How to Hide Pornographic Photo or Video in Your Computer from Intruding Eyes

Your computer might be full of pornographic photo or video. You feel very reluctant to delete them but are in a dilemma about whether to continue keeping them in your computer. Your family members, friends or colleagues might accidentally view them. You can’t set a password and deny them from entering your PC. So what can you do to hide the pornographic material in your computer so that other people cannot locate them easily?

Of course the easier way to hide a pornographic folder that you can consider is using the hidden folder function. In your Windows Explorer, right click on the porno folder that keep all your pornographic materials, choose “Properties” and check the “Hidden” attributes. Then you go to Tools>folder Option>View and check the “Hidden files and folders” option. This is quite simple and straightforward. Nevertheless, this method can only be applied by the IT or computer savvy users.

Besides hiding the files, another easy way to keep your secret is to rename your photo or video files so that they wouldn’t sound so porno. They will get less attention when the names are not so sexually explicit. Once you have finished viewing the sexy or sleazy photo and video, always make sure that the playlist in your default viewer/program is clean. For instance, if you use Windows Media Player to view a porno video, the program will normally keep a record of the last few videos that you have watched. When somebody deliberately or accidentally clicks the history records, then your dirty secret will be exposed!

Another solution to hide your secret porno files is via software. There is a lot of freeware and shareware in the market that feature this function. For instance, you can use “File Lock” to help you to protect your private and secret files. This software will lock your files and folders or even hide them so that they are invisible and not easily accessed by other people. When the files or folders are locked, users will not be able to open, read, modify, delete, edit, move or copy them. When they are hidden, other users will not be able to find them with any program or even using Windows Explorer. Other useful software that can help you include Fingerprint, Axcrypt, Cryptainer PE Encryption Software , Program Lock and File Encrypt 6.5, etc.

How to Hide Pornographic Photo or Video in Your Computer from Intruding Eyes

Your computer might be full of pornographic photo or video. You feel very reluctant to delete them but are in a dilemma about whether to continue keeping them in your computer. Your family members, friends or colleagues might accidentally view them. You can’t set a password and deny them from entering your PC. So what can you do to hide the pornographic material in your computer so that other people cannot locate them easily?

Of course the easier way to hide a pornographic folder that you can consider is using the hidden folder function. In your Windows Explorer, right click on the porno folder that keep all your pornographic materials, choose “Properties” and check the “Hidden” attributes. Then you go to Tools>folder Option>View and check the “Hidden files and folders” option. This is quite simple and straightforward. Nevertheless, this method can only be applied by the IT or computer savvy users.

Besides hiding the files, another easy way to keep your secret is to rename your photo or video files so that they wouldn’t sound so porno. They will get less attention when the names are not so sexually explicit. Once you have finished viewing the sexy or sleazy photo and video, always make sure that the playlist in your default viewer/program is clean. For instance, if you use Windows Media Player to view a porno video, the program will normally keep a record of the last few videos that you have watched. When somebody deliberately or accidentally clicks the history records, then your dirty secret will be exposed!

Another solution to hide your secret porno files is via software. There is a lot of freeware and shareware in the market that feature this function. For instance, you can use “File Lock” to help you to protect your private and secret files. This software will lock your files and folders or even hide them so that they are invisible and not easily accessed by other people. When the files or folders are locked, users will not be able to open, read, modify, delete, edit, move or copy them. When they are hidden, other users will not be able to find them with any program or even using Windows Explorer. Other useful software that can help you include Fingerprint, Axcrypt, Cryptainer PE Encryption Software , Program Lock and File Encrypt 6.5, etc.

Be a good singer

Becoming a singer is hard work. Knowing how to sing is only part of it. It takes confidence and dedication to pursue singing as a career. You need to follow your heart and not let anyone put you down because you have to believe that you have the voice of a true singer.

Steps

1. Learn how to sing. This is the foundation of your career as a singer. While there are some performers making a career out of singing when they don't really sing all that well, it's those people who hone their craft as singers and continually improve their form and ability who command the most respect as singers.
2. Study singers whom you admire. How do they sing? How did they become professional singers? What kind of crowd do they cater to? What is their signature style?
3. Become comfortable as a performer. Get over your stage fright (if you have it) and start gaining some practical experience by singing wherever and whenever you get a chance to do so in front of a group of people (karaoke bars, parties, school talent shows, etc.). Connect with your listeners.
4. Develop your own style. Experiment with different ways of singing and different types of music and find one that fits your personality and makes the most of your voice at the same time. You want people to be able to recognize your voice when they hear it.
5. Get a Singing Job. No matter how well you can sing, you'll never be a successful singer if you don't convince people to pay you to do it. That could mean joining a band, singing at your local cafe, performing on Broadway, or even recording a jingle for a commercial--your goal is to make a living as a singer. Get to it!

Tips

• When picking out karaoke music, know that you need to catch the audience in the first 30 seconds. Don't pick a song that isn't your best in those crucial moments.
• Remember to always be yourself -- it'll help to create an honest performance when it's time to show off your voice.
• Find the joy in singing. There's nothing like watching someone in their "element." If you love singing, then it'll show no matter how well you sing.
• Believe and trust in yourself and don't assume that you know it all. It takes time to develop your sound AND your voice. It takes longer to convince people how great you are.
• Practice your songs at home, in the shower, in your car, anywhere and anytime! You'll never get better if you don't practice. Remember,Practice makes Perfect.
• Relax and just be yourself. If you can't sing and there is absolutely no help for you at all, your audience will let you know in a kind but firm way.

Warnings

• Investing in lessons and books on vocal technique can really help save your voice. You may be able to sing as high as Mariah Carey but if you do it incorrectly, you may damage your voice.

How to sing well

Almost all vocal coaches agree anyone can learn to sing. Singing well is a skill, improved upon with proper breathing coordination. It is an extension of speech. This means the language being sung will have an effect on the position used for easy production of the tone. Style will also affect vocal position---more space (in the back of the throat) is needed in classical singing style than is needed in "popular" styles. To become a "good" singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing in pitch. To become a "great" singer you'll need to add dynamics and develop a style that's all your own. To become a good singer you need to be able to breathe properly and sing on/in pitch while producing resonance. If you're trying to develop a commercial voice you need to add dynamics, smooth out your break (develop middle voice) and create a unique style/technique that's all your own.

