Lesson1- Tips To Optimize XP

Step 1 - Malware Removal
Malware Infection which includes Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Spyware, Adware and Rootkits are
the #1 cause of system slowdowns. These must be cleaned for optimal system performance.

FACT: 89% of consumer PCs are infected with spyware

Malware Removal 1-2-3 Guide - Malware is short for "Malicious Software". It is a general term that refers to any software or program code designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. This includes Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Spyware, Adware and Rootkits. This 3 step guide will show you how to remove these infections and protect yourself from future infections for free using free software.


Step 2 - Windows Update
SP2 Installation Advisory - Home Page
KB811113 lists all the fixes included in SP2. Before installing SP2 make sure all of your Data is backed up and you have consulted with your PC manufacturer for any potential problems. Viruses and Spyware can cause the SP2 installation to fail, make sure you have run through steps 1 and 2 completely before proceeding. The changes included in SP2 can cause Windows XP and your Applications to stop working, crash or behave differently - KB884130. If the SP2 installation fails you can use these instructions to restore your system: How to recover your computer if the Windows XP Service Pack 2 setup program is not completed successfully (print these out).

Notes - After following the above advisory, it is recommended that you install SP2. The updated security features are well worth it.
- Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker (I still recommend installing the Google Toolbar if you use
   IE)
- Internet Explorer Download Monitoring (Warns you about potentially harmful downloads i.e.. Spyware and Viruses)
- Windows Firewall Update (Much better application management and enhanced boot time security)
- Windows Security Center (Notifies you of your AntiVirus, Firewall and Windows Update Status)
- Improved Wireless Support (Improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks)
- Data Execution Prevention (Help prevents code execution from data pages)


Windows Update - Home Page
Install All of the updates. Not just the critical ones. This may have to be run multiple times. Run it over again until it says 0 updates available. Non-critical updates are essential for improved performance, compatibility and enhanced features. They are all very safe to install.

Notes - Windows Update requires the following services be enabled in Windows XP:

- Automatic Updates - Automatic
- Background Intelligent Transfer Service - Manual or Automatic

Driver Notes - If a Driver issue arises that Windows Update insists upon installing a Driver version older then one you have updated, do not install the one from Windows Update. Use the manufacturers latest version instead and just ignore that Windows Driver Update. With Drivers, the Hardware manufacturer is the one who is correct not Microsoft. Windows Update will sometimes show a Driver is outdated if it is not "Microsoft Certified". It is quite ok to use non-certified drivers. Official non-certified driver versions will have been thoroughly tested by the component manufacturer.

Update - Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer can sometimes conflict with Adobe Acrobat Reader when you open .PDF files, Error: "An installation package for the product Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer cannot be found." If this is happening uninstall The Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer, go to "Start", "Settings", "Add or Remove Programs". The Journal Viewer is only needed to read Journal files created on a Windows XP Tablet Edition PC. It is highly unlikely you will ever need to read these.

DirectX - Download
Windows Update will install the latest version of DirectX. It is still a good idea to check what version you are running and make sure you have the latest version of DirectX installed prior to installing any Drivers. Got to "Start", "Run", type in "Dxdiag" and select "OK". Under the "System" tab, "DirectX Version" check that you have the latest version that is available for Windows XP. - Source


Step 3 - Drivers
Installing the latest Drivers improves system performance and application compatibility. Updated drivers include numerous bug fixes as well as system optimizations. It is recommended for optimal system stability to only use Official drivers and not Beta or Prerelease versions. Performance differences between driver versions including Beta or Prereleased drivers is negligible. The only time Beta or Prerelease drivers should be considered is when a serious application bug is fixed in the Beta or Prerelease version and the component manufacturer has not yet released the Official driver version that includes the bug fix.

Driver XP - Home Page
A Windows Driver Guide that includes component links and instructions.
Notes - Windows Update will install very common driver updates, however these will not always be the latest versions and sometimes can even be an older version of one you have already updated, example: nVidia forceware drivers. It is perfectly safe to install the Windows Driver Updates but if you want the very best system performance you have to check for and install the latest drivers manually. If you are having trouble identifying your hardware use:

PC Wizard - Download - Home Page
An advanced system information utility designed for detection of hardware, analysis and benchmarking. Quickly identify components based on their model and manufacturer, allowing you to download and install the correct drivers.

