Each operating system is installed, by default, with its own set of settings, which are far from optimal for ordinary users. This set is more aimed at people who were getting acquainted with an operating system such as Windows for the first time. If you don’t know how to set up Windows xp, then read on. In turn, I’ll tell you how, in my opinion, setup and optimization should look like.

I think many people have come across a window with a notification that some kind of error has occurred and with the question “Send” or “Do not send” a report describing the error, doubting that anyone has sent at least one such report to Microsoft :). I’ll tell you a secret, no one there is even waiting for your report, this was relevant at a time when Windows XP had just come out and, using them, the developers refined the bugs and errors that were made and released new updates with all the fixes. But the majority got used to such a message, and out of habit they clicked “Do not send”, not knowing that the appearance of this window can simply be turned off.

Also, at startup, a standard set of services is loaded, which many users do not even use; as a result, they take up some of the resources, such as RAM, while reducing the speed and performance of your computer. Or when launching an application that is connected to the Internet, it was blocked by the firewall, as a result of which this application was simply abandoned.

To avoid such unpleasant moments, in this article you will learn how to optimize and configure Windows XP for fast and comfortable work with your computer.

Setting up Windows XP SP3

1.Disable automatic updates.

The first step in setting this up is to disable updates, because Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows XP, so you don’t have to wait for new updates.

2. Disable Windows Firewall.

To avoid blocking any programs, disable Windows Firewall

3.Setting Date and Time.

We set the correct date and time and on the next tab select the time zone we need. In the “Internet Time” tab, uncheck the box to synchronize time with the Internet.

4. “Taskbar and Start Menu.”

By right-clicking on “Start” and selecting “Properties”, check and uncheck the boxes as shown below. But this item is to everyone’s liking, it’s customizing the appearance of “Start”, it’s just that for me this is the optimal setting.

5.Internet properties.

In the “General” tab in the “Address” line, we can indicate our start page for the browser or simply write “about:blank” to display an empty window. For temporary files, we set a small size so that the “C:\” drive does not become clogged in the future.

Go to “Contents” by clicking on the “Autofill” button and uncheck the “username and passwords” box.

In the “Advanced” tab, check the boxes as indicated in the screenshot.

In general, check the box to use regular Windows folders, as a result of which the graphical menu on the right will be removed when opening any folders, but if you are comfortable working with it, we leave everything as is. Go to the “View” tab and check and uncheck the selected items.

7. “Network connections.”

For network connections, turn off the QoS packet scheduler; you won’t need it for your home computer. And put a checkmark at the bottom of the window to display the connection status. By clicking on “Properties” we set the IP address to be received automatically ( Some providers give their users static IP addresses, in which case you will need to configure the settings provided by your provider manually).

8.Setting System Properties.

We customize visual effects depending on the amount of RAM. Below are recommendations for computers with 256MB of memory.

Going to “Advanced”, click “Options” where we uncheck the boxes for sending administrative alerts and performing an automatic reboot in case of failure or blue screen error. In the “Error Reporting” menu, disable it.

I think that it is unlikely that anyone will connect to you remotely, so we simply disable this item.

To restore the system, we set only the “C:\” drive for monitoring and set about 10% of the reserve space on the disk ( if your system is located on the “D:\” drive, then select only it accordingly).

We turn off all notifications from the security center, which constantly shouts that the antivirus is not installed and the computer is in danger.

10. "Screen"

Go to your desktop settings and disable automatic cleaning every 60 days. Next, we remove the screensaver by indicating in the “No” field, and go to the “Power supply” item - for stationary machines we turn off “sleep mode”, and on the “Options” tab we configure the optimal screen resolution.

11. “Language and regional standards”

In this menu we set the location and language standards, and on the “Advanced” tab we set the language to “Russian”.

