Keep your Windows running fit

Although latest reports by Symantec show that windows is one of the most secure Os's,the fact still remains that you are more vulnerable to Malware and Spam while using Windows than any other Os. This is not because Windows is full of Security leaks and Loopholes, it is because hackers target Windows because it occupies a very large share of the Os market (no wonder Bill Gates has over 50 Billion). Security Holes come into existence only after they are discovered, so it is not fair to blame only M$. Probably if hackers had diverted their energies on say mac or Linux, a equivalent number of holes would have been discovered. infact it is commendable that M$ plugs holes over six times faster than it's compititor Apple inc. Here are some Tips to keep windows (Xp) running as fast as after a fresh install

Note: These tips are not in the order of priority


1) Disable all Graphics
Windows Xp (and Vista) offers much more eye candy than it's predecessors. Much of this eye candy hogs system resources and wastes much of processing power which can be used for other intensive apps. After disabling the Xp visual style, you will probably not like it. but believe me you'll get adjusted to it after few days. To disable visual styles and all animations do the following
a) Press windows key+Pause/Break
b) Select the advanced Tab
c)Under the performance Column, choose "adjust for best performance"
if u want u can turn off the wallpaper too..(it does give a performance boost). if u want to keep ur wallpaper avoid keeping images with sizes larger then 1 Mb...
if u keep ur wallpaper and have chosen "adjust for best performance", u shall have noticed that there will a blue background to all icons which is not at all appealing. to get rid of that go to performance options (under advanced) after pressing windows+pause/break and check "use drop shadows on icon labels on desktop"
g) disable the screensaver. The screensaver was designed to save the screen in the pre win95 era and is no longer required and wastes resources.

2) Disable unnecessary Services
Windows has certain features like indexing which have become redundant with introduction of softwares like Copernic and Google desktop search and others like remote registry which is unnecessary for most. You can extract more performance from windows by disabling these services. Visit this link to learn to do so
Warning : Don't turn off features which you are not sure about as they may be needed in your system. Also don't turn off Automatic Updates as it will make u vulnerable to Crackers.

3)Defrag your Hard Drive
After some time, files tend to become scattered or fragmented on the hard drive. this results in slow read and write as the HDD has to look for each part of the file(s). To reduce this problem windows has a inbuilt utility to Defragment your hard drive. it can be found under system tools in accessories in the Start menu. Use it to Defrag all your partitions. You can also use other tools like O&O Defrag and Ultimate Defrag

4) Startup programs
Many Applications set themselves to be executed when the system boots. These programs increase the booting time to a large extent. most of the programs are unwanted and can be called when needed. For example Apple Quicktime (which is not used too often) sets itself to open at startup, thus gobbling system resources during boot time. To check this, download TuneUp Utilities and through it's startup manager disable all unnecessary programs. The app also has some other interesting features. An alternate way can be found here

5)Avoid installing Unnecessary programs
Many of us have the habit of installing every program in sight.This is should be avoided as it leads to the quick corruption of windows. Also never click on a unknown .exe file as it might harbor malware.

6) Switch to Firefox or Opera
Although the release of Internet Explorer version 7.0 provided many security features, it still remaines a favorite for hackers and crackers. Firefox and Opera are free browsers which have caused a big dent in Ie's market share. They are more secure than IE and offer more features and a cleaner interface. For maximum security use firefox with Mcafee site advisor and AdBlock extensions.
Firefox
Opera

7) Use a Good Firewall
This is the most important piece of advice to keep your computer secure. Download the free Zonealarm Pro and install it configure it at the highest security possible. Also enable the Auto Internet Lock. With a bit of common sense while answering the alerts, your computer will never have to fear another piece of malware again.

8) Use a good Anti-spyware
This is also very crucial to protect your computers security
some recommended ones are
a) AVG Anti-Spyware (free,but he paid version has real time protection)
b) Spybot Search and destroy (free)
c) Ad-Aware (free)
You can install all three anti-Spywares in conjunction for good effect

9) Use a Uninstaller
Many Programs when removed leave behind registry entries and files. These entries bloat up the registry and the files are unnecessary and should be removed. To avoid this problem use a uninstaller which automatically removes these entries. I recommend Your Uninstaller !
This App searches for and removes leftover registry keys and files. It can also forcibly remove any program incase it's installation does not work.

10) Defrag the Registry and remove unwanted entries
After some time of using windows the registry tends to become filled with orphaned and unwanted entries. This can slow the system down.To Solve this u can use TuneUp utilities which has a registry cleaner and defragmenter or use Registry first aid or Registry Mechanic

11) Use an Antivirus
Use a Anti-virus to protect yourself from Viruses
Some good ones are
Kaspersky (best)
Nod32
AVG ( (free)
Avast (free)
Norton (consumes a lot of resources)
Mcafee

12) Update your computer
Enable Automatic Updates and update your computer regularly

13) Clean the Crap on your computer using CCleaner
Use CCleaner to clean your computer of all the crap

Finally these are the essential programs that must be found on every system:
1)Firefox/Opera (free)
2) Spybot search & Destroy (free)
3) Ad-Aware (free)
4) AVG Anti-Spyware (free)
5)CCleaner (free)
6)Your Uninstaller! (paid)
7) HDDLife (paid)
8) TuneUp Utilities (paid)
9) Zonealarm Pro
10) Kaspersky (paid) / AVG (free) /Avast (free)