Basic Troubleshooting for Windows XP

Computers running on Windows platform have a tendency of getting slower over a period of time. There could be a number of possible reasons for the slowness : Slow startup, or too many programs automatically running at the startup, Disorganized file arrangement, Resource consumption by unnecessary softwares, Unused network drives, a virus / spyware attack, Unused registries, Possibility of a hardware failure.

Fortunately, Windows XP includes tools to clean your computer and restore its performance. I will discuss most of these powerful and handy tools that come with windows XP. These tools allow us to control and modify the system safely and easily. In this post I will discuss the basic tools that come with Windows XP. I will include the Registry Tweaks in the next post.

Before you start troubleshooting or fine tuning the system performance, make sure that you perform a full backup of the files on your computer to an external location such as external hard drive, DVD, CD, Pen Drive etc. I strongly recommend to back up the files and folders so that if something goes wrong, you are always on the safer side with a backup of your original data. You can always use the “System Restore Utilty” and the “Backup and Restore Wizard” to take a backup of your System settings, and the Important data respectively.

Backup and Restore Wizard

1. To open the Backup and Restore Wizard Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup. OR

Click Start, and then click Run. Type ntbackup.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.

2. Follow the On screen Wizard to Back up all your files.

To get more information on how to use the “System Restore Utility” and to know its advanced features please visit the following link:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422

System Restore Utility

System Restore utility is a built in tool in Windows XP to bring your system back to the state it was in at some prior point in time. System Restore takes "snapshots" of critical system files and some program files and registry settings and stores this information as restore points. If your computer is not functioning correctly, you can use these restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state when your computer was functioning correctly.

To restore Windows XP to a previous state, follow the given steps:

1. Log on to Windows as Administrator.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.
5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
7. Click OK.

To get more information on how to use the “System Restore Utility” and to know its advanced features please visit the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084

Remove Unnecessary Programs

The first step in fine tuning your system performance is to remove any unwanted programs that consume your system resources and slows down the computer speed. You can uninstall the unwanted programs by following the given steps.

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Scroll through the list of installed programs. Click the program which you no longer need, and then click the Change/Remove button and follow the onscreen instructions to uninstall the program.

You might have to restart your computer (if you are prompted to do so) after an uninstall.

Disk Cleanup Tool

Disk Cleanup tool as the same suggests is another utility included in Windows XP to free up the system resources. While using the disk cleanup utility, we can free up the system resources by:

• Deleting Temporary Internet Files.
• Deleting Downloaded Program Files like “ActiveX Controls” and “Java applets” that are downloaded from the internet.
• Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Remove Windows Temporary Files.
• Remove Optional Windows Components that we are not using.
• Remove the installed programs that we no longer use.
• Remove the Setup Log Files and Offline Files.

To remove files stored on your hard disk that you no longer use, follow these steps:

1. To launch the Disk Cleanup utility click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. OR

Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type cleanmgr,and then click OK.

2. Select the drive on which you want to Clean up using this utility. Disk Cleanup will spend a few minutes examining your disk.
3. Follow the On screen Wizard to free up your disk space. Select the desired check boxes in the Files to Delete list, and then click OK. Disk Cleanup will spend several minutes clearing space.

To get more information on how to use the “Disk Cleanup Utility” and to know its advanced features please visit the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

Defragment the Hard Drive

Everything that is stored on your computer is stored as a file. This includes everything from software programs, music files, photographs etc. When the computer adds files to the hard drive, it puts it anywhere on the hard drive. So it is not necessary that all the similar files or the files that appear to come in order are placed at the same place on the hard drive. The data is scattered all over the hard drive in fragments. Over time, more and more files become fragmented. When a file is fragmented, it takes longer for the computer to read it because it has to skip to different sections of the hard disk to access the file fragments. Defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in file system. It does this by physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together.

To defragment a Hard drive, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. OR

Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type dfrg.msc, and then click OK.

2. Click the volume that you want to defragment.
3. Click Defragment to begin the operation.
4. Review the progress of the operation in the Defragmentation Display window. Fragmented files on the disk appear in red, contiguous files are blue, and system files are green. The goal is to eliminate most of the red in the window.

To get more information on how to use the “Disk Defragmenter” and to know its advanced features please visit the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305781

Optimize your Windows Startup

Often, programs configure themselves to run in the background so that they appear to start quickly when needed. Every time you boot your computer a lot of hidden programs load in the background. These programs are loaded in the computer memory at the time of Windows Startup. These autostart programs steal away some amount of memory and processing time as your computer runs. These programs will increase the start up time and slow down the computer. Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't. Turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

MSConfig, or Microsoft System Configuration Utility is a utility to troubleshoot the Windows Startup process. MSConfig modifies which programs run at startup, edits certain configuration files, and simplifies controls over Windows Services. To launch System Configuration Utility, follow the given steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type msconfig and then click OK.
2. This launches Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab (the tab at the far right). This takes you to a page with a list of "startup items." Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are necessary, others are simply a waste of RAM.
3. Uncheck all programs which you don’t want to load at the startup. Click on Apply and then OK. Restart the computer when it prompts you to do so.