How to Disable Indexing & XP Tweaks

Microsoft Windows operating systems such as Windows XP use a service called "indexing." (Windows 7 and Vista also use this service.) The Windows indexing service is a real-time file scanner that searches through all the files and folders on a computer and records them in special index files. This, in turn, makes quick file searches possible as information about the location and file type of all the computer files is already saved in an easy-to-access location. While this can be extremely useful, users with slower computers may want this service and make other tweaks in the XP operating system to conserve system resources.

Instructions

Disable Indexing Service

1. Open the Windows XP "Services" tool. To do this, click "Start," then "Run," and type "services.msc" into the text field. Click "OK." If you have no "Run" entry in the Start menu, click "Control Panel," then "Performance and Maintenance," then "Administrative Tools," then double-click on "Services."

2. Scroll through the list of services and click on "Indexing Service." Right-click on it and select "Properties" from the context menu (or just double-click on it).

3. Click to open the drop-down menu in the "Startup type" section, then select "Disabled" from the menu. If the "Service status" shows up as "Started," click on the "Stop" button.

4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save your changes. You have disabled the Windows XP indexing service.

XP Tweaks

1. Open the Windows XP "Folder Options" tool. To do this, click "Start," then "Control Panel," then "Appearance and Themes," then click on "Folder Options."

2. Go through the tabs in the dialogue box ("General," "View" and "Offline Files"). Click on the features displayed in each tab to enable or disable them. In an older and/or slower system, it is recommended that you enable "Use Windows classic folders" and "Open each folder in the same window" (in the "General" tab). In the "View" tab, it is recommended that you enable "Do not cache thumbnails" and "Hide extensions for known file types." It is recommended that you disable "Launch folder windows in a separate process," "Remember each folder's view settings" and "Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items." In the "Offline Files" tab, it is recommended that you disable "Synchronize all offline files when logging on" "Synchronize all offline files when logging off," and "Display a reminder."

3. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save your changes. You have tweaked your Windows XP view features and should now have more computer resources available.

References

• My Digital Life: Disable Indexing in XP
• Microsoft: Folder Options Overview