In Windows 9x/Me, the system cache setting is not always optimised. A software called Cacheman will do this for you.
In Windows 2000/XP, try changing the I/O lock page size. To do this, you can use Xteq Systems X-Setup. Choose the appropriate setting under System » Memory .
Clear the startup programs: Startup programs get loaded along with Windows. This causes a delay before the desktop becomes active.
Most of these programs do nothing but hog precious memory. See if you can use the programs' settings to prevent them loading with Windows. If that is not possible, use Mike Lin's Startup Control Panel to do that. After you install this program, you can access it from the Control Panel.RAM: A PC might start running faster simply by adding an extra module of RAM. See if this works for you.
If you think you have more than adequate ram but the PC seems sluggish, then use RamBooster to proactively free up unused RAM at regular intervals.
