What happened to your heavy-duty speed-demon system? All those megabytes of memory, big bad buses, and CPU clock cycles haven't kept your PC from drifting into the slow lane. This isn't just the gradual degradation most PCs undergo over time. But there haven't been any major blowups, either. So what gives?
A number of factors, having little to do with the age or capabilities or your system, can create excruciating system slowness. The Windows OS (operating system) is notoriously inefficient, which can affect performance. The file system also impacts Windows and hardware performance. How you work with applications can improve system speed, as can some basic hardware updates. Try the easy steps below to get your system back into the fast lane.
Windows' Disk Cleanup utility will help you free up hard drive space, giving Windows and other applications more room to work.
Operating System.
The operating system is a critical piece of software that has a great influence on the overall performance of your PC. There are many things you can do within the OS that will help speed up a slow computer.
Limit startup programs. The wrong startup programs can slow down your PC at boot time and beyond. Unnecessary startup applications not only bog down the boot process, but they also run (often hidden) in the background and consume valuable system resources. Too many background applications will eventually leave nothing left for active programs.
The easiest place to find and remove startup applications is in Windows' Startup folder. From the Start menu, select Programs (All Programs in Windows XP) and find the Startup folder. Delete anything that doesn't absolutely need to run automatically all the time. Firewall and antivirus applications are two of the very few types of programs should always be running on your PC. Not all vendors are up front enough to place their applications in the Startup folder, however. Use Windows' System Configuration Utility to remove hidden startup applications. From the Run prompt (in the Start menu) type msconfig and click OK. Select the Startup tab to check out what other apps are launching at boot up. Uncheck anything nonessential. Many processes and programs have cryptic or obscure names. When in doubt, search the Web to find out what a particular process is supposed to do.
Clean out fonts. Fonts are wonderful things. The different types let you give voice to a wonderful variety of expression. But unused or useless fonts are a drag on system performance. Windows loads all your fonts at bootup, just to keep them handy in case an application needs them. But the more fonts you have, the more resources Windows consumes in keeping track of them. You probably have dozens of fonts you won't ever need, and didn't know you had. Periodically go into Windows' Fonts folder (C:\Windows\Fonts) and remove any unused Fonts. Select each font (hold down SHIFT or CTRL while clicking to select contiguous or noncontiguous groups, respectively) and choose Delete from the File menu. Double-click a font to view a sample.
End active desktop. Windows' Active Desktop feature, introduced with Internet Explorer in Windows 95, brings live Web content to your desktop. Even if you enjoy this constant stream of information, it can require exorbitant amounts of video and system memory. Deactivate Active Desktop in Windows 9x/Me by right-clicking a blank area of the Desktop, clicking Properties, and selecting the Web tab. Uncheck the View My Active Desktop As A Web Page box. In WinXP, right-click the Desktop, choose Properties, and select the Desktop tab. Click the Customize Desktop button and, under the Web tab, uncheck each listed Web page.
Keep it simple. WinXP's default set of animations and transitions is pleasing to the eye. But it doesn't do your PC any favors, especially if your hardware is a couple years old. All that sliding, fading, and shadowing takes a toll on memory and processing power. But WinXP animations aren't an all-or-nothing proposition. You can customize which effects to use or let Windows handle the decisions. Access your System Properties from the Control Panel (or by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties).
Windows' Disk Cleanup utility will help you free up hard drive space, giving Windows and other applications more room to work.
Navigate to the Advanced tab and select the Settings button in the Performance category. Prioritize performance, appearance, or let Windows choose a middle route. Alternately, choose the Custom option and enable or disable specific visual effects by checking or unchecking their respective entries.
Play server. Win98 and WinMe handle caching and multitasking functions based on whether they think you're running a desktop, mobile, or server-type machine. The nice thing is that you get to decide. Setting your machine up as a "network server" in Win98/Me will take advantage of performance features standard in later OSes. Right-click My Computer on the Desktop and choose Properties from the context menu that appears. Select the Performance tab and click File System. Change the Typical Role Of This Computer field to Network Server.
Clean out the Registry. Windows' Registry often contains duplicate or obsolete entries. The Registry is a database storing all the configuration information for the OS and your system—cleaning it out can help improve Windows' performance dramatically. Don't try to browse and delete Registry entries manually, though. You can easily render your system inoperable with one wrong move, so find a respected Registry utility (we review several in our "System Performance Utilities" sidebar). No matter how much you trust a Registry utility, though, always back up the Registry before attempting to clean it out. Launch the Registry Editor from the Run option under the Start menu. Type regedit in the command line
and click OK. From the File menu, click Export and save the backup file (with a .REG extension) in a safe place. To restore the Registry, simply open the Registry Editor again, choose Import (also under the File menu), and find your backup file.
