If you feel that your resources are all being sucked up, leaving you with barely enough processing power to run your games, perhaps you should take these tips into consideration...
1. Disable those startup items!
Enter msconfig (Start>Run>Msconfig) and head over to the "startup" tab. Go through the list and untick any unneeded programs which automatically startup with your computer. While you're in Msconfig, you might also want to go into the "boot" tab and change the number in the box (usually 30) to 3. Note - If you run a boot loader, this might leave you with limited time to select an OS (doesn't seem to affect my GRUB boot loader though).
2. Disable unnecessary services!
Enter the services menu (Start>Run>Services.msc). Now, either disable or set the following services to manual...
http://pcsplace.com/windows-xp/list-of-unnecessary-services-you-should-disable-to-increase-performance-of-computer/
Have a look around google for others if you fancy.
3. Ccleaner!
Head over to
here and download this nifty tool. It will clear out any unnecessary files you have on your computer, keeping things nice and fresh.
4. Defraggler!
Head over to
here for another tool by the same company. It's basically a better defragmenter than the Windows one.
Comments
Ya don't like it?
Don't get me wrong, I love it. I posted this as it's a little different to your thread, covering slightly different ideas and posted in a very summarized and brief thread.
It's all good information at the end of the day!
True, mine's a lot more general. And my title is not the most descriptive one ... I actually thought you just hadn't read it.