The default setting on Windows XP is not to have your Active Desktop enabled. Active Desktop is a facility which turns your desktop into something like your personal web page. Now, this might seem like a great idea in the age of the internet. You can access and update your websites automatically, but the problem is, this facility, which you may not even realise is turned on – because your desktop looks the same – is resource hungry.

So, unless you want to use it, it’s best to check that it isn’t enabled.

So, click Start, Control Panel, Appearance and Themes, and click Display. Then click the Desktop tab and click the Customize Desktop button. Click the Web tab and ensure that the box next to My Current Home Page is un-ticked.

The consensus is that you should use a browser to view and organise the internet, and not Active Desktop, but it does come down to individual choice in the end.

Active Desktop and How to Disable It – Recap

• consensus is not to use Active Desktop as personal web page;
• use a browser to organise net.