Use Windows' Task Scheduler to automate routine maintenance activities.
Reinstall. Over time, despite your very best efforts, Windows can become so top-heavy and cluttered with orphaned files, abandoned applications, and unnecessary processes that it's best to just start over from scratch. Power users, especially those with lots of programs and a large amount of file system activity, are especially prone to bogging down the OS. Though reinstalling the OS is an extreme step, and should be a last resort, you will probably see a significant improvement in performance with a clean Windows installation. Be prepared to back up all your data, reinstall all programs, and devote time to setting up again. See "What To Do When . . . You Need To Reinstall Your OS" on page 43 in this issue for in-depth step-by-step instructions.
File System.
Organize and maintain your files to keep your PC running smoothly. Here are some tips for the specific areas.
Make room. A full hard drive will bog down your system on all fronts. For one, as the drive fills up, Windows has to search more and more data to fulfill each request. More importantly, though, a full disk hinders the OS' ability to move files around temporarily and to manage virtual memory. First, empty the Recycle bin. You can easily lose hundreds of megabytes to files just sitting around waiting to be fully deleted. Then, run Microsoft's Disk Cleanup utility. From the Start menu, you will need to go to Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. Open Disk Cleanup, select the drive, and click OK. The utility will analyze the system and offer suggestions. Check each box and click OK. Next, uninstall unused applications. From Windows' Control Panel, select Add/ Remove Programs. Remove any programs you don't use, especially applications preinstalled by the manufacturer. Finally, archive infrequently used data to removable storage.
Remove temporary files. Disk Cleanup doesn't get rid of everything. Free up even more space by manually searching for and deleting temporary files. Most applications use temporary files to store session-specific information, back up active files, and (in theory) delete them when you close the program. But sometimes, for a variety of reasons, temporary files aren't deleted. So they sit, taking up valuable disk space, and not doing anything remotely useful. Open Windows' Search tool (called Find in Win98) from the Start menu. Find all files beginning with a tilde (~) (search for "~*.*") and all files with a .TMP file extension (search for "*.tmp"). Remove any that aren't immediately associated with an open file or application.
Defragment. A full hard drive isn't your only potential problem. Even with plenty of free space on a drive, the file system can become so fragmented that Windows can't efficiently access and store data. The OS stores information on a hard drive in sectors. When there aren't enough contiguous sectors available, Windows stores parts of files in different places on the disk and then keeps track of them all in a file allocation table. Removing files and applications further scatters sectors on the disk. Thus, over time, fragmentation occurs as more and more files are split up and stored in more and more places. And, because the system has to search more places to find files and work harder to put them together, fragmentation is a major drag on system performance. Run Windows Disk Defragmenter tool to rearrange files in the most optimal way. From the Start menu, open Programs, Accessories, and then System Tools. Open the Disk Defragmenter utility. In WinXP, let the utility analyze each drive to assess its level of fragmentation and determine whether it's worth defragging.
When your system slows down, check Task Manager for closed-down applications that haven't relinquished their hold on system resources.
Scan for viruses. Viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses can all create serious system slowdowns. If you're already running anti-virus software, make sure the virus definitions are up-to-date (these are normally downloaded from the program's manufacturer, on a subscription basis) and perform a complete system scan. If you don't have an antivirus package, buy one. Install the software, update it, and then run a complete scan. In either case, schedule regular (at least weekly) scans and definition updates.
Perform regular maintenance. Don't make Disk Cleanup, temporary file removal, Disk Defragmenter, and antivirus scanning one-time activities. Without proper maintenance, system speed will continue to degrade needlessly. Schedule these activities using built-in tools (as with most antivirus programs) or using Windows' Task Scheduler. From the Start menu, navigate to Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. Open Scheduled Tasks. Double-click Add Scheduled Task to launch the Scheduled Task Wizard. Choose an application you want to run (Disk Cleaner, for example), set the schedule, and enter the login information of a user with permissions to run the program.
Applications.
Here are some software usage tips that you can use to boost your system's performance.
