Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide v1.8

[oddcrap]

Nice guide :) My system is already Maxed optimized.

[ggareis]

Cool I used a few things in there :)

[kampioen]

tnx to whoever took the time to do this!

[EL]

good guide

[Oblivion]

Cool Guide :)

[Lan88]

very smooth guide. sure helped my new com run smoother than ever.

[The Grasshopper]

I thought boot-vis is kinda built into XP? I thought you didn't have to install it to get the same optimiazation?

[Mastertech]

BootVis is not built into XP. Windows XP has a automatic boot time optimization routine that runs at an unknown time/date. BootVis allows you to optimize your boot up time when you want, it also lets you see graphically what is slowing down your bootup.

[LUTZIFER]

I didn't read all the posts, and I can't even remember where I found out about it, so if this one has been mentioned, forgive me, lol.

"The Tweaking Experience Registry Guide" seems pretty good.

http://windowsxp.homedns.org/

Seems to be set up nicely anyways.

[Mastertech]

That guide there is the perfect example of what I am trying to avoid, editing the registry is just a bad way to go about making changes to your system. You can do it much safer with applications, not to mention some of the tweaks mentioned are useless. 90% of the performance tweaks mentioned can be much easier and safely done using Cacheman. Alot of the "tweaks" are irrelevant or very application or instance specific that most users have no need for them. IMO it is messy, you have mentions of applications that do the same exact thing CCleaner and MRU Blaster. Then applications that are older versions of newer ones, XAIDA32 (Not even spelled right, should be AID32) and Everest. There are alot of things wrong there.

[Colin-uk Veteran]

nice guide, i was gunna use that template for my site but thought it lookd a bit too "corporate" lol

good work (Y)

[ev0|]

:rolleyes:

[Guol]

great guide. thanks heaps

[RightWing]

This guide is really helpful. I'm glad someone took the time to compile all of this info.

[Justin-]

Please note that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users. Contrary to some published reports, Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system's boot or resume performance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe are built into Windows XP. These routines run automatically at pre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operating system.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/syspe...BootVisdwn.mspx

[Zxian]

Hi there,

It's a good guide, but I'd recommend Maxthon over Avant Browser. I've found stability issues with Avant that turned me away. Maxthon also has a really good built-in pop-up & ad blocker that is fully configurable.

Just my two cents.

[Slimy]

That guide there is the perfect example of what I am trying to avoid, editing the registry is just a bad way to go about making changes to your system. You can do it much safer with applications, not to mention some of the tweaks mentioned are useless. 90% of the performance tweaks mentioned can be much easier and safely done using Cacheman. Alot of the "tweaks" are irrelevant or very application or instance specific that most users have no need for them. IMO it is messy, you have mentions of applications that do the same exact thing CCleaner and MRU Blaster. Then applications that are older versions of newer ones, XAIDA32 (Not even spelled right, should be AID32) and Everest. There are alot of things wrong there.

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cacheman is junk, xp manages it's memory better without any program like it, the best program to dl is not mentioned in your list, x-setup pro for editing the registry, ccleaner is good, never tried mru blaster... link?

[Mastertech]

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/syspe...BootVisdwn.mspx

585317292[/snapback]

This is quite clear in the guide:

"BootVis is a boot performance trace visualization and optimization tool. This tool invokes the built in Windows XP boot time optimization process when you run it, instead of waiting for it to be scheduled at some unknown time by Windows. You will notice immediate improvement in boot performance for this reason."

cacheman is junk, xp manages it's memory better without any program like it, the best program to dl is not mentioned in your list, x-setup pro for editing the registry, ccleaner is good, never tried mru blaster... link?

Again, Cacheman is specifically NOT used in the guide to manage memory, instead it is used as an easy way to optimize cache and memory related registry settings. It is specifically recommended NOT to load it at startup:

"Then under "Options" uncheck "Load Cacheman on Windows Startup", Exit and Save Cacheman."

Again, X-Setup lets you change alot of settings but not alot are related to performance. The ones that are, are already covered in the guide.

