Windows Dell Inspiron 2500 | Cut down XP

Hey guys, I got a 2500 from a friend and have fixed it up for my non-computer savy grandmother to use. It was running Windows ME and I formatted the HDD and installed XP on it. She's use to using windows, and prefers it over linux, so Im trying to get windows going so she doesnt have to use linux. What I need to do, it cut down XP to the bare essentials, because the CPU is a Mobile P3 897Mhz with 512MB Ram. Its running XP SP2 Pro pretty solid (faster than my P4 Prescott 3.0GHz) but IE7 seems to slow it down a little. Is there anything I can do to shave down the OS and lessen the load on the CPU? I need to get this working, so it will be fully useable. Its not bad right now, but I know she'll be using this for work and it needs to stay running. So any tips on slimming XP and releiving the CPU?

TIA, Null_x86

PS - Dont bash this thread or the computer. It was a free gift from a friend, so anyone who wants to bash it, doors that way >>>

 

I love old PC's and would never bash such things.

You could take a look at MicroXP, or make your own version.

 

I only thing i could recommend is tweaking the reg and setting it to > best performance in control panel.

 

Disabling all the visual effects helps, making it look like 2000 again, and I would recommend Firefox over IE7, as you can install the excellent AdBlock Plus, and FlashBlock, which will make the internet seem a helluva lot cleaner, and faster, as no more ads or automatically starting flashes.

Your best performance boost would be tracking down another 512mb SODIMM for it IMO.