How to fix windows xp’s slowdown?
Hi Lawton,
There could be several reasons as to why your machine is running slow. One reason is SP3 itself. Many others have also complained about the same problem that you are having after installing XP SP3. The slowdown may also be due to disk space, viruses, malware, and more.
Here are 10 solutions which will give your computer a faster and better performance:
1. Cache and Temporary Files – The first usual culprit to a slow PC would be the huge amounts of temporary and cache files stored. When you install programs, surf the internet, play videos, view images, or basically anything you do, portions of the files and/or programs that you use are stored as cache and temporary files. When deleted, you’ll be surprised how much space they used up.
A popular tool for this job is CCleaner.
Get it here: Click
2. Fragmented Hard Disk – A good analogy for fragmentation would be the filing cabinet. Imagine you had your employees’ files in different manila folders scattered amongst 7 filing cabinets. You’d have to go from cabinet to cabinet to find the folder that you need. It’s the same way with your computer. This occurs normally since you use the computer for different processes all at the same time.
Defragging your computer arranges the manila folders in the filing cabinet according to frequency of use, putting the ones which are always used in front.
Before defragging your PC, close all open programs including the Antivirus. I also recommend disconnecting from the Internet.
Click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragment
Select the drive and click Analyze. It will tell if you if you should defrag or not.
After defragment, reboot your PC.
3. Update the SP3 – There are over a hundred Hotfixes for XP SP3 to date. A great portion of these fixes include slow performance caused by several programs. Installing the updates would actually fix the issue.
For a list of updates on XP SP3 visit the MS Support Here
4. Installation Error – Did you turn off or disable your Antivirus when you installed SP3? Some antivirus software prevents certain system files from being changed during a new installation or update. This may cause the Windows XP SP3 installation to fail or be corrupted. If you don’t have a CD of XP SP3 You can download and reinstall it here.
5. Disk Space – One of the requirements of SP3 is to have a recommended 1,500 megabyte (MB) or 1.5 GB of free space on the system disk. So aside from clearing temporary files and computer cache, making space for virtual memory or page filing can significantly speed up your PC. Delete some old files or transfer them to an external drive.
6. Virus or Malware – Another reason for a slowdown could be Viruses, Trojans, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, adware and other malicious software that found its way inside your PC. Run a full virus scan. However, some Antivirus software are not able to detect malware or at least some of it. A good and free solution is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. I use it myself and have been malware free ever since.
Get it here: Click
7. Start Up – When logging on to Windows, there are Programs which are programmed to run right away too. If there are many programs trying to run altogether, this would cause the PC to slow down. To can prevent these programs from running since you don’t really need most of them to run at start up.
To disable the programs to run at start up:
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Win7: Click Start
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In the Search bar, type msconfig and press Enter
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Go to the Startup tab, under that choose the Startup Items you don’t want to run
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XP: Click Start > Run.
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In the Open: bar, type msconfig and press Enter
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Go to the Startup tab, under that choose the Startup Items you don’t want to run
If you’re not sure on which start-up items you can disable, check here: Click
8. Windows Services – Services are programs that continuously run in the background. There are a lot of these services and they can also use a lot of memory/resources. However, not all of these Services are actually needed and can be turned off without any problems.
Follow these steps on how to turn off some services:
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Click Start>Programs>Administrative Tools>Services OR
Start >Run and type services.msc.
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Left-click on a service.
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Read the description of the service just to make sure you don't think you will need the service.
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If you decide you want to disable the service, Right-click -> Properties -> Change the "Startup Type" to "Manual" and then stop the service. The next time you reboot Windows the service will not start.
Here are some services that could be disabled in most common home computers:
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Automatic Updates (Note: If you disable this, you have to get updates manually)
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Computer Browser
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Error Reporting Service
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Help and Support
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Indexing Service
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Messenger
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NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
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Performance Logs and Alerts
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Protected storage (keeps passwords and enables auto-complete for web forms)
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Remote Registry (allows remote access to your registry –you definitely don’t need this)
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Routing and Remote Access (enable dial-in routing to your computer if used)
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Secondary Logon
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Task Scheduler
9. Update Drivers – Old drivers may cause your computer to have a hard time processing functions, have program conflicts and/or system crashes. Since you have updated your OS, there may be drivers which are not compatible with SP3. Hence, your computer is trying hard to read and process.
You can check if you have an outdated driver with Driver Checker.
10. Uninstall SP3 – If you keep experiencing problems with SP3, why not uninstall it?. Personally, I still have been using SP2. It works better for me.
To uninstall Service Pack 3
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Click Start > Control Panel.
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Click "Add or Remove Programs" to open the Programs and Applications. Click "Show Updates."
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Click Service Pack 3 > Remove/Uninstall > Yes. This will uninstall it from your computer.
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Restart your computer.
I hope that your computer is working better at this point. As a personal opinion, SP2’s performance is better that SP3. With so many bugs and fixes, I can’t imagine myself upgrading to a SP3.
