Speeding up a computer

It's been awhile since I had to set up a comp, but recently I recieved an semi-new laptop from a friend who thought it was way too slow.

But since I'm out of practice I wanted to make sure my setup list was still up to date.

 Save all relevant information.
 Reformat
 Install WindowsXP (I know, first mistake, blah blah blah Linux)
 Uninstall unnecessary Programs.
 Disable Services:
-Distributed Link Tracking
-Error Reporting Service (also turned off in system properties)
-Indexing Service (questionable if it helps file sort speed)

>>9
Maybe his friend is trying to game on the laptop.


I would recommend using CCleaner (short for crap cleaner or something).

It can uninstall programs that aren't shown in the add-remove programs, fix registry problems, remove unwanted startup programs, and it searches for malware and it get rid of cookies and stuff that other applications leave behind.