I thought I might throw in a few links for those looking to get a bit more out of their current system or for those who are just about to implement "Hardware Windows" (ie throwing their computer through one).
It involves a bit of reading and some experimenting but it's all good fun and can be of benefit.

The links are mostly free of advertising/banners/popups and involve (most importantly) no cost.
Feel free to add more of your own.


Troubleshooting Guide to Win XP

More than just troubleshooting, a very good starting point for getting to know a bit more about your system and making it secure and happy at no cost. My personal favourite is the page about stopping ads/spyware/parasites with a simple host file. http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/

Windows Processes (all those programs you see running in task manager)

I've seen a few posts where people have said to look in task manager and delete or stop things they are unsure of.
The following site has some explanations about what those programs in Task Manager are (or could be).
There's plenty of other sites that offer this sort of info, just do a google search on the program names listed in Task Manager and you'll find them. http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/

Windows Service Configurations

Great information about the services installed with XP (inluding SP2). It offers configurations where you can safely switch off some of the unnecessary junk that Microsoft thinks everyone needs to be running. It can make your computer a bit more secure and allows you to shovel more memory where it's needed..ie towards Hz. Plenty of other good info at this site. http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

Memory Checker

A nice shareware program (ie slightly crippled but still useful, pay for it if you want the full version) that will tell you whether your memory is good or bad, or your memory controller is dodgy.
http://www.goldmemory.cz/


As a final thing, make sure your computer is cool. You don't have to add enough fans to make a wind tunnel. Just enough to make sure you've got fresh air supplied to all the internal fans/components and the hot air is extracted.

Oh yeah, defrag is your friend and always backup your important information before you make changes.

Enjoy.