Manage Application Priorities

Even though Windows XP and nowadays processors are supporting multitask but actually they only can do one task at a time. So, Windows XP do the task by the priority that set by system. Windows will run the highest priority first then the lower priority.

By default, Windows XP set to Normal priority every you open an application. The priorities are Realtime, High, AboveNormal, Normal, BelowNormal, Low.
So you need set it manually if you want to give an application to higher priority. Windows XP provides two ways to set it. First way, with Task Manager and command line.
First way, to use Task Manager, you need press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together. Then click Processes tab, right click the application which will set to certain priority, click Set Priority menu then choose your priority. (To open Task manager you also can through Run menu (Start-Run menu), type taskmgr.exe in box).
Second way, with command line, click Start - Run menu then in box type start /priority_parameter application_exe_filename. Parameters are /low, /belownormal, /normal, /abovenormal, /realtime. For example if you want to put Microsoft Word to realtime priority, type start /realtime winword.exe then press Enter key.
Now your favorite application can run on higher priority so then your application can run more smoothly.