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WINDOWS XP TWEAKS - II (Continued….)
See my first post on windows xp tweaks
#16 - IMPROVE NTFS PERFORMANCE
The NTFS file system is the recommended file system because of its advantages in terms of reliability and security and because it is required for large drive sizes. However, these advantages come with some overhead. You can modify some functionality to improve NTFS performance as follows:
1. Disable creation of short names. By default, NTFS generates the style of file name that consists of eight characters, followed by a period and a three-character extension for compatibility with MS-DOS and Microsoft® Windows® 3.x clients. If you are not supporting these types of clients, you can turn off this setting by changing the default value of the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation registry entry (in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem) to 1.
2. Disable last access update. By default NTFS updates the date and time stamp of the last access on directories whenever it traverses the directory. For a large NTFS volume, this update process can slow performance. To disable automatic updating, change the value of the NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate registry entry (in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentContolSet\Control\Filesystem) to 1. If the entry is not already present in the registry, add it before setting the value. (Add it as a REG_DWORD)
3. Reserve appropriate space for the master file table. Add the NtfsMftZoneReservation entry to the registry as a REG_DWORD in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. When you add this entry to the registry, the system reserves space on the volume for the master file table. Reserving space in this manner allows the master file table to grow optimally. If your NTFS volumes generally contain relatively few files that are typically large, set value of this registry entry to 1 (the default). Typically you can use a value of 2 or 3 for moderate numbers of files, and 4 (the maximum) if your volumes tend to contain a relatively large number of files. However, be sure to test any settings greater than 2 because these higher values cause the system to reserve a much larger portion of the disk for the master file table.
Reboot after making changes.
#17 - SYSTEMPAGES MEMORY TWEAK
Not 100% sure if this tweak will yield a great performance boost to the majority of users out there, but for me it seems to have shown very good results. By default, if you look in the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]key, you'll see the 'SystemPages' DWORD Value set to something around 500 MB (more accurately, 524288 (KB), or something close to that value). Simply reduce the value to something around 128 MB (131072 KB) or 256 MB (262144 KB). Personally, I'm using the 128 MB setting, since my total RAM is 256 MB. It might help to experiment a little, since each machine will most likely yield better or worse results. You can also try CacheBoost from WWW.SYSTWEAK.COM .It is a handy liitle tool for managing system cache and freeing up RAM.Good Luck!
#18 - SYSTEM CONFIGURATION UTILITY
To Get to the System Configuration Utility
Click Start
Click Help and Support
Click Tools
On the left Select System Configuration Utlity
#19 - SPEED UP MENU DISPLAY
When using the start menu the you will notice a delay between different tiers of the menu hierarchy. For the fastest computer experience possible I recommend changing this value to zero. This will allow the different tiers to appear instantly.
Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Select MenuShowDelay from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to 0.
Reboot your computer.
#20 - DISABLE UNNECESSARY SERVICES TO FREE SYSTEM RESOURCES
Services are programs that run when the computer starts up and continue to run as they aid the operating system in functionality. There are many services that load and are not needed which take up memory space and CPU time. Disabling these services will free up system resources which will speed up your overall computer experience. I recommend that you sort through the list and read the descriptions to decide if you need that service depending on what you want to do with your computer. Remember, you can always turn the service back on if you find that you need it in the future. Below is the procedure to turn off a service.
Click the start button.
Select run from the bottom of the right column.
Then type services.msc in the box and click ok.
Once the services window has loaded we are ready to turn off unneeded services.
For instructional purposes we are going to turn off the Portable Media Serial Number service.
Find this service in the list and select it with the mouse.
Right click and select Properties.
Once the properties windows has loaded locate the Start up type drop down box and select disable.
Then just click ok and the next time the computer starts the service will not be loaded.
#21 INSTALL AN ASPI LAYER:
WinXP does not install an ASPI layer. Most of the problems with WinXP and CD burning software are ASPI layer problems. After installing WinXP, before installing any CD burning software do a few things first:
1. Open up "My computer" and right click on the CD Recorder. If your CD recorder was detected as a CD recorder there will be a tab called "Recording". On this tab uncheck ALL of the boxes. apply or OK out of it and close my computer.
2. Next install the standard ASPI layer for NT. Reboot when asked.
Disable Autorun:
Start -> Run... -> type "gpedit.msc"
+-Computer Config
'-+-Administrative Templates
'-+-System
3. Double Click 'Turn off Autoplay'
#21 CLEAR PAGE FILE ON SHUTDOWN:
Open Control panel -> Administrative tools -> local security policy
+-local policies
'-+-security options
Enable "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
#22 INCREASE BROADBAND SPEED:
This is for broad band connections. I didn’t try it on dial up but might work for dial up.
