23 Ways To Speed WinXP Without Defrag
CAG
Boca Raton, Florida
Came across this article http://www.techbuilder.org/article.htm?ArticleID=47626 May not be news for most but may be a help for some.
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At least with a few partitions you can easily reinstall the OS without touching data stored on another partition.
All defragging does is to make files one piece on HD for each file.... IF you gt huge numbers of pieces per file, you will get a mess as far as finding that file. Defragging every once in a while makes sense. Defrag can also detect that CHKDSK needs to be run if major problems are encountered in defragging.
But, things have gotten so fast that waht you get out of defragging is bunching free space into bigger places and each file into one logical chunk so file system does not have to cope with many small file pieces. Appearance of load time and running does not change too much, but defragging can both catch soem thigns that can go wrong in a fiel system and indicte you need to check the file system and can prevent the file system from eventually losing pieces of files. One thing I have noticed that does help if you have limited RAM on a machine, is to defrag the swap file, and agin defrag for XP does this and it makes machine more stable as far as file system goes to have parts of swap file together and in order as heads travel across disk. High speeds hide appearance benefits, but some stability improvement is gained by defragging once every month or so.
Reasons to defrag have changed, but it still exists for a set of reasons. Just defrag less often than you would with 98 SE.
John D.
1) Go with SATA 150 or EIDE 133 drive with 8 MB cache.
Remember that throughput speeds on a drive are always less than stated. Just because the drive says 150 or 133 doesn't mean that it will put data through at that speed. It's usually 1/3 less. There have also been extensive tests to show that ATA133 isn't considerably faster than ATA100. The valid point is the 8MB cache buffer. This will cache data acccessed most often for faster access to things like programs. (Word may load a split second faster for example)
2) Add more memory.
True...less than 512 system ram...go for it. Graphic hungry apps like Photoshop will perform even better with 1 gig.
3) NTFS or FAT32?
The battle rages on. Which is better. FAT32 is just as stable as NTFS on a standalone workstation. NTFS is most recommended for server applications. Is there a definitive answer to which is better? Depends so the answer is no.
4) Disable file indexing.
The instructions given are most likely incorrect. On two different WinXP builds I followed the instructions and there was no indexing service with Windows XP professional.
To disable file indexing in WinXP pro click START>SEARCH>CHANGE PREFERENCES.
Click WITH INDEXING SERVICE (FOR FASTER LOCAL SEARCHES)
Ensure the NO, DO NOT ENABLE INDEXING SERVICE radio button is set to NO.
NOTE: In both Win2000 and WinXP, to be able to insert non-wpg graphics (word perfect graphics), you have to enable indexing service on your NTFS partition, although you can disable it overall.
Also click START>CONTROL PANEL>ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS>SERVICES
scroll to INDEXING SERVICE. It should be set to MANUAL by default. You can totally disable it by double clicking on the INDEXING SERVICE name and use the pull down menu to change from MANUAL to DISABLED.
5) Update video and motherboard chipset drivers/update bios
In practice this is a good idea BUT always check with forums such as ours in case others have encountered problems or given feedback.
6) Prefetch folder.
Yup...empty that every so often. C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch. Open the folder and select all and delete.
7) Disk cleanup
Those with Norton Systemworks will have this function as part of the package but it's a good idea every so often. Keeps that temporary file and temporary internet file from bloating.
8) IDE ATA/ATAPI controller set to DMA.
WinXP usually does this by default whereas Win2K and older OS versions you always had to go in a do it or double check that it was. It's a good idea to spot check this after a clean WinXP install.
9) Upgrade the cabling.
Gotta be a pretty old PC to be using 40 pin wire or some cheapy pre-built PC.
10) Spyware.
Well go figger. We've got everything you need to know about spyware in Primesuspect's Defeat Spyware article.
11) Remove any unecessary program.
Yup...we all collect little bits and pieces.
12) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
Should come out when you uninstall anyway.
13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop.
This is user preference. The suggested optimal configuration is a little extreme as your desktop is rather plain afterwards.
14) Edit the registry
Read, read and more reading before you start fiddling with the registry and always backup the registry and your entire system before playing in this area.
15) Udate the OS at Windows update site.
Yup...do this every so often. Unless you are paranoid about Bill looking at your PC.
16) Update AV software.
At least once a week...Norton can do this automatically on a schedule you can set or leave at the default of once a week.
17) Overloaded font sets.
Winxp comes with approximately 190 fonts. Once you load up programs like MS Office, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc you may be in the range of 350-400 fonts.
To see the number you have right click on the folder FONTS in C:\WINDOWS and it will list the number of files contained within.
18) Do not partition the hard drive.
While the article is referring to NTFS this is debatable and, in my humble opinion, an utter and total mistake. By having one massive partition you are A) slowing your defrag time considerably. B) opening yourself up to a MESSLOAD of trouble. If your OS goes "ACK" one day...and you cannot boot into or recover the OS thus you have to reformat...buh bye to all the data on the drive; your MP3's, bank records, pron...whatever. (Another good reason to back up to CD or DVD data disc)
Refer to the Hard Drive Setup Refresher Course for more info on partitions and how you can use them to your advantage. NOTE: WinXP has made using a Win98 SE boot disk with format options a bit useless now.
19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly.
Run DOC MEMORY or MEMTEST if experiencing BSOD or system crashes.
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.
Read and more reading to make sure you are doing it correctly. If unfamiliar...don't do it.
21) Disable unnecessary services.
The article refers the reader to the BlackViper site. It's a VERY informative site and I've gone nuts with the disabling of services trying to squeeze every ounce out of the system. Do it if you've got nothing better to do and like to tweak. It's a worthwhile site to familiarize yourself with.
22) Windows Explorer window crashing
This is a FIX tip rather than a speed tip. On every system I have built, and that's a few, Windows Explorer hasn't crashed or taken the computer down with it. I'm not saying it doesn't happen so this is a FIX rather than speed tip.
23) Dust out the ol' pc.
Try every 6 months. Mine get's quite cruddy inside. Dust bunnies the size of elephants.
Hope this helps even further.
I say snuffie had something to do with number 19.
xp pro sp1
Gobbles
Thanks for the "point by point". Maybe this should be sticky'd...something like "The Definitive WinXP Performance & Tweak Thread"...or not.
BTW, for eliminating unneeded applications @ start up, I use Windows Start Up Inspector v2. Its free, easy to use, and tells you what apps you need and what you can live without. Find it here http://www.windowsstartup.com/
Remember guys. This is the Internet and there are no rules here. ANYONE can write a guide on the internet. Just because someone printed it does not make it factual. Use your own systems and benchmark them. There was so much B.S. in that guide I'm still holding my wallet over my head.
Tex