Following
suggestions that will Speed up Windows XP, Most of them will cost you nothing
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 OS 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Remove any unnecessary or unused
programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
10. 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.
11. If your customer is an advanced user
who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry
tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
12. Visit Microsoft’s Windows update site
regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional
updates at your discretion.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. If you’re sick of a single Windows
Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS 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.
20.
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. Thanks for
reading.
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