Ways to speed up Winamp 5.xx loading time, general operation speed and background bandwidth usage (guide uses the Winamp Modern skin). Tested with Winamp 5.04.
1. Disable mini-visualisation (gives Winamp less to render)
2. In Winamp Preferences (CTRL+P), disable the following in the General Preferences section...
* Show splash screen
* Check for new versions of Winamp at startup
* Allow Winamp to report anonymous usage statistics
Whilst you're in General Preferences, ensure your Internet Connection Settings are correct (LAN, DSL, Cable / Modem etc.)
3. Next, go to the Global Hotkeys section. If you don't use these, untick the Enabled box so Winamp doesn't load/monitor the relevent code in the background.
4. Under the Skins > Modern Skins section, set the Timer resolution to 35ms. Most users will not need anything faster. Whilst you're in the Modern Skins section, click the Alpha Blending tab and untick the Enable Desktop Alpha Blending button. It's eye-candy, so only enable if you don't mind the slowdown (not much slowdown though).
5. Uninstall plugins you don't need. For basic functionality, you only need MPEG Audio Decoder and DirectSound output.
If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to post! Check this site, http://www.winampunlimited.com/like_the_wind/, for futher optimization guide.
[GUIDE] Speed-Up Winamp 5.xx