Use Msconfig To Stabilize WinXP

[juju]

Limiting programs that start automatically can yield tremendous improvements in stability and speed, and WinXP has a tool for configuring this: the System Configuration Utility. To launch the utility go to Start, select Run, type msconfig in the Open field, and click OK. Then click the Startup tab to see a list of all your computer's startup programs. The Startup tab lists every file that Windows launches. Those with a check mark are enabled; the first time you run the System Configuration Utility everything is checked, which means that everything listed is running. Believe it or not, WinXP will run fine with all of these items unchecked; however, some of your hardware may not operate (or not operate completely) and, of course, the utilities you actually want won't be running either. Ideally, you should uncheck those items that you don't need running all the time. For example, do you really need your MP3 player always running in the background? Do you create Adobe PDF files so frequently that you need one of its helper programs always checking for new files to convert? Do you even use Quicken's BillMinder feature? If you don't own an iPod, why would you need the iPod helper applet in memory? If a program isn't working after disabling a helper applet, go back to this tab and reenable it. And, of course, you can always make an icon for something you disable here and launch it manually when you need it.

Copyright © 2005 Sandhills Publishing Company U.S.A

[juju]

Once you get inside msconfig you might have some programs there that you don't know what they are. Go to, Answers that work www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_w.htm
it should tell you what the program is and if it's ok to delete it.



There is also a program called CleanMyPC™ Registry Cleaner that is well worth the money, so I've been told by a few that I trust.


" The Windows registry is a database repository for information about a computer's configuration. The registry keep growing when you use Windows. As it does so, it attracts obsolete and unnecessary information, and gradually becomes cluttered and fragmented. With the growing of the registry, it can degrade the performance of the whole system and cause many weird software problems. "



"CleanMyPC Registry Cleaner scans the Windows registry and finds incorrect or obsolete information in the registry. By fixing these obsolete information in Windows registry, your system will run faster and error free. The backup/restore function of the tool let you backup your whole Windows Registry so you can use it to restore the registry to the current status in case you encounter some system failure. Besides above, the startup and BHO organizer feature let you manage your startup and IE BHO items with ease, and you can control the programs started with Windows and IE more handy with this feature! "
" In short, CleanMyPC Registry Cleaner help you get rid of the bloat in Windows registry and achieve a cleaner, faster system. "

www.registry-cleaner.net/