12."Services"

To speed up your computer and turn it on, you must configure Windows xp services; to do this, set the following services to “Disabled”:

• Machine Debug Manager (will appear after installing the MS Office package);
• Automatic update (due to lack of support for Windows XP);
• Wireless setup (for laptops, leave it on);
• Uninterruptible power supply (if there is no UPS);
• Smart Card Helper module;
• Smart cards;
• Remote registry management service (it is unlikely that someone will tinker with your registry remotely);
• Fast user switching compatibility;
• Help and support (The service is always on but is usually never used);

Here is approximately the main list of services that can be disabled on your home computer. Of course, for each computer you can choose a couple more, depending on how it will be used.

I also forgot to describe one point, after installation, the “Get to know Windows” window constantly appears in the lower right corner, just click on it and wait until the browser opens with a description of XP, but if you close it with a cross, the next time you reboot it will appear again. Also, if you have not yet installed the necessary drivers, I recommend reading the article installing drivers for Windows XP. This is where the basic setup of Windows xp ends; in my opinion, the OS should look exactly like this after installation. What would you add or remove from the guide described above?

Optimizing and configuring Windows XP

The Windows XP operating system, unlike older operating systems, is well-balanced and optimized for the tasks of its time. However, there are ways to improve performance a little more by changing some of the default settings.

To perform the actions below, you do not need special user rights or special programs. However, for some operations you will have to use CCleaner. All settings are safe, but still, it is better to play it safe and create a system restore point.

Operating system optimization can be divided into two parts:

• One-time setup. This includes editing the registry and the list of running services.
• Regular actions that need to be performed manually: defragmenting and cleaning disks, editing startup, deleting unused keys from the registry.

Let's start with the service and registry settings. Please note that these sections of the article are for advisory purposes only. Here it is up to you to decide which parameters to change, that is, whether such a configuration is suitable specifically in your case.

Services

By default, the operating system runs services that we do not use in our daily work. The setup consists of simply disabling services. These steps will help free up your computer's RAM and reduce the number of hard drive accesses.

The first candidate for shutdown is the service "Telnet". Its function is to provide remote access via a network to a computer. In addition to freeing up system resources, stopping this service reduces the risk of unauthorized entry into the system.

In the same way, we disable the remaining services on the list:

1. "Remote Desktop Help Session Manager". Since we have disabled remote access, we will not need this service.
2. Next you should disable "Remote Registry" for the same reasons.
3. "Message Service" also subject to stopping, since it only works when connected to the desktop from a remote computer.
4. Service "Smart cards" allows us to use these drives. Never heard of them? So, let's turn it off.
5. If you use programs for burning and copying discs from third-party developers, then you do not need "COM Service for CD Burning".
6. One of the most “gluttonous” services - "Error Logging Service". It constantly collects information about failures and problems, obvious and hidden, and generates reports based on them. These files are difficult to read by the average user and are intended to be provided to Microsoft developers.
7. Another "information collector" - "Performance Logs and Alerts". This is, in a sense, a completely useless service. It collects some data about the computer, hardware capabilities, and analyzes it.

Registry

Editing the system registry allows you to change any Windows settings. It is this property that we will use to optimize the operation of the OS. At the same time, you must remember that rash actions can lead to system crash, so remember about the restore point.
The registry editing utility is called "regedit.exe" and is located at

By default, system resources are equally distributed between background and active applications (those with which we are currently working). The following setting will increase the priority of the latter.

Cleaning the registry

During long-term work, creating and deleting files and programs, unused keys accumulate in the system registry. Over time, there can be a huge number of them, which significantly increases the time required to access the necessary parameters. Of course, you can delete such keys manually, but it is better to use the help of software. One such program is CCleaner.

The purpose of the tips described below is to rid the installed Windows XP Pro Russian of decorations that are completely unnecessary for the home user and to speed up the overall operation of the system. These 24 tips are only part of what can be done to optimize and speed up Windows XP. Let me remind you that by changing various options and parameters without understanding what and how they can affect, it is very easy to ruin everything. Therefore, first of all, you need to take care of your safety; fortunately, Windows XP has all the backup tools for this: Backup, System Restore, ASR.

