Langa: A New Way To Slim Down Windows XP, Including SP2: Page 3 of 6

I then downloaded a copy of XPlite Professional ($40, from LitePC, registered it, and ran it.

XPlite's menu offers you access to some 120 separate Windows components--far more than are normally available through the Add/Remove applet in Control Panel. Clicking on any or all of the XPlite menu items will cause them to be removed from the operating system in a later step.

(click image for larger view) XPlite offers an easy-to-navigate interface. You simply click to select which components, or group of components, you wish to remove. Later, you can re-run XPlite and use the same interface to restore any features you wish.

As you work, XPlite displays a succinct explanation of what each component does; and the software offers warnings of interdependencies, so you won't disable desired components by unintentionally removing essential infrastructure. But if you do accidentally remove a portion of the operating system you later determine that you need, you simply can run XPlite again, and click to restore any/all components you wish.

XPlite warns you when you're about to remove a shared component that will adversely affect other components. In this way, it helps you make sure that you don't unintentionally disable more than you mean to. (click image for larger view)