Steps

1. Find out your vocal range. This is essential, as singing pieces written for the wrong range may strain your voice. Here is a basic list of vocal ranges:-
   • Soprano - C4-C6
   • Mezzo-Soprano - A3-A5
   • Alto - F3-F5
   • Tenor - B2-A4
   • Baritone - A2-F4
   • Bass - F2-E4
2. It is also worthy to note that there are such things as male altos (countertenors). If you are a male and are able to sing in the alto range (most likely using falsetto), then you may be better off singing as a countertenor. It is advisable, however, that you ask a singing teacher to train you to sing properly.
3. 

   
   Learn to breathe properly. The voice is best described as a wind instrument and breathing is 80% of singing. Proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing. This is the breathing that we all did as babies, the breathing that we all do subconsciously all day. When you breathe from the diaphragm, your shoulders don't move and your chest barely moves at all. Your stomach, sides and lower back will expand. Your stomach should feel taut, as if you are flexing your abdominal muscles. This creates the pressure to sustain a powerful voice.
4. Stand tall with one foot slightly in front of the other one, feet shoulder width apart. This allows you to breathe easily and to allow maximum lung capacity to allow better notes and phrases.
5. 

   
   Always warm up before you begin singing or doing practice exercises. There are many different types of warm ups which are dependent upon skill level, but a common one is singing do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do with your mouth closed three times. Hum the same sequence three times, then sing it out loud. Go through each octave up the scale and then back down again until the voice is at a comfortable resting place. Your vocal coach can recommend a warm up that's appropriate for you.
6. Practice taking in deep breaths and exhaling slowly, as long as you can. A very good hint as to whether you are letting out a constant stream of air, required for proper technique, is by lightly touching your lips together and creating a bbbbbbbbbbb sound (while engaging your voice). If your lips stop vibrating together, then the air has stopped flowing freely.
7. Pronounce your vowels. Words are truly nothing but a constant succession of vowels with consonants dropped in occasionally to create meaning. So practice all your vowels at every pitch (high, low and in between). In English - AH EH EE OH OO. When you sing vowels, the jaw should always be dropped, and the tongue forward. EE is not a smiling form, but a dropped jaw vowel. OH should not have any teeth showing. OO is slightly changed form of OH. The vowel sounds are important because when you sustain any note it is a vowel sound that's actually sung. Mar(EE) Had A L(EH)tle L(AH)m
8. If you have pitch problems you can correct this by practicing scales (most coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out). Practicing scales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing and give you better control. To practice scales, identify your range (tenor, baritone, soprano, etc...) and know how to find the notes that cover your range on a keyboard or piano. Then practice the major scale in every key moving up and down using the vowel sounds. At some point you can start working in minor scales as well. Solffegio (Do,Re,Mi,...) is also an effective tool for improving pitch problems.
9. If your voice is weak, this is usually caused by under-developed muscles or improper use of the resonators (the pharynx, the hard pallet, and the nasal cavity). Muscles can be strengthened and with training you can learn how to use your resonators to project a powerful voice.
10. Always be working on a new song. When you start a new song, however, start with the rhythm and conducting. Sing the things you enjoy and while you're practicing, try singing the whole thing 5 times through, once on each vowel sound with no words. Then, when you sing the words, try and make the song sound as smooth and flowing as it did when you only sang the vowels.
11. Try to measure your progress every few weeks by recording yourself singing and being critical of the playback. Pick two or three songs to use as your benchmark: an easy song, and intermediate song and a difficult song. You can judge the difficulty of your song choices by the difficulty you have with singing them, if you don't feel you can sing at all and want some suggestions, here are three that everybody knows: Happy Birthday (easy), Frosty The Snowman (intermediate), The Star Spangled Banner (difficult). If you are just learning to sing, do not begin practicing with your difficult song selection at first; your difficult song selection represents where you want to be and chances are you've got a long journey (many months) to get to that point. Some will be able to phase in their difficult selection after the first month, others may need to spend a few months working on pitch and breathing. If you are just starting out, focus your first month working on scales. It is recommended to use popular songs in a style you desire to eventually be able to sing in. When you listen to the playback of your recordings, keep a notebook and note parts where you messed up and work on these parts during the week in addition to the time spent on scale practice. If possible find acoustic/vocal or piano/vocal only arrangements of your song choices as these type of arrangements generally provide a clear vocal track untainted by multi-effects processors, which are common in multi-track mixes.
12. Be reasonable with your self-expectations, regardless of where you are coming from, if you can devote 20 minutes or more a day to practicing scales and songs you can expect measurable improvement within four weeks. Most pitch problems can be corrected within 3-4 months. Understand that your progress is linked to your ability to practice daily (as with most training). If you only do 15 minutes a day a few days a week, you could spend a year or more. If you devote yourself you could completely transform your voice in three months. Everyone is different. If you don't hear measurable improvement in your self-training within three months then it's probably time to get a one-on-one instructor.
13. Keep in mind all the professionals you hear have spent years developing and perfecting their technique. The more you work on your own voice the more you should gain respect for what your favorite singers have accomplished. The pros make it sound easy and for them it still takes focus, but it comes more naturally because they have trained themselves over many years to make it that way. You can achieve the same thing in time with practice, and practicing can be a lot of fun. But practice is the ONLY way you will get there, and this cannot be underestimated. Most people who have "talent" have actually been practicing singing since they were toddlers without realizing what they were doing. Sing in the shower, sing in the car, sing all the time whenever and whereever you are. You need to make practice your priority in order to become a professional. Just because it's fun doesn't mean it's not work, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
14. Remember to adjust your style. The very basic lessons given here are meant for smooth, lyric singing and is based in classical training. This is the best way to learn, but of course, not all of you will be singing opera. So, take this basic information and try to work it into the style of music that you like to sing! A good way to do this is to pick a few artists you really like and try to master their techniques then try to mix them together. Before working on dynamics and unique style you should be able to breathe properly and sing in pitch. If you are just starting out don't put any focus on unique style for the first few months unless instructed by a vocal coach to do so.