1. Bringing back the classic Start menu style: Right-click on the taskbar, “Properties”, “Start Menu” tab, select “Classic Start Menu”, “OK”.
2. Right-click on an empty area of ​​the screen, menu item "Properties", tab "Appearance". Select the "Classic style" of windows and buttons. Click the "Effects" button. Uncheck all the checkboxes except the last one.
3. In the "Control Panel" select "Folder Options". In the window that opens, select "Use regular Windows folders" - this will save us from unnecessary decorations that slow down the navigation process. Go to the "View" tab. Check the box "Do not cache thumbnails" - otherwise, when viewing folders with graphic files, Windows will litter it with miniature copies of pictures, check the box “Display “Control Panel” in the “My Computer” folder; uncheck the boxes “Remember display settings for each folder” (optional) and “Hide protected system files”; Select the option "Show hidden files and folders".
4. In the "Control Panel" select "System". In the "Advanced" tab, in the "Performance" frame, click on the "Options" button. In the window that opens, select “Visual effects” and uncheck all the boxes.

1. Disable error reporting. Call "System Properties" and on the "Advanced" tab - "Error Reporting", select "Disable Error Reporting".

1. Uninstall Windows Messenger. Every time the system boots, Messenger also starts, slowing down the boot process and consuming system resources. In the command line Start - "Run" type the following: " RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove" and click "OK". After restarting Windows Messenger you will no longer find Messenger on your computer.

1. Setting the optimal paging file value. "System Properties" - "Advanced" - "Performance" - "Advanced" - "Virtual Memory" - "Change". It is recommended to set the initial size and maximum to the same. For normal work, it is enough to multiply the available memory by 1.5. Games require two, two and a half times more memory.

1. Reducing the delay time before expanding submenus. Start - "Run" and type "regedit". In the registry we find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Change the MenuShowDelay parameter from 400 to 0.

1. Remove unnecessary programs from startup. Start - "Run" and type "msconfig". "Startup" tab - uncheck the boxes next to those programs that you do not need.

1. Clearing the "prefetch" folder- C:\windows\prefetch. This folder contains links to launched applications and programs. Some of the links are no longer used or are rarely used, but when loading, the system checks for the presence of links in this folder. Over time, the number of links in this folder increases so much that the system takes more time to scan. Cleaning out this folder will speed up your system performance. It is not recommended to reboot the system after cleaning the folder. This will degrade performance.

1. Disable indexing. Open “My Computer,” right-click on the hard drive icon and select “Properties.” In the window that opens, uncheck “Allow disk indexing for quick search.” After clicking the “Apply” or “OK” buttons, a new window will appear in which you will be asked whether to apply the selected attributes only to the current drive or to attached files and folders too. As a result, the system will run a little faster. Applicable only to drives with the NTFS file system.

1. Windows XP considers "Zip" files to be folders- this is convenient if you have a fast computer. On slower systems, you can force Windows XP to disable this feature (if you have another archiver, such as "RAR") by typing "regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll" at the command line. You can return everything back with the command "regsvr32 zipfldr.dll".

1. Changing the priority of interrupt requests (IRQs). If you increase the priority of CMOS memory and real-time clock, you can increase the performance of all elements of the motherboard. Open "System Properties" - "Hardware" button "Device Manager". Now open the properties of the device you are interested in and select the "Resources" tab. Here you can see which IRQ number is used by the selected device. Note the interrupt number and close all windows. Run RegEdit. Find a section HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/PriorityControl. Create a new DWORD key IRQ#Priority (where "#" is the IRQ number) and set it to "1". For example, in our case, IRQ08 is reserved for System CMOS. Therefore, we created the IRQ8Priority key. (I remind you that if you are not sure of the correctness of your actions, do not take risks!)

1. Disabling an unused POSIX subsystem may increase operating speed slightly. Launch "Regedit". Open the branch in the registry editor HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control SessionManager\SubSystems and remove the Optional and Posix lines.

