most people, yes - that's not everyone though

They will learn in time.

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Optimise Your Pagefile

If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file.

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.

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. 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.

Backup your Registry before you try this

Performance Hack, Home / Pro

Start > Run > type regedit > OK > in Registry Editor open - [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]

Set Values

"ForegroundLockTimeout"=dword:00000000
"HungAppTimeout"="4000"
"MenuShowDelay"="200"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="5000"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]

Set Values

"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="4000"

Note "MenuShowDelay" 0 is too fast the default is 400

MSCONFIG

Msconfig is useful for terminating a programs startup "this action dose not remove the program" to many programs startup running will slow your Computer (in XP 35 to 40 running processes is quite normal)

To use msconfig > Click start > Run > type msconfig . click OK > click startup tab now un tick any programs you don't want to start at startup > click apply > OK > reboot. - You will see a message tick "don't show message again", click OK

Cat

Reduce Recycling Bin Drive Space Usage


In Windows XP the Maximum size of the Recycle Bin is set by default to 10% of your hard drive, when full, this can be a big waste of drive space. Reducing the Maximum size prevents excess space from being wasted. It is quite common to have hundreds of MBs of deleted files in the Recycling Bin and it is never emptied !.

To Reduce size >

> 1) Right-click on the "Recycle Bin" 2) Left-click on "Properties" 3) Select the "Global" tab, then "Use one setting for all drives" 4) Move the slider to "3%". and your done !

Cat

PowerToys Tools:
Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP

Essentially there little tools that let you mess with XP. If you into making XP's gonads bigger, take a look at Tweak UI, it lets you edit all the hidden XP settings.

HDD/SSD Fun:
If you have 2 HDD's (or 1 HDD and 1 SSD) install your apps/windows on one and your files on the other (I recommend apps/windows on the SSD for improved performance).

Give yourself a RAM upgrade:
You can pick up an extra (DDR2) GB of ram for about £5 these days, consider giving yourself a boost, especially if your mainly running on virtual memory.

^ Good Post Rogem, im sure we can all say thank you and please keep posting

CCleaner:
CCleaner - Home

It's a nice freeware tools that cleans out loads of crap within your computer. It's quite straightforward to use and seems to give me a bit more speed (Especially after fixing the registry).

filehippo.com Update Checker:
filehippo.com Update Checker - filehippo.com

Keeps everything up to date for you, nuff' said really.

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INTRODUCTION: (this is for folks that have more than 1 harddisk)
================================================== ===

Many folks today, who possess more than 1 harddisk, realize the benefits gained by moving their pagefile.sys (paging file) off of their main C: drive (where their Operating System AND Program Files usually are by default), so that the main disk is NOT "burdened" by the excessive head movements, & other forms of I/O (such as disk & memory) used on said main disk C:, for paging operations... The movement of logging files such as the EventLogs (& others also from applications + other OS logs) to another HDD is MUCH LIKE the reason exists for moving web browser caches to another disk as well!

(Which is often controlled via a web browser programs' GUI interface for configuration via its menus for this, OR, its .ini configuration files &/or registry entries).

The same idea can extend to logging from other apps as well, not just web browsers! Logs from apps, such as WinZip which does this via its configuration screens in its menus from its GUI interface, which many applications offer you the option of relocating their logs (from within their menu of options for configuring them) & even DrWtsn32.exe (the crash dump log controller in the Operating System) for example.

You can do more even such as altering the default user %tmp/temp% variables, so that temp "scratch file operations" also take place elsewhere, because they are happening nearly ALL the time too.

CONTROL PANEL-> System Icon/Advanced Tab/Environment button (temp & tmp variables (BY USER, & also SYSTEMWIDE)) as well as logs noted here + pagefile.sys (System Icon, Performance tab, Advanced button section)) In this case, however, this post?

It's SPECIFICALLY for the OS' EventLogs (not webbrowser caches, %tmp/temp% environment variable value location of "scratch/temp" files, or paging files in pagefile.sys - though, these too, follow the SAME idea/principal & lend you performance AND efficiency gains as well).

