Optimize display settings

A lot of performance tips for Windows XP talk about the overall sexy-ness of Windows XP and the performance price you have to pay for it. If you are working on an older computer and you care more about speed than graphical coolness of the Windows XP interface, you might want to consider toning down the graphics a bit.

• Click the Start button, right click "My Computer" and select "Properties"
• Select the "advanced" tab
• Under "Performance" click on the "Settings" button
• Click the "Visual Effects" tab
• Select the "Adjust for best performance" radio button and click ok

If this change is too radical for you, you can try experimenting with the different individual settings as well.