Log on as local "Administrator" user account, not just as user with admin rights.
Start -> Run... -> type gpedit.msc
+-local computer policy
'-+-Computer Configuration
'-+-Administrative templates
'-+-Network
'-+-QoS Packet Scheduler
Double click "limit reservable bandwidth" Select "enabled" then set "Bandwidth limit %" to 0.
#23 REMOVE SHARED DOCUMENTS FROM MY COMPUTER:
Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/ MyComputer/NameSpace/DelegateFolders
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} sub-key.
#24 FASTER SHUTDOWN:
Open regedit and set the following keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
"HungAppTimeout" = 5000 (Default value)
"WaitToKillAppTimeout" = 4000 (Default is 20000).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout" = 4000
Another thing that helps to speed up shutdown:
Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services
Set "NVidia Driver Helper service" to Manual
#25 TWEAK XP PREFETCHER:
The XP Prefetcher service monitors programs that initialize during startup, then in future fetches them quickly. You can improve its performance. Open regedit and set the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
"EnablePrefetcher" = 5
#26 DISABLE ZIP FOLDERS:
Windows XP has built-in support for .ZIP files, however the system uses a sizeable portion of resources doing this. To disable:
Start -> Run... -> type "regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll"
#27 UNLOAD UNUSED DLLS:
Explorer often leaves DLLs cached in memory for a long period of time after they have been finished with. To turn off this behavior open regedit and create key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
"AlwaysUnloadDLL" = DWORD:1
Set to 0 to disable.
Note: A restart is needed for this to take effect.
#28 MANUALLY SET L2 CACHE:
Open regedit and browse to key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\
"SecondLevelDataCache"
Be sure to edit this key in Decimal mode.
#29 DISABLE WINDOWS FILE PROTECTION:
To totally disable Windows File Protection, Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
"SFCDisable" = FFFFFF9D
#30 AUTOMATICALLY KILL PROGRAMS AT SHUTDOWN:
Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
AutoEndTasks = 1
#31 SYSTEM CACHE BOOST:
This will allocate all but 4MB of system memory to the file system cache allowing the XP Kernel to run in memory. The 4MB of memory left is used for disk caching, this tweak improves performance by a fair bit but can, degrade performance in some apps. (256+ MB RAM needed)
"LargeSystemCache" = 1.
Give your comments plz.
See my first post on windows xp tweaks
#16 - IMPROVE NTFS PERFORMANCE
The NTFS file system is the recommended file system because of its advantages in terms of reliability and security and because it is required for large drive sizes. However, these advantages come with some overhead. You can modify some functionality to improve NTFS performance as follows:
1. Disable creation of short names. By default, NTFS generates the style of file name that consists of eight characters, followed by a period and a three-character extension for compatibility with MS-DOS and Microsoft® Windows® 3.x clients. If you are not supporting these types of clients, you can turn off this setting by changing the default value of the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation registry entry (in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem) to 1.
2. Disable last access update. By default NTFS updates the date and time stamp of the last access on directories whenever it traverses the directory. For a large NTFS volume, this update process can slow performance. To disable automatic updating, change the value of the NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate registry entry (in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentContolSet\Control\Filesystem) to 1. If the entry is not already present in the registry, add it before setting the value. (Add it as a REG_DWORD)
3. Reserve appropriate space for the master file table. Add the NtfsMftZoneReservation entry to the registry as a REG_DWORD in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem. When you add this entry to the registry, the system reserves space on the volume for the master file table. Reserving space in this manner allows the master file table to grow optimally. If your NTFS volumes generally contain relatively few files that are typically large, set value of this registry entry to 1 (the default). Typically you can use a value of 2 or 3 for moderate numbers of files, and 4 (the maximum) if your volumes tend to contain a relatively large number of files. However, be sure to test any settings greater than 2 because these higher values cause the system to reserve a much larger portion of the disk for the master file table.
Reboot after making changes.
#17 - SYSTEMPAGES MEMORY TWEAK
Not 100% sure if this tweak will yield a great performance boost to the majority of users out there, but for me it seems to have shown very good results. By default, if you look in the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]key, you'll see the 'SystemPages' DWORD Value set to something around 500 MB (more accurately, 524288 (KB), or something close to that value). Simply reduce the value to something around 128 MB (131072 KB) or 256 MB (262144 KB). Personally, I'm using the 128 MB setting, since my total RAM is 256 MB. It might help to experiment a little, since each machine will most likely yield better or worse results. You can also try CacheBoost from WWW.SYSTWEAK.COM .It is a handy liitle tool for managing system cache and freeing up RAM.Good Luck!
