How to Speed Up Slow Windows XP System
If your computer is running slowly with Windows XP installed, there are a number of things you can do to speed up its performance. Windows XP can run slowly if the system is not optimized, so it is important to check for common bottlenecks and eliminate them one by one.
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Instructions
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Check the amount of memory installed in your computer. While the minimum requirements published by Microsoft claim that Windows XP will run with 128 MB of memory, in reality the minimum you should use is 256 MB. Installing 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM or more will speed your computer up and help it run better. To check your memory, right-click on "My Computer" and choose "Properties" from the menu. You can check the amount of RAM you have installed on the "General" tab.
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Change the amount of virtual memory by right-clicking on "My Computer" and choosing "Properties" from the menu. Click on the "Advanced" tab and click the top "Settings" button. Click the "Advanced" tab and then the "Change" button to adjust the size of the virtual memory. You may need to adjust the virtual memory settings several times until you find the optimum setting.
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Check the amount of hard drive space you have available. If you are running low on hard drive space, your computer may run slowly, since Windows XP will create virtual memory using hard drive space. You can free up hard drive space by emptying the Recycle Bin, removing programs you no loner use or deleting files you do not need anymore.
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Right-click on the task bar and choose "Task Manager" from the menu. Click on the "Processes" tab and click the "CPU" column to sort your running programs by the amount of processor resources they are consuming. If you see one program that is consistently using up almost all of the system resources, you may need to reinstall or repair that program.
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