note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..
what is tweak?? tweak means to fine tune or adjust

Disable smooth scrolling

Notes: Disabling smooth scrolling on your computer will give you that extra little boost in performance. Must be familiar with the Windows registry.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane (see picture below).HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop
Right-click a blank space in the right-hand pane and go to New > DWORD.
Name the new DWORD "Smooth Scroll".
Double click the new DWORD.
For the value, enter "0" and click OK.
Close regedit.Disable unnecessary services

Notes: This is a highly recommended tweak. Doing this will free up a lot of system memory in general and, depending on how many you disable, you will see performance gains in a wide variety of tasks.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
With Help From: Sanx.org ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) and the authors.


How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click "Performance and Maintenance".
Click "Administrative Tools".
Click "Services".
Use the following list, from Sanx.org, to decide what services you want to disable. To disable an active service, right-click it and select "Disable". Alerter
Application Layer Gateway Services
Automatic Updates
Many users prefer to manually download updates from Microsoft. If you wish to use the automatic update facility, leave this service enabled. Background Intelligent Transfer Service
ClipBook
Computer Browser
This service should only be disabled if you are not running in a Windows NT / 2000 Domain environment Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
Fax
Human Interface Device Access
This service should remain enabled if you use user-defined hot-keys on keyboards, remote controls, etc. IIS Admin
This service should only be enabled if you run the personal version of IIS on Windows XP IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
This service should only be disabled if you do not have / use a CD-Writer. Indexing Service
Infrared Monitor
This service should only be disabled if you do not have an IR port on your computer, or if you do not use IR communications. Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
This service should only be disabled if you do not use either ICS or the ICF. Messenger
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
This service should only be disabled if you do not use the Desktop Sharing facility in NetMeeting Portable Media Serial Number
This service should only be disabled if you do not have a portable MP3 or music device that connects directly to your computer via a digital interface. QoS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
This service should only be disabled if you do not use the Remote Assistance feature of Windows XP Remote Registry
Removable Storage
Routing and Remote Access
Smart Card
Smart Card Helper
SSDP Discovery Service
This service should only be disabled if you do not have any Universal PnP devices on your network. System Restore Service
This service should only be disabled if you do not use the System Restore functionality of Windows XP. Telnet
Terminal Services
This service underpins the following functions:
Remote Desktop
Remote Assistance
Fast User SwitchingTerminal Services should only be disabled if none of the above are in use Themes
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Volume Shadow Copy
WebClient
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
This service should only be disabled if you do not have a scanner or digital camera connected to your computer. Windows Time
This service should only be disabled if not operating in a Windows NT / Windows 2000 Domain. Wireless Zero Configuration
This service should only be disabled if you're not using a WLAN (WiFi, 802.11) card on your computer WMI Performance Adapter
World Wide Web Publishing
This service should only be disabled if you're not running the personal version of IIS on your computer.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Disable the Windows XP firewall

Notes: The built in Windows XP firewall is by no means sufficient if you do not have any other way to protect yourself from the internet. Please do not disable the XP firewall if you don't have any other way to protect yourself.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click "Administrative Tools".
Click "Services".
Scroll down to the service called "Internet Connection Firewall".
Right-click the service and click disable.
Disable the boot screen

Notes: This is a nice way to speed up your boot time.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Click on Start and right-click "My Computer".
Click "Properties".
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Startup and Recovery" box, click "Settings".
In the "System Startup" box, click "Edit".
On the end of the line with Windows XP in it, add "/sos".
Your line should like similar to the following (although it may not be quite the same):
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /sos
Go to File > Save (Click on Save).
Go to File > Exit (Click on Exit).
Click OK.
Click OK.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Quick speed tweaks

Notes: These are some simple yet effective things that you can do to speed up your computer.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Right-click an empty space on the desktop.
Click "Properties".
Click the "Appearance" tab (on the top).
Click the "Effects" button.
Decide which effects you do not want to have anymore. Deselect an effect to disable it.
When you are finished, click OK.
Click OK.Convert FAT32 to NTFS

Notes: Windows XP works much better when it's using the NTFS filesystem. Some reasons include security, stability, and speed. You might have an FAT32 filesystem if you upgraded from any previous version of Windows (NOT including Windows 2000 or Windows ME) without formatting your hard-drive.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. Please take caution in doing this. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Open the run box (Navigate to start > run and click on run).
Type "cmd" in the box and press enter.
Type "Convert C: /FS:NTFS".
Sit back and wait for it to convert
Note: I have never actually done this myself, therefore I cannot guarantee anything. This is merely the procedure.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Fine Tune System Memory

