As a Windows XP computer user, you’ve probably felt the pain of your computer taking an exceptionally long time to load after booting up. Some people literally have to wait five minutes or more for their desktop to display after their computer boots – now, we don’t know what your personal wait time is, but we do know of two ways to speed up the Windows XP startup process. That’s what we’re going to share with you here.

# Reason for slow XP startup: too many startup applications

Right after your computer boots up and before the desktop displays, there is a lot going on “under the hood” of your computer. Namely, essential operating system processes are executing and a barrage of programs are starting up at the exact same time. While some of these startup processes and programs are necessary – often times there are many unnecessary programs getting loaded when your computer is starting up for the first time – programs that are eating away at your available memory and computer resources. These unnecessary programs are essentially holding your computer hostage until they run their course, and by removing the commands to start certain programs when your computer’s loading, you will speed up the Windows XP startup process.

How to stop unnecessary programs from loading on boot up?

Now, this process is a bit technical and it can be somewhat problematic if you remove the wrong startup entry, but here is one method that you can use to eliminate unnecessary startup programs:

1. When your desktop has loaded, click Start >> Run
2. A box should popup and just type in: msconfig then hit your “enter” key or “Ok”.
3. Click on the “Startup” tab

At this point, you’ll see several lines and checkboxes on the left.  The checked boxes represent programs that are scheduled to load when your computer is booting and unchecked boxes represent programs that should not load when your computer is booting up. Now, we cannot possibly list all of the applications that can be safely “unchecked”, that is something that you will have to research on your own.

However, certain applications like Skype, Yahoo, AIM, Java updater, Quicktime and the Google toolbar notifier are generally safe to uncheck. If you’re not sure about an application, do not uncheck it or visit a computer forum and ask somebody who knows. Another thing – if you do not recognize a program name, do not uncheck it; removing necessary startup programs can cause system instability or worse – proceed with caution when utilizing this tip.

# Reason for slow XP startup: a messy registry

Your windows registry is the brains behind your computer – if it’s full of empty entries or outdated information it can really slow down your Windows XP startup time.

Fortunately, cleaning your registry is really simple with the help of a registry cleaning utility, and we recommend RegCure because it works and because it’s user-friendly.

By eliminating unnecessary programs and cleaning your registry, you can speed up your Windows XP startup time exponentially. As with any PC repair or optimization, please use caution and ask for help if you need it.  Speeding up your PCs startup time is something to strive for, but don’t risk damaging your computer for the sake of saving a few minutes a day – if you aren’t comfortable with modifying your startup programs, just using a registry cleaning tool may make a significant difference alone; it’s certainly worth a try.

Sluggish or slow PCs are a problem for users today; slow boot times, slow response times and overall less-than-stellar performance times are the bane of PC users everywhere. That being said – here are four easy steps that PC users can use to improve their PC performance – and it’s pretty simple, even for new or inexperienced computer users.

Defragment your hard drive

Unbeknownst to some, defragmenting your hard drive can be a very effective method for improving your PCs performance; it’s non-intrusive, simple and safe for computer users of any level to incorporate.

How to defragment your hard drive:

Step 1: On your computer main screen, click Start >> My Computer

Alternately, if you have a “My Computer” icon on your desktop, you can double-click on that.

Step 2: Right click (with your mouse) on your main PC partition (hard drive), this is usually labeled “Local Disk (C:)” or something to that effect.

Step 3: From the menu, choose Properties >> Tools >> Defragment Now

At this point you just have to click on the “Defragment” button and the process will start.  Now, be forewarned – if you haven’t defragmented your hard drive or have never defragmented your PC hard drive – it may take a while to complete.  However, the wait is well worth it as it can help to improve your PC performance exponentially.

Clear your web browser cache and temporary files

Your Web Browser’s cache stores temporary internet files, cookies and your entire internet viewing history, amongst other things.  All of these excess files take up space on your hard drive and can slow down your computer’s performance, especially when you’re browsing the internet.  Here’s how to clear your web browser cache and improve PC performance for the two most popular web browsers:

How to clean Internet Explorer (IE)

Once you have your Internet Explorer browser open, go to the menu and choose Tools >> Internet Options.

On the general tab you have the option to clear your temporary files, cookies and history.

How to clean FireFox

Firefox is just as easy to clean – from the menu just choose Tools >> Options >> Privacy.  At the bottom of the menu you’ll see an option for “Private Data” – you can just choose the “Clear Now” button and your cache and histories will be cleared – this will help you to free up hard drive space and in some cases, improve PC performance.

A word of caution – sometimes when you clear your private data (or web history, temporary files, etc), you will inadvertently removed saved passwords and saved website links that display when you begin typing in your web browser’s address bar.  If you wish to save certain data during the cleaning process, please adjust your settings – the Settings button can be found near the “Clean Now” buttons.

Use a registry cleaner tool

One of the most underused tools to improve PC performance is a registry cleaner tool or a “registry fixer”.  Essentially, a registry cleaner removes outdated and excesses references in you Windows registry – which can help to increase your computer’s speed.

Now – a word to the wise.  You should only choose a registry cleaner tool that allows for you to make a backup of your registry and we highly recommend the RegCure (YOUR AFFILIATE LINK HERE) registry repair tool. Not only is it easy to use, it allows you to make registry backups with every cleaning, a must-have feature for any serious registry repair tool.

Reboot your PC from time to time

Because broadband internet is widely available today with “always on” internet connections – many computer users mistakenly think that computers can be left running, without a reboot, indefinitely as well. Simply put – this is not the case.  By rebooting your computer from time to time you will improve your PC performance, it’s a proven fact.

Think about it like this – our body’s are always “running”, but we need to “reboot” (sleep and rest) in order to be more effective.  It’s really the same with your computer – by rebooting it from time to time you can potentially free up some memory and give your computer a “fresh start” once in a while – which will improve its speed and performance.

Improving your PCs performance isn’t all that difficult – with this short guide you should be able to improve your PC performance regardless of your current experience level.