... family members get upset when YOU'RE the one who disabled something they use... mostly, they don't really care THAT much about a boost in speed if they can't get their E-mail...

BTW: After my tweaking, I ran Sandra... it identified my P4 1.5 Ghz processor running equal to a 1.75 Ghz P4 (and I played a lot of things "safe")

It might be best to view tweaking as a form of overclocking... it has the same potentials for agony and ecstacy.

Let's get cracking!

NOTE: I use Windows "Classic" style" for my Control Panel. If you're familiar enough to find everything with the XP folder options in the control panel, great... if not, when you get into your control panel, click on the "Classic View" on the upper left hand of the screen to get it to where you'll be able to follow me exactly. You can always change it back the same way!

I hated the new layout... too many years of knowin' the old control panel!

STEP 1: GET ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS TO WHERE IT'S EASY TO ACCESS.



Open up the Windows XP start menu. There should be two lines. One where there is a short list of programs you use on a regular basis, and then a second line with "Control Panel", "My Documents" and the like.

Right click on any blank space on the right, click properties and when the screen comes up, you should see "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties". Select the "Start Menu" tab, and click the "Customize button". Move to the "Advanced" tab. The nice part of this is getting rid of those stupid-ass "open menu if I pause with my mouse" which means you don't know whether to wait, or just click... and those "New Programs" highlighted never seem to go away. I usually unselect both of these.

You should see a menu. I'd leave everything already on there (I do cut out "Help and Support" though... just 'cause I never use it), just add "My Network Places" (for those of us who network info, and like a clean desktop, it's a time-saver) and under "System Adminstrative Tools", select the middle button "Display on the All Programs menu and the Start Menu. Mostly, I believe MS disables this to keep n00bs from blowing up their systems by frackin' around.


SUMMARY:

• Right Click open space in start menu
  
• Properties
  
• Start Menu Tab
  
• Customize button
  
• Advanced tab
  
• Go down to "Administrative Tools" and select the middle option.
  

Now that we're ready to start tweaking (believe me, you're probably going to keep playing with the admin tools if you don't already).

I will be covering a helluva lot of "Services" tomorrow... but today we're going to do a lot of prep work, and some basic tweaking for speed.

Go to your Control Panel. Select "System" (or just right click on "My Computer" and select "properties), select the "Advanced" tab. Go to "Performance". turn OFF the following items under "Customize"

• Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
  
• Fade of slide menus into view
  
• fade or slide tooltips into view
  
• Fade out menu items after clicking
  
• Show shadows under mouse pointer
  
• Show Shadows under Menus
  
• Show Translucent Selection Rectangle
  
• Slide Open Combo Boxes
  
• Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
  

Now then, this can be taken further down. Just as long as you leave "Use visual styles on windows and buttons" Windows XP will still look like Windows XP, but you won't have quite as many fancy visuals. I like to leave the rest enabled, but if you don't care what your screen lookslike, JUST CLICK "ADJUST FOR BEST PERFORMANCE" and everything will be shut off.

Close out of Performance folder, and you'll be back to the "Advanced tab". The following is just generalized tweaks I like to do.

Under "Startup and Recovery" click "Settings" and unselect "Automatically Restart". This will give you your "Blue Screen of Death" so you can figure out what the hell happens when XP blows it's mind!

Apply, and click out of here, and go back to the advanced tab. Go to "Error Reporting". Select "Disable Error Reporting", but leave the "Notify me When a Critical Error Occurs".

"Apply" and Close.

Go to the "Remote" tab. Shut off "Remote Assistance". I have NEVER used this... you may be different, if you have, leave it on.

I also go to the "System Restore" tab and turn off System Restore to save space and resources (and mostly because everytime I've ever needed it, it seems to make things worse).

I do also Disable "Automatic Updates" under the "Automatic Updates" tab. This is up to you, but it does free up a small portion of resources to not have Windows look for an update.


SUMMARY:

• Control Panel
  
• System
  
• Advanced
  
• Performance
  
• Customize
  
• Follow the list above for visuals to disable
  

LAST BIT OF ADVICE FOR DAY 1:

Go into explorer (or my computer), and right click C: (or whatever your Hard-Drive is) and select "Properties". At the bottom, you should see the following two lines with check-boxes on the "General" Tab.

Compress drive to save disk space
Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching

BOTH OF THESE should be unchecked. The downside is slower searches when you use the "Search" option... the advantage, faster performance the other 99% of the time you're on your system!

As for Compression, this will slow up the works regardless. Unless you REALLY have to compress, I wouldn't do it. It's always chewed up RAM resources, and I don't imagine it's gotten THAT much better.

Thx for the tips... waiting for the next one.