Notes: This is suggested for systems with 512 MB of RAM or more. Must be familiar with the Windows registry.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Meehowski
Edited By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Open Regedit (go to start > run and type in regedit and press enter)
You will now have to open the following menus in the left pane of Regedit. Click the + sign, not the name..
Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management
Double-click "DisablePagingExecutive".
Change it's value to 1.
Click OK.
Note: This allows XP to keep data in memory now instead of paging sections of ram to harddrive yeilds faster performance.
Double-click "LargeSystemCache".
Change it's value to 1.
Click OK.
Note: This allows XP Kernel to run in memory and improves system performance a lot.
Close regedit.
Reboot.
Disable anonymous NetBIOS connections

Notes: Some computers are vulnerable to a NetBIOS attack, where a hacker uses a rather simple method to connect to somebody's computer. From there, the hacker can essentially do more to that person's computer than that person can do. It is a good idea to do this tweak if you are not behind a firewall. Must be familiar with the Windows registry.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Open Regedit (go to start > run and type in regedit and press enter)
You will now have to open the following menus in the left pane of Regedit. Click the + sign, not the name..
Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControl/SetControl/LSA
Right-click a white area in the left pane.
Select New > DWORD Value.
For the name of the value, type "RestrictAnonymous".
Double-click the name of the value.
For the "Value Data" field, type 1.
Press OK.
Close regedit.
Note: The settings will change when your computer is restarted.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Increase hard drive write speed

Notes: Increasing the speed at which your hard drive writes files will decrease the amount of RAM dedicated to running programs. You should not notice a difference unless you are running an excessive amount of memory-reducing programs. This is only recommended for computers with at least 256 MB of RAM.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on the Control Panel).
Click "Performance and Maintenance".
Click the "System" icon.
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
Under the "Performance" box, click "Settings".
Click the "Advanced" tab.
Under the "Memory Usage" box, click the "System cache" radio button.
Click OK and reboot your computer.Edit startup programs

otes: This is a good way to speed up overall performance by reducing the number of programs that start when your computer starts.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. Some programs are required for your computer to function properly, and if disabled, your computer may not work. Use caution when doing this. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Run (click on Run)
In the "Open" rield, enter the following text and press enter: "msconfig"
Click on the "Startup" tab.
What you see is a list of programs that start when your computer starts. Decide which programs you feel aren't necessary for you to use as when your computer starts, and uncheck the box to the left of them. If you do not know what a particular program is/does, do not uncheck it!
Reminder: Unchecking a program will not uninstall it! Do not worry.
After going through all of the programs, press OK to exit.
Next time your computer restarts, you should notice a difference, depending on how many programs were removed from the list.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Defragment your hard drive (recommended)

Notes: Defragmenting your hard drive is highly recommended for computers that have had Windows for a while (over one month). It doesn't hurt to do it if your computer is new though. It will increase performance all around. I suggest starting this before you leave your computer for the day and letting your computer defragment over-night.
Warnings: (none).
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter (Click on Disk Defragmenter).
Click "Analyze".
Wait until a screen comes up to tell you whether or not you should defragment.
If it says you should, go ahead and start. If it says you don't need to, then don't if you don't want to. But it can't hurt.Free up some diskspace

Notes: Doing the following tweak will free up as much disk-space as the amount of RAM you have installed. It will disable hibernation.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click on "Performance and Maintenance".
Click on "Power Options".
Click the "Hibernation" tab.
In the "Hibernate" box, deselect "Enable Hibernation".

