Windows XP Definitive Performance Tweaking guide
1. Stop the 'last access update' stamp
Every time a directory on an NTFS drive is accessed by Windows XP, it updates that directory and every subdirectory with a time stamp to indicate the date of access. In folders with a lot of subdirectories, this can add considerable overhead to whatever your PC happens to be doing.
This process can be disabled through the registry:
Open REGEDIT and Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Co ntrol\\FileSystem.
Create a new DWORD value called 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate' and set the value to '1'
2. Disable the 8.3 naming convention
Windows XP uses two different names for each and every file on your system. One is the name that you see in explorer and in the command prompt, and the other is an MSDOS compatible 8.3 (8 character title followed by a '.' Then three more characters to indicate the type of file) name. If you are intending to run DOS only software, or connect to pre-Windows 95 computers, you will need this second set of names. If not, you are simply wasting resources.
To disable the 8.3 naming convention:
Open REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Con trol\\FileSystem
Change the value of the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation key to '1'
Note that some popular programs, including Norton Antivirus, use the 8.3 naming convention.
3. Keep Windows operating data in main memory
Windows XP contains several tweakable memory settings in the registry, one of which is the DisablePagingExecutive registry key. This controls whether the operating system will transfer its essential driver and kernel files to the 'virtual memory' (the page file on the hard disk). It defaults to allowing this.
Obviously, transferring portions of the system to hard drive memory can considerably slow things down, and it appears that Windows XP does this periodically, whether or not the system is actually low on physical memory (RAM). If you have 256MB of system memory or more, try this registry tweak to force Windows to keep its operating data in main memory:
Open Regedit.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet001\\Control \\SessionManager\\MemoryManagement.
Select the DisablePagingExecutive value to '1'
4. Obtain the newest drivers for your hardware
This may seem a bit obvious, but keeping your system's drivers up to date can give both your performance and stability a boost. Video card manufacturers release updates especially often, and these can often give "significant boosts" to gaming performance as video card in question is "optimized."
Don't neglect the other components of your system either. Your motherboard manufacturer may have released newer versions of its Input/output drivers for your board, and sound cards and other peripherals can also benefit from newer software.
5. Move the page file from system drive
The page file is the area of a hard drive which Windows reserves for use as virtual memory when there is more data than can be stored in the actual physical memory of the system.
Page file access is extremely slow as compared to standard memory, since the hard disk, as a mechanical device, is slower to read and write information than the purely electronic memory. There are still some ways to optimize your page file use so it is a bit less of a burden on your system, however.
One of the best of these methods, provided you have two physical hard drives, is to move the page file off the disk which hosts the Windows system files. This ensures that Windows is not constantly accessing the disk for the system files as well as the page file.
To do this in Windows XP:
Right click on 'my computer' and select 'properties.'
Select the 'advanced' tab.
Under 'performance' choose the 'settings' button.
Select the 'advanced' tab again and under 'virtual memory' select 'change.'
The virtual memory window allows you to select and change the allocation of hard disk space to be used as virtual memory for your system. For best performance; if you have two physical hard disks of roughly equivalent speed, remove the page file from your system disk (c
and place it on the other drive.
6. Create a 'permanent' page file
Make the minimum size of the page file the same as the maximum size. This saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file, and does not lose you any extra space, since the 'maximum' size the page file can reach is the amount of hard disk space that is reserved by the OS.
Right click on 'my computer' and select 'properties.'
Select the 'advanced' tab.
Under 'performance' choose the 'settings' button.
Select the 'advanced' tab again and under 'virtual memory' select 'change.'
Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the 'initial size' of the file the same as the 'maximum size' of the file.
7. Optimize your page file size
Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. As a simplified guideline. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.
8. Enable UDMA/66 mode on IDE Channels
Even if DMA is enabled on IDE channels, by default UDMA/66 mode is disabled. You can improved disc performance by enabling it.
Open registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigating to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Con trol\\Class\\ {4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\\0000].
In right pane look for a key by the name "EnableUDMA66". If it is there, set its value to 1 if it is not already set to 1. If not, add a dword entry by the name "EnableUDMA66" and set its value to 1.
10 How to improve on shutdown time ? Close apps automatically & quickly at shutdown
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\CONTROL PANEL\\DESKTOP
and look for AutoEndTasks. On my computer default value is 0. Change it to 1. Thats all. Further more you can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. In doing this only constraint that you should make sure exists is that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
11. Speedup boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Dfrg\\Boo tOptimizeFunction
In right hand panel look for Enable. Right click on it and set it 'Y' for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.
