If you use Windows XP then you will have downloaded a number of programs to enjoy the XP experience. But did you know that while you were busy clicking “Next” on every page of the wizard a couple of programs landed right below your window on the task bar? Yes! Go through the icons that show on the right hand side of your screen. Do you really need all of them to be running all the time? Think about it.

Most people don’t know that the programs lined up at the corner are running all the time in the background without the user’s permission or rather without the users noticing them. Some of the programs such as an anti-virus you will need to keep a regular or proactive check on the programs being loaded on your PC. Your PC needs to be regularly guarded against malware, virus and spyware. So, programs like these are required at all times however, a chat applet is not required at all times. You can activate it from the shortcut on your desktop or from the main menu. Such programs should be removed from the Startup list of XP.

To remove such applications, click on Start and then “Run…”. Type in “msconfig” and press Enter. On the screen go to the tab named Startup. Simply uncheck the programs that you don’t want to activate while starting up. Once you have decided, uncheck for those programs and click on Ok. Here you will have to restart your PC. You will notice a great difference in the speed with which your PC starts.