optimizing systems... how to?

XP Bible

The student download problem is through a non-Microsoft contractor who screwed up or agreed to take the fall to get paid. It's just unfortunate and will be fixed.

I turn off the page file and/or reduce the size anyway. I don't consider it effective on the same drive. I'll give the system a page file if I have a separate drive to run it on. The SD card makes a good page file if it's free.

I disable both prefetch and indexing service and deschedule both restore and defrag on XP. I also disable large system cache, file date stamping, and avoid analyzing boot tracing. I also turn off wi-fi and Bluetooth so there is no "heartbeat" listening for traffic or remote calls.

I usually start with 7.5 hours on a full charge of my Asus 1000HE. Only once did I record 9.25 hours. I get less on the older 901. You're right about a longer battery run. Putting the CPU into sleep states faster saves power. Efficient apps also save power. You might say that Windows works better when it is off.

What are some Win7 benefits for shut down? I avoid boot tracing and XP never learns to change the boot sequence. How does Win7 do that?

I just loaded Win7 back onto my Asus 1KHE using the Photo-Fast G-Monster-V3 64GB drive with 64MB cache and Indilink controler (Read: 230MB/Sec Write: 160MB/sec). It makes a nice setup. As far as I know it does not respond to TRIM commands.

I've always liked the XP look so it's not out of date for me. The new psychedelic Win7 look is not my style. Others in my workgroup want to stay with XP since it actually works on their gear and they don't want to put out extra money for Win7. I'm the same way about Mac gear and software.

I'm more and more loaded with XP software and plan to buy more next month.

I probably won't move to Win7 until next year when I go computer shopping - assuming I'm ready to ditch my gear by then.

[ericinboston]

Originally Posted by netbooking

XP Bible

And that's the problem...that book is 936 pages...and it's probably STILL incomplete.

Being a computer guru is more than just reading a book or taking a class. I compare being a computer guru with being musically talented. You can go and take piano lessons, but unless you truly love and have the heart for the piano, you will never become a piano master.

I've LOVED computers and everything that is electronic since the 70s...I still do. This is how I consider myself (and others see me in my professional and personal lives) as a computer (not just the PC world) guru.

Back to the topic...every computer is different...beginning with hardware, operating system, and the machine's purpose in life. The basics to speed up a Windows machine vary and are all relevant to the USE CASE and the HARDWARE of the machine...this is why there is no magic formula.

In general, the more ram the better. In general, the faster CPU you can afford, the better. In general, if you know how to install the RETAIL version of Windows by hand, that's better than the load you get from the manufacturer with some trialware (but the OEM also has all the particular drivers to run YOUR custom-designed pc correctly). In general, keeping more than 20% of disk free space is good. In general, defrag your drive whenever file fragmentation exceeds 11%. In general, disable antivirus and antispyware tools to improve performance.


-Eric

[LDB]

I don't have nearly the patience for 936 pages and don't really even want 93 pages. I just got a new from the box Asus 1005HAB from Best Buy and figured there is OEM stuff on it that I probably don't need and which removing might improve my performance. I'll be using it to do email/forums/misc web stuff as well as simple spreadsheets (meaning a single sheet with data and formulas and no linking to other sheets) and simple word processing that probably needs no more than Wordpad. I don't plan to listen to any music with it unless a website forces music on me. I don't plan to watch any movies/tv on it. I won't be doing any photo editing although I might copy a few photos to it like my photo of both daughters in cap and gown and things of that sort that might rotate as desktop photo. I know going to 2gb memory should help and will do that by xmas if not sooner.