Just changed from Win98 to Win XP. and although I now have 1Gb Ram my computer takes ages to load all the extra programs I now have available. Can someone please show a novice ( an old one at that!) how to stop loading so much onto my Desktop but leave the icons there to be able to load them when I want to use them??? Any advice must be of the A...B...C... type please.

Copy all the icons that you do not want to run at startup into a folder.
Make a shortcut for that folder and place that shortcut on your desktop
use a program (such as the one below) to allow you managing your startup
Remove any program that you do not want to run by putting a disable next to it

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

When you want to run any disabled-at-startup program go to the folder above