Windows Tips: 20 Ways to Keep Your Windows XP System Fresh

Tip 3: Go With the NTFS Flow

If you've been hanging onto your old FAT32 hard-disk format, it's high time you switched to NTFS. Besides being faster and more secure, NTFS also gives you encryption, folder and disk compression, and other superior features. About the only reason to stick with FAT or FAT32 is if you need to be able to access your disk from DOS or Windows 98 (puh-leaze!)

Don't worry; you can switch to NTFS without reformatting your hard disk and restoring your apps and data from a backup. Just choose Start, Run, type cmd.exe, and press <Enter> to open a Command Prompt window. Now type convert followed by a space, the drive letter, a colon, another space, and finally /fs:ntfs. For example, enter convert c: /fs:ntfs if you want to convert your C: drive to NTFS.

Tip 4: Reset Your System Restore Priorities

System Restore has saved my bacon many times, so I reserve as much disk space as possible for its restore points. (Not everyone feels the way I do about System Restore, however, because it doesn't always work. Answer Line columnist Lincoln Spector discusses a System Restore alternative in his FAQ item "Why is My PC Acting Oddly?"

To adjust the amount of disk space System Restore claims, right-click My Computer in Explorer or on the desktop and choose Properties. Click the System Restore tab and select a drive whose storage settings you want to change. Choose Settings, drag the slider to the desired level, and click OK twice. Refer to my article "Windows Hacks: Registry Remedies"; for more on tweaking your System Restore settings.