One of the first things I normally do when I set up a computer with Windows XP, right after I install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, is to configure Internet Explorer (IE) and System Restore ...
System Restore is a valuable safety feature, but it doesn't need to take over your hard drive. By checking how much space it's using, deleting old restore points, and setting a reasonable storage ...
I was helping a friend with a dead XP Home SP2 machine today. The machine would get to the end of the initial XP logo screen, but die with a blue-screen complaining about a corrupted SOFTWARE registry ...