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Sacrafice visual effects for speed

Notes: This tweak is helpful if you want your computer to be faster while using Windows (doesn't include games).
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Navigate to Start > My Computer and right-click "My Computer".
Click "Properties".
Click the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Performance" box, click "Settings".
Select the radio button that says "Adjust for best performance".
Click OK.
Click OK.Increase CPU Priority

Notes: (Must be familiar with Windows registry.) Window XP will open any new window (including program) in its own memory and in separate process priority. (Increase stability and speed but use much more RAM than before.)
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Meehowski
Edited By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPr iorityControl
Find the key called "Win32PrioritySeparation".
Double click that key.
Set the value of "Win32PrioritySeparation" to 38.
Click OK.
Close regedit.
Navigate to Start > My Computer (Click on My Computer).
Click on "Tools" (at the top) and click on "Folder Options".
Go to the "View" tab.
Find the checkbox called "Launch folder windows in separate process" and make sure that it's checked.
Click OK.
Close My Computer.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Clean up and disable Windows prefetch

Notes: WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: LB
Edited By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:
How to clean the prefetch directory:
Navigate to Start > Run (Click on Run).
Type in "Prefetch" in the input field and press enter.
Hold the Control key and press A (Ctrl + A).
Press the Delete key and then click "Yes" to delete all of the files.
Close the directory.
How to disable prefetch: (note: This may negatively affect the time that it takes to start any programs and also Windows.)
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory/ManagementPrefetchParameters
Locate a key called "EnablePrefetcher".
Double click the key.
Change the value of the key to 0.
Press OK.
Exit Regedit.
Note: This comes into effect the next time your computer is restarted.Disable CD-ROM autorun

Notes: This disabled any boxes from showing up after you insert a CD into the CD drive.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: LB
Edited By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/Cdrom
Locate a key called "AutoRun".
Double click the key.
Change the value of the key to 0.
Click OK.
Close regedit.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Disable Windows compressed (zip) files

Notes: If you want to install a third party zip file handler, this is a nice way to disable Windows' default system.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run (Click on run).
In the input field, enter "Regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll"
Note: If you want to re-enable this at a later time, put "Regsvr32 zipfldr.dll" in the input field instead.Automatically log on to Windows

Notes: This is a nice tweak if you would like to increase your boot time. Please note that it decreases security (because it automatically enters the password, and your password is clearly visible in the registry key).
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon
Right-click a blank space in the right-hand pane and go to New > String.
Name the new String "DefaultUserName".
Double click the new String.
Right-click a blank space in the right-hand pane and go to New > String.
Name the new String "DefaultPassword".
Double click the new String.
For the value, enter the password for the username that you used for "DefualtUserName".
Right-click a blank space in the right-hand pane and go to New > String.
Name the new String "AutoAdminLogon".
Double click the new String.
For the value, enter "1".
Close regedit.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Disable task manager

Notes: If you don't have a password for your account, this will log in you automatically.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Run and click on Run.
In the input field, type "regedit" and then press enter.
Navigate to the following key in the registry by clicking on the +'s next to the folders in the left pane.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/System
Right-click a blank space in the right-hand pane and go to New > DWORD.
Name the new DWORD "DisableTaskMgr".
Double click the new DWORD.
For the value, enter "1" and click OK. .
Close regedit.
More visual effects to sacrafice for performance

Notes: There is another tweak about sacraficing visual effects, but this is a bit more "extreme" if you will.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:
Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click "Performance and Maintenance".
Click "Adjust visual effects".
Deselect any of the items that you do not want. The more you deselect, the better your overall performance will be.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..



Check your hard drive for errors

otes: It is a good idea to check your hard drive for errors every now and then. It's very easy to do.
Warnings: (none)
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Go to Start > My Computer (Click My Computer).
Right-click the hard drive that you wish to error-check.
Click "Properties".
Click the "Tools" tab.
In the "Error-checking" box, click "Check Now".
Click "Start".Install and use the XP backup utility (recommended)

Notes: If you plan on doing any registry tweaks, I highly recommend backing up your registry. This is how you install the program that does that. Getting the program installed is for XP home only - XP pro already has it! Please scroll down if you have pro.
Warnings: (none)
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Put your Windows CD into the CD drive.
Navigate to the CD (Start > My Computer and click My Computer. Then right-click the CD drive and click "Explore").
Find the following folder:
\ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBackup\
Locate NTBackup.msi.
Double click NTBackup.msi.
Complete the installation. Using the backup program:

Navigate to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup (click on Backup).
Follow all of the on-screen instructions. It is all very easy.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Configure AutoComplete

Notes: Autocomplete can be very annoying sometimes. Other times, it may be wanted but is not there. Here is how you can control it. This works with Internet Explorer ONLY.
Warnings: (none)
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Open Internet Explorer (I'm assuming that it's already open...)
Click "Tools" in the menu bar in the top.
Click "Internet Options...".
Select the "Content" tab.
In the Personal Information box, click "AutoComplete...".
Configure AutoComplete for yourself.Disable automatic updates

Notes: (none)
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click "Performance and Maintenance".
Click "Administrative Tools".
Double-click "Services".
Double-click "Automatic Updates" (it's near the top of the list of services in the right-hand pane).
In the drop-down menu-box labeled "Startup type", select "Disabled". (Note: "Startup type" is in the middle of the whole box).
Click OK.
Close the "Servies" window.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..

