How to Tweak Windows XP

Tweaking Windows XP for better Performance

Change Menu Show Delay


Windows delays menus before they are displayed.

For most users this delay can be too much, we can change the delay time or remove it altogether.

First Open the Registry Editor by following the steps below:


-- Click Start

-- Run

-- Type Regedit


Once Open find the path listed below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop



Once there, find MenuShowDelay and set it's value to equal the delay you would like before the menus are shown.

Value Data: 0-999 (milliseconds)

400 Default

200 Works for most people

0 No Delay

Changes will take effect upon reboot.

Shutdown Speed


By altering a few registry settings, you can dramatically decrease the amount of time it takes for Windows to shut down.


Open the Registry Editor (if it isn't open already)
Find the path listed below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop


Once there, find HungAppTimeout and make sure its value is set to 5000 (default)
In the same folder, find WaitToKillAppTimeout. Set this to 4000 (default is 20000)


Windows XP Prefetcher Settings

Prefetcher monitors which programs initialize when Windows boots, then in future, fetches them quickly.

Prefetcher is enabled by default, but we can improve its performance.

Again Run Registry Editor (if it isn't already open)

Find the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / Session Manager / Memory Management / PrefetchParameters


Find the value EnablePrefetcher. Default, it will be set to 3. We recommended setting the prefetcher to 5. Feel free to play around with it and find out what works best for you.


Disable Windows error reporting

One feature that most can do without is error reporting. Every time a program crashes it tries to send a report to Microsoft. Read below to find out how to disable this feature.

* Open control panel

* Click on performance and maintenance

* Click on system

* Then click on the advanced tab

* Click on the error reporting button on the bottom of the windows

* Select disable error reporting

* Click ok

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Author: PCDoctor http://www.antigeeksquad.com
Source: http://www.antigeeksquad.com/tweak.html

Source: http://www.articletrader.com