Tips

• The best way to start singing properly from your diaphragm is to stand up straight, shoulders back but relaxed. As gross as it sounds, pretend your sternum is hooked and hanging from the ceiling. Focusing on projecting from your lower back will help greatly. Relax your jaw, relax your face - especially your eyebrows and forehead when you are concentrating really hard.
• Project sound and notes from your diaphragm and not your throat. Not only does this damage your vocal chords, your voice will sound 'stressed' and not pleasant. Your singing voice is not your talking voice.
• A true test of vocal control is how well you can hold a note - without vibratto. Very steady.
• A good practice technique would be to lay on the floor flat on your back and practice projection and tonal quality.
• Warm tea (warm drinks in general) helps your vocal chords be more flexible - making it easier to hit higher/lower pitches. LEMON keeps mucous from gathering and getting in the way of your singing, so water with some squirts of lemon is good for your voice before singing.
• There are three different kinds of voices. "Chest Voice" "Middle Voice" and "Head Voice". You use your chest voice when you sing in your comfortable range. The better singer you become, the more notes you can sing with your chest voice. You use your middle voice as a bridge between your chest and head voice. Middle voice has a part of chest voice and of head voice. You use your head voice when you sing higher pitches and where the sound is coming from moves higher, seemingly into your head even though the projection is still from your diaphragm. An advanced singer can continually move from chest to middle to head voice and back again without any vocal disturbance.
• Don't be intimidated by pop culture television. Keep in mind that shows such as American Idol are cleverly produced for shock value. Many of the horrible candidates you see trying out are the worst case examples of people who have no control of pitch or volume. They were selected for entertainment; most of them could be trained to sing properly if they would apply themselves and spent time with a qualified vocal coach. That they are held up to ridicule is purposely designed to discourage others from pursuing singing by those who wish to be in control of artists.
• Try to sing without any tension in your throat at all. The more tension you have, the less free your voice will be, and ultimately, the less good you will sound. Imagine your voice as a tangible object in your head, keep the pressure up from your diaphragm, and try to "place" your voice in the front of your face, right behind your top two teeth. Be careful not to go too far with this and shove a lot of air through your nose. This will result in a nasal sounding voice, which can be effective for parodies, but not for proper singing.
• The tone of your voice is much more important than range. People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not how many notes you can hit. Never sacrifice tone for range (stay inside your range). There are instances of professional, commercially successful singers with only a single octave range (Johnny Mathis).
• Elvis, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, Steve Perry, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Dikenson, James Hetfield, Brian Jonson, Robert Plant, Sting. Very few of the above would have made it on American Idol, yet they all bring a unique and commercially successful voice. The only standard for what makes a professional, commercially-viable singer is ability to sing in pitch and to be unique. It takes a lot more than voice to make it as a professional recording artist. You have to have a unique style about you and your voice is just one extension of that style.
• Just because you learn to sing properly doesn't mean you know all you need to be the next superstar. The recording industry is a business, and can be extremely tough on the pop vocalist. There is a sound A&R Rep's are looking for in male and female singers and whether it is good or bad, right or wrong is entirely dependent on the project they are doing and trend they are following. If you are a songwriter (or aspiring songwriter) maintaining your personal integrity is what will allow you to be happy with your success in the future. Otherwise all the success in the world will not be satisfying. Your vocal journey should be about developing your voice to its fullest potential and then using that voice to make an artistic expression that communicates your art to your audience. Audiences respond to technical quality first, and the message second. Just because you're not American Idol material, doesn't mean you aren't capable of expressing yourself vocally and gaining a recording contract.
• Very few people are "tone-deaf". It's a term often used (even sometimes by industry professionals that don't understand voice) to identify someone who sings badly off key, off pitch or with too much volume. The reality is less than 2% of the population is tone deaf. People who cannot sing on pitch simply need ear training. This can be done through the help of a qualified vocal coach.
• Not everyone who can sing is capable of teaching you. Most professional singers developed their technique naturally and are not the best teachers. At the same time, a teacher who cannot sing or demonstrate their principles should not be hired to teach you. You should ask to listen to a CD or hear the teacher sing or watch them perform before you choose an instructor. Singing coaches can be found in most major US cities and lessons are generally $60-$80 per hour, depending on the instructor's experience and desired pay. * Any college near you that has a Music/Voice program will have students who already know a lot more than a first-timer. You could probably get weekly lessons with them for cheap. The going rate can be anywhere from $20 - $60 an hour for most small to medium size cities. If you are with a student teacher, make sure the student is monitored by a qualified experienced teacher, but in New York, the rate for qualified professional voice teachers generally runs $100-200 per hour.
• As an alternative (or as a supplement) to lessons you may look at self-study material. There are many books on the market such as Roger Love's - Set Your Voice Free and Dena Murray's - Vocal Technique: A Guide To Finding Your True Voice, that provide a wealth of information from master vocal trainers. Good self-training material will include practice audio CD(s) with scales and demonstrations of proper and improper technique. Such material is especially useful if you don't have a piano or keyboard around the house. Both of the mentioned books also include exercises to help you get into middle voice; which bridges chest and head voice and is essential to helping most overcome their break.
• A big area of concern will be the break in your voice. Women and men both have that. This area usually starts around G above middle C. You'll have to learn how to maneuver around it, over it and through it in order to sound like the same person when you're singing high and low. This is tough to teach, but you basically have to feel what it is like to sing above your break, then try to 'pull' that feeling lower into the voice that you use below the break. You do the same thing in reverse when coming from high to low.
• No matter the style, good singing is meant to be sent forward toward the audience or, in the case of popular amplified singing styles, forward into the microphone. If you "listen" actively to yourself when you sing, you will ALWAYS sing out of tune, since listening to yourself becomes your focus. To sing well, the singer must focus on what must be managed in order to correctly produce a freely vibrating pitch. Active listening to oneself almost always will result in the singer tightening muscles that should not be used, so that the sound is pulled to his/her ear. The alternative to listening to yourself is paying attention to how it feels inside your head, throat and chest.
• Try to breathe in long phrases, not in the middle of phrases and not in the middle of words.
• Use dynamics! Dynamics are variations in how loud you are singing. Even the simplest use of dynamics will make your songs come alive, and the more you practice, the louder and softer you'll be able to sing healthily. When reading music, from quietest to loudest, dynamics marks are as follows: pp (pianissimo, very quiet), p (piano, quiet), mp (mezzo piano, medium quiet), mf (mezzo forte, medium loud), f (forte, loud), ff (fortissimo, very loud). When you start out you will probably only be able to sing from mp to mf, but your range will increase with practice.
• Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol. These things negatively affect your voice.
• Get in shape. You'll be able to breathe better if you are in good physical health.
• If you cannot afford or do not want the dedication that comes with hiring a professional voice coach, consider joining a local choir.
• Work to improve your range. If you think a note is too high you'll never be able to sing it, but if you try the note you are helping your voice. Yes, you'll sound bad and be out of tune. Maybe you'll never perform anything that high, but you still need to warm up properly.
• Always remember to believe that you can do it like the little engine that could.

