| Here is a list of useful tips on how to improve | | | | speed. Disable Bios Caching and Video Caching, these |
| multitasking performance and overall computer | | | | are not useful for modern operating systems, they |
| performance on your Windows based PC. Please | | | | were rather needed for older MS-DOS compatible |
| backup your system before doing changes, to make | | | | operating systems like Win9x. Turn off IDE auto |
| sure you can get it back working should anything go | | | | detection and set them manually, whenever possible. |
| wrong for you.1. Get a multitasking capable | | | | Also, enable 'fast boot', 'silent boot', 'quick boot' or |
| motherboard and CPU. An Intel CPU with | | | | similar option.16. Get the latest drivers for your |
| HyperThreading would be great, dual core would be | | | | hardware, especially for video and SCSI devices. Visit |
| awesome, if you can afford something like that. | | | | your website manufacturers and download the latest |
| HyperThreading improves multitasking by dividing a | | | | drivers they have for your hardware. Subscribe to a |
| single processor into two logical processors so 2 | | | | driver download notification emailing list, if they have |
| different tasks can be executed at once. Needless to | | | | one. In general, drivers coming with your Windows |
| say, dual core improves this much more as there are | | | | Install CD may work but they are usually obsolete. |
| 2 physical processors and 4 resulting logical | | | | Some newer drivers can be found through Windows |
| processors through using HyperThreading on top of | | | | Update, but in most cases it is best to download |
| that.2. Use dual-channel memory modules, and in | | | | new drivers directly from the manufacturer of your |
| general use RAM modules as fast as possible for | | | | hardware device.17. Buy only quality, brand hardware. |
| your motherboard.3. Use modern hard drives like | | | | Cheap hardware will never work properly; cheap |
| S-ATA hard drives for example. Make sure your hard | | | | motherboards and computer cards are unstable, have |
| drive has plenty of cache (8MB would be minimal | | | | improperly written drivers and tend to easily get |
| recommended) and also look for low access times | | | | defective. If possible, buy a preconfigured computer |
| and fast throughput. Use 10,000 RPM drives if | | | | of quality brand. Serious manufacturers usually test |
| possible - or in any case, as fast as possible. Use hard | | | | their components for compatibility and therefore such |
| disk fans for such units - they usually heat up a lot | | | | machines are real stable and have excellent |
| so extra cooling is needed to keep them running | | | | performance for their hardware class.18. Use |
| well.4. Purchase 2 hard identical drives and place them | | | | Windows Update to keep your computer files |
| in Raid 0 mode. This doubles the hard disk transfer | | | | updated with the latest versions.19. Connect different |
| speed due to the fact that 2 hard disks are being | | | | IDE drives using separate IDE cables. Put your |
| queried at once. It would be good to also purchase a | | | | primary hard disk on the first interface (IDE 0) and |
| 3rd spare hard disk of the same model, should one | | | | the CD-ROM/DVD unit(s) on the second interface |
| of these ever malfunction, but make sure you use | | | | (IDE 1) using a second IDE cable. Having another |
| the spare hard disk from time to time, because if | | | | drive on the same cable can significantly decrease |
| you keep it unused for many months it may get | | | | your primary hard disk performance.20. Use the latest |
| defective.5. Use lots and lots of RAM. 2GB would be | | | | DirectX version as this will improve gaming |
| recommended (or more if you can), 1GB would be | | | | performance. Needless to say also, the best video |
| minimal. The more RAM you have, the better your | | | | card you can get, the best would be your 3D gaming |
| system will perform.6. Use the FAT32 file system | | | | performance. In some cases, you may want to |
| instead of NTFS. This advice may come as a surprise | | | | reduce screen color depth to 16-bit (65536 colors), |
| for some readers, yet it has proven very effective in | | | | especially on some older video cards - this may |
| practice. Although FAT32 is simpler and less-featured, | | | | improve performance for such video cards, if you |
| it is also more effective for multitasking due to the | | | | can't get a newer card which would however be the |
| smaller CPU and disk access requirements that come | | | | best option.21. Make sure you enable DMA transfers |
| from this simplicity.7. Use a dedicated swap partition. | | | | on IDE slave drives, which is not enabled by default. |
| Our tests shown that this partition should not be that | | | | Go to Control Panel - System - Device Manager, |
| big. Other sources recommend using a swapfile of 3x | | | | jump to your IDE controller, and in the 'Primary IDE |
| the amount of physical RAM memory; we found in | | | | Channel' - Advanced Settings, configure it to use |
| practice that using a swapfile of 2x the amount of | | | | DMA instead of default PIO (programmatic I/O) |
| RAM would perform best in terms of speed. If | | | | modes.22. Make sure you enable Write caching for |
| possible, use the FAT16 file system for the dedicated | | | | SCSI drives - you can do this from Device Manager |
| swap partition; please note that the maximal size of | | | | by going to SCSI devices.23. Close any application |
| a FAT16 partition is 2 GB. It is recommended to place | | | | that you do not use. If you cannot close them, at |
| the operating system on the first partition on the | | | | least minimize them as when they run in background |
| first hard drive, and it is highly recommended (!) to | | | | mode, they consume less CPU.24. Disable unneeded |
| place the swap file partition as the first partition on a | | | | programs that auto-run at startup. These can really |