Step 4 - Tweaks

1. Visual Effects
Default Windows XP visual settings may look nice but they slow down system responsiveness. Here is how to keep the "look" of Windows XP while losing the sluggish feel.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "System", "Advanced" tab, in the "Performance" section select "Settings". Leave only the following checked:

√ Show shadows under menus
√ Show shadows under mouse pointer
√ Show translucent selection rectangle
√ Smooth edges of screen fonts
√ Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
√ Use visual styles on windows and buttons

Then select "Apply" and "OK". - Source

ClearType - If you have a Flat Panel Display (Notebook, LCD, Plasma) you will notice improved font display quality enabling ClearType over traditional forms of font smoothing or anti-aliasing. ClearType improves readability on color LCD displays with a digital interface, such as those in laptops and high-quality flat panel displays.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "Display", "Appearance" Tab, "Effects" button, check "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts", select "ClearType".


2. The Paging File
Windows XP by default uses a System managed paging file that works well and it is highly recommended to leave it alone.

"In modern operating systems, including Windows, application programs and many system processes always reference memory using virtual memory addresses which are automatically translated to real (RAM) addresses by the hardware. Only core parts of the operating system kernel bypass this address translation and use real memory addresses directly. Virtual Memory is always in use, even when the memory required by all running processes does not exceed the amount of RAM installed on the system. All processes (e.g. application executables) running under 32 bit Windows gets virtual memory addresses (a Virtual Address Space) going from 0 to 4,294,967,295 (2*32-1 = 4 GB), no matter how much RAM is actually installed on the computer. In the default Windows OS configuration, 2 GB of this virtual address space are designated for each process' private use and the other 2 GB are shared between all processes and the operating system. Normally, applications (e.g. Notepad, Word, Excel, Acrobat Reader) use only a small fraction of the 2GB of private address space. The operating system only assigns RAM page frames to virtual memory pages that are in use. RAM is a limited resource, whereas virtual memory is, for most practical purposes, unlimited. There can be a large number of processes each with its own 2 GB of private virtual address space. When the memory in use by all the existing processes exceeds the amount of RAM available, the operating system will move pages (4 KB pieces) of one or more virtual address spaces to the computer's hard disk, thus freeing that RAM frame for other uses. In Windows systems, these "paged out" pages are stored in one or more files called pagefile.sys in the root of a partition." - Source

Default - Windows XP will automatically set the paging file to the following size based on how much RAM is in your system:

- Initial size (MB): 1.5 x the amount of RAM in your system
- Maximum size (MB): 3.0 x the amount of RAM in your system (PF Size Limit = 4095 MB)

Notes - A properly configured paging file will not resize (increase) so long as the Initial size is set large enough and you have not run out of available RAM. Allowing the paging file to resize is recommended for unforeseen memory intensive situations and will prevent "Out of Memory" error messages from occurring. Any resizing will reset to the default Initial size upon reboot and will not cause any permanent fragmentation of the paging file. Setting the Initial size too large has no negative impact on system performance except to waste disk space if it is not used. Since disk space is usually plentiful it is safer then setting it too small. All arguments about setting the paging file smaller are to conserve disk space and have nothing to do with performance. A permanent solution to this is to add more RAM to your system. It is a good idea to have at least 1 GB to 2 GB of RAM in a PC today. A simple test to determine if you need more RAM is to use you PC for a whole day without rebooting, then look at the Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Delete), Performance tab. If the "Commit Charge - Peak" is ever higher then the "Physical Memory - Total" your system could benefit from adding more RAM. When you change the amount of RAM in your system with a System managed paging file, Windows XP will automatically adjust the paging file size for you.

Optimization - "Moving the paging file to a separate physical Harddrive (not partition) from the boot partition will increase paging file performance. However, if you remove the paging file from the boot partition, Windows cannot create a dump file (Memory.dmp) in which to write debugging information in the event that a kernel mode Stop Error message occurs. The optimal solution is to create one paging file that is stored on the boot partition, and then create a second paging file on a separate physical Harddrive (not partition) Windows will use the paging file on the less frequently used partition over the paging file on the heavily used boot partition. Windows uses an internal algorithm to determine which paging file to use for virtual memory management." - Source

3. Disable Indexing Service
The Indexing Service in Windows XP indexes your files presumably to shorten the time needed to search your hard drive if you are looking for a specific file or part of a phrase inside a file. However, the constant indexing of files actually slows down system performance by using a lot of pagefile space and CPU time. - Source

Instructions - To disable the Indexing Service go into "My Computer", right-click on all your hard drive partitions one at a time, left-click "Properties". Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching". Select "Apply changes to subfolders and files". If any files cannot be updated select "Ignore All".

