posted
As promised in this thread, here's my little guide to squeezing the most performance you can out of Windows.
WARNING: Some of the things you will be working with here have the potential to mess your computer up if you mistreat them, so I'd advise following this guide as closely as possible. If you have any doubts about something, DO NOT DO IT - no amount of system resources is worth your computer becoming unusable. Oh, and for Tom's sake: I thought this would be self evident, but for the love of Pete, don't fiddle with your work computer. It doesn't belong to you.
Also, odds are you already have done (and/or continue to do) some of the following, but bear with me.
First things first.
1) Download and install the following if you do not already have them: Lavasoft AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Between the two, you will have your spyware bases covered (unless you are infected with CoolWebSearch, in which case you need CWShredder as well). Remember that these programs do NOTHING if you don't use them regularly and keep them updated - so do both!
2) Defragment your hard drives. Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Defragmenter. This basically reorganizes the data on your hard drive in a logical fashion, meaning less wait time for accessing files or executing programs. This may take anywhere from an hour to eight hours, depending on the size, speed and fragmentation of your hard drive.
3) Right click your My Computer icon. Click Properties, click the Advanced tab, then Settings. Click "Adjust for Best Performance." Now go into Control Panel (Start --> Control Panel) and then go into Display Settings. Click the Appearance tab. Click on effects. Uncheck everything, except possibly "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts," since non anti-aliased fonts look really hideous. You're going to notice that Windows now looks much more drab, but ask yourself: aesthetics or performance? Do you want Windows to look pretty, or do you want to not wait ten seconds for your web browser to open?
4) Start --> Run. This brings up a text field. Type in "services.msc" and hit enter. This should bring up a new window called Services with two frames. The one on the right should contain a long list of things you may or may not recognize, a description column, a status column, a startup type column, and a log on as column.
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN MESS THINGS UP FOR YOURSELF IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL, so please read carefully!
Basically what you're going to do here is disable the little background programs Windows XP runs that you don't need. The list of things you need changes on a per-user basis, so I'll throw in little caveats (e.g. "Don't disable this if you're on a network").
Do not change more than 5 things at a time. After changing a few things, make sure to test your internet connection and other basic programs to make sure everything still functions normally. This way, if something accidentally breaks, you can change back five things instead of changing back fifty.
Right clicking on any of these services and then clicking properties brings up a menu. When my directions say to disable something, make sure the service is stopped (if it's running, click the stop button) and then change the drop down field to Disabled. If your service is already disabled, move on.
Thus begins the list. Your list will vary slightly: do not mess with items I have not listed, as they are likely program-specific and shouldn't be fussed with unless you know what effect it will have.
Alerter: Disable. Application Layer Gateway Service: Do not touch! Application Management: Do not touch! Automatic Updates: Can be disabled if you remember to check for Windows updates on your own. If you do not remember on your own, Do not touch. Background Intelligent Transfer Service: Disable. ClipBook: Disable. COM+ Event System: Do not touch. COM+ System Application: Do not touch. Computer Browser: If you are on a network, Do not touch. Otherwise, disable. Cryptographic Services: Do not touch. DHCP Client: Do not touch Distributed Link Tracking Client: If you are on a network, Do not touch. Otherwise, disable. Distributed Transaction Coordinator: Do not touch. DNS Client: Disable. Error Reporting Service: PLEASE disable. Event Log: DO NOT TOUCH. Fast User Switching Compatibility: If your computer has more than one user account, do not touch. Otherwise, disable. Help & Support: If you've ever actually been helped by the Windows support system, then feel free to leave it running. Otherwise, laugh with me as you DISABLE. Human Interface Device Access: Disable. IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service: If you burn CDs, do not touch. If you don't, disable. Indexing Service: For the love of Pete, disable! Internet Connection Firewall: Do not touch. iPod Service: If you have one, do not touch. Otherwise, disable. IPSEC Services: Disable. Logical Disk Manager: Do not touch. Messenger: Diiiisable. MS Software Shadow Copy Provider: Disable. Net Login: Disable. NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: Disable, unless you know for a fact that you routinely utilize Remote Desktop. Network Connections: DO NOT TOUCH. Network DDE: Disable. Network DDE DSDM: Disable. Network Location Awareness (NLA): Do not touch. Performance Logs & Alerts: Disable. Plug & Play: DO NOT TOUCH. Portable Media Serial Number: Disable. Print Spooler: Do not touch. Protected Storage: Do not touch. QoS RSVP: Disabled. Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: Do not touch. Remote Access Connection Manager: Do not touch. Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: Disable. Remote Procedure Call (RPC): Do not touch. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator: Do not touch. Remote Registry Service: Ugh, disable. Removable Storage: Do not touch. Routing and Remote Access: Disable. Secondary Logon: Disable. Security Accounts Manager: If you have multiple user accounts or password protected accounts for Windows, Do not touch. Otherwise, disable. Server: Do not touch. Shell Hardware Detection: Do not touch. Smart Card: Disabled. Smart Card Helper: Disabled. SSDP Discovery Service: Diiiiiiisabled. System Event Notification: Disabled. System Restore Service: Disable, since Windows System Restore is the most broken thing ever. Task Scheduler: Do not touch. TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper: Disable. Telnet: Disable, since anyone that needs it will have another program for it. Terminal Services: Do not touch. Themes: Disable! Uninterruptible power supply: If, by some very very bizarre coincidence you use one for your home PC, Do not touch. Otherwise, disable. Universal Plug & PLay Device Host: Disable. Upload Manager: Disable. Volume Shadow Copy: Do not touch. WebClient: Disable. Windows Audio: Do not touch. Windows Image Acquisition: Do not touch. Windows Installer: Please do not touch. Windows management Instrumentation: Please please do not touch. Windows Time: Disable. All this does is modify your clock automatically for daylight savings time, and you aren't really THAT lazy are you? Wireless Zero Configuration: If you are confident in your ability to configure your own wireless settings, disable. WMI Performance Adapter: Disable. Workstation: DO NOT TOUCH.
Whew, that's a lot of typing! That's all for round 1. Coming Soon, Round 2: Die, Explorer, Die!
No one uses Windows Messenger. If you use anything, you use MSN Messenger, which is different. Windows Messenger is an annoying little bastard of a program that lives in every XP computer. Follow these instructions to get rid of it. Don't worry, the links are safe, and the scripts aren't malicious so if your Antivirus software says "NO, DON'T DO IT!" you may safely ignore it and do it anyway.
Another thing I forgot: Start --> Run --> enter "msconfig". This brings up the System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab. You will see a bunch of programs and a bunch of little checkboxes. Click and drag the right border of the Command tab so that you can actually see the full file path of each entry. This is going to let you turn off some programs that automatically start up every time you boot up your computer. Everyone has a few of these that they'd like to get rid of, so you need to use your head and read the file paths in the "Command" header. For example, if you want Quicktime to stop starting up, the startup item (which is called qttask) has a file path C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe (or whatever), so just look for the name of the program of the file path.
Feel free to post any questions here, I (and the other tech savvy Hatrackers, I'm sure) will help answer questions if I can.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
Should I mention that Fahim and I both use DiskKeeper to defrag our hard drives. It works in the background and is far superior, in our experience, to the Windoze defragmenter. However, it costs money, so it could be considered optional. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, I tried to exclude purchased software, or I would've recommended a better defragger and Registry Mechanic, among other things. TweakXP is another great tool for the non-nerdy computer user.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
Many, many corporations use Windows Messenger, although they do not use the version of Messenger that comes with the original version of XP. Why? Because it syncs with Microsoft's Live Communications Server, which allows businesses to enable inter-office chat using existing network accounts and passwords, lock down communications with the outside world, and log all chat sessions. If you remove Windows Messenger from a corporate client, their SMS server will probably put it back on.
