Make XP use less resources - Hardware & Software

So I'm trying to get XP to use less resources so I can run a program for school. What I don't get is that I meet the system requirements yet the program still lags. The minimum requirements Intel Pentium II or equivalent processor A VGA graphics card capable of high (16 bit) color and 1024x768 resolution (3D video card recommended) 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) A sound card What I have 1.7 GHz Pentium 4 512 MB of RAM ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 So I'd think it should be able to run it decently (my teacher even says it should be fine) What do? (and don't say get a new laptop...I can't afford that)

What kind of program is this? Also make sure you have no other programs running in background, try disabling services and startup items by going to start>run and type in msconfig

It's called Alice It's a program to teach basic coding a in a hands on/fun way [url]http://www.alice.org/[/url]

[QUOTE=InsanePyro;19974403] So I'd think it should be able to run it decently (my teacher even says it should be fine)[/QUOTE] Don't trust teachers, they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to computers

[QUOTE=Dj-J3;19979578]Don't trust teachers, they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to computers[/QUOTE] I'm in college and my teacher has been teaching the class for ten odd years and has been programming since the days of DOS I think he can be trusted

run>msconfig>startup tab>disable all>ok>restart I've said this one so many times. It just turns off programs that start up at boot. If you really want to use it, then turn it on later. start menu>right click my computer>properties>advanced tab>performance button>adjust for best performance(if you don't mind the windows classic look)>or adjust for best performance, and then tick use visual styles on windows Also, get ccleaner, and defraggler and use/run them both. Also, turn off hibernation, and automatic updates, if you don't use them. This next one will help a lot but is more confusing. run>services.msc>(now you go through the list and disable whichever ones you can, by right double clicking, changing it to disable and pressing ok.) If you don't use networking of any kind, or file sharing, basically the computer is alone, and doesn't share you can disable these. computer browser workstation server If you aren't using a theme (windows classic) disable themes. The rest are pretty obvious, just use common sense, and don't go removing stuff willy nilly. If it begins with remote, odds are you can disable it though. If it is running, (it says in status) it means it is eating resources, and you can just stop it, to see if is vital. [editline]09:23PM[/editline] That should bring the number of services down, at least 20. If you use anti virus, you may want to remove it, and use common sense for anti virus.

[QUOTE=InsanePyro;19980734]I'm in college and my teacher has been teaching the class for ten odd years and has been programming since the days of DOS I think he can be trusted[/QUOTE] Well in that case... :3: [editline]11:25PM[/editline] butt fuck him [editline]11:26PM[/editline] :ninja: do eet

[QUOTE=Maccabee;19980898]run>msconfig>startup tab>disable all>ok>restart I've said this one so many times. It just turns off programs that start up at boot. If you really want to use it, then turn it on later. start menu>right click my computer>properties>advanced tab>performance button>adjust for best performance(if you don't mind the windows classic look)>or adjust for best performance, and then tick use visual styles on windows Also, get ccleaner, and defraggler and use/run them both. Also, turn off hibernation, and automatic updates, if you don't use them. This next one will help a lot but is more confusing. run>services.msc>(now you go through the list and disable whichever ones you can, by right double clicking, changing it to disable and pressing ok.) If you don't use networking of any kind, or file sharing, basically the computer is alone, and doesn't share you can disable these. computer browser workstation server If you aren't using a theme (windows classic) disable themes. The rest are pretty obvious, just use common sense, and don't go removing stuff willy nilly. If it begins with remote, odds are you can disable it though. If it is running, (it says in status) it means it is eating resources, and you can just stop it, to see if is vital. [editline]09:23PM[/editline] That should bring the number of services down, at least 20. If you use anti virus, you may want to remove it, and use common sense for anti virus.[/QUOTE] Does that stop things such as the sounds drivers from booting? Or the stuff for my wireless card? I already have it using the classic theme with a black background. No antivirus. I do need networking. I'll look into the rest Thanks

Is getting WinFLP an option?

[QUOTE=Panda X;19987110]Is getting WinFLP an option?[/QUOTE] If the above program runs on it I guess so? My wireless driver would also have to be compatible...any idea on how well WinFLP does with compatibility?

[QUOTE=InsanePyro;19987021]Does that stop things such as the sounds drivers from booting? Or the stuff for my wireless card? I already have it using the classic theme with a black background. No antivirus. I do need networking. I'll look into the rest Thanks[/QUOTE] No. Not at all. But it will stop anti virus, and any 3rd party things. Just disable all and look through the list, and check anything you find necessary.

Alright I toned down the startup programs a bit. Made it 100% geared towards performance. And holy fucking shit... The program runs great now! Thanks a ton guys! On a side note I am looking into WinFLP...gonna play with it in virtual pc first to see how it runs with some of the stuff I need for college

Scratch that...I actually tried applying the program today in class and it still lags out...

What can you expect. It still only has 512mb ram.

Run Malware/Virus scans, might be some malware slowing you down. You could also try downloading CCleaner and running a registry scan.

[QUOTE=Maccabee;20002890]What can you expect. It still only has 512mb ram.[/QUOTE] XP was made 8 years ago. 512MB is perfectly fine for it.

You could always try using nLite to strip XP down to the bare minimum. I did that for my laptop (850 MHz PIII, 512 MB SDRAM, 10 GB HDD) and it ended up using around 60 MB of RAM idle and 2 GB of HDD space fresh installed.