Windows xp takes a long time to load

There could be quite a few uneccessary programs starting every time Windows starts, most of them put an icon in the system tray. Ideally you should only have three or four at most.

Right-click each one to see if it has an "Exit" option. However, if you "exit" any, they will just come back next time you start Windows. You need to "disable" them so they don't come back.

Ccleaner will help you do that: http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/

Open CCleaner.
Click "Tools".
Click "Startup"

There is the list of everything that starts with Windows.
Use Google Search to find out what each one does.
If it isn't essential, highlight it, then click "Disable"

When you've finished disabling, restart Windows.