Edited January 19, 2005 by Mastertech

[easternBrain]

thanx.. nice guide.

bt i think i love my system in its present condition..

[inactive]

personally... i think most of those guides (if not all) are close to useless/pointless.

as in most cases never offer any real performance increases... if anything i think it messes stuff up in certain cases.

to put it simply... DONT mess with settings like these ;) u will thank me in the long run.

[Malisk]

Yeah, I don't use to toy around with things like this unless it's a specific setting I need to change for some very specific thing. I wouldn't recommend anyone starting to browse a list of stuff and "tweaking" settings. I've even seen stuff that automatically does it for you -- even worse. (it just takes one bug in such an app to mess up your system)

When Microsoft is setting default settings for Windows XP, you also need to understand it's not always for speed, but for stability too. Windows XP is also closed source, and you need to respect the fact that modifying "hidden" cool settings may have unintended and undocumented effect you can't gain proper support for. "Registry guides" are the worst and usually neglect these aspects. Or wait... No, I think the .sys file tweak to "improve" P2P app performance was.

NTFS registry changes like these in this guide makes me scared:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]

"NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation"=dword:00000001

I mean, that will instantly break anything that rely on 8.3 filenames in Windows.

You don't have any? You sure how the internals in all your apps work, and that none use any legacy file management code? Then go ahead and change it, but you won't improve the performance noticeably at all so there's no win in doing it. This change is to "make NTFS run better" according to the author though. Define "better".

Here we have another suggested change to destroy the cached data when you reboot:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]

"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"="1"

The author claims it prevents fragmenting, however in the same sentence he says he isn't sure. But go ahead and do it, it's "probably good". You won't keep the cache across sessions, but who cares? :huh: I also fail to see how forcing Windows to recreate a, say, 1024 MB file will in any way reduce fragmentation. More like the opposite. It's when data is reallocated, there's the risk of physical fragmentation, if you didn't know.

Edited February 3, 2005 by Jugalator

[Mastertech]

personally... i think most of those guides (if not all) are close to useless/pointless. as in most cases never offer any real performance increases... if anything i think it messes stuff up in certain cases. to put it simply... DONT mess with settings like these ;) u will thank me in the long run.

Pointless for those who do not care how fast their system runs. The real performance increases can be observed by those who take the time to run through their guide, results speak for themselves.

[Mastertech]

It is important you read the guide before making assumptions:

NTFS registry changes like these in this guide makes me scared:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]

"NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation"=dword:00000001

I mean, that will instantly break anything that rely on 8.3 filenames in Windows.

You don't have any? You sure how the internals in all your apps work, and that none use any legacy file management code? Then go ahead and change it, but you won't improve the performance noticeably at all so there's no win in doing it. This change is to "make NTFS run better" according to the author though. Define "better".

#1 no where in the guide are registry changes mentioned directly ESPECIALLY not this one. This one is included as an OPTION in Cacheman. If you follow the instructions it DOES NOT say to check this box by default. By default it is unchecked. If you follow the instructions this will not be enabled. The box also lists a CLEAR warning for those who want to turn it off: "Do not use with Norton Utilities, AntiVirus or System Works"

Here we have another suggested change to destroy the cached data when you reboot:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]

"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"="1"

The author claims it prevents fragmenting, however in the same sentence he says he isn't sure. But go ahead and do it, it's "probably good". You won't keep the cache across sessions, but who cares?

Huh? Are you even reading the same guide!? This is mentioned under XP-AntiSpy

"_ Clear pagefile at shutdown - This causes Windows XP to take longer to shutdown but is a good idea for security." What site are reading this nonsense in your post from? Please if your not going to take the time to read the guide do not post Misinformation.

[McLaren_F1]

Very Nice Guide. Thanks

[Mastertech]

Optimize XP v1.9.0

v1.9.0

Spyware - Sun Java Virtual Machine Item Added

Spyware - All Java Instructions Updated

Spyware - All Java Links Updated

Utilities - Cacheman v5.50 Instructions Updated

Tweaks - Diskeeper Instructions Added