Uninstall correctly. When removing an application, use Windows' Add/Remove Programs utility (from the Control Panel) or the program's own uninstall utility. If you just remove the application's folder from Program Files or manually delete files, you'll miss Registry entries and hidden or cryptically named files. In time, debris from all kinds of long-forgotten programs will clutter up the system and bog it down. Performing official uninstalls will help prevent the problem, but how do you fix your current predicament? If possible, reinstall improperly removed programs, and then uninstall them the right way. Otherwise, plan on using a Registry cleaning utility and Disk Cleanup to clear out as much flotsam and jetsam as you can find.
Bad or outdated device drivers can slow your system down. Check and update drivers with Device Manager.
Check for cling-ons. Not all applications shut down gracefully and relinquish their system resources when you close them. Sometimes programs or their associated services will hang on after closing, or Windows will continue to assign resources to an application even after exiting. Check Task Manager (by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL) for programs you aren't actually running. In WinXP, click the Processes tab for more detailed listings. Netscape, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Outlook, and RealPlayer are notorious for remaining "resident" in memory and continuing to monopolize scarce resources. Select each unneeded application or process and click End Task or End Process, respectively, to force it to quit.
Do more with less. Multitasking is one of the great computing innovations of the last decade. But the ability to work in a number of programs at once is a dual-edged sword. The possibilities of multitasking often lead users to approach or exceed their systems' capabilities. If you're doing several things at once, and the system bogs down, accomplish more by closing extra applications and just doing one thing at a time.
Roll back or upgrade. It's almost a law of software: As hardware speed and capacity improves, software gets bigger, buggier, and more bloated. Chances are the applications and software versions you have on your system today aren't the same as when your machine was running so much faster. Especially if you upgraded Windows, you're asking much more of your hardware. And as you continue to add and upgrade software, the programs will get bigger and require more system resources.
It's a depressing inevitability: over the long term, your computer will get slower and slower, until it's obsolete and needs replacing. In the short term, though, you have two options: downgrade software or upgrade hardware. The former might not be feasible, if you don't own previous versions or need certain new features. But if you aren't getting anything extra out of a new software version, uninstalling the new version and reinstalling the old may free up resources. Otherwise, pony up for a hardware upgrade. Adding system memory (RAM) will provide the most bang for your buck. Also, consider a newer (bigger and faster) hard drive or a new video card (with its own processor and video memory).
Hardware.
So far, our tips have focused on the software inside your PC, but there are some quick and inexpensive ways to speed up your hardware, too.
Cool down. An overheating processor can drastically affect speed. In fact, if the CPU (central processing unit) gets too hot, you'll have a clock speed of exactly zero. Even a slightly overheated system, though, will perform sporadically and often sluggishly. First, back up all your data. Then shut down and disconnect the power cable. Open the case (you'll probably need a screwdriver), reconnect the power, and boot up. Make sure all fans are running and are unobstructed; check for case fans in addition to a processor fan and heatsink. Shut down and unplug the system again. Make sure there is plenty of room for airflow within the case. Use cable ties to group wires and move them out of the way. Feel the processor fan or heat sink. It should be warm, but if you can't even stand to hold your finger to it for a second or two, you may have a heat problem. Purchase a newer or larger CPU fan or heatsink and invest $5 in a case fan, if you have a spot for one.
Update device drivers. Updated drivers can often breathe new life into old hardware. Better yet, they can help prevent hardware from bogging down the rest of the system. Check the manufacturers' Web sites for each of your hardware and peripheral devices. Download and install any updated drivers, rebooting as necessary. Either download and install drivers directly, or use Windows' Device Manager. Right-click My Computer and select Properties from the context menu. Under the Hardware tab, click the Device Manager button. Right-click each device (expand the categories by clicking the plus sign [+] on the left) and select Properties. Under the Driver tab, view details such as date and version number or click Update Driver to browse for (or let Windows search for) new driver files. And yes, WinXP lets you rollback a driver to a previous version or uninstall the driver entirely.
Add memory. What used to be a generous amount of system memory (64 or 128 MB) is now, under many circumstances, woefully inadequate. WinXP requires 128MB, but we recommend 256MB or even 512MB. If you upgraded the OS or added other new software, you may simply not have enough system memory. And if you expanded your hardware collection or just do more with your PC, adding more memory can make all the difference.
Check your system documentation for the type and amounts of memory the motherboard accepts. Most recent motherboards will hold two or three memory chips with a total capacity of 512MB or 1GB. Be careful to buy the right kind of chip, though. SDRAM, DDR, and EDO are all competing standards and aren't cross-compatible. Also, within each category, buy the fastest memory your system will support. More memory is the single best upgrade for your system—it provides the greatest performance improvement for the least cost (under $100 for 512MB). It will do more than any other single upgrade to speed up your system and improve overall performance. So get the fastest and the most memory your system supports and max out the motherboard.
