Jim's Top 10 Tips for Optimizing XP/Vista

(Updated: June 9, 2008)

1. Clean your registry: Glary Utilities "Offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC. It allows you to clean common system junk files, as well as invalid registry entries and Internet traces. You can manage and delete browser add-ons, analyze disk space usage and find duplicate files. You can also view and manage installed shell extensions, encrypt your files from unauthorized access and use, split large files into smaller manageable files and then rejoin them. Furthermore, Glary Utilities includes the options to optimize memory, find, fix, or remove broken Windows shortcuts, manage the programs that start at Windows startup and uninstall software. Other features include secure file deletion, an Empty Folder finder and more." Free and highly recommended. Another good dedicated registry cleaner: RegScrubXP. Caution! Not all registry cleaners work alike - some are overly aggressive and may cause problems. I have tested Glary and RegScrubXP many times without a hitch.

2. Eliminate useless services: Start/run/services.msc
See Optimizing Windows XP Services and Windows XP Service Pack 3 Services

3. Prune startup programs/System Tray apps: Use Start/Run/msconfig to stop useless startup programs and System Tay apps. (Or BETTER, use Glary Utilities/Startup Manager). For stopping services use: Start/run/services.msc

5. Turn off system sounds: Control Panel/Sounds and Audio devices/Sounds/No Sounds

6. Eliminate unused desktop icons/fonts: Fonts: First copy entire \Windows\Fonts folder to another location (say C:\) and then run Control Panel/Fonts. If you have less than 400 fonts installed I would not worry about this one. If you have many fonts (500+) it would be prudent to prune the excess. Caution! If you use desktop publishing software the extra fonts might be used by MS Publisher or their ilk.

7. Set spartan folder options (you can always select other views when necessary).: Use Details view
Turn off unnecessary attributes
Tools/Folder options/View/Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
Tools/Folder options/View/Apply to All folders

8. Turn off some Visual Effects: My Computer/Properties/Advanced/Performance
Leave only the following checked:
Show shadows under menus
Show shadows under mouse pointer
Show translucent selection rectangle
Smooth edges of screen fonts
Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
Use visual styles on windows and buttons

9. Eliminate spyware: AVG Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Free Edition Version 8 Highly recommended.: Also the powerful and sophisicated Spyware Terminator: Fast spyware scanning 100%, real-time protection, HIPS protection, Antivirus protection. All in one free package! Does excellent analysis of running and installed programs to show you potential threats.

10. Remove unused programs: Add/Remove Programs (Or BETTER, use Glary Utilities/Startup Manager). Re-run Clary Utilities/Registry Cleaner afterwards - many programs do not properly clean up their registry entries.

(Bonus tip) 11. Don't use Windows Media Player/install VideoLAN: "A free cross-platform media player, supports a large number of multimedia formats, without the need for additional codecs. It can also be used as a streaming server, with extended features (video on demand, on the fly transcoding, ...)" Highly recommended.

(Bonus tip) 12. Defragment: If you use machine heavily (create/manipulate many large files routinely) install IObit SmartDefrag: Free, faster, more thorough than XP's built-in defragger.

Some good XP optimization pages: Optimize XP
The Complete Guide To Optimising Windows XP
The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion (for XP and Vista)
Operating System Guides (optimizing XP)
XP Myths

Some good Vista optimization pages: Optimize XP
Operating System Guides (optimizing Vista)