Windows XP and essential steps.

Now that we’ve installed Windows XP on our hard drives it is time to optimize it. Microsoft by default will set options that they think is best for you as an everyday user. But for those of us who want complete control and performance from our operating system, there are a few steps we need to take to make sure our system is running at its peak. In the following pages we will go through each of the essential steps needed to make our Windows gaming ready.

Absolute Necessities

Since the version of Windows installed on our test machine was Version 2002, the first task to tackle is to download all available updates from Microsoft. First install your network card drivers to allow access to the internet and then download up to and everything available after Service Pack 2. That should always be the first step. Service Pack 2 from Microsoft has many features that not only help Windows XP run more efficiently, but it also helps keep your computer safe. If you are worried about Security Center conflicting with your favorite choice of antivirus software or firewall software, read on and I will show you how to disable it to prevent problems.

Once you computer is fully updated the next step to take is to load all of your motherboard drivers, install the latest version of DirectX, followed by your, sound card/onboard sound drivers, video card drivers, etc. Once you have installed drivers for all your hardware, start loading all of your necessary software for functionality. This software includes things like DVD burning software, Java, Shockwave, Flash, and various others.

*Important Note: When installing any piece of software, make sure you read all the pages during the install. Whenever the option “Allow this program to start when Windows starts up” or “Allow this program to run in the Background/System Tray” make sure you tell it not to. These programs usually don’t need to run in the background and end up eating up your resources (RAM) when your computer is idling. Later in the article I will teach you to eliminate these programs from running in the background.