Disable last-file access stamping

Notes: Windows XP "stamps" every file that it uses with the date and time of it's last use. The only problem is that it uses memory, which in turn, slows down your computer. If you do not use the date/time stuff that Windows spews out for every file that is opened, try this tweak.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Run (Click on Run).
In the Run box, enter "cmd" and press OK.
In the command prompt, enter "FSUTIL BEHAVIOR SET DISABLELASTACCESS 1" and press enter.
(Note: Don't use quotes when entering text into the command prompt!)
Close the command prompt.
Note: If you want to re-enable last file access stamping at a later time, use the following text in the command prompt, followed by enter:
"FSUTIL BEHAVIOR SET DISABLELASTACCESS 0".
(Note: Changes will take effect after you reboot.)
Dramatically increase FPS in games

Notes: When "Vertical Sync" is enabled, the frame-rate of the game that you are playing is synced with the frame-rate of your desktop. In most cases, this strips away extra FPS (frames-per-second). Disabling vertical sync will significantly increase the FPS in 95% of all games. I find that games most affected by this include Quake, Counter-strike, and other first-person shooters. Disabling vertical sync will also increase benchmarking performance. Make sure that you have the latest video card driver for your specific video card. In some cases, disabling vertical sync is not an option.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein
How to do it:

Navigate to Start > Control Panel (Click on Control Panel).
Click "Appearance and Themes".
Click "Display".
Click the "Settings" tab.
Near the bottom, click the "Advanced" button.
Note: The following part can be tricky because all video card software is different. Keep in mind that some video cards do not allow disabling vertical sync.
Search through all of the available tabs to find an option labled "Vertical Sync".
Note: If you cannot find vertical sync, please go to the forums and post your problem. The people there will most likely be able to help.
Disable "Vertical Sync".
Click OK.
Click OK.

note: this tweaks are not made by me, i just found it useful thats why im posting them here. i will update this as often as i can.. pls use reputation button if you like to thank me..
Fix: "Blue screen of death" after Windows boot screen

Symptoms: Computer will turn on and start booting. Windows XP startup screen shows up. Instead of the log in screen showing up, the BSOD (blue screen of death) comes up. Also, this error started happening at a random point in time. The computer was working fine one day, and then starting giving the error.
Notes: If you find that this solution works for you, please post the actual error code on the forums. That will help other people identify this problem.
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


Solution:

Put your Windows XP disk into the computer.
Restart your computer, making sure that the the CD-ROM drive boots before the hard drive. (You can setup the boot sequence in your system BIOS. If you don't know what this is, please ask in the forums.)
Boot to the Windows XP CD.
From the available options at the menu (after it loads all of the drivers), choose "repair" (press R).
Once you reach the command prompt, type in "chkdsk c:" and press enter. If your hard-disk with Windows on it is not C:/, replace c: with the letter of your hard disk (IE if your Windows hard-disk is X:/, type "chkdsk x:" and press enter).
It will take a different amount of time for every different computer. When I did this, it took about five minutes.
Note: When I tried this, it "froze" at 52%. I found that my computer worked from there though.
After the process completes, you should be able to boot normally (take out the Windows XP disk...)
If you have a success story, please share it with us on the forums. If you still can't get your computer to work, I suggest that you head over to the friendly people at ***.PCQandA.com ([Only registered and activated users can see links]).
Completely customize visual effects

Notes: This is the best way to take control most of the visual effects that Windows uses that generally slows down your system. (Does not apply to games)
Warnings: This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take responsibility for anything that you do to your computer that harms it or any files on it in any way.
Written By: Max Feinstein


How to do it:

Navigate to Start > My Computer and right-click "My Computer".
Click "Properties".
Click the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Performance" box, click "Settings".
Select the radio button that says "Custom:".
Uncheck everything that you don't want to have. You'll find that the more you uncheck, the better your computer will perform.
Click OK.
Click OK.