Windows XP can load programs it thinks you need before you actually load them yourself! This is done by a process called pre-fetching. This process can consume memory and slow your XP experience.

Windows XP will retain a copy of a portion of a program you have run in the prefetch folder even if you only used it once. If you are unlikely to use this program again, this will adversely affect the performance of your system and is of no benefit to you!

You can see the contents of the prefetch directory by navigating to %systemroot%\prefetch

If you would like to selectively remove programs from the prefetch folder, you can manually delete the items from within the directory listed above. If you would like to disable the service entirely however, please follow the instructions below.

Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory] using regedit:

1. Find the EnablePrefetcher key
2. Set the EnablePrefetcher key to 0

If you are using your Netbook on the move, it can be very frustrating if you have to wait a significant amount of time for Windows XP to shut down. The following tip will show you how to reduce shut down times, by altering the settings that dictate when windows will shut down tasks that are hung (a common cause of slow shut down speeds). Note: This article assumes that you know how to edit registry settings. You should always backup your registry before making changes.

Navigate to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop] using regedit:

1. Set AutoEndTasks to 1
2. Set WaitToKillAppTimeout to 4000

References to the above settings can be found at the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/reskit/regentry/34637.mspx?mfr=true ]]> http://www.netbookexpert.co.uk/index.php/2009/08/06/netbook-windows-xp-performance-tuning-speed-up-shut-down/feed/ 0 http://www.netbookexpert.co.uk/index.php/2009/08/06/netbook-windows-xp-performance-tuning-adjusting-xp-for-best-performance/ http://www.netbookexpert.co.uk/index.php/2009/08/06/netbook-windows-xp-performance-tuning-adjusting-xp-for-best-performance/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:23:24 +0000 BenWilder http://www.netbookexpertwp.co.uk/?p=47

Windows XP can be set easily for best performance or for best appearance. Setting Windows XP for best performance will disable a number of graphical user interface features, improving the speed and responsiveness of Windows XP noticeably.

To set Windows XP for best performance perform the following:

1. Right click My Computer
2. Click Properties
3. Click the Advanced Tab
4. Click Settings under Performance
5. Click Adjust for best performance – or select your own from Custom if you are feeling adventurous!
6. Click OK
7. Click OK

Screen real estate is at a premium on most netbooks and large icons in the start menu can take a lot of room and seem out of proportion for the screen size offered. A simple change of settings in Windows XP can be used to show small icons in the start menu, giving you a lot more room.

To set Windows XP to use small start menu icons, perform the following:

1. Click Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Taskbar and Start Menu
4. Click Start Menu Tab
5. Click Classic Start menu
6. Click Customize
7. Scroll down the Advanced Start menu options and select “Show Small Icons in Start menu”
8. Click Ok
9. Click OK