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HOW TO MOVE EVENT LOGS TO ANOTHER HDD (simple to do):
================================================== ===

Go here in the registry, using regedit.exe ->

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Eventlog\Security

&

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Eventlog\System

&

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Eventlog\Application

First.

These are the "default logs" that every Windows NT-based OS has (2000/XP/Server 2003, & VISTA iirc also + quite possibly even as far back as NT 3.x - 4.0 also).

Then, the value entries beneath those keys in VALUES concerned here to edit in each of those (possibly others like IE7 has, or apps like SQLServer & even 3rd party apps, etc. et al), is the FILE value beneath each one.

Those FILE entries values for each key path noted above are where you move those files from their original default values, to another diskdrive & folder for recording their data for read/write I-O...

================================================== ===
LOGIC/REASONING & GAINS POSSIBLE (& how/what/where/why):
================================================== ===

This is done, to:

A.) Decrease the head movement of your diskdrive heads for logging

... vs. say for example, reading/writing to files on your main C: disk? Let another lesser used HDD do that!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

B.) For picking up programs & even data faster!

(because your MAIN C: disk head movement is lessened) ...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

C.) Movement of log files to another HDD is also done to lessen fragmentation of the log files (and others like webpage caches &/or temp ops) & other files also!

(fragmentation of the logs themselves, but also of other files being created &/or extended too).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

D.) Additiionally, as a last benefit?

You can either archive, OR delete, the original logs & get space back too, as a bonus, on your main C: disk as well (as well as potentially helping to EXTEND ITS LIFE AS WELL, bu not having logs on the main C: disk, which is doubtless your most active constantly? It works less than it would WITH THE LOG FILES ON IT!!).

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IMPORTANT:
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I strongly recommend using another diskdrive, not a partition of your C: drive, & IF POSSIBLE!

(... AND, one placed onto another "I/O circuit" (diskdrive IDE/SATA/SCSI variants slots &/or cables), for maximum possible gain, using another set of read-write heads from another mechanical HDD instead of the ones on your programs & OS housing main C: disk (usually it is C for BEST in gains doing this technique here).

PLUS, doing so, helps... simply also by lessening fragmentation of said files (logs, note what I stated above about placing them onto a disk with a good %-age of freespace left on them as well, IF possible) hopefully & that of other files being created &/or extended also as they are created OR, added to.

************************************************** *******************

So, even though today's NCQ & TCQ utilizing diskdrives employ "smart elevator" type algorithms to order disk I/O intelligently? ONCE MORE - Removing that burden (of logging, webbrowser cache population & reads, %temp% operations, etc. from this guide) IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO to help make your default usual MAIN C: disks perform that much faster + efficiently (actually possibly saving power too)!

APK

Did you guys list trimming off services you don't REALLY need to be running, to save RAM, CPU Cycles, & other forms of I/O?

APK "A-Z" SPEEDUP GUIDE FOR WINDOWS 2000/XP:

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/01/1...-security-text

(Has security stuff too, that's the TOPMOST part... the speed part's towards the lower end & it works)

NOW - on the security portion?

The newer guide I posted here is FAR more comprehensive & is almost "fun to do", via CIS Tool guidance...

However, what is in the above one here now, works, & will get you to around 72.xxx/100 on CIS Tool.

(The newer guide, in this forums?? Will get you to 86/100 on Server 2003, & 91/100 on XP, if done right, by way of comparison!)

APK

P.S.=> There! An "oldie but a goodie" that covers services cut offs for more speed (less memory & CPU + other forms of I/O is lessened) & also for security too...

(That is my old "ENTIRE GUIDE TO SPEEDING UP WINDOWS A-Z" from 1997-2002 (when it used to be "Article #1" @ NTCompatible.com over a decade ago) cited @ NEOWIN back in 2001 (pretty widely travelled forums)... & it still applies 2000/XP/Server 2003 & even VISTA (for the most part, there will be more services on that OS you can cut off): Enjoy!)... apk