23 Ways to speed up your computer (Most cost nothing)

[Guest Rabbit]

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

 

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

 

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

 

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

 

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

 

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

 

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

 

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

 

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

 

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

 

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

 

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

 

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

 

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

 

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

 

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

 

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

 

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

 

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

 

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

 

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

 

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

 

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

 

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

 

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

 

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

 

 

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

[TheBlackOut 7]

Those are good.

 

This really helps too:

 

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Easy-XP-Twe...ion-t64386.html

 

(Don't have to register)

[Luk3us 63]

I thought that was all common sense? :?

[BWare 0]

Only to computer geeks luk3us :wink:

[Guest MadBadger]

Yo Hypno.... whats the link to the site? wana find out about the capacitor thingy lol >_<

[Shocker 0]

There's a lot of good advice in there, but there are several tips that are dubious at best.

 

Re #1:

The built-in defragmenter is far from optimal. It's just an old cut-down version of Diskeeper, and as far as I know it can't defrag the Master File Table or the pagefile. It doesn't seem to do a good job of consolidating free space either (at least compared to other products I've seen like O&O Defrag).

 

Re #6:

Put simply - this is totally incorrect. See here and here.

 

Re #18:

I don't have time to go into this right now (uni exam tomorrow ), but there are good reasons for having multiple partitions, and a few reasons why you shouldn't have one large partition.

[Guest Rabbit]

Well, by all means, share what you know! I don't want to send people into destruction if they read the wrong information :wink:

[F15pilotX 4]

Well, deleting the prefetch files didn't alter my time at all, but the rest was nice to know, especially the file indexing thing :wink:

[J-Fire_Man 0]

Only to computer geeks luk3us :wink:

Nope, computer geeks know better solution for this problem. Those statements are mostly common for computer seller, technicians, and students interested in computer.

 

For statement #18, I disagree with that. Partitioning is quite important. It's like rooms in a house. If you have only one harddisk and the size is more than 40 GB, then you should make a partition to store your private datas, like musics, videos, pics, etc. Why? From what I've experienced, when something unexpectedly occur to harddisk that damage the main partition that force you to format the main partition, you still have your pivate files save. So, partitioning is necessary, but it's not adviced for small size HD.

 

For satement #22, this is ridicoulus, do you know how annoying it's to open windows folder in multiple windows? It will really annoy you if you want to explore several folder levels.

[Azrael 0]

How about modifing memory settings in your BIOS setup? It worked on mine, but it's, well, risky... I changed certain settings about Video Card memory, so it explictly uses my RAM to somewhat increase performance, but if a program writes on ithe alotted memory space (about 128 MB), your PC will blow up*... Also, spacing up your drive C helps alot... At least 10 GB gives your PC a considerable speed boost... And partitioning can help, like in my PC, it has only one 160 GB HD, and it was slow when I had about 3 GB free space, but when I moved my games to drive D (the same HD, take note), performance goes up... Also, the "cleaning PC of debris" part is accurate mostly but it's better if you have a blower (something like a reversed vaccum cleaner), and you should use it about 2-4 months intervals... It helps alot. Also, remeber if you're building a PC that do not press a component too hard on the motherboard so that it will attach... If it's already hard to press, leave it because that usually means it's OK... In RASI (the comp shop I had summer job on and that's also where I buy PC stuff) there were lots of incidents that motherboards and RAM chips BURNED (literally) because of a component pressed too hard on the motherboard... Bulging transistors, meanwhile, are rare, though it happend to my father's old EPOX board because of the hot environment here at the Philippines... That's why you should always keep your computer cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Not really.

[Renegangsta 0]

[18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.]

 

Umm my computer has a partition preset with all the original data for the computer on it about 7gb could/should i back it up on dvd discs?

[Cygnus X-1 12]

um wow?

 

For those with laptops, cooling can be an issue. Ya know, shiit fans, no room under the lap for the fans to draw air.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

wtf is partitioning

[Luk3us 63]

Several logical drives setup on the single harddrive, it gives the appearance of multiple drives, when in fact there is only really one.

[J-Fire_Man 0]

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

Nahh......for people who love to test softwares or something regarding data modification, partition IS a must unless you have two harddisk. Some fatal accidents sometimes occured unexpectedly that destroy the entire data in the main system partition. So, partition can save the data from destruction. I have experienced such accident twice, luckily I store all of my private datas in my secondary HD, since I have two harddisk, partition is quite unnecessary atm.

[Azrael 0]

I agree. And remember, partitioning may be an illusion only, but if you're backing up using an MS-DOS back up thingy (my uncle did it once), you're gonna be CONFUSED BIG TIME where your data is... And for laptop cooling, try to go to a cool place, or buy a Dell Inspiron XPS... They don't get too hot, but they're ugly looking...

[Renegangsta 0]

You can get add-ons for your laptop it like snaps on the bottom of it

[Cygnus X-1 12]

Or, take the smart road, and dont get a laptop. Unless its a Mac. You know, bulletproof laptops are the wave of the future :wink:

[Azrael 0]

I read about something like that... A military guy used it, but in Iraq it got screwed... He got shot down and his laptop (in a casing, I forgot what the case material was) got shut down by a insurgent with an AK-47... And remember, if you want something like a laprtop that's portable, get a Fragbox and LCD screen, it's the closest thing to a laptop that dosen't get hot, but has the power of a full-size PC... But, as always, the standard PC is better...

[Cygnus X-1 12]

Or just get a Mac. They do make their laptops out of composites that are used in bullet-proof materials. Granted the Lappys themselves arent bullet proof, but they have been noted at taking falls of up to 6 feet and still surviving fully intact with no internal damage.

 

Oh yes, the iBooks dont ever have cooling issues. At least in my experience. And I've been using them at school for 2 years now.

[Renegangsta 0]

Or some how figure out how to build your own laptop

And make it fly and be submersable and even have a drill for digging. ahh yes

[Cygnus X-1 12]

you blasphemous fool, you forgot the popcorn maker !! :wink:

 

I wouldnt try to build my own laptop. PC yes, but not lap. Besides where would you buy laptop parts, considering most laptops have everything hardwired into them (not like a PC where things can be upgraded and replced more easily)

[Renegangsta 0]

oops sorry its the crack

 

and yes your right

[rEdaSbLood 1]

i was just wondering if partitioning makes my PC faster...thats all i want to know how to do for now....

[Renegangsta 0]

IN A CERTAIN WAY

 

but having serial ata does

and 10,000rpm hard drive

Western Digital but they only have 74. some gb of space