Conserve Memory And Energy

Many programs install themselves so they launch automatically at Windows start-up. Whether you need them or not, they're using memory and CPU cycles. Windows 98, Me, and XP users can disable unnecessary background programs using the Startup tab of the MSCONFIG program, which you can launch from the Start menu's Run dialog. Windows 2000 users will need a third-party tool, such as PC Magazine's Startup Cop utility.

Disabling anything listed in either MSCONFIG or Startup Cop should be safe. But keep in mind that if you disable the system tray, you'll lose the clock and volume control in the system tray. Also, one or more instances of Load Power Profile or Tweak UI do no harm, because they don't remain in memory.

Your computer uses a sizable amount of energy to keep your hard drive working. Some hard drives spin at a speed greater than 10,000 rpm, so it's no surprise that a large percentage of your computer's energy goes to the hard drive. To conserve energy, you can set your disk to spin down if it's been idle for a while. To do this, go to Control Panel and open the Power icon. There should be a tab that reads "turn off hard disk." Set the amount of time you want before your disk spins down and click OK. This slows computer performance only when the hard drive turns back on.