Windows xp performance

This article covers how to improve your Windows performance.

General Maintenance

Check your disk for errors

  1. Go to Start, Run, type "cmd", OK, type "chkdsk C: /r /x"
  2. Select yes and let it run on the next restart
  3. This can take many hours so don't restart until you goto bed 

Cookies and net stuff

Delete your internet cookies and junk if you haven't done it in awhile, you should do this at least once a week.

   * In Internet Explorer, Tools->options->general tab for browsing history, change the settings to something good and then do a delete
   * In Firefox, choose the Tools->options->privacy tab, change the settings and then clear the data

Delete extra temp files

Noob way: Make sure can see hidden files

  1. Open windows explorer, Firefox,ect.
  2. Tools-> folder options -> view
  3. Enable "show hidden files and folder" and uncheck "hide protected operating system files" 

Now tiem to delete stuff

  1. Start - Run - %temp% (temporary files in user folder)
  2. You can delete all those files: edit->selectall->then delete
  3. Start - Run - temp (temporary files in %windir%)
  4. You can delete all those files: edit->selectall->then delete
  5. Start - Run - %windir%\prefetch
  6. You can delete all those files: edit->selectall->then delete 

Find any extra temp files

  1. Start menu - search - files and folders
  2. Choose "all files and folders," may take some time
  3. Search: *.tm?
  4. Delete all the ones you can, some may be currently in use by programs running on the comp 

Pro way:

  1. Go to http://www.ccleaner.com/download and download CCleaner
  2. Install and run CCleaner
  3. You're done.

Check for spy ware and virii

The following programs are free!

  1. Spyware - Adaware and/or Spybot
  2. Anti-virus - AVG or Avira AntiVirAvast AntiViravast has boot level scanning and automatic updates 

Make sure scheduled scans and updates are enabled at least once a week

Now make comp faster time

Desktop

  1. Right click on desktop->properties->themes tab
  2. Change theme to Windows Classic
  3. Screensaver tab
  4. Make it so no screensaver and apply
  5. User power saving if you want the screen to turn off 

Turning stuff off that's useless to gain back POWAH

Last access

  1. start menu->run, type in cmd, press enter
  2. "fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1" into the cmd and press enter, no quotes 

(out of the kindness of my heart, I've created a .bat which will do this for you http://www.mediafire.com/?jk4xofi3bt5) its no virus, check it yourself.

Disable short filenames

  1. In the same command prompt enter"fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 1" without quotes 

Fonts

  1. Start menu-> control panel -> fonts
  2. Delete fonts that you never use/won't use
  3. If you wanna save them just in case, you can, just make a diff folder somewhere and zip em up so the comp won't 

Programs

  1. Start menu->control panel -> add/remove programs
  2. Take off any you don't use and won't be using 

Indexing

  1. my computer->right click on hard drive
  2. click box to make indexing off and apply, let it run, will take awhile

Starting up faster and staying a little faster cause shit wont be going always

msconfig

  1. Startmenu->run, type msconfig press enter
  2. Go over to the Startup tab, click disable all, and enable what you only really need at startup, 
     virus and firewall stuffs mainly, on laptops can be moar wireless and button stuffs as well
  3. Go to the services tab now
  4. check the box to hide all Microsoft services, we don't wanna disable Microsoft things we need 
     to run comp
  5. Now set things you don't use to manual startup
  6. Apply and done

Useless services go away

   * Large copypasta of information regarding services(http://pastebin.ca/649452)

Defrag

With default Windows defragmenter

  1. My computer->right click on drive to defrag->properties->tools, defrag
  2. click defrag
  3. have it do it about 2 or 3 times so it'll be all done, each time it'll go faster 

With specialized software

   * Microsoft Bootvis, defragments files that can't be defragmented while Windows is running (like boot files)
   * O&O Defrag, more defrag options than default defragger
   * Raxco PerfectDisk, also more options and statistics
   * UniBlue Regisrty Booster, Does what you thought Windows Optimizer was supposed to do, except IRL. Microsoft Certified so no   
     system32 worries.

Further performance tweek

Desktop graphics performance

  1. Now go over to the advanced tab and then click on performance settings
  2. Adjust for best performance 

Pagefile

  1. Start menu->right click on My Computer->properties->general tab
  2. near bottom says how much RAM you have, remember that
  3. Go to advanced tab under performance options.
  4. Go to virtual memory, click change
  5. If you have more than one harddrive move the paging file to whichever one has the least amount of data access and is the fastest,
     don't have the pagefile on the OS/Applications drive unless its your only one.
  6. Remember how much RAM you have? Set the paging file to be custom size and your initial size as 2 times the size of your RAM and 
     the max size as 2 times the size of your RAM
  7. click set and okay and apply it all

Caching

  1. Open regedit
  2. Find hkey_local_machine\system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management\
  3. Dwords LargeSystemCache and DisablePagingExecutive both set to 1
  4. Please note that changing LargeSystemCache to 1 does not change performance according to this source.