And it's worth noting that neither Help & Support nor Error Reporting suck up many resources, and are absolutely priceless. Microsoft's Help system is actually fairly useful (in my experience, people who say otherwise don't know how to use it), and Error Reporting has directly benefited me and my company by providing Microsoft with information essential to correcting a bug that was costing us hours of support problems. If you turn off Error Reporting, you're part of the problem.
And System Restore, in a nutshell, saves users' butts. It is absolutely impossible to overstate the ignorance of the common user, and System Restore is generally effective at returning systems to a functional state -- especially if you create a handful of early static restore points for "known-good" configurations.
--------
Let me make this clear: a number of the recommendations in this guide assume that you are a home user and are therefore not using the full potential of your computer. Disabling many of these functions in a corporate environment will almost certainly result in talks with IT staff.
Ironically, there are a few not listed that I would turn off if I were also turning off others; for example, for a home user, I don't quite see the benefit of Volume Shadow Copy once System Restore has been turned off.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
I use windows tweak xp pro, does all of that automatically.
IP: Logged |
And System Restore, in a nutshell, saves users' butts. It is absolutely impossible to overstate the ignorance of the common user, and System Restore is generally effective at returning systems to a functional state -- especially if you create a handful of early static restore points for "known-good" configurations.
--------
Let me make this clear: a number of the recommendations in this guide assume that you are a home user and are therefore not using the full potential of your computer. Disabling many of these functions in a corporate environment will almost certainly result in talks with IT staff.
Ironically, there are a few not listed that I would turn off if I were also turning off others; for example, for a home user, I don't quite see the benefit of Volume Shadow Copy once System Restore has been turned off.
You got that right Tom - this 'common' user has had her buttocks saved more than once by Restore.
As a self taught Computer user I have learned by trial and error, using Help and Support, and 'figuring things out.' Usually that was enough, but I have a son-in-law (who is a computer professional) to consult now and then.
Thanks to both of you for the good tips - I didn't use all of the suggestions, since I prefer to err on the side of caution. The ones I did use have speeded things up noticeably.
Posts: 337 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would also recommed going to www.sysinternals.com. This is a great sight that has tons of tools used for tweaking/diagnosing windows.
I would particularly recommend:
Autoruns: allows you to see all the programs/services that start when your computer starts, let's you see BHO's and any hijacks, shows program paths (very useful: I was able to notice that the svchost.dll, for example, was coming from your "documents and settings" folder instead of the system32 folder)and verifies signatures. While you can manually check msconfig or the startup menu, etc, this puts everything in one place. And keeping an item from running is as simple as unchecking a box. Better than MSAntispyware's tools for this, IMO.
2) ProcessExplorer: A million times better than Task Manager. (In fact, you can hijack that program and have it run this instead.) Shows/ verfies signatures, shows all strings in the software, performace, handles, open files (very helpful) etc. Great, great piece of software.
Posts: 1346 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:And it's worth noting that neither Help & Support nor Error Reporting suck up many resources, and are absolutely priceless. Microsoft's Help system is actually fairly useful (in my experience, people who say otherwise don't know how to use it),
<shrug> I've never used it, nor has anyone I know, so there's a good chance we're all morons - or it's a sign that the system is either a) actually worthless like we think it is, or b) far too complicated for the average, or even above average, home user (if in fact we simply "don't know how to use it" - which I vehemently disagree with). Either answer should result in most people disabling it.
quote: and Error Reporting has directly benefited me and my company by providing Microsoft with information essential to correcting a bug that was costing us hours of support problems. If you turn off Error Reporting, you're part of the problem.