1. Do not record last accessed files (NTFS only). Speeds up access to directories with a large number of files. In the registry editor "Regedit" HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate parameter, value "1"

1. Do not use a page file to store the system kernel. By default, WinXP dumps the kernel and system drivers into the page file when they are not in use. Using this option, you can tell WinXP to keep the kernel and system drivers always in memory. Launch "Regedit" HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management parameter DisablePagingExecutive , "1" - do not use the paging file to store the system kernel, "0" - use

1. Automatically unload unused libraries. This feature will help free up memory. Launch "Regedit" HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer AlwaysUnloadDLL parameter, value "1" - unload libraries, value "0" - do not unload. value 1 - unload libraries, value 0 - do not unload, value 1 - unload libraries, value 0 - do not unload. Note: the system may become unstable when this option is enabled.

1. Use fast user switching. If the option is enabled, then when switching to another user, the current user's programs will continue to work. Otherwise, programs will automatically turn off when the user logs out, and the computer will work faster with the next user. Launch "Regedit" HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon AllowMultipleTSSessions parameter, value "1" - use fast user switching

1. Disable the built-in debugger Dr. Watson. If the option is disabled, then if there is an error in the program, a corresponding error message will be displayed with the OK and Cancel buttons; when you click OK, the application ends, and when you click Cancel, the debugger starts. In the registry editor "Regedit" HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug The "Auto" parameter is set to "0"

1. Do not keep track of document opening history. Do not keep a history of "Recently Used Documents". Windows XP creates shortcuts to launched programs in the Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Recent folder. You can disable this feature if you do not use them. Run "Regedit" parameter NoRecentDocsHistory , value "1" - history is not maintained

1. Automatically terminate frozen applications. This option is used to automatically close all hung programs without any warning. Convenient when shutting down your computer; if the application is not responding, you don’t have to press a button to shut it down. Run "Regedit" HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop parameter AutoEndTasks , value "1" - automatically terminate frozen applications, "0" - wait for user input

1. Disable low disk space message. Do not display a message about low disk space. It makes sense to use this option on small disks. Launch "Regedit" HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer parameter, NoLowDiskSpaceChecks, value "1" - message disabled, "0" - enabled

1. Block automatic updates in Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player periodically establishes a connection via the Internet to check for the existence of a new version of the program (Tools-Options-Automatic updates frame). You can disable this feature in Windows Media Player. Launch "Regedit" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer parameter DisableAutoUpdate, value "1".

1. Release of the channel (bandwidth) reserved for the QoS service. Windows XP by default allocates part of the Internet channel for Quality of Service (QoS). The purpose of QoS is to improve the traffic distribution of programs written with the QoS API in mind. You won’t find these programs, so reserving a channel for an unnecessary service is an unaffordable luxury. In order to free up the already narrow channel of the domestic connection to the Internet, in the Start menu -> Run, launch the group policy editor gpedit.msc. To run, you need to be a system administrator. In the "Computer Configuration" section, select "Administrative Templates", then "Network" and then in the right pane, select "QoS Packet Manager" and double-click on it. Select the "Limit reserved bandwidth" option and double-click on it again. In the window that opens, turn on Enabled, and then specify the channel limit as a percentage equal to zero, click "OK" and exit the program. Open "Network Connections" in the "Control Panel", open the properties of your connection and on the "Network" tab, make sure that the "QoS Packet Scheduler" protocol is enabled. If it is not there, then add it from the list and restart your computer.

I recommend!
I recommend!

Today we will talk about why optimization of Windows XP is needed and what points it actually consists of. Many modern programs also support work in XP, which indicates its relevance even today.

Some users use Windows XP on modern hardware - there is nothing wrong with that, but in this case, optimizing Windows XP to improve performance is of dubious benefit - it will already work very quickly. Very much, because modern computers are tens of times more powerful than those for which Windows XP was developed.

