Windows XP

This sections details various tweaks for Windows XP, sourced from all over the internet.

They all assume that you have administrator access and know what your doing. But, although I have used most of these tweaks myself successfully, I take no responsibility for any damage or loss of data they may cause on your machine.

File system tweaks

Tweaks for for discs and files.

Memory tweaks

Make the most of your memory.

Network tweaks

Speed up the internet and networking.

Other tweaks

Various other tweaks.

Tweaking utilities

There are some utilies that are used be some of the tweaks on the above pages that you can use to get out of Windows XP:

MsConfig

'MsConfig' is a system configuration utility for Windows.
To open it, go to the 'Start Menu -> Run...', then type 'msconfig' and press enter.
Click on the 'Startup' tab and you should see a screen that displays all of the programs that will be started when Windows boots up.
As none of these programs are vital for Windows, try unchecking some boxes. After restarting, Windows will start up faster and use less resources.

Group Policy

The Group Policy editor allows to alter a wide range of settings to spead up and tweak Windows XP.
To open it, go to the "Start Menu -> Run...", then type 'gpedit.msc' and press enter.

Microsoft's PowerToys

Available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp, these are tools developed by the Microsoft XP team after the initial release of XP, these extra's include things like Power Calculators, Super Fast User Switching, and improved Alt-Tab menus as well as TweakUI for altering hidden settings.