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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:
OPTIMISE DISPLAY SETTINGS Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimise:
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:
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:
IMPROVE MEMORY USAGE Cacheman Improves the performance of your computer by optimizing the disk cache, memory and a number of other settings. Once Installed:
OPTIMIZE YOUR PAGEFILE If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page 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 BootVis will significantly improve boot times
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.
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.
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:
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 and Run PageDefrag
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.
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:
IMPROVE BOOT TIMES A great new feature in Microsoft 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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing. 1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer. 2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance. 3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives. 4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system. The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The O$ has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for. Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it. Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button. 5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site. 6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete. 7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files. 8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel. 9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear. 10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page. 11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine. 12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel. 13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness. 14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP. 15.) Visit Micro$oft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion. 16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability. 17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system. 18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data. 19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced. 20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free. 21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations. 22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your O$ down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect. 23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site. Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive. Hope this helped some people. ![]() Last edited by Colleen; Apr 21st, 2008 at 6:19 am.. Reason: cleaned up, added links to products mentioned |
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#2 |
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I'm New!
Join Date: September 22, 2006
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Wow, that's a lot of info, did you write it yourself or copy it from somewhere?
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#3 |
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I got it from this book I have in my room lol.
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#4 |
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I'm New!
Join Date: September 22, 2006
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That's sure a lot to have to type out.
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#5 |
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#6 |
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La Mano Negro
Join Date: October 6, 2006
Location: Scotland
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I couldn't find Start.
Any mac tips? ![]() Wow, pretty amazing. Kids these days seem to be born knowing how to touch type! |
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#7 |
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Devoted Member
Join Date: January 23, 2007
Location: Heating Things Up On WTF
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My computer has a blank screen and isn't making any noise. I checked and it's plugged in. So what do I do next?
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#8 |
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Senior Member
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try turning it on.
__________________
Stefanie ![]() Black Ink Designs | Embrace Freedom | The Sidewalk Cafe |Get PAID To Click All for FREE |
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#9 |
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Devoted Member
Join Date: January 23, 2007
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Oh, right... Good thing there are computer gurus here.
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#10 |
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Senior Member
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That's awesome. Thanks!! Now what book is that so I can do it for Vista.
stefanie added 35 Minutes and 55 Seconds later... dddddddddd....dddd.dddd.dddd.dork
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Stefanie ![]() Black Ink Designs | Embrace Freedom | The Sidewalk Cafe |Get PAID To Click All for FREE Last edited by stefanie; Dec 6th, 2007 at 9:01 pm.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost |
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#11 |
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Devoted Member
Join Date: January 23, 2007
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No sense of humor.
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#12 |
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Senior Member
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oh I laugh daily.
I watch Jeff Dunham at least once a day.
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Stefanie ![]() Black Ink Designs | Embrace Freedom | The Sidewalk Cafe |Get PAID To Click All for FREE |
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#13 |
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Devoted Member
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I see, then you just didn't like my little computer joke.
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#14 |
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Senior Member
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LMAO ... you so need to know it was sarcasm
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Stefanie ![]() Black Ink Designs | Embrace Freedom | The Sidewalk Cafe |Get PAID To Click All for FREE |
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#15 |
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Devoted Member
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I can do sarcasm too you know.
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#16 |
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Senior Member
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hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Stefanie ![]() Black Ink Designs | Embrace Freedom | The Sidewalk Cafe |Get PAID To Click All for FREE |
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#17 |
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Junior Member
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I'm so gonna be famous before you...
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#18 |
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I Love Lesbians!
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There's a ton of useful information in that first post.
Stickied. |
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#19 |
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Devoted Member
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I agree Zap, good move on making this a sticky.
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#20 |
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Can't believe this god sticked.
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