When a good system goes bad, it's tempting to (figuratively) throw it out the window and go shopping. But most of the time, severe system slowdowns result from easily fixable software and hardware problems. With a little patience and a little troubleshooting, you can follow these steps to speed up your existing system and get back into the fast lane.
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[ Windows XP Tips ]
More tips for your slow computer!
DISABLE INDEXING SERVICES
Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don't search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary. To disable do the following:
1. Go to Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Double-click Add/Remove Programs
5. Click the Add/Remove Window Components
6. Uncheck the Indexing services
7. Click Next
OPTIMISE DISPLAY SETTINGS
Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimise:
1.Go to Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click System
5. Click Advanced tab
6. In the Performance tab click Settings
7. Leave only the following ticked:
- Show shadows under menus
- Show shadows under mouse pointer
- Show translucent selection rectangle
- Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
- Use visual styles on windows and buttons
DISABLE PERFORMANCE COUNTERS
Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC's performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.
To disable:
1. download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List (Windows 2000 Server)
2.Then select each counter in turn in the 'Extensible performance counters' window and clear the 'performance counters enabled' checkbox at the bottom.button below.
SPEEDUP FOLDER BROWSING
You may have noticed that everytime you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:
1. Open My Computer
2. Click on Tools menu
3. Click on Folder Options
4. Click on the View tab.
5. Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
6. Click Apply
7. Click Ok
8. Reboot your computer
IMPROVE MEMORY USAGE
Cacheman Improves the performance of your computer by optimizing the disk cache, memory and a number of other settings.
Once Installed:
1.Go to Show Wizard and select All
2.Run all the wizards by selecting Next or Finished until you are back to the main menu. Use the defaults unless you know exactly what you are doing.
3.Exit and Save Cacheman
4.Restart Windows
OPTIMISE YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION
There are lots of ways to do this but by far the easiest is to run TCP/IP Optimizer.
1. Download(www.speedguide.net/files/tcpoptimizer.exe) and install
2. Click the General Settings tab and select your Connection Speed (Kbps)
3. Click Network Adapter and choose the interface you use to connect to the Internet
4. Check Optimal Settings then Apply
5. Reboot
OPTIMIZE YOUR PAGEFILE
If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file.
1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties
2. Select the Advanced tab
3. Under Performance choose the Settings button
4. Select the Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select Change
5. Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the initial Size of the file the same as the Maximum Size of the file.
Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.
RUN BOOTVIS - IMPROVE BOOT TIMES download from(MajorGeeks.com - Download Freeware and Shareware Computer Utilities.) BootVis will significantly improve boot times
1. Download and Run
2. Select Trace
3. Select Next Boot and Driver Trace
4. A Trace Repetitions screen will appear, select Ok and Reboot
5. Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, analyze and log your system's boot process. When it's done, in the menu go to Trace and select Optimize System
6. Reboot.
7. When your machine has rebooted wait until you see the Optimizing System box appear. Be patient and wait for the process to complete
REMOVE THE DESKTOP PICTURE
Your desktop background consumes a fair amount of memory and can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it will improve performance.
1. Right click on Desktop and select Properties
2. Select the Desktop tab
3. In the Background window select None
4. Click Ok
REMOVE FONTS FOR SPEED
Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.
1. Open Control Panel
2. Open Fonts folder
3. Move fonts you don't need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:\FONTBKUP?) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.
DISABLE UNNECESSARY SERVICES
Because Windows XP has to be all things to all people it has many services running that take up system resources that you will never need. Below is a list of services that can be disabled on most machines:
Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Fast User Switching
Help and Support - (If you use Windows Help and Support leave this enabled)
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Remote Registry Service
Secondary Logon
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service - (Unplug n' Pray will disable this)
Telnet
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Upload Manager
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (Do not disable if you use a wireless network)
Workstation
To disable these services:
Go to Start and then Run and type "services.msc"
Doubleclick on the service you want to change
Change the startup type to 'Disable"
TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE
System Restore can be a useful if your computer is having problems, however storing all the restore points can literally take up Gigabytes of space on your hard drive. To turn off System Restore:
Open Control Panel
Click on Performance and Maintenance
Click on System
Click on the System Restore tab
Tick 'Turn off System Restore on All Drives'
Click 'Ok'
DEFRAGMENT YOUR PAGEFILE
Keeping your pagefile defragmented can provide a major performance boost. One of the best ways of doing this is to creat a separate partition on your hard drive just for your page file, so that it doesn't get impacted by normal disk usage. Another way of keeping your pagefile defragmented is to run PageDefrag. This cool little app can be used to defrag your pagefile, and can also be set to defrag the pagefile everytime your PC starts. To install:
Download(Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources) and Run PageDefrag
Tick "Defrag at next Reboot",
Click "Ok"
Reboot
SPEEDUP FOLDER ACCESS - DISABLE LAST ACCESS UPDATE
If you have a lot of folders and subdirectories on your computer, when you access a directory XP wastes a lot of time updating the time stamp showing the last access time for that directory and for ALL sub directories. To stop XP doing this you need to edit the registry. If you are uncomfortable doing this then please do not attempt.
