I just installed M$ XP on my P1mmx 266, with only 64mb RAM. Most of the XP junkies said don't do it. They said it wouldn't run. They were wrong. AOEII-Still plays Media-Still runs Starcraft-Faster than before Isn't that evil though. I am here using a notebook with crappy specs while people with insane Ram and processer speeds experience lag. Is it normal for an Untweaked, Unoverclocked, and being a notebook to run XP this flawlessly?
Just wait until something important is about to occur on your system and POOF!!!...Bill Gates favorite color...BLUE!
Who are these people? They obviously don't know how to set up a pc. And yes, your P266 still doth suck. But it's better than surfing the Internet from a freakin' Dreamcast, I suppose. lol.
your performance improvement prob due to a fresh install XP does take more horsepower to run, on average If I were you I'd only install the programs I can't live without, keep it lean and mean!