This paper presents a disturbance reduction scheme for linear systems with time delays. The linear systems in the study are assumed to be nominally stable, minimum phase, and relative degree one systems. The proposed scheme is a combination of Astrom's modified Smith predictor with a disturbance reduction controller and a grey predictor. Unlike conventional disturbance rejection methods, the scheme proposed in this study does not require the estimation of disturbance frequencies. The grey prediction method is used to approximate the inverse of the time delay and to enhance the robustness of the disturbance reduction scheme against errors in the estimated delay time. The simulation results demonstrate the successful performance of the proposed disturbance reduction method for controlling a linear system with time delays, subjected to both step and periodic disturbances. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.