Go to Start and then Run and type "regedit"
Click through the file system until you get to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Cur rentControlSet\Control\FileSys tem"
Right-click in a blank area of the window on the right and select 'DWORD Value'
Create a new DWORD Value called 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate'
Then Right click on the new value and select 'Modify'
Change the Value Data to '1'
Click 'OK'
DISABLE SYSTEM SOUNDS
Surprisingly, the beeps that your computer makes for various system sounds can slow it down, particularly at startup and shut-down. To fix this turn off the system sounds:
Open Control Panel
Click Sounds and Audio Devices
Check Place volume icon in taskbar
Click Sounds Tab
Choose "No Sounds" for the Sound Scheme
Click "No"
Click "Apply"
Click "OK"
IMPROVE BOOT TIMES
A great new feature in M'zoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option in enables but on some builds it is not so below is how to turn it on.
Go to Start Menu and Click Run
Type in "Regedit" then click ok
Find "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M icrosoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction"
Select "Enable" from the list on the right
Right on it and select "Modify"
Change the value to "Y to enable"
Reboot
IMPROVE SWAPFILE PERFORMANCE
If you have more than 256MB of RAM this tweak will considerably improve your performance. It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.
Go to Start then Run
Type "msconfig.exe" then ok
Click on the System.ini tab
Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the plus sign
Click on new then in the blank box type"ConservativeSwapfileUsage =1"
Click OK
Restart PC
MAKE YOUR MENUS LOAD FASTER
This is one of my favourite tweaks as it makes a huge difference to how fast your machine will 'feel'. What this tweak does is remove the slight delay between clicking on a menu and XP displaying the menu.
Go to Start then Run
Type 'Regedit' then click 'Ok'
Find "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\"
Select "MenuShowDelay"
Right click and select "Modify'
Reduce the number to around "100"
This is the delay time before a menu is opened. You can set it to "0" but it can make windows really hard to use as menus will open if you just look at them - well move your mouse over them anyway. I tend to go for anywhere between 50-150 depending on my mood
MAKE PROGRAMS LOAD FASTER
This little tweak tends to work for most programs. If your program doesn't load properly just undo the change. For any program:
Right-click on the icon/shortcut you use to launch the program
Select properties
In the 'target' box, add ' /prefetch:1' at the end of the line.
Click "Ok"
Voila - your programs will now load faster.
IMPROVE XP SHUTDOWN SPEED
This tweak reduces the time XP waits before automatically closing any running programs when you give it the command to shutdown.
Go to Start then select Run
Type 'Regedit' and click ok
Find 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\'
Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now select 'HungAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop'
Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Cur rentControlSet\Control\'
Select 'WaitToKillServiceTimeout'
Right click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
SPEED UP BOOT TIMES I
This tweak works by creating a batch file to clear the temp and history folders everytime you shutdown so that your PC doesn't waste time checking these folders the next time it boots. It's quite simple to implement:
1. Open Notepad and create a new file with the following entries:
RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\"UserName without quotes"\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "D:\Temp\" "Deletes temp folder, type in the location of your temp folder"
2. Save the new as anything you like but it has to be a '.bat' file e.g. fastboot.bat or deltemp.bat
3. Click 'Start' then 'Run'
4. Type in 'gpedit.msc' and hit 'ok'
5. Click on 'Computer Configuration' then 'Windows Settings'
6. Double-click on 'Scripts' and then on 'Shutdown'
7. Click 'Add' and find the batch file that you created and then press 'Ok'
SPEED UP BOOT TIMES II
When your PC starts it usually looks for any bootable media in any floppy or cd-rom drives you have installed before it gets around to loading the Operating System from the HDD. This can waste valuable time. To fix this we need to make some changes to the Bios.
