emcsquared
New member
For all those asking, is there anything else i can do to have more fps?
Written by: dynamic1
General Windows Tweaks:
1) Turn off Unneccesary background Programs
Go to "Start", click "Run", type "msconfig", click on the "Startup" Tab, deselect programs you are sure you dont need at startup....if you dont know what it is or does...leave it a alone, click "ok" and reboot windows.
2) Virtual Memory / Paging File setting for Optimal performance:
With Windows XP click Start>right click on My
Computer>Properties>Advanced Tab>Settings button under
Performance tab>Advanced Tab>Under Virtual Memory click Change.
Various things are said as to what the perfect Virtual Memory
settings are, but I recommend managing your own settings. As a rule of
thumb in Windows XP if you have 512MB of RAM or Over (like 1GB or even
2GB) is to set your paging file to 512. Set your paging file to a
static number, meaning put the same number in both the minimum and
maximum fields, making the file static allows it so that Windows
doesn't have to resize it all the time.
3) Run a Disk Defrag every 2 weeks...Disable paging file / Virtual Memory when doing a defrag and re-enable it once a Defrag is done:
Before running a Disk Defrag click Start>right click on My
Computer>Properties>Advanced Tab>Settings button under
Performance tab>Advanced Tab>Under Virtual Memory disable it. No
run a Disk Defrag, with Paging file disables, the part of the hard
drive that would have been occupied by the paging file can now be
defragged. Once the Defrag is completed, remember to Re-enable your Paging File and Restore its min and max settings (See Step 2).
Maintaining PC Hardware: clean monitor, keeping inside dust free, ect...
Free PC Programs That No PC Should Be Without:
Free Popup Blockers -
Google Toolbar
Free Spyware Removal -
Spybot Search and Destroy
Web Browers(faster surfing, more efficient) -
Firefox (is possibly the best browser available, with a high speed and built in popup protection.)
Written by: JimJackJose
Time to add some tweaks I do as soon as I get a new pc up and running. These tweaks are for Windows XP. Please take care when tweaking your system, I can not help you fix your system if a tweak goes south. I have personally tested and used the following tips litterally 100's of times.
# Folder options for a faster system
Control Panel>Folder Options or Windows Explorer>Tools>Folder Options. Under the General tab select "Use Windows classic folders" to get rid of the lumped-together "common tasks" icons. Also select "Open each folder in the same window" to reduce open windows. Under the View tab Tick:
"Display file size information in folder tips"
"Display simple folder view in Explorer's folder list"
"Display the contents of system folders"
"Show hidden files and folders"
"Remember each folder's view settings"
"Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color"
"Use Simplified File Sharing".
Here are somethings you can untick if you like:
"Automatically search for network folders and printers"
"Do not cache thumbnails" for quicker thumbnail display.
"Launch folder windows in a separate process" for improved performance.
"Show popup description for folder and desktop items"
Next under offline files, disable all offline content by unticking the ""Enable Offline Files".
# Disable Error Reporting
Start>Control Panel>System>Advanced>Error Reporting. Click "Disable Error Reporting" but keep "Notify me still when critical errors occure" ticked.
# Disable System Restore
Start>Control Panel>System>System Restore. Select "Turn Off System Restore". This feature uses a ton of diskspace, however, I only suggest turning it off if you consider yourself a expert user.
# Disable Automatic Updates
Start>Control Panel>System>Automatic Updates. Select "Turn off automatic updating. You will be responsible for updating your pc via windows update from here on out. But in return you gain some memory.
# Disable Remote Access
Start>Control Panel>System>Remote. Untick both options under this tab.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by: JimJackJose
Registry Tweaks (Advanced)
Start>Run>Regedit
Most system settings can be changed with the registry editor. The changes are provided without much description, so I recommend you look at other WinXP Guides or do a search on Google if you have any doubts. Make sure you have a backup of the registry. Just like the Group Editor, changes in Registry Editor affect either individual users (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) or a machine (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE). To edit a setting, expand the folders until you see the required entry, then double click on it. Recommended settings are shown for each entry. Where an entry doesn't exist, create it:
Stop programs from automatically starting when booting up.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]; and
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
None of the entries under these folders are really necessary for WinXP to operate properly. See MSConfig section, and in particular see this list of startup items to see what the common startup items and what they do.
Dramatically improve menu speeds and application and system shutdown/restart speeds.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
HungAppTimeout=4000 Delay before a hung application is allowed to terminate (each 1000 = 1 sec)
WaitToKillAppTimeout=4000 Delay before windows finally starts to shutdown (each 1000 = 1 sec)
MenuShowDelay=20 Delay before a menu pops open. (each 1000 = 1 sec)
AutoEndTasks=1 Automatically closes running applications when Windows shuts down.
