OT: Windows XP Service pack 2

[dblue]

Also, although a 'fresh' install will definitly help, it's not a magic solution. If you keep your PC maintained behind the scenes, you don't need a fresh install. My XP install was over a year old when I installed SP2, no problems. No speed reduction, no nothing.

[JJkizak]

I forgot to add that Norton will slow down your machine by 20%. Norton also brutally entangles itself into XP making it impossible to remove all of it's files unless you re-install XP. (some 30 files remain after uninstall)

JJK

[GeorgeV]

MrMcGoo,

We have been using XP SP2 since Sept in our corporate images. Typical hardware platform ranges from a P4-2.5 to 3.2Gig system with 256 Megs of RAM. We have experience zero reports of slowness. I would do the following tweaks to your system after the SP2 install.

1)Disable the following 2 services: Security Center and Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing.

2)Delete all the files you have in the following 2 folders: C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Windows\Prefetch -- These 2 folders can slow down a system if they contain a lot of files.

3)Check what applications are in your Startup folder, you maybe starting application you dont need.

4)Open regedit and navigate to the following hive: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run -- look for entries that look suspicious (i.e. spyware). If you are not comfortable editing the registry you can run msconfig from the command line and in the pop-up window select the Startup tab. Uncheck anything that looks suspicious.

5)You should also download and install the latest drivers for your Sound and Video cards.

I can go on here but try these ideas first. SP2 has a number of security features that make it a must install for every XP PC.

[MrMcGoo]

Thanks for the information.

I suspect that Norton and SP2 have conflicts, so turning off the Windows firwall makes sense. I have been getting good results from the Norton firwall.

Bill