41 XP Speed Tweaks Part 2/2 (22-41)

41 XP Speed Tweaks Part 1/2 (1-21)

22. Remove windows fonts


Removing true type fonts can make your system use less resources.

However, in practice it is usually only practical to remove a few useless fonts e.g. wingdings.

The problem is that many extra fonts are installed when installing Microsoft Office, many of which are never used.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'fonts' and press OK.

Backup all your fonts from 'C:\Windows\Fonts'.

Now remove any unnecessary fonts.

23. Use Dual Channel Memory


If you have more than 1 stick of RAM inside your computer, it is best to run the memory in dual channel mode to achieve roughly a 2-5% performance boost.

In order to check if you are running in dual channel mode, the easiest way is to use CPU-Z.

Download CPU-Z.

Extract the zip file and run 'cpuz.exe'.

Select the 'Memory' tab and look at the 'Channels #' section.

If it says 'Single' channel then swap the slot the memory is in.

A common problem is users put memory in adjacent slots. Dual channel is usually the first and third slot, often in a different colour e.g. yellow. Use CPU-Z to confirm your memory is in dual channel mode.

24. Move swapfile to new hard disk


This should only be attempted if you have 2 or more hard disk drives inside your computer. A single hard drive even with a number of partitions makes no difference. If the second hard drive is slower than the first hard drive, it will make very little or no difference.

Press Start and Control Panel.

Select 'System', then 'Advanced' tab, then 'Settings' button.

Now select the 'Advanced' tab, and then the 'Change' button.

For C drive select 'No paging file'.

Select new drive letter and select 'Custom size'.

Enter same Initial Size and Maximum Size as C drive.

Now press Set, followed by OK and restart the computer.

25. Edit Boot.ini to disable GUI boot


This tweak should save about 1-2 seconds on your boot time. It simply starts up windows without the graphical logo telling the user that Windows XP is loading.

Click Start and Run.

Type in 'msconfig' and press OK.

Select the 'BOOT.INI' tab and select the '/NOGUIBOOT' checkbox.

Press OK and then the Restart button.

After restarting select the checkbox in the dialog box and click OK.

26. Optimize your internet connection


One of the most quick and effective ways to increase your internet speed is optimize it to your current internet connection. Windows is set by default to use slower settings.

Download and run TCP/IP Optimizer.

Select the 'Largest MTU' tab and press Start to test your speed.

Select your current speed using the Connection Speed slider.

Select your network adapter using the combo box.

Select the 'Optimal Settings' radiobutton, click Apply and Restart.

27. Reduce Applications Autorunning on Startup


Most computers boot up slowly because too many applications are trying to startup when windows does. This can easily be changed by selecting only certain important programs to start.

Click Start and Run.

Either type in 'msconfig' and select OK, then select the Startup tab.

Or download Crap Cleaner and use its 'Startup' cleaner tool (better).

Now disable programs that you do not want to startup on boot up.

You should not disable your antivirus, firewall and spyware remover.

Ctfmon should not be disabled as it is used by Microsoft Word.

Now press OK and select Restart in the next dialog box.

After restarting select the checkbox in the dialog box and click OK.

28. Cleaning the Windows Registry


The Windows registry contains important application data and which grows alot as more software is installed.

However orphaned registry entries and other settings usually remain after removing software.

Cleaning these is possible but is not recommended unless it is stopping software from working.

Download and extract Registry Seeker.

Run the file 'RegSeeker.exe' and select 'Clean the Registry'.

Select any keys and select 'Auto Clean'.

Now select which types of file to Auto Clean and click 'GO!'.

After registry clean, click OK and close the program.

29. Remove junk files and shrink registry


One of the most quick and effective ways to remove alot of junk files is to run Crap Cleaner on your system. The registry cleaner for Crap Cleaner isn't reliable so instead use NTRegOpt.

Download and install Crap Cleaner.

Select the 'Cleaner' tab and then press the 'Run Cleaner' button.

The Registry cleaner for Crap Cleaner sometimes causes problems, so use NTRegOpt instead.

Instead download and install NTRegOpt.

This should reduce the size of your registry by compacting it.

30. Remove windows login password


This involves the user not having to type in a password each time they enter windows. This can be a big security risk if the computer is shared or connected to the internet.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'control userpasswords2' and press OK.

Uncheck the checkbox requiring users to enter a password and press Apply.

Now enter the username and password for the account.

Press OK and restart the computer to test the autologin.

31. Convert your drives to NTFS


NTFS is the default file system for XP and has many improved features over FAT32. These include better security e.g. each file or folder has access permissions and data recovery is easier. Windows Home users by default use FAT32 which can be converted to NTFS and not vice versa. This does not result in any data loss but always backup data first.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'diskmgmt.msc' and press OK.

Check which drive to convert.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'cmd' and press OK.

Type in 'Convert c: /fs:ntfs' in order to convert drive c.

Change the drive letter to convert other drives.

32. Disable unneeded features and ports in the bios


This involves the user entering the BIOS, so please refer to your motherboard manual before making changes.

An example of this would be disabling the computers serial and parallel ports if they are no longer used.

It is common now for printers to be connected using USB rather than these legacy ports.

Other features worth disabling include integrated features such as built in graphics cards or network cards, if newer peripherals are installed in the system.

Software conflicts can occur, if integrated devices are not disabled.

