Maintenance of your system to sustain its reliability and performance is a crucial factor in the usage of Windows XP, as it is for every (complex) operating system. To assist you in this task, Windows XP comes with a set of Systems Tools. After you installed from scratch or upgraded your previous OS, which we do not advise, the first System Tool you should be using is Disk Cleanup, to get rid of temporary files and other reminisces of that installation/upgrade. Adding files and subsequently removing them introduces disk fragmentation, which can spiral out of control, slowly decreasing your system s performance if you do not take control. To curb this behavior, you can use Disk Defragmenter, which will reduce the defragmentation of files to virtually none, additionally trying to group the free disk space.

Once you have your system installed, you can pursue two paths, either will lead to the same goal: a finalized Windows XP system ready to use. The smart approach is to use System Restore, which enables you to take a snapshot of the System State, covering the Registry, COM+ Class Database, and boot files, and some other vital files and settings. This snapshot is called a Restore Checkpoint, which you can roll your system back to if an installation goes south and corrupts the Registry or general working of the system. Backing up your system, using the Backup Utility is an even a better thing to do, in case your systems grind to a halt.