Unload DLLs from memory when not needed to maintain free memory.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Create a new Key (a sub-folder, not an entry) called AlwaysUnloadDll. Once created double-click on the (Default) entry in the right pane and enter a value of 1.
Improve Windows Prefetcher performance for faster loadup.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
EnablePrefetcher=3 Default of 3 is recommended but a value of 5 may be better for some.
Note if the Task Scheduler service is Disabled, Prefetcher does not work.
Speed up NTFS and general system performance.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
DisableNTFSLastAccessUpdate=1 Disables constant updating of dates a file/folder was last accessed.
NTFSDisable8Dot3NameCreation=1 To disable support for old DOS 8-character filenames.
If these entries don't exist, create them as new DWORDs.
Note also that if you disable 8Dot3 Name Creation you will have problems installing Norton Antivirus. To successfully install NAV, set it to 0 (enabled) first, reboot your system, install NAV, reboot once again and set it back to 1 (disabled).
Turn off CD Autoplay.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
Autorun=0 To turn off CDs being automatically loaded when inserted in a CD/DVD/CDRW drive.
Turn off built-in XP CD Burning.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
NoCDBurning=1 Disables built-in XP burning but allows other burning software to work.
Remove Shared Documents from My Computer.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders]
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} key under this folder.
Change thumbnail size and quality – lower values improve performance.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
ThumbnailSize=32 A DWORD value in Decimal view between 32 and 256.
ThumbnailQuality=50 A DWORD value in Decimal view between 50 and 100.
Remove the Outlook Express splash screen.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{Unique Identity}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0]
NoSplash=1 A DWORD value where default is 0 (splash screen).
Disable Balloon Tips and Force early grouping of similar tasks in taskbar.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
EnableBalloonTips=0 A DWORD value of 0 turns off the yellow popup balloon tips.
TaskbarGroupSize=3 A DWORD value of the number of similar windows reached before grouped together.
Credits:
The information provided here is located at various websites. I have grown accustomed to going through these steps for each and every pc i setup. ( I build PC's for a living). I would like to credit the sites that I use for information.
http://www.tweakguides.com (The Bulk of this information was written at this site originally)
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php ( Great explanation of virtual memory and pagefile usage)
http://www.greatis.com/regrun3atyouroption.htm (Database of startup programs)
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm (BlackVipers WinXP service guide. Hands down the best guide on the net)
Written by: dynamic1
General Windows Tweaks:
1) Turn off Unneccesary background Programs
Go to "Start", click "Run", type "msconfig", click on the "Startup" Tab, deselect programs you are sure you dont need at startup....if you dont know what it is or does...leave it a alone, click "ok" and reboot windows.
2) Virtual Memory / Paging File setting for Optimal performance:
With Windows XP click Start>right click on My
Computer>Properties>Advanced Tab>Settings button under
Performance tab>Advanced Tab>Under Virtual Memory click Change.
Various things are said as to what the perfect Virtual Memory
settings are, but I recommend managing your own settings. As a rule of
thumb in Windows XP if you have 512MB of RAM or Over (like 1GB or even
2GB) is to set your paging file to 512. Set your paging file to a
static number, meaning put the same number in both the minimum and
maximum fields, making the file static allows it so that Windows
doesn't have to resize it all the time.
3) Run a Disk Defrag every 2 weeks...Disable paging file / Virtual Memory when doing a defrag and re-enable it once a Defrag is done:
Before running a Disk Defrag click Start>right click on My
Computer>Properties>Advanced Tab>Settings button under
Performance tab>Advanced Tab>Under Virtual Memory disable it. No
run a Disk Defrag, with Paging file disables, the part of the hard
drive that would have been occupied by the paging file can now be
defragged. Once the Defrag is completed, remember to Re-enable your Paging File and Restore its min and max settings (See Step 2).
Maintaining PC Hardware: clean monitor, keeping inside dust free, ect...
Free PC Programs That No PC Should Be Without:
Free Popup Blockers -
Google Toolbar
Free Spyware Removal -
Spybot Search and Destroy
Web Browers(faster surfing, more efficient) -
Firefox (is possibly the best browser available, with a high speed and built in popup protection.)
Written by: JimJackJose
Time to add some tweaks I do as soon as I get a new pc up and running. These tweaks are for Windows XP. Please take care when tweaking your system, I can not help you fix your system if a tweak goes south. I have personally tested and used the following tips litterally 100's of times.
# Folder options for a faster system
Control Panel>Folder Options or Windows Explorer>Tools>Folder Options. Under the General tab select "Use Windows classic folders" to get rid of the lumped-together "common tasks" icons. Also select "Open each folder in the same window" to reduce open windows. Under the View tab Tick:
"Display file size information in folder tips"
"Display simple folder view in Explorer's folder list"
"Display the contents of system folders"
"Show hidden files and folders"
"Remember each folder's view settings"
"Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color"
"Use Simplified File Sharing".