To disable/enable these you should check the 'Integrated Peripherals' section of your bios.

Ensure the 'Save and exit' command is selected when leaving the bios, to ensure changes are saved.

33. Improve RAM performance with Cacheman


CachemanXP is an easy to use program which optimizes your system cache and improves RAM perforamnce. It does make a noticeable difference if it is set to 'Load Cacheman on Windows Startup'.

It is able to reduce software loading times, speed up windows startup and shutdown.

However, as the program's main feature 'Auto-Optimize' is not free it is not recommended unless you are consistently multitasking with multiple software/games at once.

This trial version will never expire, however it is only really effective if it is registered.

34. Defragment Windows Page File


Page Defrag will only be able to defragment your page file after restarting your computer, as it will be in use by windows.

This is only worth doing if your windows page file is fragmented.

The easiest way to find this out is to run 'Disk Defragmenter' which is tweak 4.

If the green block which is the page file, is in more than 1 piece it is worth running this program.

After starting the program, 'Select Defragment at next boot'.

Press OK and restart the computer.

35. Disabling unused devices from device manager


Unused devices that are not needed should really be disabled either from the bios using tweak 30.

Or disabled from device manager. Some examples include disabling onboard firewire, soundcards and ethernet.

These should only really be disabled if you have more than 1 of the devices or never use the device.

To Disable:

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'devmgmt.msc' and press OK.

Now disable any uneeded devices.

Close the device manager.

36. Using DMA transfer for hard drives


DMA stands for direct memory access and should be enabled by default on most modern hard disks. However some older hard disk drives may still be using PIO which has a minimum transfer rate of 3.33mb/sec. DMA however has a minimum transfer rate of 4.16mb/sec. DMA also communicates directly with the memory bypassing the cpu which improves performance.

To check your ATAPI device, Select Start and Run.

Type in 'devmgmt.msc' and press OK.

Select the '+' icon by 'IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers'.

Double click the 'Primary IDE Channel' and select 'Advanced Settings'.

Ensure the 'Transfer Mode' is set to 'DMA if available'.

If it is not set it to DMA and repeat for 'Secondary IDE Channel'.

37. Disable unnecessary services


Windows by default loads up all the services that all users may ever need. The problem with this is that the more services that load the more resources are used. Disabling some of these from starting automatically can considerably decrease both boot time and improve performance of applications.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'services.msc' and press OK.

Double click on the service to change startup type.

Read up about each service before setting any to Disabled.

Alerter
Application Layer Gateway Service
Application Management
Automatic Updates * enable for automatic updates
Background Intelligent Transfer Service * enable for auto updates
ClipBook
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Distributed Transaction Coordinator
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility * enable for multiple users
Help and Support * enable for windows help
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing * disable for extra security
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
NVIDIA Display Driver Service
Performance Logs and Alerts
Portable Media Serial Number Service
QoS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager * disable for extra security
Remote Registry * disable for extra security
Routing and Remote Access * disable for extra security
Secondary Logon
Security Center
Smart Card
SSDP Discovery Service
System Restore Service * disable if advanced user
Task Scheduler
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telephony * enable for dialup modem
Telnet
Terminal Services
Themes * enable for windows default theme
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Volume Shadow Copy
WebClient
Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration * enable for wireless cards

38. Setting manual IP addresses


As the computer starts up it has to communicate with the router to get a free IP address in order to avoid conflict. This process can be automated by setting manually the IP address it uses. The alternative method is better, as it is faster to setup and isn't affected by reinstalling windows on any machine.

Select Start and Run.

Type in 'control netconnections' and press OK.

Right click on the network adapter and select Properties.

Select 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)' and select Properties.

Now select Start and then run and type in 'cmd'.

Type into command prompt 'ipconfig/all'.

Now go back to the Network Properties tab.

Select 'Use the following IP address'.

Input the value for the IP address from the Command Prompt.

Leave the subnet mask set to 255.255.255.0.

Input the preferred DNS server from the Command Prompt.

Leave the alternate DNS server empty.


A better alternative is to login to your router settings.

For Netgear routers, simply select 'LAN IP Setup'.

Now select 'Add' under 'Address Reservation'.

Enter your IP address, Device Name & Mac Address and press 'Add'.

39. Update hardware drivers and firmware


It is important to update drivers e.g. motherboards and graphics cards as most manufacturers update these on a regular basis.

Upgrading firmware on a motherboard or router should only be done by an experienced user to avoid possible hardware problems if an invalid / corrupt file is used.

If the firmware becomes corrupt and no backup exists, the manufacturer may have to be contacted to help rectify the problem.

The purpose of upgrading is it adds more features, performance and stability to your existing components without having to upgrade.

40. Turning off system restore


This is a useful concept in theory which in practice can only sort out minor issues e.g. invalid drivers installed. For those who know how to reinstall windows it is better to turn it off and save gigabytes of hard disk space and improve performance.

Select Start and Control Panel.

Select the 'System' icon.

Select the 'System Restore' tab.

Select 'Turn off System Restore on all drives' and then OK.

41. Automated windows installation


This final tweak should only be done by experts as it involves slipstreaming windows.

This is a process of creating an automated windows installation which asks no questions and installs the operating system with all its drivers.

This is done by using a program called nLite.

It also requires a pre requisite which is .NET Framework.

Download and install nLite.

Checkout the nLiteOS website and go to the guides page for more info on how to configure it.

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