As we all know everyone is happy that they can run XP on a intel based mac now. Well I have a few tweaks to share from the PC world on speeding up XP.

Theres a program called TuneXP. I think the current version is 1.5 and it can be downloaded from download.com. This program has most of the registry tweaks built in so you don't have to worry about messing with the system registry manually. It also has two neat features for XP's MBR. It defrags the boot files to be first line on the hard drive so XP will boot/load faster. Loads up my PC in 5.6seconds from the time you see the XP logo to the desktop.

We all hate the default Defrag program that MS made for XP. Theres a great alternative defrag program called DiskKeeper.  This program does a deep defrag and places system files first before 3rd party programs. I ran it on my system just now and it has made the system with a 1% defragment while windows defrag left me with a 30% defragment.

I found a neat way to free up memory aswell. This is a simple registry tweak. This tweak unloads all DLL files from memory. XP usually loads anywhere from 25 to 50 DLL files you don't even need or use. I think they're used for when XP loads up and thats it. If the system needs any of these DLLs it can reload the ones it needs. Heres the code.

Good stuff.

My favorite site for this kind of windows tweaking is http://www.annoyances.org/

There's also the option of disabling all (there are quite a few) unnecessary services that come with XP.
http://www.sanx.org/tipShow.asp?index=65
Thats not a bad one, personally I like to NLite my installation to streamline it a bit so I don't have to deal with crap. I'm sure there are a few Apple based services on machines running Boot Camp though, and I'm not sure what the policy is on Nlite.

I still think it seems rather contradictory to buy a mac and install windows on it, sort of an oxymoron.

That duality is the reason why I considered getting a MacBook. I carry around 4 laptops. It'd be nice to integrate my PC into my Mac so it's assistance is no longer necessary. A computer is a computer. But I like my Macs better.

4 Laptops? I thought I was bad with two. Wh 4?

Well, my iBG4 is essentially my traveling media centre. It operates headless, so I keep it closed and listen to music.
Then my iBG3 (1) is my dedicated linux machine. I use it to test my build scripts/web server applications while I work.
I've also got a Dell Latitude X300, which is my PC on duty. It handles all non-Mac capable applications on the go.
My PBG4 17 1.5 used to be my traveling powerhouse for programming and general work but the logic board died...(the same weekend as my 17 1.0... ..) so I transfered that to my PBG4 12 1.33. It's pretty much the same as far as power goes. The biggest problem is the reduction in screen res. I use Expose' more than ever now.

You're using an iBook G4 as an iPod? Seems a little OTT......