Warnings

• When you're building the muscles used in singing, you will feel a little bit of movement and the muscles will slightly tense and release. But nothing should ever hurt! If you have a vocal instructor who tells you to do things that bring pain to your vocal cords, get out of there fast. Permanent damage happens very quickly with the voice, and will give you a very rough sound like Phil Collins. A healthy voice has a clean sound.
• Do not push the bottom of your range. If you are trying to sing a low note and produce a raspy sound, you are damaging your voice. Basically, your vocal cords are rubbing against each other. A node is like a callous on your vocal cords, and it wont go away. Don't get one. If your voice ever hurts after singing, you are causing damage.
• Tension in your jaw, shoulders, neck muscles and all surrounding areas can hurt you. Make sure you are completely relaxed before you sing.
• Most importantly, don't stress over not being able to do something. Singing, like many physical pursuits, simply takes time, and you will have more success if you just let go and allow progress to happen through practice, rather than rushing to be the best after your first lesson.
• Get honest advice on your ability. Don't get suckered into spending a lot of money on lessons by someone who'll tell you that you have what it takes just so they can get your money. Anyone can be taught to develop their singing voice to its fullest potential, but make sure that teacher in question CAN actually do it. Ask to hear samples of the worst voices they've fixed, before and after lessons.
• A raised larynx is a leading problem for many aspiring singers. If you put your finger on your Adam's apple and yawn, you will feel it move up and back down. The lower position is where you need it to stay. Try to sing up a scale with your finger lightly touching your Adam's apple; if it rises more than 1/2" then you have some problems. A raised larynx will make it so your throat closes making high notes impossible, it will also make it hard to produce resonance, vibrato, etc. It's something you need to work with a qualified vocal coach to verify and correct.
• A great instructor can increase a person's ability without the use of criticism. This is not to be confused with insistence that one can and does do it right. If you are a beginner, avoid using a teacher who makes negative critical comments about your every mistake. You are learning and most criticism is not only unnecessary, it's the #1 reason a person gives up learning to sing. Positive instruction is the best route to success, no matter what your difficulty may be.
• Avoid a nasal sound-sing from your diaphragm

Lesson 2- Tips to optimize XP

Step 5 - Utilities

Autoruns - Download - Home Page
Utility to display and control startup applications. Disabling unnecessary startup applications improves boot up time and overall system performance.

Instructions - Unzip and launch Autoruns.exe, wait until it says "Ready" in the bottom left corner, then select the "Logon" tab. Next select "Options", check "Hide Microsoft Entries" and press the refresh button or press the "F5" key. The remaining items are third party applications. Uncheck all that are not needed, this will disable them from loading at Windows startup. AntiVirus and Firewall applications are necessary applications that should be running on startup. If you are unsure of what something is, highlight it, select "Entry" then "Google" to launch a search for more information regarding the highlighted application. You can permanently remove items by deleting them. Do not "Delete" anything unless you are 100% positive you do not need it. Disabled (Unchecked) items can be activated again by rerunning Autoruns, checking the item and restarting Windows.

Notes - You can control the startup applications for separate user accounts by selecting "User" and the account you want to edit. This is a much more powerful tool then the built-in System Configuration Utility (msconfig).

Chkdsk - Home Page
Built-in Windows file system repair utility.

Instructions - Go to "Start", "My Computer", right-click on the "C:" drive, left-click "Properties", select the "Tools" tab, click "Check Now...", check "Automatically Fix File System Errors", then click "Start", "Yes" and Reboot. Repeat this for any other hard drive partitions in your system. Only the drive partition with Windows installed will require a reboot.

Disk Defragmenter - Home Page - (Unnecessary if Diskeeper is installed)
Built-in Windows defragmenter, a lite version of Diskeeper. File system performance is maximized when files are contiguous on the disk. This means that all of the data in each file would be located consecutively on the Hard Drive. Instead of fragmented into separate parts all over the disk surface, causing the Hard Drive to work harder (slower) to read and write your files. While "Disk Defragmenter" is better then nothing it does not fully optimize your hard drive performance, runs 300-500% slower, cannot be scheduled without a third party application and includes no advanced features. Since the built-in "Disk Defragmenter" is very I/O intensive your system is not usable while it is running. There are no Free Defragmenters that do a better job, in which case you have to purchase a Commercial Defragmenter such as Diskeeper.

Instructions - Double-click "My Computer", right-click the local disk volume that you want to defragment, Example: Local Disk (C:), and then left-click "Properties". On the "Tools" tab, select "Defragment Now", then "Defragment". The following service needs to be enabled:

- DCOM Server Process Launcher - Automatic

Alternate - Go to "Start", "Run", type "Dfrg.msc". Select the volume that you want to defragment, then select "Defragment".

+ StartDefrag - Download - Home Page - (Unnecessary if Diskeeper is installed)
Automates the scheduling of the built-in Disk Defragmenter to run at a set time everyday or once a week.

