What are performance tips for windows xp?

My laptop is about a year old, and I don't know much about computers even though I work on one all day. To keep it running well, I only do a few things:
defrag hard drive
delete temp files / (run disk cleanup utility)
windows update for the latest patches, etc.

Should I also run spybot regularly, and anything else? I've noticed the performance of my computer has gone down a bit, and ideally, it'd run faster like it did before without having to upgrade (I think Vista needs more time on the market before it's more bug free). Any ideas? Thanks!

Look for a free program on the web called dustbuster XP I bet it will help your computer performance. . . Also run a program to check for spyware weekly. . more than one if possible.
Dustbuster
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1182

Sometimes, you just have to uninstall programs you aren't using and remove some start up items from systray.

I tend to use spybot on a regular basis. I also hold off on the windows updates until the latest round have proven to be "okay". After the service pack two issues with the updates causing problems with over 50 applications I tend to be slower on getting the updates. Mostly try to keep only that which you need loaded in the systray and on startup. Most folks don't even realize the amount of stuff that is running in the background. You might also reduce the temp space that your browser uses for internet files. In IE goto "tools" then "Internet Options" then "settings" under Temporary Internet Files. If it's set to more than 5 or 10 Mb you might want to roll it back. It will help free up drive space and you really don't need IE saving copies of webpages you visit.