It can take several days and 3 or 4 reboots for it to speed up. First
defrag. The boot prefetch will kick in after the 3 rd reboot. It takes
several days for the prefetch folder to be rebuilt. And the in built
optimization kicks in every 3 days. After that defrag again. If the system
is still slow after some days try some clean boot troubleshooting to see
what may be hanging up on startup. A program may need to be uninstalled /
reinstalled:
How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560
How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310353
If you really want to remove SP2 here is how.
How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=875350
Installing Service Packs
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/xpsp2.htm
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm
Pre-Install, Install, Cleaning Up Afterwards
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=45
What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx
Get the Latest Updates and Information from Your PC Manufacturer Before
Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/oemlinks.mspx
The hard disk space requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837783