Instructions - Install and run. Select the "Configuration" tab, under "Scheduled Day" either select a specific day during the week or "Everyday". Then under "Scheduled Hour" select a time when you will not be on the computer but the computer will be on. This is important since the built-in Disk Defragmenter will consume most of the system's resources while running and will not be usable until it is finished. Finally select "Save Changes" and "Exit".

Notes - Do not use this with Diskeeper, which includes a much more advanced and efficient real-time scheduling option. If you install Diskeeper delete the StartDefrag scheduled task and uninstall StartDefrag. To delete the scheduled task, go to "Start", "Programs", "Accessories", "System Tools", "Scheduled Tasks" and delete the task. If it is the only scheduled task listed it will be called "AT1".

+ PageDefrag - Download - Home Page - (Unnecessary if Diskeeper is installed)
Defragment the paging file and the Registry. "One of the limitations of the Windows 2000/XP defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system."

Instructions - Download, Run, Look at the "Fragments" column if any of the items is in more then one fragment select "Defrag at next Reboot", than "Ok" and Reboot.

Notes - If you readjust the paging file size, rerun PageDefrag, otherwise this only needs to be run once. On badly fragmented hard drives with a lot of files, PageDefrag may take a long time to run, be patient and let it finish.

Diskeeper - USD $29.95 Home / $49.95 Pro / $99.95 Premier / - Comparison Chart (PDF)

Diskeeper is the full, automatic version of the limited built-in "disk defragmenter". Now over six generations newer, it includes enhanced features that Defragment your computer automatically, faster and more thoroughly. The High Speed Defragmentation Engine runs 300-500% faster than the built-in "disk defragmenter". Real-Time Defragmentation automatically handles fragmentation as it occurs with no drain on system resources. InvisiTasking technology allows Diskeeper to run invisibly, keeping your PC defragmented while you are using it - you will never even know Diskeeper is running. Power Management for laptops prolongs battery life by suspending background defragmentation while on battery power. Hard Drives are the slowest component in your PC, do not let Disk Fragmentation slow it down even more. - Purchase

"If you want increased disk performance and speed, install Diskeeper on all your systems."
- John Iasiuolo (Computer Outlook Radio Show) - Diskeeper Testimonials

This graph shows how fragmented your Harddrive can get after just two weeks of using only Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word.



IZArc - Download - Home Page
A 100% Free archive utility that supports many archive formats like: 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA, GZ, GZA, HA, IMG, ISO, JAR, LHA, LIB, LZH, MDF, MBF, MIM, NRG, PAK, PDI, PK3, RAR, RPM, TAR, TAZ, TBZ, TGZ, TZ, UUE, WAR, XXE, YZ1, Z, ZIP, ZOO. With a modern easy-to-use interface, IZArc provides support for most compressed and encoded files, as well as access to many powerful features and tools. It allows you to drag and drop files from and to Windows Explorer, create and extract archives directly in Windows Explorer, create multiple archives spanning disks, creating self-extracting archives, repair damaged zip archives, converting from one archive type to another, view and write comments and many more.

TweakUI - Download + Control Panel - Home Page
This Windows XP PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

Instructions - Download, install, add to the Control Panel and run. Under "Mouse" slide "Menu Speed" to "Fast", under "Explorer" check "Use Classic Search in Explorer" (Gets rid of the Dog).

XP-AntiSpy - Download - Home Page
Disables all the known 'Suspicious' Functions in Windows XP.

Instructions v3.96-4 - Install and run. Go to "Profiles", select "Neutral", then check most of the boxes and select "Apply". Leave the following unchecked:

[MediaPlayer Functions]
_ Do not acquire licenses automatically - This prevents Windows Media Player from downloading any necessary licenses.
_ No automatic updates - This prevents Windows Media Player from automatically updating.
_ Disable automatic codec downloads - This prevents Windows Media Player from downloading required codecs.
_ Don't get meta data from the internet - This prevents Windows Media Player from getting CD/DVD information.
[Miscellaneous Settings]
_ Don't synchronize with internet time - This prevents Windows from automatically keeping your clock accurate.
_ Clear pagefile at shutdown - This will cause Windows XP to take much longer to shutdown but increases security for the paranoid.
_ Deny starting regedit.exe - This prevents future use of the very useful regedit tool.
_ Deactivate Scripting Host - This will cause features to stop working in web browsers and e-mail.
_ Always show *.lnk suffixes - This adds .lnk to desktop shortcuts.
_ Always show *.url suffixes - This adds .url to web browser bookmarks.
_ Don't autostart CD's - This prevents CD's from running automatically when put in the CD/DVD drive.
[Network]
_ Disable integrated Firewall - This will disable the Windows XP firewall.
_ Hide Computer in Network - This prevents your Computer from showing up in Network Neighborhood.
_ Disable Network crawling - This prevents Windows from searching your network for network resources.
[Internet Explorer 6] (This will not show up if IE7 is installed)
_ Disable automatic updates - This prevents Windows Update from checking for and downloading updates.
_ Disable scheduled updates - This prevents Windows Update from installing updates.
_ Disable Javascript - This will cause some web pages to lose their menus or functionality completely.
_ Disable ActiveX Controls - This will cause some web pages to lose their menus or functionality completely.
_ Clean website cache on shutdown - This will cause Windows XP to take longer to shutdown but is a good idea for security.
[Services]
_ Disable auto-updates service - This prevents Windows Update from running Automatically.
_ Disable time server service - This prevents Windows from automatically keeping your clock accurate.
_ Disable task-scheduler service - The Windows Prefetcher, BootVis and Norton AV require this service to be running.
_ Disable firewall/connection sharing service - This will disable the Windows XP firewall.
_ Disable Security Center - This prevents necessary security warnings.
[Microsoft Messenger]
_ Uninstall completely - If you use or plan on using Microsoft's Instant Messenger leave this unchecked.
[Regsrv32 dll's]
_ licdll.dll - Only select this if Windows is already activated.
_ Disable ZIP Functionality - Only select if you have another .Zip program installed such as IZArc or WinZip.

