Difficulty Level: Beginner

Microsoft is constantly updating XP, with the intention of improving XP and making it more secure. It is essential that you update your XP installation via Windows/Microsoft Update. To access Windows/Microsoft Update got to:

Start>All Programs>Windows or Microsoft Update

A Microsoft web page will appear and you will get the option of "Express" or "Custom". If you select Express then only the updates Microsoft classes as critical will be installed. I personally recommend you select Custom, as then you are offered non critical updates and driver updates for your hardware as well. Which ever you select, Microsoft will then scan your PC to see which updates you need. If you selected Custom, then all critical updates will be automatically added, you manually need to select the other updates you require (select all of them). On the left hand side of the page you will see High Priority, Software and Hardware. You click on these and select the updates, then click review and install, then install. This sets your PC off downloading all the updates you selected and installs them.

 

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Deleting temporary files that XP stores is essential to assist in the smooth running of your PC. You can do this using XP's inbuilt tools. Navigate to:

Start>Accessories>Tools>Disc Cleanup

Select the drive you want (normally C:/) then click on OK. Now tick all the boxes under the Disc Cleanup tab.( Note: it will state at the bottom how much hard drive space you will retrieve) At this point, you may also delete all but the last system restore point by clicking on the More Options (see below) otherwise just click OK and temporary files will be removed.

To remove all but the last system Restore Point, click on the More Options tab. Click on the Cleanup tab next to where is says System Restore.

You will receive a prompt saying "Are you sure you want to delete all but the most recent restore point", select Yes, then click ok. Cleanup now removes unnecessary files from your PC. You can also delete other files safely...read on....

 

Difficulty Level: Beginner

XP stores temporary files when you access and download from the internet, as the temporary internet files stored on your PC increase the speed of your pc slows down, especially opening web pages etc. You should regularly delete the files to help your PC to run efficiently. To delete these files and cookies go to

Start>Control Panel>Internet Options

To delete cookies, under the general tab, click delete cookies then click ok.

To delete temporary internet files, under the general tab click delete files. when a box pops up, click in the box next to "Delete all offline content" and then select OK.
(Note: You may not want to delete offline content if you view web pages whist offline.)