12. Create your own customized legal notice at Windows Startup
This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft NT\\CurrentVersion\\Winlogon.
In right hand panel look for two fields by the name legalnoticecaption and legalnoticetext. Modify legalnoticecaption to what you want popup window caption should read and change legalnoticetext to customize whatever message you want.
13. Disable Remote Registry
This service allows your registry to be edited from a remote computer. It is most likely the case that this service is not needed, not to mention a possible security risk for people concerned about their system security.
To turn it off, go to Start > Run and type services.msc.
Set the startup type to““Manual†or “Disabled†for XP’s “Remote Registryâ€or 2000’s “Remote Registry Serviceâ€.
14. Visual Effects
Both Windows 2000 and XP have all sorts of fade and other fancy effects turned on as default. All right, so they look pretty, however, they can really bog down systems.
Under XP, in the Control Panel, go to System >“Advanced†tab and under “Performanceâ€, click “Settingsâ€. The two I suggest to uncheck here are “Fade or slide menus into view†and “Fade menu items after clickingâ€. You can turn off and on any effects you want in order to find a good balance between visual effects and performance Hit Apply and OK after you’’re done.
In 2000, Right click on the desktop, click “Properties†and go to the “Effects†tab.
15. Turn Off Terminal Services
If you are experiencing slow shutdowns, one tweak you can try is turning off Ternimal Services. If you do not use remote desktop, fast user switching, remote assistance or the terminal server, then proceed with this tweak.
Go to Start > Run and type services.msc /s.
Find "Terminal Services" on the list and double click on it (If it’’s not there, it isn’’t installed). Change startup type to ““disabledâ€â€ or ““manualâ€â€ and click OK.
16.Winodws Sharing
It’’s fairly common nowadays to have more than one computer in the house on LAN so they can each connect to the Internet. It’s also common to share and transfer files between the computers. When you try to access one computer from another, there is often a significant delay while trying to connect. This is because your computer will check the remote computer you are accessing for any scheduled tasks. The more there are on the remote PC, the longer it takes to connect.
To avoid this delay, go into regedit, and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\ CurrentVersion\\Explorer
\\RemoteComputer\\NameSpace.
Delete the {D6277990-4C6A-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} key and reboot.
The next time you try to access the shared files on a remote computer, you will probably notice your computer gets there faster.
17. Disable Windows Messenger
To stop Windows Messenger from loading, there is a registry tweak you can try out. If you use MSN Messenger, it can be run without Windows Messenger. If you install MSN Messenger after applying this tweak, the tweak will be reset by the installation and it will need to be done again.
First, if you have it open, close MSN Messenger and make sure it is not open in the system tray. Open up regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Policies\\Microsoft\ \Messenger\\Client.
Create/modify these to DWORD values: “PreventRun†set to the value of 1; and “PreventAutoRun†also set to the value of 1.
If you are experiencing a slow down opening OE as a result of the above tweak, try this:
Open regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\CLSID.
Find the key {FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
and under it select the folder IniProcServer32.
In the right panel of regedit double-click on the “(Default)†entry at the top and completely delete the value data it contains. Now do the same for the LocalServer32 folder as well.
18. Delay When Opening “My Computerâ€
It is a sure thing that you have sat in front of your monitor more than a few times and waited for ““My Computerâ€â€ to load. There is a simple fix to eliminate the wait time.
Open up “My Computerâ€, go to Tools > Folder Options and select the “View†tab. Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers†and hit OK. Now try opening up “My Computerâ€. Notice a difference?
19 Disable anonymous NetBIOS connections
Some computers are vulnerable to a NetBIOS attack, where a hacker uses a rather simple method to connect to somebody's computer. From there, the hacker can essentially do more to that person's computer than that person can do. It is a good idea to do this tweak if you are not behind a firewall. Must be familiar with the Windows registry.
Open Regedit (go to start > run and type in regedit and press enter)
Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControl/SetControl/LSA
Right-click a white area in the left pane.
Select New > DWORD Value.
For the name of the value, type "RestrictAnonymous".
Double-click the name of the value.
For the "Value Data" field, type 1.
Press OK.
Close regedit.
Note: The settings will change when your computer is restarted.
20. Disable the boot screen
This is a nice way to speed up your boot time.
Click on Start and right-click "My Computer".
Click "Properties".
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Startup and Recovery" box, click "Settings".
In the "System Startup" box, click "Edit".
On the end of the line with Windows XP in it, add "/sos".
Your line should like similar to the following (although it may not be quite the same):
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Micros oft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /sos
Go to File > Save (Click on Save).
Go to File > Exit (Click on Exit).
Click OK.
