Windows NT/2000 Server Maintainence

There are three major areas of system cleanup and tuning that you can use. These are:
1) removal of unneeded components
-make sure that what's installed are those that are really needed. you don't want unnecessary network protocols, devices or services (if you don't need IIS [which is installed by default], uninstall it)
2) tuning of the paging file
-if it is too small or resides on a disk with a lot of activity, you will get a reduction in server performance. take note also that every time the paging file expands, it takes system resources to resize the file. watch your server under typical load and then note the size of the paging file. if the paging file is larger than the minimum size, you should change the settings to make sure the paging file starts out at that size.
3) tuning of the server service
-under the file and printer sharing for microsoft networks properties dialog box, select the appropriate server optimization method. (select from a) minimize memory used b) balance c) maximize data throughput for file sharing d) maximize data throughput for network applications)

also make sure you use performance monitor from time to time to discover any bottlenecks in your system.