Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system is almost here, but do you really need it? If you don't yet feel the need to invest in a new OS, or if your hardware doesn't meet Vista standards, you'll find that a regular maintenance regimen--along with an occasional checkup--will keep XP rolling along for years to come. In fact, a few simple tweaks can tip the scales in favor of keeping XP around while early-adoption pioneers work the bugs out of Vista.
These 20 tips will keep your XP system lean and mean by tuning its performance, minimizing some of its bells and whistles, and tweaking the six-year-old OS to bring it up to speed with more recent applications, such as media playback and wireless networking.
Ad Choices