Personally, I have already switched to Windows 10 (one might even say that it was forced), but I would never have thought that I would ever leave my beloved Windows XP, with which I spent more than ten years of my life. Well, that’s all lyrics, let’s move on directly to optimization. As I already wrote, even if you don’t configure anything after a clean installation (provided that you have at least 1 GB of RAM and at least a dual-threaded processor - I mean Hyper-threading technology), then you are already guaranteed high performance of Windows XP. But there is no limit to perfection - you can do it even faster, and today I will tell you how.

Where can optimizing Windows XP for better performance come in handy?

Old computers or very old computers can benefit from having Windows XP installed on them and optimized as much as possible. As a result, you will get a computer that can do something useful - play the role of a file server, act as a router, perform monotonous routine tasks.

Windows XP allows you to keep your computer up to date, for example, for entertainment such as: watching movies, listening to music, playing old games, or simply giving this computer to children.

To this day, Windows XP is used in old office computers that run the same processes year after year, so there is no point in upgrading the hardware.

However, there is one unpleasant moment when using Windows XP - these are updates that are no longer released for this system. There is a way that can partially correct this problem and the system will be updated, read how to do this in this article.

Optimizing Windows XP Performance

There are several ways to increase the performance of Windows XP, the main ones I will list below. Will the effect be strong? Well, to be honest, it’s noticeable. Personally, before, when I used XP, I used all the methods, I also advise you to try them, there is nothing complicated, at least I will try to describe everything in an accessible language.

Keep in mind that I will give all the working methods in my opinion and at the same time I do not take into account the security that may decrease after such a setup.

The first thing you can do is turn off System Restore. This allows you not to monitor the system status and not create restore points. Remember that by disabling this component, you will not be able to return the system “back” if necessary. To turn off, click Start, select Control Panel, and in the window that appears, find the item System, double-click on it. Go to the tab System Restore and uncheck the corresponding box:

The next item is to disable automatic updates. I advise you to disable it, but before doing so, update the system completely. Secondly, you can do without these updates altogether, the main thing is that Windows XP comes with a third service pack. Using a good firewall with proactive protection, you will leave almost no chance for viruses. IN Control panels select Automatic update and disable it (if you do not disable the service, you can use the Windows Update website if necessary):

You can increase the performance of Windows XP by reducing the delay when the menu appears; it is best to set it to 0. Then any menu (by right-clicking the mouse) will open instantly. This parameter can be changed in the registry - launch the window Execute(to do this, click Win+R) and enter the command Regedit, the Registry Editor will open. The setting is located in this path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop, the parameter has a name MenuShowDelay

Change its value to 0 (default is 400):

Disabling visual effects has a very good effect on performance, and if you turn them all off completely (that is, to the maximum), the effect is very noticeable, but it is also inconvenient to work with. You can leave two parameters that will remove most of the effects, but still leave comfortable operation. For this, in Control panels open the item System, in which go to the tab Additionally and select there Performance > Options > Visual effects. To begin with, uncheck all the boxes, this can be done if you select “maximum performance”, then check two boxes so that working at the computer remains comfortable:

Enable disk caching. If your system and the computer itself are stable, and if you have a UPS, then you can enable improved disk caching. This will increase the speed of working with the file system, in practice I did not notice much effect, perhaps because I already use a software cache for the disk. This can be done in the disk properties (tab Equipment, select the drive there and click Properties) - you can have either regular write caching (that is, one checkbox), or the ability to enable enhanced write caching (there will be another checkbox) - check all the boxes in this window for maximum effect:

The NTFS file system is reliable, but it has one problem - it updates the timestamp of the last access to the file. This feature can be disabled (only works for NTFS; with FAT, disabling it will have no effect). This setting is stored in the registry in this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem, parameter name - NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate, the value must be assigned 1 .

Open the registry (using Win+R, then enter the command Regedit) and change the value (if this parameter does not exist, then create it - with the right mouse button - DWORD parameter- and indicate the name NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate):

When changing a parameter NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate you will not be able to find out when you last worked with a particular file.

