It is still common to see Windows XP pro computers in widespread use in offices these days. This is a testament to the effectiveness and security levels of the operating system. In this post, we’ll cover some of the performance checks and improvements you can make to help keep these old PCs running well.
Many XP computers are still running quite well due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time (i.e. the CPU and RAM where actually quite good). However, older PCs are more likely to experience computer hangs as a result of running out of memory or disk space.
1) Could the PC do with more RAM?
The first concern you should have about performance relates to the amount of RAM installed on the PC. At the very least, you should make sure you have one megabyte installed in order to handle web browsing and more demanding applications. This is relatively cheap and easy to do, given the cost of modern microchips.
2) Has the PC got enough disk space?
The second concern about performance on an old PC is the lack of hard drive space. Once the hard disk goes over 90% full then XP pro computers will struggle to allocate enough virtual memory by the operating system to process commands. Try clearing out some extra space by removing temporary files, transferring large documents to an external storage device and running Disk Cleanup every few weeks to automate freeing up some space.
3) Are your software drivers & utilities up-to-date?
Additional performance improvements can be made by running Windows update (if it is not automatically scheduled to execute) and making sure you have the latest service pack installed.
Many threading issues and computer hangs can be traced back to coding issues in the operating system so it is always worth having the latest fix pack and security updates installed to safeguard yourself from any exceptional system behavior. Finally, always make sure to be running an anti-virus software scan as often as possible as hackers will often target older machines due to some of the security loopholes being widely known.