Click OK.
1. Stop the 'last access update' stamp
Every time a directory on an NTFS drive is accessed by Windows XP, it updates that directory and every subdirectory with a time stamp to indicate the date of access. In folders with a lot of subdirectories, this can add considerable overhead to whatever your PC happens to be doing.
This process can be disabled through the registry:
Open REGEDIT and Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Co ntrol\\FileSystem.
Create a new DWORD value called 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate' and set the value to '1'
2. Disable the 8.3 naming convention
Windows XP uses two different names for each and every file on your system. One is the name that you see in explorer and in the command prompt, and the other is an MSDOS compatible 8.3 (8 character title followed by a '.' Then three more characters to indicate the type of file) name. If you are intending to run DOS only software, or connect to pre-Windows 95 computers, you will need this second set of names. If not, you are simply wasting resources.
To disable the 8.3 naming convention:
Open REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Con trol\\FileSystem
Change the value of the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation key to '1'
Note that some popular programs, including Norton Antivirus, use the 8.3 naming convention.
3. Keep Windows operating data in main memory
Windows XP contains several tweakable memory settings in the registry, one of which is the DisablePagingExecutive registry key. This controls whether the operating system will transfer its essential driver and kernel files to the 'virtual memory' (the page file on the hard disk). It defaults to allowing this.
Obviously, transferring portions of the system to hard drive memory can considerably slow things down, and it appears that Windows XP does this periodically, whether or not the system is actually low on physical memory (RAM). If you have 256MB of system memory or more, try this registry tweak to force Windows to keep its operating data in main memory:
Open Regedit.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\ControlSet001\\Control \\SessionManager\\MemoryManagement.
Select the DisablePagingExecutive value to '1'
4. Obtain the newest drivers for your hardware
This may seem a bit obvious, but keeping your system's drivers up to date can give both your performance and stability a boost. Video card manufacturers release updates especially often, and these can often give "significant boosts" to gaming performance as video card in question is "optimized."
Don't neglect the other components of your system either. Your motherboard manufacturer may have released newer versions of its Input/output drivers for your board, and sound cards and other peripherals can also benefit from newer software.
5. Move the page file from system drive
The page file is the area of a hard drive which Windows reserves for use as virtual memory when there is more data than can be stored in the actual physical memory of the system.
Page file access is extremely slow as compared to standard memory, since the hard disk, as a mechanical device, is slower to read and write information than the purely electronic memory. There are still some ways to optimize your page file use so it is a bit less of a burden on your system, however.
One of the best of these methods, provided you have two physical hard drives, is to move the page file off the disk which hosts the Windows system files. This ensures that Windows is not constantly accessing the disk for the system files as well as the page file.
To do this in Windows XP:
Right click on 'my computer' and select 'properties.'
Select the 'advanced' tab.
Under 'performance' choose the 'settings' button.
Select the 'advanced' tab again and under 'virtual memory' select 'change.'
The virtual memory window allows you to select and change the allocation of hard disk space to be used as virtual memory for your system. For best performance; if you have two physical hard disks of roughly equivalent speed, remove the page file from your system disk (c
6. Create a 'permanent' page file
Make the minimum size of the page file the same as the maximum size. This saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file, and does not lose you any extra space, since the 'maximum' size the page file can reach is the amount of hard disk space that is reserved by the OS.
Right click on 'my computer' and select 'properties.'
Select the 'advanced' tab.
Under 'performance' choose the 'settings' button.
Select the 'advanced' tab again and under 'virtual memory' select 'change.'
Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the 'initial size' of the file the same as the 'maximum size' of the file.
7. Optimize your page file size
Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. As a simplified guideline. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.
8. Enable UDMA/66 mode on IDE Channels
Even if DMA is enabled on IDE channels, by default UDMA/66 mode is disabled. You can improved disc performance by enabling it.
Open registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigating to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\System\\CurrentControlSet\\Con trol\\Class\\ {4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\\0000].
In right pane look for a key by the name "EnableUDMA66". If it is there, set its value to 1 if it is not already set to 1. If not, add a dword entry by the name "EnableUDMA66" and set its value to 1.
10 How to improve on shutdown time ? Close apps automatically & quickly at shutdown
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\CONTROL PANEL\\DESKTOP
and look for AutoEndTasks. On my computer default value is 0. Change it to 1. Thats all. Further more you can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications. In doing this only constraint that you should make sure exists is that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
11. Speedup boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Dfrg\\Boo tOptimizeFunction
In right hand panel look for Enable. Right click on it and set it 'Y' for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.