| second hard drive, if possible - meaning on a separate | | | | bog down your system. Use a startup manager |
| hard drive than the one where your operating | | | | program to make your life easier. You can use the |
| system is installed. This is the configuration that | | | | built-in startup manager in Windows XP by going to |
| works best in most cases.8. If you have large | | | | Start - Run, type 'MSCONFIG' and hit Enter.25. Disable |
| amounts of RAM, like 2GB or 4GB for example, you | | | | Messengers that you do not use (Windows comes |
| may try disabling the swap file completely. This may | | | | with MSN Messenger by default).26. Disable all |
| significantly improve performance, if your applications | | | | unnecessary services. Depending on configuration, |
| fit well inside available physical memory.9. Optimize | | | | you may want to disable File and Print, FTP, World |
| your Windows Operating system visual aspect, for | | | | Wide Web, Routing and Remote Access, IIS Admin |
| speed. In Control Panel - System - Advanced - | | | | Service, Telnet, Smart Card and Smart Card Helper, |
| Performance Settings, select 'Adjust for best | | | | Terminal Services, Uninterruptible Power Supply. Also |
| performance' and then retain only a few minimal | | | | make sure you disable Indexing Service, as this |
| options if you want to improve aspect, like 'Use | | | | usually significantly slows down your system.27. If |
| visual styles on windows and buttons' for example. | | | | there are programs that you do not use, uninstall |
| The Windows XP graphical interface consumes a lot | | | | them - this frees disk space as well as remove some |
| of CPU and results in significantly lowering overall | | | | unneeded dll's from memory.28. Reinstall your |
| computer performance.10. Get the fastest video card | | | | operating system from time to time, when you can. |
| that you can afford. Read reviews on the internet | | | | Some programs, even if uninstalled, leave |
| about them. Some cards and drivers are less stable | | | | unnecessary dll files inside your computer. Since it is |
| than others for a given performance level.11. | | | | difficult to manage them, a fresh reinstall would be a |
| Periodically defragment your hard drives, especially if | | | | good option.29. When you have just reinstalled and |
| you copy and delete a lot of data. From time to time | | | | activated your copy of windows, backup your |
| it is good to reformat the hard disk completely; in | | | | system on DVD and keep it safe, using a disk |
| this case, you would have to backup your files on a | | | | backup or disk clone tool. Whenever you may need |
| different partition, format partition then copy files | | | | to have a fresh system you can use the disk to get |
| back after formatting. A fragmentation of 4-5% | | | | a fresh installed operating system on your computer. |
| already means a significant computer speed reduction. | | | | Norton Ghost can be such an useful disk clone |
| Use defragmenting tools like Diskeeper for this | | | | program. Some computers come with such tools |
| purpose.12. If you are using the FAT32 file system, | | | | preinstalled, so use them when you just received |
| do not make any partitions exceeding 32 GB. If your | | | | your computer to make a backup of the system.30. |
| hard drive is large and you need a lot of partitions, | | | | Empty temporary files from C:WindowsTEMP, |
| please note that you can use up to 3 primary | | | | C:Temp folders. Empty Temporary internet files |
| partitions (although the common usage is to have | | | | periodically. Use Disk Cleanup to get rid of all this |
| just one) and an extended partition, and then within | | | | waste on your computer.31. Reduce the size of your |
| the extended partition you can set any amount of | | | | System Restore folders at lower percentages, for |
| partitions needed, up to the number of available drive | | | | example like 8% . You may want to disable System |
| letters which is of 26 in total.13. Use operating | | | | Restore on partitions where they are not needed, |
| systems like Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 | | | | where there is no OS stuff or programs installed but |
| which have proven to be indeed faster and more | | | | just your stored files and data.32. Remove any |
| reliable when compared with older Windows 98 or | | | | unneeded Fonts. Fonts can really bog down your |
| Windows ME operating systems. If needed, upgrade | | | | computer. Removing them will save a lot of memory |
| your operating system.14. Do not mix operating | | | | and significantly improve performance.33. Remove |
| systems like Windows 98 and Windows 2000 - | | | | unneeded network protocols like IPX and |
| Windows 2003 - Windows XP on a local network. | | | | NetBEUI.Hopefully, this list will prove useful to |
| Network transfers between Win 9X and 2k/XP | | | | readers, in obtaining the most out of their Windows |
| based operating systems are a real pain. Generally, if | | | | based computer and increasing speed and |
| you are still using Win9X, it would be best to upgrade | | | | multitasking performance in all daily operations. Please |
| to a newer operating system.15. Make sure you have | | | | note that these advices come with no guarantees - |
| properly configured your computer BIOS. Since BIOS | | | | you are on your own, and in any case you should |
| works directly with your motherboard and drivers | | | | better know what you are doing. Good luck - and |
| and preconfigures your system hardware before the | | | | enjoy your improved computer performance!By Emil |
| operating system is loaded, these settings are vital | | | | Sasu - For more articles and tips, visit our website at |
| for your computer performance. You may want to | | | | - computer troubleshooting website, where you can |
| play with CPU caching options, set memory timings | | | | find additional in-depth computer technical information, |
| to optimal values (test if necessary) and ensure that | | | | tips and advices. |
| hard disk controllers are configured for maximal | | | | |