Disabling error reporting may not speed up your computer experience as much as it may make it more comfortable. Suggestions to send a report appear constantly when various kinds of problems arise with programs. To disable go to Control Panel, select the item System- tab Additionally, there is a button error reporting, there we can disable sending the report:

For security reasons, I advise you to disable autorun in Windows XP, then, for example, if you connect a flash drive, then if there is a virus there, it will not start automatically. This can be done through the registry ( Win+R- enter the command Regedit), path where the parameter is located:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom, parameter AutoRun— set the value 0 , with this we disable disk autorun in Windows XP:

Now let's go to the thread:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer, there is a key NoDriveTypeAutoRun(if it doesn’t exist, you need to create it), this parameter is responsible for autorun on many devices. Here is a list of values ​​that can be applied to this parameter:

0x1
0x4— disable autostart of removable devices;
0x8— disable autostart of non-removable devices;
0x10— disable autorun of network drives;
0x20— disable autorun of CD drives;
0x40— disable autorun of RAM disks;
0x80— disable autorun on drives of unknown types;
0xFF— disable autorun of all disks;

It is also worth disabling the disk indexing service - this may slow down the system due to frequent access to the disk partition. IN Control panels select an item Administration, there will be a point Services- open it. A list of services will appear, among which you need to find Indexing service, click on it twice and change Startup type on Disabled:

You can also disable the ZIP archiver, it is standard for Windows XP, but since in most cases we use a third-party one (for example WinRAR), it can be disabled - open the window Execute(key combination Win+R or through the menu Start) and enter the following command:

regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll:

If the command is executed successfully, you will see a window like this.

This is of course good, but in its usual version it may not suit users due to some little things (or not so little things) in the interface, performance, or somewhere else.

In this article I will tell you how to optimize, configure and make it as convenient as possible for yourself.

Let's get started.

Introductory

To fine-tune the system, we will be helped by the excellent XP Tweaker program, which is distributed free of charge, entirely in Russian and extremely easy to manage (I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the developers).

You can download the program from the developer’s website, namely from here (direct download link).
Or from my file archive, link.

There is no need to install the program, just unzip the archive wherever it is convenient for you and run XPTweaker.exe. This is also very convenient because you can carry it with you on a flash drive in order to use it to configure everything and anything that is necessary.

How to speed up Windows XP using a tweaker

Before you start casting spells, just in case, save the current settings to a file. This is very easy to do: Settings -> Save settings in the registry file (*.reg), then select the location where we want to save and save. If something happens, you just need to click on this file with the mouse and everything will return to normal.

Having launched the program, we will see a very clear and simple interface, however, containing a bunch of settings:

I will talk about the main, in my opinion, settings that need to be set to optimize and increase comfort when working with the system, and I will also give a number of explanations on the various tabs.

Lazy people can go to the end of the recording and immediately download the finished file with all the settings described in the article.

Manual settings option, in detail and point by point

On the left in the column we have tabs " System", "Multimedia", "Protection", "Desktop", "Internet", "Uninstall Section", "Windows XP", "Files and Disks", "Settings", "Help", "About" And " Exit ". Almost all of them have a row of tabs on top.

I will mark the tabs (which are in a column) in red. I will mark the bookmarks (which are in a row) in blue. Don’t get lost, here’s a screenshot in colors, just in case:

I’ll immediately make a reservation that those settings that I will not touch on in my story, in my opinion, should be left as they are, but you can take a closer look at them, because something is quite likely to be important and necessary for you.

After checking/unchecking all the necessary checkboxes on a particular tab, you must click the "Apply" button. After you have done everything you need in all tabs, close the program and be sure to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note:
Following the points, check the boxes (if not checked, if checked, then do not touch and move on to the next point).

Where you need to uncheck (rather than put) a checkmark, I will say: “uncheck”.

Let's get started. Below are all the details.

System

• Here are the main system settings related to performance and interface.