Again, this is news to me: I've never once (nor has anyone I know - and really, I wish this was an exaggeration) received a useful response from the Microsoft Error Reporting service, nor has it been useful in the several tech support calls made to Microsoft. Basically, the tech has always looked at it, discarded it, and gone to the cookie cutter book script anyway.
quote:And System Restore, in a nutshell, saves users' butts. It is absolutely impossible to overstate the ignorance of the common user, and System Restore is generally effective at returning systems to a functional state -- especially if you create a handful of early static restore points for "known-good" configurations.
I have never - not once, ever, EVER - used Windows Restore in a way that was beneficial. Every single time (200+ times) that I've attempted to use it on either my, my coworkers' or my friends' computers, I've received an error. This is after creating restore points 1) Immediately after fresh OS installs, 2) Immediately before and after every major hardware installation. I always use the restore function built into my ordinary software - which, for 95% of the software I've seen, is self-sustaining and not dependent on the Windows Restore being operational.
quote:Let me make this clear: a number of the recommendations in this guide assume that you are a home user and are therefore not using the full potential of your computer. Disabling many of these functions in a corporate environment will almost certainly result in talks with IT staff.
I assumed that this would be the case anyway, since no one should be messing with their work computer to that extent unless they have permission from their IT dept. anyway.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:I would also recommed going to www.sysinternals.com. This is a great sight that has tons of tools used for tweaking/diagnosing windows.
I would particularly recommend:
Autoruns: allows you to see all the programs/services that start when your computer starts, let's you see BHO's and any hijacks, shows program paths (very useful: I was able to notice that the svchost.dll, for example, was coming from your "documents and settings" folder instead of the system32 folder)and verifies signatures. While you can manually check msconfig or the startup menu, etc, this puts everything in one place. And keeping an item from running is as simple as unchecking a box. Better than MSAntispyware's tools for this, IMO.
Ooooh, I like this.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Most of these "tweaks" make little to no difference on my system. The only time windows runs slow on my PC is when I'm using system-intensive applications. Disabling Windows Messenger is going to make no perceivable difference in the performance of my computer.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Most of these "tweaks" make little to no difference on my system. The only time windows runs slow on my PC is when I'm using system-intensive applications. Disabling Windows Messenger is going to make no perceivable difference in the performance of my computer.
It really depends on what you do. Monitoring my resource use before and after I made these changes yesterday on a fresh XP Pro install (along with my standard set of software), I went from 35% used resources immediately after boot to 22% - a HUGE difference, especially since I'm running Freehand, Fireworks, three different web browsers and at least five instances of notepad simultaneously most of the time I'm at the computer, along with an IM client (Trillian, which is a resource hog of a program anyway). I can't even begin to describe the difference it makes for gamers - without changing any graphic settings, I see gains of 4-5 fps.
Probably the most dramatic change the average home user is going to see and notice immediately, though, is from Step 3 in the original post, since it affects the load time of, well, most everything. Windows that used to take a second or two to load should now do so in 0.1 to 0.2 seconds, etc.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: I have never - not once, ever, EVER - used Windows Restore in a way that was beneficial.
Huh. I've used it a few times, and it's generally done the trick. On that basis, I absolutely would not want to turn it off.
Posts: 884 | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Excellent thread! I'm bookmarking this one until I have to time to sit down and implement a bunch of it.
Question:
I'm assuming that simplifyig display options (except for that "Dialogue Windows Animation" nonsense) may have a detrimental effect on graphics-intensive programs.
I've got Windows XP MCE 2002, and I still haven't figured out how to optimize the display for Adobe Premier Elements (home version of their video editor)!
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:I'm assuming that simplifyig display options (except for that "Dialogue Windows Animation" nonsense) may have a detrimental effect on graphics-intensive programs.
Actually, none of the changes I recommended has any effect on any program I use where graphics are a factor. I routinely use Adobe & Macromedia graphic & multimedia software, and it isn't affected. The only thing the changes are designed to influence are the way Windows and Explorer display certain things - e.g. system fonts, dragging windows, etc.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
