Speed Up Windows XP (Even more!): Increase Speed by Going Simple

Windows XP comes with lovely graphics. You've got your shiny, 3-D taskbar running across the bottom of your screen. You've got that neat, green, 3-D gel button over in the left-hand, bottom corner. Lots of pretty icons, subtle shines and drop shadows add an elegant, polished touch to your computer-using experiences. These graphics do come with a cost, however: they make your computer run a bit slower.

And so it comes down to fashion vs. function. If you're happy with your computer's speed and you'd prefer to keep your computer's graphics looking polished and pretty — don't change a thing. If you're willing to give up your shiny graphics for simple, straightforward ones so that your computer will run faster, here's what you need to do:

1. Click on Start, then Control Panel.

2. Click on System. (Note: If you don't see an option called System, first click on “Switch to Classic View” over on the left.)

3. Click Advanced, then click the Settings button underneath Performance.

4. Now just go ahead and select the “Adjust for best performance” option.

5. Click Apply, then OK.

All done. Your graphics may be a bit boring now, but you should notice your computer seems a bit quicker. If you don't like the way things look, simply head back to the spot where we updated your graphics option in #4 above and select “Adjust for best appearance.” Your graphics will revert to their previous (default) states. No harm done!

Business Website Tip of the Week: Don't Play That Funky Music. Please.

You told your webmaster to make sure that music plays the instant a visitor arrives on your homepage. I mean, you LOVE that music; it just gives the right “feel” to your site. It really sets the tone and represents your company's products and/or services. The music makes your website feel more relaxing/energetic/fun/enter your own adjective here.

As a professional web designer, I strongly urge you to consider not automatically playing music upon your visitors' arrival to your website. Why?

— Your visitor might already have music playing on her computer's speakers. Trying to play your song over the top of your visitor's music is rude, and it's pretty darn confusing when one suddenly hears two songs playing at once.

— Your audio file could potentially be causing your site to load much, much slower than it should be loading. This detracts from your users' overall experience while on your site.

— Your visitor might have his speakers turned off or his audio on mute. What's the point of playing music if this is the case (especially if the music is slowing down your site)?

— Your visitor might be viewing your website at a location where things need to be kept quiet — such as a work cubicle, or their living room at night after the baby has been put to sleep. These people will assure you that they do NOT appreciate sudden, unexpected noise coming from their computer.

Unless you're a musician, singer or band, people likely visit your website to learn more about you, your products and/or your services. They didn't come to listen to music that you thought was cool.

If you really, really, really love your music, the very least you can do is give visitors the option to press a Play button if THEY want to listen to that music. And go ahead — track the number of clicks that Play button receives. You might be surprised at the incredibly high percentage of visitors that pass on the option of playing that funky music.