- It is highly recommended to leave the profile on "Neutral" and adjust the values manually. The presets included such as the "Suggested" profile will disable important Windows features such as Windows Updates, the Security Center and Internet Explorer settings like Javascript and ActiveX. This will break common web page features such as menus and forms and prevent critical security patches from being applied. The color coding of check boxes can be further explained in the Help file under "Signs and Symbols".

Step 6 - Services
Windows XP has some extra services running by default that most people will never use. By disabling these services you will improve Windows boot time and security. Other performance related claims to disabling services are Myths.

Shoot The Messenger - Download - Home Page
Disables Windows Messaging service. This will prevent online spammers from abusing this and causing non browser related message Pop-ups during normal system operation. Installing SP2 will disable the messenger service for you.

Unplug n' Pray - Download - Home Page - Details
Disables Windows potentially dangerous and exploitable Universal Plug and Play networking capability. UPNP allows software applications to automatically open ports on a UPNP router without your permission.

Windows XP Services Guide - Home Page
Run XP-AntiSpy, Shoot The Messenger and Unplug n' Pray first since those utilities will disable some of these services for you. If you are not 100% sure about a service leave it on its default state. The goal is not to turn off as many services as possible but rather to disable only unneeded services.

Instruction - Go to Start, Run, type "services.msc" and press enter. Left-click on the status bar twice to filter all the started service to the top. Double left-click on the Service Name you wish to change. Change the "Startup Type" to either Automatic, Manual or Disabled then select "Apply" and "OK", repeat for all of the following:

Disabled - The following is a list of Services that you can disable on most systems:

Alerter
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Help and Support - (If you use Windows Help and Support leave this enabled)
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger - (Shoot the Messenger and installing SP2 will disable this)
Portable Media Serial Number - (Leave enabled for use with security dongles)
Remote Registry Service
Secondary Logon
SSDP Discovery Service - (Unplug n' Pray will disable this)
Telnet
Upload Manager
Wireless Zero Configuration - (If you are on a wireless network leave this enabled)

Automatic - The following is a list of Services that should always be set to automatic:

Application Layer Gateway Service - (Required by the Windows XP Firewall)
Automatic Updates - (Required by Windows Updates)
Background Intelligent Transfer Service - (Required by Windows Updates)
COM+ Event System - (Required by BootVis and other applications)
Cryptographic Services - (Required to confirm the signature of Windows system files, protected root services and key services)
DCOM Server Process Launcher - (Required by the Disk Defragmenter)
DHCP Client - (Required for Cable/DSL connections and routers)
DNS Client - (Improves internet performance)
Event Log - (Required by Windows and cannot be stopped)
Logical Disk Manager - (Required to manage and update your harddrives)
Network Connections - (Required by network connections)
Plug and Play - (Required by your system hardware, Never Disable This!)
Print Spooler - (Required by printers)
Protected Storage - (Required to protected sensitive data and to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users.)
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) - (Required by Windows, Never Disable This!)
Security Accounts Manager - (Required to store security information for local user accounts)
Security Center - (Notifies you of you Firewall and AntiVirus status)
Shell Hardware Detection - (Required by the AutoPlay feature)
System Event Notification - (Required by various applications)
System Restore Service - (Required by the System Restore feature)
Task Scheduler - (Required by the Windows Prefetcher, BootVis and Norton AV, Never Disable This!)
Themes - (Required by the new look of Windows XP)
Windows Audio - (Required for sound)
Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) - (Required by the Windows XP Firewall)
Windows Management Instrumentation - (Required by Windows, Never Disable This!)

Network Services - The following is a list of Services that are required on home networks and LANs:

Computer Browser - (Locates local computers and resources on a LAN)
DHCP Client - (Required for Cable/DSL connections and routers)
Network Connections - (Required by network connections)
Server - (Required for network shares and managing local user accounts)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - (Required for NetBIOS name resolution)
Wireless Zero Configuration - (Required if you are on a wireless network)
Workstation - (Required for access to LAN shares and servers)

Notes - Windows Updates can enable services that you have previously disabled. Check which services are running after a future Windows Update is completed. If applications stop working after this it is usually due to being to aggressive with disabling services. Enable the services you disabled one at a time until the application works. In the future leave this service on automatic. If you run into any problems set all services back to their Defaults and start over.


Step 7 - Internet
TCP/IP Optimizer - Download - Home Page - Speakeasy Speed Test
Application to optimize your Internet connection.

Instructions - Download and run. Under the "General Settings" tab select your Connection Speed (Kbps), which is your Maximum Download Speed. If you do not know what it is, contact your ISP and ask them. Make sure the value you get is in Kbps. (Exact capitalization is important, uppercase K, lowercase b ect...) Otherwise use the Speed Test and select the Closest City to get a rough idea of what it should be, then round this value (Download Speed) up to the closest size in TCP/IP Optimizer. Under "Network Adapter" choose the Network interface you use to connect to the Internet, select "Optimal settings", then "Apply changes" and "Yes" to Reboot.

Notes - Setting the Connection Speed higher then your Maximum ISP Download Speed will NOT improve performance and may actually hurt performance. Whatever your ISP claims is your Maximum Download Speed should always be used regardless of what the Speed Test shows. Maximum Download Speeds are theoretical and not always attainable for various reasons. It is normal for them to fluctuate. However, drastic differences in what your ISP claims you should get and what you are actually getting should be brought up with your ISP. It is your money after all and I would want to get what I paid for.

SP2 TCP/IP Slowdown Fix (Event ID 4226 Patcher) -
Windows XP SP2 limits the number of simultaneous incomplete outbound TCP connection attempts per second to 10 from an "unlimited" number (16777214) in SP1. With the new implementation, if a P2P or some other network program attempts to connect to 100 sites at once, it would only be able to connect to 10 per second, so it would take it 10 seconds to reach all 100. In addition, even though the setting was registry editable in SP1, it is now only possible to edit by changing it directly in the system file tcpip.sys. Keep in mind this is a cap only on simultaneous incomplete outbound connect attempts per second, not total connections. Servers and P2P programs can definitely be affected by this new limitation. The purpose of this is an attempt to limit the speed at which Viruses and Worms spread. However this does absolutely nothing to improve YOUR security. It merely attempts to slow the spread of a Viruses and Worms from your computer to others AFTER you have been infected. Remember it is a limit on OUTBOUND not Inbound connections. I recommend installing this patch for optimal network and Internet performance.