Here are somethings you can untick if you like:
"Automatically search for network folders and printers"
"Do not cache thumbnails" for quicker thumbnail display.
"Launch folder windows in a separate process" for improved performance.
"Show popup description for folder and desktop items"
Next under offline files, disable all offline content by unticking the ""Enable Offline Files".
# Disable Error Reporting
Start>Control Panel>System>Advanced>Error Reporting. Click "Disable Error Reporting" but keep "Notify me still when critical errors occure" ticked.
# Disable System Restore
Start>Control Panel>System>System Restore. Select "Turn Off System Restore". This feature uses a ton of diskspace, however, I only suggest turning it off if you consider yourself a expert user.
# Disable Automatic Updates
Start>Control Panel>System>Automatic Updates. Select "Turn off automatic updating. You will be responsible for updating your pc via windows update from here on out. But in return you gain some memory.
# Disable Remote Access
Start>Control Panel>System>Remote. Untick both options under this tab.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by: JimJackJose
Registry Tweaks (Advanced)
Start>Run>Regedit
Most system settings can be changed with the registry editor. The changes are provided without much description, so I recommend you look at other WinXP Guides or do a search on Google if you have any doubts. Make sure you have a backup of the registry. Just like the Group Editor, changes in Registry Editor affect either individual users (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) or a machine (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE). To edit a setting, expand the folders until you see the required entry, then double click on it. Recommended settings are shown for each entry. Where an entry doesn't exist, create it:
Stop programs from automatically starting when booting up.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]; and
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
None of the entries under these folders are really necessary for WinXP to operate properly. See MSConfig section, and in particular see this list of startup items to see what the common startup items and what they do.
Dramatically improve menu speeds and application and system shutdown/restart speeds.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
HungAppTimeout=4000 Delay before a hung application is allowed to terminate (each 1000 = 1 sec)
WaitToKillAppTimeout=4000 Delay before windows finally starts to shutdown (each 1000 = 1 sec)
MenuShowDelay=20 Delay before a menu pops open. (each 1000 = 1 sec)
AutoEndTasks=1 Automatically closes running applications when Windows shuts down.
Unload DLLs from memory when not needed to maintain free memory.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Create a new Key (a sub-folder, not an entry) called AlwaysUnloadDll. Once created double-click on the (Default) entry in the right pane and enter a value of 1.
Improve Windows Prefetcher performance for faster loadup.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
EnablePrefetcher=3 Default of 3 is recommended but a value of 5 may be better for some.
Note if the Task Scheduler service is Disabled, Prefetcher does not work.
Speed up NTFS and general system performance.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
DisableNTFSLastAccessUpdate=1 Disables constant updating of dates a file/folder was last accessed.
NTFSDisable8Dot3NameCreation=1 To disable support for old DOS 8-character filenames.
If these entries don't exist, create them as new DWORDs.
Note also that if you disable 8Dot3 Name Creation you will have problems installing Norton Antivirus. To successfully install NAV, set it to 0 (enabled) first, reboot your system, install NAV, reboot once again and set it back to 1 (disabled).
Turn off CD Autoplay.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
Autorun=0 To turn off CDs being automatically loaded when inserted in a CD/DVD/CDRW drive.
Turn off built-in XP CD Burning.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
NoCDBurning=1 Disables built-in XP burning but allows other burning software to work.
Remove Shared Documents from My Computer.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders]
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} key under this folder.
Change thumbnail size and quality – lower values improve performance.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
ThumbnailSize=32 A DWORD value in Decimal view between 32 and 256.
ThumbnailQuality=50 A DWORD value in Decimal view between 50 and 100.
Remove the Outlook Express splash screen.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{Unique Identity}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0]
NoSplash=1 A DWORD value where default is 0 (splash screen).
Disable Balloon Tips and Force early grouping of similar tasks in taskbar.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
EnableBalloonTips=0 A DWORD value of 0 turns off the yellow popup balloon tips.
TaskbarGroupSize=3 A DWORD value of the number of similar windows reached before grouped together.
Credits:
The information provided here is located at various websites. I have grown accustomed to going through these steps for each and every pc i setup. ( I build PC's for a living). I would like to credit the sites that I use for information.
http://www.tweakguides.com (The Bulk of this information was written at this site originally)
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php ( Great explanation of virtual memory and pagefile usage)
http://www.greatis.com/regrun3atyouroption.htm (Database of startup programs)
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm (BlackVipers WinXP service guide. Hands down the best guide on the net)
