Re: Degunking Windows XP

Hi John,

It is hard to nail down as there are many myths about 'speeding up XP'...some of which I must admit to having subscribed to....but which others say are a myth.

However, I do have first-hand experience between XPs that have never been connected to the internet and XPs that have and still are...and the difference is obvious. Those that have not continue to complete their boot up within 20-30secs even after 3 years, whereas those that have and are internet-connected have slowed down to well over 1 minute, more like just under 2 minutes before responding to mouse-clicks.

My conclusion for the slowdown is that it is caused by -
1. The internet cache and its continued build-up through usage;
2. The anti-virus and spyware applications which are responsible for the continued scanning/monitoring of the system.

If the above is correct, my advice is to go get a cheap laptop (eg. EeePC) for internet stuff - browser, email, IM) and keep the work PC off the internet. The latter can then do away with the anti-virus and spyware apps, etc. This is what I've been doing for quite a while now. Use a USB thumb drive to transfer update files/drivers.

That's my two cents worth anyway.

Thomas Leong