How to optimize your pc performance?

[adrian]

Hi,
The following is my finding on how to optimize the PC performance, but I
still don't satisfy the overall performance, can anyone add few more tricks
into this list, thx.
1.. Disk clean up
2.. Frequent Defragmentation
3.. Use a more comprehensive Defrag program than the one included with
Windows. --> Raxco, called Perfect Disk 2000 (Version 6.0)
http://www.raxco.com
4.. Run updated virus scan
5.. Scan for spyware e.g Ad-Aware ->
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/purchase/home/ Or spybot/ - Javacool --
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/specialinfo/rapidblaster.html/ Pest Patrol -
http://www.pestpatrol.com/
6.. Check for parasites.
7.. If you have file sharing software such as Kazaa, disable it.
8.. Run Registry cleaner
9.. Empty the temp folder, and cache files
10.. Switch off some start up program, or switch off some unnecessary
services.
11.. Update the outdated drivers, remove unnecessary programs
12.. Need to have a good 10-15% of your C: drive free for the OS to
operate properly.
13.. Try dropping your display settings and reduce the complexity of your
wallpaper, as display-intensive resource-wasters can make a huge
difference in
responsiveness.
14.. Some background applications drain ram, some constantly call the cpu
tying it up with the result being that your computer may run slow, and some
simply by their nature interfere with the real working programs you use on a
daily basis, so try to uninstall the unnecessary ones.
15.. Update video card driver -- If you are experiencing hard locks
without any error messages, shadowing or ghosts of your open windows when
you move them around, or left over pixels, than you surely need to try
updated drivers or the card may be bad. Also make sure that your video
drivers are updated if you are having a shutdown problem or experiencing
random fatal exception errors whilst in windows.
Thx.
Adrian

 

[Bob Dietz]

Hi,
The following is my finding on how to optimize the PC performance, but I
still don't satisfy the overall performance, can anyone add few more tricks
into this list, thx.

12.. Need to have a good 10-15% of your C: drive free for the OS to
operate properly.

<snip>

All of the stuff that was snipped applies, but let's zero in on this
item. When discussing RAM and or Hard drive requirements, statements
made about percentage requirements have the potential to be completely
bogus. Is that 10-15% of an ancient 2.2 GB hard disk (spinning @ 4200
RPM with 512KB Cache) or is it 10-15% of a brand new 200 GB hard disk
(spinning @ 7200 RPM with 8MB Cache)?

To recieve good advice, you should tell us more about the hardware.
CPU Model and Ghz
RAM amount and type
Hard disk: GB, RPM, Cache,
Partition(s) - number, size, type (FAT/FAT32/NTFS)
and remaining free space on each.

Bob

 

[Guest]

What performance exactly are you trying to achieve. Fast I\O operations? Improved graphics? Quality sound? Fast throughput speeds? Quicker downloads\uploads? and the list goes on and on. If you want basic performance enhancements for your system you need to be sure that you have what it takes. We can overclock the cpu or tweak the cmos for realtime priority but if you only have a 133MgHz processor with 64MB of RAM then there is only so much you can do. The very least you need to get the most out of XP in my opinion is a 1Ghz+ processor. 512MB of RAM a 64MB video card, if dial-up then a controller based modem, and that's just a bare start. An excellent program that optimizes many settings for speed is Speed XP. It's free. I don't recommend the "clear pagefile on shutdown" option. This overwrites the existing pagefile with 0's before shutting down and if you have a large pagefile then this can take a lot of time. My system boots in 38seconds and shuts down in 6. I have done around 60 registry tweaks to optimize and stabalize XP. My system is now running at peak and with DSL I have throughput speeds of 175+Kps. Or about 11MB download a minute. It really does depend on what you want to do and what your goals are. XP is very configurable for different situations but like a top of the line racing engine you need the right chasis to use all that power. Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the battery of tests
available there.

-----Original Message-----
Hi,
The following is my finding on how to optimize the PC performance, but I
still don't satisfy the overall performance, can anyone add few more tricks
into this list, thx.

<snip>