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Computers are supposed to be getting faster, but we still often find ourselves twiddling our thumbs, waiting for programs to start. And over time, it's common to find that performing tasks takes longer and longer. Modern computers might be titans of power compared to their predecessors of 10 or 20 years ago, but a Windows XP PC can still seem terribly slow.

This is because a computer is only as fast as its biggest bottleneck. In most cases, the biggest bottlenecks are nothing to do with the hardware but the detritus that builds up on the hard disk and the programs that are running in the background without you necessarily being aware of them. Here we'll show you how to get back to a leaner, more efficient computer that's noticeably faster and has more free space than you thought.

Be prepared

If you're tired of hearing about the need to back up before you make changes to your Windows installation or hard disk, we're making no apologies. It's difficult to convey the sense of dread at losing your data until it's actually happened, but believe us it's not something you want to experience. Do not, under any circumstances, take the risk of not backing up. If you don't back up your data regularly already, now's the time to start. We also covered this topic in 'The Easy Backup Guide', Shopper December 2006, which you'll find on this month's cover disc. We'll go through it again briefly here, though, since it's so important.

There are two precautions to take to get yourself out of trouble should anything go wrong while you're tweaking your system. First, for minor configuration problems that you

If you subsequently want to restore your system, follow the same procedure, but when you open the System Restore tool simply make sure 'Restore my computer to an earlier time' is selected. You'll be given a calendar view of points. Choose the one you want and click Next a couple of times. Once the point has been restored, the computer will restart. Your documents and data won't be affected but any system-configuration changes should be restored to the way they were.

The second thing to do is properly back up your documents and data. You can do this without having to install any third-party software by using Windows XP's own tool. In XP Professional, again head to Programs, Accessories, System Tools and select Backup. We show you opposite how to get the backup tool working if you're using Windows XP Home.

The Backup or Restore Wizard should launch itself. Click Next, make sure 'Back up files and settings' is selected and then click Next again. Assuming all your important data is filed under My Documents, you can go with the default option of 'My documents and settings' when the wizard prompts you to choose what to back up. If you select the 'let me choose' option, you need to navigate the less friendly directory-browsing tool, so we don't recommend it unless you have data outside the normal locations.

Then click Next and choose a location for your backup. This should not be your hard disk. The ideal location is an external USB hard disk, which you can safely disconnect when you've finished to isolate your data. A network location is another option, but bear in mind that if you have lots of data to back up (say 10GB or more), transferring files over the network could take hours. One thing the backup tool doesn't let you do is burn files to a DVD or CD.