Instructions
- Download, unzip and run. Press "Y" and then Enter. A "Windows File Protection" window will come up, ignore this by selecting "Cancel" then "Yes" and Reboot. This warning is normal since you are editing a protected system file.

Notes - Various Windows updates resets the simultaneous incomplete outbound TCP connection attempt limit to 10.

Notes - AntiVirus programs may incorrectly detect the EvID4226Patch.exe file as a virus. This is a False positive. The file is perfectly safe but being incorrectly identified by your AntiVirus program as malicious. First make sure you are using the very latest version of your AntiVirus program and pattern file, if it does not go away contact the makers of your AntiVirus programs so they can resolve the error.


WEB BROWSERS
Despite all the online hype, the far majority of users are best served using Internet Explorer 7 for maximum webpage compatibility. Advanced users may want to try out Opera for maximum performance.

Internet Explorer 7 -
Contains browser and adds Tabs, Integrated Search and a much needed Anti-Phishing feature. Pop-up Blocking support was added in Windows XP SP2 and is used by Internet Explorer 7. Since the single most important feature of a browser is webpage compatibility, this is an excellent choice for most users.

Opera 9 -
Opera invented Tabs and was the first web browser to include an Integrated Search feature and Pop-up Blocking. Other unique features include an integrated BitTorrent Client and Voice control. Opera is the Fastest, most Secure and most Compliant (Acid2) Graphical Web Browser for Windows. An excellent choice for advanced users.

Notes - Opera is not compatible with all webpages.

Firefox Myths - Firefox Myths
Firefox is not being recommended here for many reasons. Some of those reasons are that it is slower than Internet Explorer, insecure and not completely compatible with 10-15% of all web sites. Get the facts.


Step 8 - Boot
Everything needs to be installed and updated before you proceed for optimal results. Many previous steps also improve boot times, such as the Prefetcher Fix, disabling Services except Task Scheduler, using Autoruns and Defragmenting.

BootVis - Download
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 by Windows (roughly every three days and after the system has been idle 10 minutes). You will notice immediate improvement in boot performance for this reason. It is not necessary to run BootVis again unless something has been added or removed from the boot sequence (Drivers, Startup Applications ect...)

Instructions - Download and Run. In the menu go to "Trace", select "Next Boot and Driver Delays". A "Trace Repetitions" screen will appear, select "Ok" and Reboot. Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, analyze and log your system's boot process. When it's done, in the menu go to "Trace" and select "Optimize System" and Reboot. This time when your system comes up, wait until you see the "Optimizing System" box appear, continue to wait until the process is complete.

Notes - BootVis requires the following services be enabled and the system rebooted before using the "Optimize System" function:

- Task Scheduler - Automatic
- COM+ Event System - Automatic

If you are running a performance trace on a Pentium 4 system with Hyper-Threading enabled you need to have SP2 installed (821581). Unfortunately BootVis is not publicly supported by Microsoft anymore.

Errors - Since BootVis is not publicly supported anymore, the last public release version has various compatibility issues with certain IDE/SATA/RAID devices and drivers with no official documentation on how to resolve them. One of the most common errors is "Number of physical drives in the trace file is 0". In which case you will be unable to use BootVis and should uninstall it. To manually perform the same optimization follow these instructions:

Manual Instructions
- Reboot Windows XP two times, each time wait one full minute after the desktop appears to allow Windows time to fully write to the NTOSBOOT-B00DFAAD.PF file before proceeding, then go to "Start", "Run", Type Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks. This can take 10-15 minutes to run but no notification will be given when it is finished. You will notice increased Harddrive activity while it is running wait until this stops. When this is finished in the "Run" box Type defrag c: -b and wait until the command prompt window disappears. It is not necessary to do again unless something has been added or removed from the boot sequence (Drivers, Startup Applications ect...) and you do not feel like waiting 3 days for it to be automatically optimized by Windows.


Step 9 - Shutdown
User Profile Hive Cleanup Service - Download
A service to help with slow log off and unreconciled profile problems.

These optimizations will improve performance but may cause other problems.

Disable NTFS 8.3 Filenames - Home Page
The creation of 8.3 filenames and directories for all long filenames and directories on NTFS partitions may decrease directory enumeration performance.

[HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem] "NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation"

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Run", and Type: fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 1

- Some 16-bit applications may not be able to find files and directories with long filenames.


Disable NTFS Last Access Time - Home Page
Disabling the Last Access Time improves the speed of folder and file access.

[HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem] "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate"

Instructions - Go to "Start", "Run", and Type: fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1

- This can affect programs such as backup and Remote Storage that rely on this feature.

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.

Optimize XP-1

Windows XP has a rich user interface with menus that slide into view, shadows that create three-dimensional effects, and rounded corners that soften the appearance of windows. If you have an older computer, these visual effects may noticeably slow down it's performance. For example, dialog boxes and menus might not open smoothly. To help improve the performance of your computer, you can disable some or all visual effects. When you disable visual effects, you change only the graphical elements on your desktop; you can still do everything you've always done with your computer—only faster.

How to disable specific visual effects

To control which visual effects Windows XP uses
1.Click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Properties.
2.The System Properties dialog box appears. Click the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, click Settings.
3.The Performance Options dialog box appears. On the Visual Effects tab, select the Custom option.
4.Clear the check boxes for the visual effects you want to disable.
5.Click OK.
6.You are returned to the System Properties dialog box. Click OK.


How to disable all visual effects
To disable all visual effects for the best performance
1.Click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Properties.
2.The System Properties dialog box appears. Click the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, click Settings.
3.The Performance Options dialog box appears. On the Visual Effects tab, select the Adjust for best performance option.
4.Click OK.
5.You are returned to the System Properties dialog box. Click OK.