12. Create your own customized legal notice at Windows Startup
This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft NT\\CurrentVersion\\Winlogon.
In right hand panel look for two fields by the name legalnoticecaption and legalnoticetext. Modify legalnoticecaption to what you want popup window caption should read and change legalnoticetext to customize whatever message you want.
13. Disable Remote Registry
This service allows your registry to be edited from a remote computer. It is most likely the case that this service is not needed, not to mention a possible security risk for people concerned about their system security.
To turn it off, go to Start > Run and type services.msc.
Set the startup type to““Manual†or “Disabled†for XP’s “Remote Registryâ€or 2000’s “Remote Registry Serviceâ€.
14. Visual Effects
Both Windows 2000 and XP have all sorts of fade and other fancy effects turned on as default. All right, so they look pretty, however, they can really bog down systems.
Under XP, in the Control Panel, go to System >“Advanced†tab and under “Performanceâ€, click “Settingsâ€. The two I suggest to uncheck here are “Fade or slide menus into view†and “Fade menu items after clickingâ€. You can turn off and on any effects you want in order to find a good balance between visual effects and performance Hit Apply and OK after you’’re done.
In 2000, Right click on the desktop, click “Properties†and go to the “Effects†tab.
15. Turn Off Terminal Services
If you are experiencing slow shutdowns, one tweak you can try is turning off Ternimal Services. If you do not use remote desktop, fast user switching, remote assistance or the terminal server, then proceed with this tweak.
Go to Start > Run and type services.msc /s.
Find "Terminal Services" on the list and double click on it (If it’’s not there, it isn’’t installed). Change startup type to ““disabledâ€â€ or ““manualâ€â€ and click OK.
16.Winodws Sharing
It’’s fairly common nowadays to have more than one computer in the house on LAN so they can each connect to the Internet. It’s also common to share and transfer files between the computers. When you try to access one computer from another, there is often a significant delay while trying to connect. This is because your computer will check the remote computer you are accessing for any scheduled tasks. The more there are on the remote PC, the longer it takes to connect.
To avoid this delay, go into regedit, and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\ CurrentVersion\\Explorer
\\RemoteComputer\\NameSpace.
Delete the {D6277990-4C6A-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} key and reboot.
The next time you try to access the shared files on a remote computer, you will probably notice your computer gets there faster.
17. Disable Windows Messenger
To stop Windows Messenger from loading, there is a registry tweak you can try out. If you use MSN Messenger, it can be run without Windows Messenger. If you install MSN Messenger after applying this tweak, the tweak will be reset by the installation and it will need to be done again.
First, if you have it open, close MSN Messenger and make sure it is not open in the system tray. Open up regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Policies\\Microsoft\ \Messenger\\Client.
Create/modify these to DWORD values: “PreventRun†set to the value of 1; and “PreventAutoRun†also set to the value of 1.
If you are experiencing a slow down opening OE as a result of the above tweak, try this:
Open regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\CLSID.
Find the key {FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
and under it select the folder IniProcServer32.
In the right panel of regedit double-click on the “(Default)†entry at the top and completely delete the value data it contains. Now do the same for the LocalServer32 folder as well.
18. Delay When Opening “My Computerâ€
It is a sure thing that you have sat in front of your monitor more than a few times and waited for ““My Computerâ€â€ to load. There is a simple fix to eliminate the wait time.
Open up “My Computerâ€, go to Tools > Folder Options and select the “View†tab. Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers†and hit OK. Now try opening up “My Computerâ€. Notice a difference?
19 Disable anonymous NetBIOS connections
Some computers are vulnerable to a NetBIOS attack, where a hacker uses a rather simple method to connect to somebody's computer. From there, the hacker can essentially do more to that person's computer than that person can do. It is a good idea to do this tweak if you are not behind a firewall. Must be familiar with the Windows registry.
Open Regedit (go to start > run and type in regedit and press enter)
Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControl/SetControl/LSA
Right-click a white area in the left pane.
Select New > DWORD Value.
For the name of the value, type "RestrictAnonymous".
Double-click the name of the value.
For the "Value Data" field, type 1.
Press OK.
Close regedit.
Note: The settings will change when your computer is restarted.
20. Disable the boot screen
This is a nice way to speed up your boot time.
Click on Start and right-click "My Computer".
Click "Properties".
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
In the "Startup and Recovery" box, click "Settings".
In the "System Startup" box, click "Edit".
On the end of the line with Windows XP in it, add "/sos".
Your line should like similar to the following (although it may not be quite the same):
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Micros oft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /sos
Go to File > Save (Click on Save).
Go to File > Exit (Click on Exit).
Click OK.
Click OK.