#18 - SYSTEM CONFIGURATION UTILITY
To Get to the System Configuration Utility
Click Start
Click Help and Support
Click Tools
On the left Select System Configuration Utlity
#19 - SPEED UP MENU DISPLAY
When using the start menu the you will notice a delay between different tiers of the menu hierarchy. For the fastest computer experience possible I recommend changing this value to zero. This will allow the different tiers to appear instantly.
Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Select MenuShowDelay from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to 0.
Reboot your computer.
#20 - DISABLE UNNECESSARY SERVICES TO FREE SYSTEM RESOURCES
Services are programs that run when the computer starts up and continue to run as they aid the operating system in functionality. There are many services that load and are not needed which take up memory space and CPU time. Disabling these services will free up system resources which will speed up your overall computer experience. I recommend that you sort through the list and read the descriptions to decide if you need that service depending on what you want to do with your computer. Remember, you can always turn the service back on if you find that you need it in the future. Below is the procedure to turn off a service.
Click the start button.
Select run from the bottom of the right column.
Then type services.msc in the box and click ok.
Once the services window has loaded we are ready to turn off unneeded services.
For instructional purposes we are going to turn off the Portable Media Serial Number service.
Find this service in the list and select it with the mouse.
Right click and select Properties.
Once the properties windows has loaded locate the Start up type drop down box and select disable.
Then just click ok and the next time the computer starts the service will not be loaded.
#21 INSTALL AN ASPI LAYER:
WinXP does not install an ASPI layer. Most of the problems with WinXP and CD burning software are ASPI layer problems. After installing WinXP, before installing any CD burning software do a few things first:
1. Open up "My computer" and right click on the CD Recorder. If your CD recorder was detected as a CD recorder there will be a tab called "Recording". On this tab uncheck ALL of the boxes. apply or OK out of it and close my computer.
2. Next install the standard ASPI layer for NT. Reboot when asked.
Disable Autorun:
Start -> Run... -> type "gpedit.msc"
+-Computer Config
'-+-Administrative Templates
'-+-System
3. Double Click 'Turn off Autoplay'
#21 CLEAR PAGE FILE ON SHUTDOWN:
Open Control panel -> Administrative tools -> local security policy
+-local policies
'-+-security options
Enable "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
#22 INCREASE BROADBAND SPEED:
This is for broad band connections. I didn’t try it on dial up but might work for dial up.
Log on as local "Administrator" user account, not just as user with admin rights.
Start -> Run... -> type gpedit.msc
+-local computer policy
'-+-Computer Configuration
'-+-Administrative templates
'-+-Network
'-+-QoS Packet Scheduler
Double click "limit reservable bandwidth" Select "enabled" then set "Bandwidth limit %" to 0.
#23 REMOVE SHARED DOCUMENTS FROM MY COMPUTER:
Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/ MyComputer/NameSpace/DelegateFolders
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} sub-key.
#24 FASTER SHUTDOWN:
Open regedit and set the following keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
"HungAppTimeout" = 5000 (Default value)
"WaitToKillAppTimeout" = 4000 (Default is 20000).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout" = 4000
Another thing that helps to speed up shutdown:
Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services
Set "NVidia Driver Helper service" to Manual
#25 TWEAK XP PREFETCHER:
The XP Prefetcher service monitors programs that initialize during startup, then in future fetches them quickly. You can improve its performance. Open regedit and set the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
"EnablePrefetcher" = 5
#26 DISABLE ZIP FOLDERS:
Windows XP has built-in support for .ZIP files, however the system uses a sizeable portion of resources doing this. To disable:
Start -> Run... -> type "regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll"
#27 UNLOAD UNUSED DLLS:
Explorer often leaves DLLs cached in memory for a long period of time after they have been finished with. To turn off this behavior open regedit and create key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
"AlwaysUnloadDLL" = DWORD:1
Set to 0 to disable.
Note: A restart is needed for this to take effect.
#28 MANUALLY SET L2 CACHE:
Open regedit and browse to key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\
"SecondLevelDataCache"
Be sure to edit this key in Decimal mode.
#29 DISABLE WINDOWS FILE PROTECTION:
To totally disable Windows File Protection, Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
"SFCDisable" = FFFFFF9D
#30 AUTOMATICALLY KILL PROGRAMS AT SHUTDOWN:
Open regedit and browse to key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
AutoEndTasks = 1
#31 SYSTEM CACHE BOOST:
This will allocate all but 4MB of system memory to the file system cache allowing the XP Kernel to run in memory. The 4MB of memory left is used for disk caching, this tweak improves performance by a fair bit but can, degrade performance in some apps. (256+ MB RAM needed)
"LargeSystemCache" = 1.
Give your comments plz.