Optimize PC-1

To optimize Pc is always a difficult job, crashes and all those stuffs and viruses, we provide all the infos for PC optimization

The following tips can help improve your computer's performance. These examples use Microsoft Windows XP. Some of the screens may differ from version to version, but overall you'll find these tips work for all versions of Windows, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.

By the way, in no way can you blow up your computer or files with any of these procedures. These tasks use utilities provided within the Windows operating systems to aid you in achieving the best system performance. This article does not address tinkering with the registry files.

Clean up disk errors(Run once a week)
Whenever a program crashes, or you experience some power outage, your computer may create errors on your computer's hard disk. Over time, the errors can slow your computer. Luckily, the Windows operating system includes a Disk Check program to check and clean any errors on your computer and keep it running smoothly.

To run Disk Check:
1.In your Start menu, click My Computer.
2.In the My Computer dialog box, right-click on the drive you wish to check for errors (for most of us this will be the C: drive, unless you have multiple drives on your computer), and click Properties.
3.In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab. In the Error-Checking section, press the Check Now… button. A Check Disk dialog box displays, as shown below.
4.In the Check Disk dialog box, check all the check boxes. Click Start.
5.You will see a message box that says you can schedule the disk check to start the next time you restart your computer. Click Yes. The next time you restart your computer, it will automatically run through a disk check before displaying your login screen. After the disk check finishes, Windows will automatically bring you to your login screen.
Note: Check Disk can take more than an hour to check and clean errors on your computer.

Remove temporary files(Run once a week)
Your computer can pick up and store temporary files when you're looking at Web pages and even when you're working on files in programs, such as Microsoft Word. Over time, these files will slow your computer's performance. You can use the Windows Disk Cleanup screen to rid your computer of these deadbeat files.

To run Disk Cleanup:
1.In your Start menu, click My Computer.
2.In the My Computer dialog box, right-click on the drive you wish to check for errors (for most of us this will be the C: drive, unless you have multiple drives on your computer), and click Properties.
3.In the Properties dialog box, click Disk Cleanup.
4.Disk Cleanup will calculate how much space you can free up on your hard drive. After its scan, the Disk Cleanup dialog box reports a list of files you can remove from your computer, as pictured below. This scan can take a while depending on how many files you have lying around on your computer.
5.After the scan is complete, in the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click View Files to see what Disk Cleanup will throw out once you give it the go ahead. You can check and uncheck boxes to define what you wish to keep or discard. When you're ready, click OK.
6.You can also select the More Options tab within the Disk Cleanup screen to look for software programs you don't use much anymore. You then have the choice to remove these unused programs.

Rearrange your data (Run once a month)
Don't be shocked, but your computer can get sloppy. Your computer often breaks files side by side to increase the speed of access and retrieval. However, as files are updated, your computer saves these updates on the largest space available on the hard drive, often found far away from the other adjacent sectors of the file.
The result: a fragmented file. Fragmented files cause slower performance. This is because your computer must now search for all of the file's parts. In other words, your computer knows where all the pieces are, but putting them back together, and in the correct order when you need them, can slow your computer down.
Windows includes a Disk Defragmenter program to piece all your files back together again (if only Humpty-Dumpty had been so lucky) and make them quicker to open.

To run the Disk Defragmenter:
1.In your Start menu, click My Computer.
2.In the My Computer dialog box, right-click on the drive you wish to check for errors (for most of us this will be the C: drive, unless you have multiple drives on your computer), and click Properties.
3.In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then in the Defragmentation section,     click Defragment Now….
4.In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, select the Volume (most likely your Local Disk C:) at the top of the screen, and then click Analyze.
5.After analyzing your computer, the Disk Defragmenter displays a message stating whether you should defragment your computer. Press Defragment to clean up your computer if necessary. The Disk Defragmenter will reorganize files by placing together and organizing them by program and size

Make Internet Explorer run faster
The Web is a sparkling achievement of modern society. It's everywhere—from the home to the classroom. We use it to communicate, to work, to play—even to waste time when there's nothing else to do.
Yet there's nothing more frustrating than having this technical marvel at our fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, only to watch our computers access the Internet at a crawling pace. Thankfully, Microsoft Internet Explorer provides some useful options for quicker Web surfing. Let's look at these options now.

Reduce the size of your Web page history
Internet Explorer stores visited Web pages to your computer, organizing them within a page history by day. While it's useful to keep a couple days of Web history within your computer, there's no need to store more than a week's worth. Any more than that and you're collecting Web pages that will slow down your computer's performance.

To reduce your Web page history:
1.In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2.In the Internet Options dialog box, in the History section, find the Days to keep pages in history: box. Type "1" in this box, as pictured in the image below. Click OK.

Don't save encrypted Web pages
Encrypted Web pages ask for usernames and passwords. These pages scramble information to prevent the reading of this sensitive information. You can define Internet Explorer to not save these types of pages. You'll free up space by saving fewer files to your computer, as well as keeping secure information off your computer.

To not save encrypted Web pages:
1.In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2.In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
3.In the Settings section, scroll down to the Security section. Check the "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" option, as shown in the figure below. Click OK.


Automate Microsoft Update(Configure once)
Microsoft works constantly to release updates to Windows and other Microsoft products, including Office. At Microsoft Update, you can find and install all these updates—not just the critical ones. Often, these updates will improve your computer's performance.
You can make life easier by automating Microsoft Update so your computer downloads and installs all the updates without you having to worry about them.

To automate Microsoft Update:
1.In your Start menu, click Control Panel.
2.In the Automatic Updates dialog box, check the Automatic (Recommended) check box. You can define the time of day when your computer checks for updates. If the computer finds any updates, it will download and install them automatically for you.
3.Click OK.

Install antivirus and antispyware programs
Computer viruses and spyware (hidden software that gathers information about you without your knowledge or consent when you're using a computer) both reduce system performance. Computer viruses can not only reduce performance, but they can also destroy data. Any computer that accesses the Internet should have antivirus and antispyware programs installed.•
Antivirus programs: Two of the most reliable computer virus programs around are Norton Internet Security and McAfee Internet Security Suite.