Having a computer is an essential aspect of life for many people, both in their professional life as well as their personal life. As programs become more sophisticated, and the assignments that people take on daily increase, speed is becoming even more important. Squeezing out the best efficiency for any computer can be a challenge, but there are some basic things that average users can do to tweak Windows XP so that it runs better, and faster.

A slow computer can make any ordinary task seem to be quite the burden. It can mount up the frustrations in no time, especially if there’s a deadline that has to be met and the files that are needed take minutes, or longer, to load. The average Windows XP user today adds and deletes files on a regular basis and this is one of the common culprits of poor performance. Viruses and spyware are another common factor.

There’s no need to be an accomplished computer geek to tweak Windows XP. All you need is some basic common sense and be comfortable working with Windows XP. One of the easiest things that any Windows XP user can do is to defragment the hard drive. This feature is already built into the Windows operating system and therefore all you need to do is follow the basic instructions that Windows provides.

Basically, when a computer is new, information is written onto the hard drive in a sequential manner, for the most part. Over time, as files are deleted and then new ones added, Windows XP searches for any open and available space to write the information to it. The more files that are altered or deleted, the more ‘fragmented’ the hard drive becomes and when this happens, the computer has to take more time to search out all components of a file along the entire breadth of the hard drive. Defragmenting will help bring fragmented files together whenever possible.

Another thing that computer users can do to tweak Windows XP is to add memory. RAM cards are available in multiple gigs these days and are quite easy to change out. There’s no need to have advanced engineering degrees. All you need is a static guard and a screwdriver without a magnetic charge. Simply remove the existing RAM card and insert the new one. If there’s an open slot, you can simply add the new card next to the old one. Voila. Instant memory increase. The RAM on a computer allows it to store more information for immediate access, rather than having to move back and forth to the hard drive to retrieve it.

A third way to tweak Windows XP is to clean the system’s registry using a registry cleaner. The registry basically stores all the information needed to run any program in Windows XP. As more programs are install and uninstalled, the registry retains more information. The more files it has to sort through to find the correct locations and instructions, the longer it will take to load up and run programs and files.

Taking charge of your computer’s performance is important in order to maintain speed and efficiency. It’s also a great way to become more aware of what you’re doing to your computer when you create, add, or remove files and programs. If you tweak Windows XP on a regular basis, you’ll notice a marked improvement in its overall function and operation.

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