Do you have at least 128 mb of memory? Really, XP doesn't run very well until you have 512 mb of memory, and 1 gb is far better.
You have 30 days to use XP Home before you have to activate it, so I suggest you use it for a bit before you activate, that way if it does not run fast enough for you, you could still sell your copy of XP Home on Ebay or Amazon or Craigslist. If it's just too slow once you've loaded it down with necessary items like antivirus, you can always buy a copy of Windows 98 or ME somewhere - I'd use whatever it came with originally. Drivers should be available from the manufacturer.
If you want more answers, just reply with the make and model of the laptop, along with info such as how much memory you've added (if any).