Whenever you start your computer, you are faced with a few moments of thumb twiddling while Windows XP boots and prompts you to log on. Although you should expect to wait for a few moments, sometimes Windows XP seems to boot rather slowly. In fact, you may notice that over a period of time the PC that used to roar to life seems a bit sluggish instead. Fortunately, you can perform several techniques that help Windows XP get the bootup speed you want. This chapter explores how to put these techniques to work.
• Stopping Unneeded Startup Services
• Speed Tips and Tricks for Windows XP Startup
• Manual IP Addressing on Small Office/Home Networks
• Disabling Recent Documents History
• Disabling the Boot Logo
• Removing Unwanted Fonts
• Stopping Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing
• Updating Device Drivers
• Stopping Windows Messenger in Outlook Express 6
• Speeding Up Logons to Windows Domains
• Speeding Up the Dual-Boot Timeout
• Speeding Up Your PPPoE Connection
• Editing the PC Setup Program
• Disabling Unused Devices
• About BOOTVis
• Making Your Computer Shut Down More Quickly
• Reducing the Wait Time
• Stopping the NVIDIA Driver
• Automatically Killing Tasks on Shutdown
a very good read:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1819090,00.asp
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