Keep Systems Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of, and assumes no responsibility for the use of information available on this World Wide Web (WWW) site (hereinafter referred to as the "site").This information is provided "as is" and free of charge and can and will change at any time. Some material on this site may be reused provided that it is accurately reproduced, the source is credited, physical or digital copies are not sold and the written permission of Keep Systems Inc. Services and/or the author(s) and/or that of the copyholder is obtained.Keep Systems Inc. is not, and can not be responsible for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, however caused, arising from the use of this site. The information on this site is provided with the sole intent of assisting Keep Systems Inc. clients, promoting the values and ethics of Keep Systems Inc. Services and the further dissemination of publicly available information.Microsoft's Operating System Windows XP is great for both home and business users. It contains many useful programs for playing, working, or just relaxing. But sometimes this OS can get a bit annoying and so we have collected tips to make your life easier.

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As a precaution, before proceeding to use any Tips, Programs, or making any changes, from any links contained therein and before opening any Hidden Windows System Settings, it is advisable to perform a full backup of the system even though Windows XP comes with a life-saving 'SYSTEM RESTORE' feature.  Always remember to create a System Restore Point before making any changes to your PC. Once that's done it should be safe to proceed with any tweaking you wish, but you do so entirely at your own risk.

Note: Most of these tips, if not all, are located in Windows Help which you can access by pressing F1 from the desktop. Be careful not to press F1 while in a program because that can open up the help files for that particular program instead of Windows Help.Protect your PC3 Steps to help ensure your PC is protected .1) Internet Firewall
2) Get Computer Updates
3) Use Up-to-Date Antivirus SoftwareWhat You Should Know About the Windows Security Updates for November 2003 (November 11, 2003)?

Related Resources * Read About the New Security Bulletin Process
* Security Bulletin FAQ
* Technical Bulletins

If possible, avoid using the computer in hot weather. When the room's temperature rises above 93 degrees, the fan inside the computer has trouble cooling the computer sufficiently. Wait until the weather is cooler (such as late at night), or buy a window fan to put on your desk and aim at the computer, or use the computer for just an hour at a time (so that the computer doesn't have a chance to overheat). Another problem in the summer is electrical brownouts, where air conditioners in your house or community consume so much electricity that not enough voltage gets to your computer.Automatically Clearing the Temporary Internet Files You can have Internet Explorer automatically clear your Temporary Internet Cache files every time you close the program.

Removing Unnecessary Programs from Starting Automatically Many programs add portions of themselves starting automatically on every login.
This can be either in the Startup Folder or the Registry.  One easy way to tell is by looking at how many icons are in your system tray. If you have a large number, perhaps unnecessary resources are being allocated them as well as increasing your boot time.  Typical examples are Microsoft Office, Office FindFast, Real Player, ATI Video setting etc.  You can remove them in one of three main ways:

Defragmenting your hard drive is a great way to boost the performance of your computer. Adding and deleting files from your hard drive is a common task. Unfortunately, this process is not always done very efficiently. For example, when you delete a bunch of little files and add a new large file, the file may get broken up into mulitple sections on the hard drive. The computer will still read the newly added file as a single valid file, but it will have to scan multiple parts of the drive to read it. Because hard disk seek time is one of the biggest bottlenecks in a computer's performance, this can drag down your computer's speed quite a bit. If you have a ton of "fragmented" files on your hard disk, you might hear extra grinding, sputtering, and other weird noises coming from your computer.

There are a few things you shoul do first to make sure you don't waste time defragging unnecessary files.