www.BlackViper.com: Ask BV ~ Windows XP FAQ Answers

How can I adjust the Windows XP Themes for more performance or disable it totally?

This is valid for Windows XP Home and Pro. I have observed between 4 MB to 12 MB of RAM used for the new themes.

Reduce XP Themes Resources
Start --> Control Panel -->	Performance and Maintenance -->	System -->
Advanced Tab. Under Performance, click "Settings" button -->	Visual Effects Tab. Select "Adjust for best performance."

After that, Disable and Stop the Themes Service.

Disabling of "Themes Service"
Start --> Control Panel -->	Performance and Maintenance -->	Administrator Tools -->
Services -->	Select "Themes Service" --> (Double Click)	Disable and Stop the Service

I also remove the desktop picture. Why? Usually, back in the old days, the desktop picture was a ".bmp" which is very uncompressed. Since I do not like a bit map taking up so much memory (from 1.2 to 3 MB per image) I make them go away. Small tiles or .jpg's are better if you just have to have a desktop and not a blank color.

You can also check out my Windows XP Super Tweaks Page.