Windows XP Speed and Performance Guide

Windows Tweaking (For Advanced Users ONLY) Use at your own risk Windows comes with many features enabled that make your computer SLOW, VULNERABLE, and UNSTABLE.

Tweaking - an ongoing process of disabling windows features to increase speed, security, and stability

The following sections lay out some basic Windows tweaks/optimizations to make Windows faster, more stable, or more secure. Change 1 thing at a time, and check to see if it works. If it doesnt, change it back. Each computer should be CUSTOMIZED.

• • • This is not a list to just follow blindly, because when you break Windows, its no one elses job to fix but yours.***

• • • IF YOU MESS STUFF UP ***

Safe Mode

During startup, just before the windows loading screen shows up, press F8 a few times. This activates the custom startup menu, and allows you to startup in "safe mode". This startup option allows you to load Windows, bypassing almost all settings that you can change. If you mess up a setting, and cant startup normally, try starting up in safe mode, and change the setting back from there.

Backing Up

Before you change any settings in regedit, or anywhere else, you should have backed them up, or written them down. To restore a regedit backup, simply double-click the export file that you save, that includes your registry backup. To restore settings you wrote down, follow the instructions for that section, but instead of the tweaked settings, set them to your written down settings.

Windows Pagefile (Virtual Memory)

Windows has a setting for computers with low memory amounts to use your hard drive as memory. This sound good, because you get more memory, but the hard drive is a LOT slower than memory. If you have enough RAM (more than 512MB, recommended 1024MB), disabling the pagefile makes your computer start up in half the time, and runs programs NOTICEABLY faster. This tweak is a big performance enhancer, and can cause windows to act funny if done wrong. To change it back, you may need to startup in safe mode.

Right click "My Computer", and go to properties Click the "advanced" tab, then in the performace section, click "settings" Click the advanced tab in the new window, and click the change button Set each drive to "No paging file" and then set for each drive. Click ok, and windows will ask you to restart-- click no.

Start>Run>regedit Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetSession Manager Memory Management In the right side of the window, find "DisablePagingExecutive" and set to 1 Restart, and enjoy your speed!

Indexing Service

The Windows Indexing Service is a part of Windows that constantly uses your memory, speed, and hard drive to make searching faster for the future. I dont use Windows search very often, and I would like that speed/power for myself rather than Indexing, because it is not required in order to search. Lets now disable the Indexing Service.

Open Windows Explorer, or My Computer Right Click on each Hard Drive, or Local Disk, and go to properties Unclick "Compress Drive" and "Allow Indexing" in the main page. Apply to all folders/subfolders when prompted, and repeat for each hard drive.

Now click Start>Run>services.msc Find the indexing service on the list, and double click Change to "disabled" then click ok

Startup Items

Everything that starts up with windows takes speed away from your computer. Virus's, Adware, and legitimate, but unnecesary programs enjoy taking up speed and performance in your startup section of Windows. Disable items you know you dont want, and make sure you backup(export) your settings before changing them, in case you want to change back.

Start>Run>regedit

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent VersionRun

Right click the "run" folder, and click export. Save the file it asks, as this backs up your settings.

In the right panel, delete the things that startup that you dont need. This is custom, and is different for each computer, so tailor it to your needs.

Restart, and test. To restore old settings, double click the export file you saved.

Upgrade your Drivers

Windows talks to your actual computer with a 'language' that is specific to each part of your computer called a "driver". These drivers, or instructions of how to talk to your computer can be updated, which can improve your computer in every way possible. I strongly recommend you update your drivers often, to keep up to date on security, and speed. Below is a list of drivers you should update, and how you might find them.

Video Card - ATI and Nvidia are the 2 main Video Card manufacturers. ati.com and nvidia.com Sound Card - your computer manufacturers website (ie dell.com) Motherboard/Chipset - computer manufacturers website (ie dell.com) Others - For storebought computers, check your manufacturers website, and make sure you select your specific computer model to get the correct drivers. For Homebuilt computers, check the website for the part you want to update (ie creative.com)

NetBIOS

NetBIOS is a network standard used by OLD computers (windows 95 and earlier), OLD printers (from win95 era, or earlier), and various other off-beat network items that you probably dont have. I disable NetBIOS support to speed up my network/internet/startup time. If you disable this, and find out you need it, its easy to change back.

Start>Settings>Network Connections Right click your Local Area Connection, and click properties Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click properties Click Advanced, then go to the WINS tab Unclick "Enable LMHOSTS lookup" Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP Click OK

Start>Run>services.msc Find "TCP/IP NetBIOS helper", and double click Disable, and click ok

Power Options/Hibernation

Hibernation allows you to turn your computer on/off very quickly, but makes your computer slow, and internally disorganized in general to allow this service. I turn this setting off, and refuse to use it.

Click Start>Settings>Control Panel Go to "Power Options" Set your "Turn off Hard Disks" to preference, and click the "Hibernate" tab Make sure the check box is unclicked, and click ok

Windows Firewall

The Windows Firewall is a program that blocks most "potentially bad" programs that try to access the internet without permission. This can block virus's, and adware, but can sometimes block good things. It effects speed minimally, but I disable mine for simplicity sake. Only disable this if you know what you are doing, or have a firewall in your networks router to take care of you.

Start>Settings>Control Panel Double-click Windows Firewall Set to "off" (advanced users only)

Start>Run>services.msc Go to Windows Firewall, and double-click Set to disabled, then restart.