1. Disable the built-in Dr. Watson debugger (a thing, in my opinion, useless and resource-consuming)
2. Do not record last accessed files (NTFS only)
3. Automatically unload unused libraries (if the system is not stable, check the box back)
4. Disable XP user tracking (do not check this box if you use Start - Documents)
5. Do not send error reports to Microsoft (this is almost the most important tick :), because Finally, in case of failures, a window with sending an error report will stop appearing)
6. Optimize system files during boot (boot defrag) (if the system takes much longer to boot after checking this box (this happens in the case of old or running ones), then uncheck this box)
7. Disable automatic updates (this is not a checkbox, but must be selected from a drop-down list. Why? These updates just appear, as always, at the wrong time, take up traffic and are generally annoying in every way. You will need to update: Start - Windows Update, or Start - Settings - Windows Update (left))
8. Setting up the second level cache: From the drop-down list, select the maximum available value.
9. Do not use to store the system kernel (always leave it in memory).
10. Optimize the system cache (set it only if you have 512, or better yet 1024 MB)

Conductor

1. Disable message.
2. Animation when minimizing and maximizing windows (animation is disabled, it will be faster)
3. Remove arrows from labels (it will be prettier this way)
4. Do not add "Shortcut for.." for added shortcuts (now you will only have the name of the program, and not a bunch of shortcuts with the inscription "Shortcut for.." "Shortcut for.." "Shortcut for..")
5. Uncheck - "Send" menu item (removes the "Send" menu item from the list when you right-click on a folder/file. If you use this item, leave the checkbox)

Start menu

1. Read it through and check the first five boxes (or not all five, as you prefer)
2. I would also put a tick at the very bottom " Small icons in the main menu" And " Use shortened menus“, but here it’s up to your taste, because someone is used to a big launch.

Troubleshooting and Booting the System

• I usually don't touch anything here. Look at these tabs, if you need something, then put it.

Multimedia

• Has disk autorun stopped working, or do you want to disable it? Open “Compact Discs” and check the boxes as you need (I’m not touching anything here, because there’s no need).

Protection

• Here you can deny access to system drives, printer installations, Internet Explorer properties, etc., etc. Very convenient if you are a system administrator, or simply want to limit the access of your child\brother\other individuals to anything on the computer (I I don’t touch anything here, because there is no need).

Desktop

• Nothing special, just some desktop settings (I'm not touching anything here because there's no need).

Internet

• Connection settings (data block size, reception windows, packet life, etc.) (if you don’t know, it’s better not to touch them), some settings for Internet Explorer and local networks (I don’t touch anything here, because there’s no need).

Uninstall

• Here you can remove uninstalled programs from, prohibit installation (from certain media and in general) or remove programs/system components and remove the annoying MSN Messenger, which you most likely do not use, etc., etc. (I’m not touching anything here, because there is no need)

Windows XP

Here you can launch Windows utilities, view system folders and change registration data (for example, username) (I don’t touch anything here, because there is no need).

I was very pleased with the opportunity to save the system settings to a file (which I wrote about at the beginning of this entry), so that when reinstalling the system (or simply installing the same settings on another computer), you don’t have to tick the boxes for a long time and persistently, but just click on the saved one file.

What’s also convenient is that in order to load settings from a file, you don’t need to install the program on your computer, but just double-click the saved file and click “Yes”. Reboot the computer and, voila, you're done!

Settings file

For those who are lazy, or simply for some reason cannot/do not want/do not understand how to do all of the above, I made a ready-made file with all the settings that are described in this article.

You can download it ( right mouse button -> Save as).

Attention ! After installing this file and rebooting, the system may require you to ! I warn you in advance that you DO NOT need any password - just enter your account name as your login. If that doesn’t work, then instead of Your account name, enter Administrator. Again, leave the password fields blank.

Afterword

After this adjustment, the system should become faster (sometimes quite noticeably), more comfortable and stop annoying you with some little things (or not so little things). Enjoy it for your health.