Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you be able to raise the performance of your system. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility recognize files that you can carefully delete, and after that allows you to select whether you want to delete some or all of the recognized files.

Defragment Your Hard Drive
Eventually, the data on your hard drive gets spread. Defragment your hard drive puts your data back into in order, making it easier for Windows to access it. Therefore, the performance of your system will improve.

Scan Your Hard Disk
Has your system ever not working, making it not possible to shut it down correctly? These problems and others can cause crash to your system files. Windows gives a program called scandisk that will automatically find and solve much of the damage, improving your computers performance in the process.

Scan for Viruses
Viruses can cause damage your system. Detecting and removing viruses is an excellent method to improve your system's performance. There are a lot of antivirus programs to pick from, but the About Guide to Antivirus Software gives a list of the Top 7 Antivirus Programs for Windows.

Check for Spyware and Adware
Spyware is software that enables companies to monitor what websites you visit or even access your system. Adware is software that displays advertisements. Both use system resources and slow your system down. Detecting and removing the programs will raise system performance.

Uninstall Unneeded Programs
Something that helps me is when removing programs that I no longer use. This does help free up space on my system and speed up my PC system's performance. Though, you require uninstalling the programs correctly to see much development; deleting them is not sufficient.

Adjust Visual Effects for Better Performance
Windows XP gives a number of interesting visual effects like animated windows and vanishing menus. These effects, though, can slow down your system. In this tutorial, you will learn how to customize the visual effects to match your preferences and performance needs.

Stop Programs from starting on Windows boot
You can speed up your system is to stop programs from releasing themselves at start-up. Not only do the unnecessary programs delay the start of Windows, they also continue to slow down your system until your system is dead, since they use system resources.

Disable the Unwanted Services
Stop Services you do not use or require. Open control panel, open Administrative Tools, and choose Services. Disabling the unwanted Services may lead to serious problems that you may not observe right away. Please discuss with a reference like overclockersclub.com for information on particular Windows XP Services.