1. To enter the bios you usually press 'F2' or 'delete' when your PC starts
2. Navigate to the 'Boot' menu
3. Select 'Boot Sequence'
4. Then either move your Hard drive to the top position or set it as the 'First Device'
5. Press the 'Escape' key to leave the bios. Don't forget to save your settings before exiting
Note: Once this change has been made, you won't be able to boot from a floppy disc or a CD-rom. If for some strange reason you need to do this in the future, just go back into your bios, repeat the steps above and put your floppy or CD-rom back as the 'First Device'
SPEED UP BOOT TIMES III
When your computer boots up it usually has to check with the network to see what IP addresses are free and then it grabs one of these. By configuring a manually assigned IP address your boot time will improve. To do this do the following:
1. Click on 'Start' and then ''Connect To/Show All Connections'
2. Right-click your network adapter card and click 'Properties'.
3. On the 'General' tab, select 'TCP/IP' in the list of services and click 'Properties'
4.I n the TCP/IP properties, click 'Use the following address' and enter an IP address for your PC. If you are using a router this is usually 192.168.0.xx or 192.168.1.xx. If you are not sure what address you could check with your ISP or go to 'Start/run' and type 'cmd' and then 'ipconfig/all'. This will show your current IP settings which you will need to copy.
5. Enter the correct details for 'Subnet mask', 'Default gateway' and 'DNS Server'. Again if you are not sure what figures to enter use 'ipconfig/all' as in stage 4.
FREE UP MEMORY
I found this useful app via FixMyXP. ClearMem Is an Excellent Tool for speeding up your XP Computer (especially if your system has been on for awhile and you have a lot of applications open). What it does, is it Forces pages out of physical memory and reduces the size of running processes if working sets to a minimum. When you run this tool, the system pauses because of excessive high-priority activity associated with trimming the working sets. To run this tool, your paging file must be at least as large as physical memory. To Check your Paging File:
1. Go to your control panel, then click on 'System', then go to the 'Advanced' Tab, and Under 'Performance' click 'Settings' then the 'Advanced' Tab
2. On the Bottom you should see 'Virtual Memory' and a value. This is the value that must be at least as large as how much memory is in your system.
3. If the Virtual Memory Value is smaller than your system memory, click Change and change the Min Virtual Memory to a number that is greater than your total system memory, then click 'Set' and Reboot.
4. Once you have rebooted install ClearMem
ENSURE XP IS USING DMA MODE
XP enables DMA for Hard-Drives and CD-Roms by default on most ATA or ATAPI (IDE) devices. However, sometimes computers switch to PIO mode which is slower for data transfer - a typical reason is because of a virus. To ensure that your machine is using DMA:
1. Open 'Device Manager'
2. Double-click 'IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers'
3. Right-click 'Primary Channel' and select 'Properties' and then 'Advanced Settings'
4. In the 'Current Transfer Mode' drop-down box, select 'DMA if Available' if the current setting is 'PIO Only'
ADD CORRECT NETWORK CARD SETTINGS
Some machines suffer from jerky graphics or high CPU usage even when a machine is idle. A possible solution for this, which, can also can help network performance is to:
1. RightClick 'My Computer'
2. Select 'Manage'
3. Click on 'Device Manager'
4. DoubleClick your network adaptor under 'Network Adapters'
5. In the new window, select the 'Advanced' tab
6. Select 'Connection Type' and select the correct type for your card and then Reboot
REMOVE ANNOYING DELETE CONFIRMATION MESSAGES
Although not strictly a performance tweak I love this fix as it makes my machine 'feel' faster. I hate the annoying 'are you sure?' messages that XP displays, especially if I have to use a laptop touchpad to close them. To remove these messages:
1. Right-click on the 'Recycle Bin' on the desktop and then click 'Properties'
2. Clear the 'Display Delete Confirmation Dialog' check box and click 'Ok'
If you do accidently delete a file don't worry as all is not lost. Just go to your Recycle Bin and 'Restore' the file.
DISABLE PREFETCH ON LOW MEMORY SYSTEMS
Prefetch is designed to speed up program launching by preloading programs into memory - not a good idea is memory is in short supply, as it can make programs hang. To disable prefetch:
1. Click 'Start' then 'Run'
2. Type in 'Regedit' then click 'Ok'
3. Navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Cur rentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\ '
4. Right-click on "EnablePrefetcher" and set the value to '0'
5. Reboot.
( Any changes/errors containing in your new information in your system, will not be my fault. DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. )
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