4. Disable Windows XP Sounds
Having sound effects set for common Windows XP tasks slows your system down. This affects startup and shutdown speeds the most.

Instructions - To disable all Windows XP task sounds go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "Sounds and Audio Devices", select the "Sounds" tab, under "Sound Scheme" select "No Sounds".

5. Uninstall Useless Windows Components
Windows XP installs some components by default that are not needed.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "Add or Remove Programs", select "Add/Remove Windows Components", uncheck:

_ Indexing Service
_ MSN Explorer (If you use MSN as your ISP leave "MSN Explorer" checked)

Then select "Next" and "Finished".


6. Reduce Recycling Bin Drive Space Usage
In Windows XP the Maximum size of the Recycle Bin is set by default to 10% of your hard drive, when full, this can be a big waste of drive space. Reducing the Maximum size prevents excess space from being wasted. It is quite common to have hundreds of MBs of deleted files in the Recycling Bin and it is never emptied.

Instructions - To change the Recycling Bin Size, right-click on the "Recycle Bin", left-click on "Properties", select the "Global" tab, then "Use one setting for all drives". Move the slider to "3%".

7. Reduce System Restore Drive Space Usage
System Restore creates periodic snapshots of your critical system files (like the registry files, COM+ database, user profiles, and such) and stores them as a "restore point." In case something goes wrong with your system you can revert back to a previous working state. The default size that System Restore can take up can be quite large.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "System", "System Restore" tab, for each drive partition highlight it then select "Settings", under "Drive Space Usage" adjust the slider so System Restore is only using roughly 5% or a minimum of 1000 MB of disk space per partition and select "OK".

8. Increase the Mouse Pointer Speed
By default Windows sets the Mouse Pointer Speed to an average speed, which can slow down the time it takes to move the cursor around the screen. Increasing this will allow you use your computer quicker and more efficient with less mouse movement.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "Mouse", "Pointer Options" tab, under "Motion" adjust the slider 1 to 5 steps closer to "Fast". Only 1 to 3 steps is recommended. Then check "Enhance pointer precision" and select "OK".

Notes - This is a personal preference and should be decided by the user. The tab that the Motion setting will be under can change with third party mouse drivers. Novice Windows users or users with Motion Disabilities will not want to adjust this much, if at all. Cheap and worn out mice can give poor responsiveness, it is recommended to be using a precision optical mouse. Microsoft Optical Mice are highly recommended.

9. Prefetcher Fix - Download
Prefetching is a new feature in Windows XP that dramatically improves initial application load times and Windows boot times automatically. The slower your system and the larger an application, the more Prefetching helps. Even high end systems benefit from prefetching with large, slow loading applications, such as large games. By default Prefetching is enabled in Windows XP and already configured optimally. However there is a lot of misinformation regarding this feature and bad "tweak" programs on the internet that can disable prefetching and cripple your application load times. Find out more in XP Myths. Windows Prefetching requires that the Task Scheduler service be running and set to Automatic. The other Prefetcher settings have to be set in the Registry, this file will do this all for you. - Source

Instructions - Download, unzip and run the "Prefetcher Fix.reg" file and reboot. This will restore the Windows Prefetcher to it's default and optimal state. It will also set the Task Scheduler Service to Automatic.

- Task Scheduler - Automatic

Then use Windows Explorer and look in the C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch folder. You should see a file name for any application you have started since Prefetching was enabled. Never clean this folder or disable Windows Prefetching with any "tweaks" as you will cripple your application load times and Windows boot times by as much as 100%. The Prefetch folder and layout.ini files are self-cleaning when it reaches 128 entries. No user intervention is ever necessary. Once you have confirmed it is running leave it alone. Anyone who claims otherwise does not understand how Windows XP Prefetching works.

10. Disable AVI Previewing - Download
Opening a folder containing a large number of AVI files can open quite slowly because Windows has to open each AVI file and extract information from them. If you have a large collection, you can speedup XP's folder access by disabling it from automatically extracting this info. This can also fix problems when trying to rename or move AVI files and you get an error message: "it is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again."

Instructions - Download, unzip and run the "Disable AVI Previewing.reg" file and reboot.

Notes - You will no longer have the second page of properties in windows explorer displaying the AVI file information such as width, height and bitrate. Other software such as GSpot can provide you with this information.