| I've just finished setting up a new PC for a friend and I | | | | ways to do this but by far the easiest is to run TCP/IP |
| think some of you will be interested in some of the | | | | Optimizer. Download and install2. Click the General |
| tweaks I make to all of my PCs to make them just a | | | | Settings tab and select your Connection Speed |
| little bit quicker. I've focused here on the ones which | | | | (Kbps)3. Click Network Adapter and choose the |
| are simple to do and won't cause problems if you get | | | | interface you use to connect to the Internet4. Check |
| it wrong, rather than listing registry tweaks etc.1. Disable | | | | Optimal Settings then Apply5. Reboot7. Optimise Your |
| Indexing ServicesIndexing Services is a small little | | | | PagefileIf you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves |
| program that uses large amounts of RAM and can | | | | the operating system from needing to resize the page |
| often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This | | | | file.1. Right click on My Computer and select |
| system process indexes and updates lists of all the | | | | Properties2. Select the Advanced tab3. Under |
| files that are on your computer. It does this so that | | | | Performance choose the Settings button4. Select the |
| when you do a search for something on your | | | | Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select |
| computer, it will search faster by scanning the index | | | | Change5. Highlight the drive containing your page file |
| lists. If you don't search your computer often, or even if | | | | and make the initial Size of the file the same as the |
| you do search often, this system service is completely | | | | Maximum Size of the file.Windows XP sizes the page |
| unnecessary. To disable do the following:1. Go to | | | | file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical |
| Start2. Click Settings3. Click Control Panel4. | | | | memory by default. While this is good for systems |
| Double-click Add/Remove Programs5. Click the Add | | | | with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is |
| Remove Window Components6. Uncheck the Indexing | | | | unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever |
| services7. Click Next2. Optimise Display | | | | need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. If you |
| SettingsWindows XP can look sexy but displaying all | | | | have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file |
| the visual items can waste system resources. To | | | | at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change |
| optimise:1.Go to Start2. Click Settings3. Click Control | | | | the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.8. |
| Panel4. Click System5. Click Advanced tab6. In the | | | | Run BootVis - Improve Boot TimesBootVis will |
| Performance tab click Settings7. Leave only the | | | | significantly improve boot times1. Download and Run |
| following ticked:- Show shadows under menus- Show | | | | Select Trace3. Select Next Boot and Driver Trace4. A |
| shadows under mouse pointer- Show translucent | | | | Trace Repetitions screen will appear, select Ok and |
| selection rectangle- Use drop shadows for icons labels | | | | Reboot5. Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, |
| on the desktop- Use visual styles on windows and | | | | analyze and log your system's boot process. When it's |
| buttons3. Disable Performance CountersWindows XP | | | | done, in the menu go to Trace and select Optimize |
| has a performance monitor utility which monitors | | | | System6. Reboot.7. When your machine has rebooted |
| several areas of your PC's performance. These utilities | | | | wait until you see the Optimizing System box appear. |
| take up system resources so disabling is a good | | | | Be patient and wait for the process to complete9. |
| idea.To disable:1. download and install the Extensible | | | | Remove the Desktop PictureYour desktop |
| Performance Counter List select each counter in turn | | | | background consumes a fair amount of memory and |
| in the 'Extensible performance counters' window and | | | | can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it |
| clear the 'performance counters enabled' checkbox at | | | | will improve performance.1. Right click on Desktop and |
| the bottom.button below.4. Speedup Folder | | | | select Properties2. Select the Desktop tab3. In the |
| BrowsingYou may have noticed that everytime you | | | | Background window select None4. Click Ok10. |
| open my computer to browse folders that there is a | | | | Remove Fonts for SpeedFonts, especially TrueType |
| slight delay. This is because Windows XP | | | | fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal |
| automatically searches for network files and printers | | | | performance, trim your fonts down to just those that |
| everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and | | | | you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that |
| to increase browsing significantly:1. Open My | | | | applications may require.1. Open Control Panel2. Open |
| Computer2. Click on Tools menu3. Click on Folder | | | | Fonts folder3. Move fonts you don't need to a |
| Options4. Click on the View tab.5. Uncheck the | | | | temporary directory (e.g. C:FONTBKUP?) just in case |
| Automatically search for network folders and printers | | | | you need or want to bring a few of them back. The |
| check box6. Click Apply7. Click Ok8. Reboot your | | | | more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources |
| computer5. Improve Memory UsageCacheman | | | | you will gain.Hope you find these 10 tips useful. Let me |
| Improves the performance of your computer by | | | | know if you did below, or if you have any other simple |
| optimizing the disk cache, memory and a number of | | | | tips you want to share with other readers.The author |
| other settings.Once Installed:1. Go to Show Wizard and | | | | runs a blog following developments in the internet and |
| select All2. Run all the wizards by selecting Next or | | | | mobile internet sectors. With over 10 years experience |
| Finished until you are back to the main menu. Use the | | | | in strategy consulting and business development, and |
| defaults unless you know exactly what you are | | | | has seen and lived through the highs, and the lows of |
| doing.3.Exit and Save Cacheman4.Restart Windows6. | | | | the industry.Based in London, the author can be |
| Optimise your internet connectionThere are lots of | | | | contacted on admin@connectedinternet.co. |