*** Advanced Tweaks [not for Gamers only] ***

Lets start here;

[You can create Hardware Profiles(not the same as a User Profile)
for differrent system configurations you want to use for, i.e. games,
intense video production, or just a faster system ~ The Tweak Profile]
Creating a new Hardware(Tweak) Profile;
Right click My Computer > Properties
open Hardware tab; under Hardware Profiles [open]
copy (current) profile 1 , now you should have 2 profiles
rename profile 2 to "[Your Choice] Profile" > open Properties
[check] Always include this profile as an option when Windows starts
hit OK, hit OK again, one more time.
- restart your computer using your (New) profile (choose It on boot up)
Best Performance Settings;
[these tweaks will make your system really fast]
{most gamers don't want anything unnecessary running in the backgroud}
Right click My Computer > Properties
(you should be back in System Properties)
open Advanced tab in Performance Options click Settings
Visual Effects [check] Adjust for best performance. hit OK.
open Automatic Updates tab
[check] Turn off Automatic Updates (don't hit OK, yet)
open System Restore tab
[check] Turn off System Restore for all drives (don't hit OK, yet)
DMA Transfer Mode;
open Hardware tab
open Device Manager
look for "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers",
right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and click "Properties",
now click "Advanced Settings"
and for "Transfer Mode" choose DMA if available.
Then do the same for the "Secondary IDE Channel"
[you should do this one even if your not a tweaker]
when finished close that window by hitting [X]
Driver Signing;
still in Hardware tab open Driver Signing
[check] Warn-Prompt me each time to chose an action
(just to be on the safe side)
hit OK
open Windows Update [in Drivers section]
[check] Never search Windows Update for drivers
~ (I'll explain why later) {*^,*}
hit OK
open Hardware Profiles [in Hardware Profiles section] again
[check] Wait until I select a hardware profile
click on your new profile (so it's highlighted)
now hit OK and finally OK again -
- restart your computer using your new profile (choose It on boot up, again)

[Startup / Recovery Options]

Right click on "My Computer", choose properties and go to the "Advanced Tab",
under "Startup and Recovery" you can change the startup behaviour and more.
In the dropdown box under "Write debugging information" choose "none" to speed
up restart after crash.
Disable Error Reporting;
[Right click My Computer > Properties >open Advanced tab]
click on the Error Reporting button
[check] the box that says "Disable Error Reporting"
[un-check] But notify me when critical errors occur
hit OK
Turn Off Remote Assistance;
Click on the Remote tab.
[Uncheck] Allow Remote Assistance . . .
hit OK
Turn Off Indexing;
Now just double-(left)click on My Computer
right click on each drive and choose Properties > under the General tab,
[uncheck] Allow the Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searchi
ng
> a window will pop up, make sure the box is checked that says
Apply change to (drive letter):\, subfolders and files and click OK.
Windows will apply the changes, click OK.
(Once you have done all the drives I recommend you reboot.)

Open each folder in a separate part of memory;

(recommended for 512MB memory and higher)
Open My Computer ( press the Windows & E keys)
> go to Tools > Folder Options > View and [check] the box in
"Launch folder windows in a separate process".
Reboot again!
(the Rebooting process over and over again is how you train Windows ~ lol)
CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles [Explained]
The Registry subkey HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current is a
link to the current hardware profile. A hardware profile contains changes to t
he original hardware profile configured in HKLM\SOFTWARE and HKLM\SYSTEM keys.
Windows XP doesn't change the original value, so it can change hardware profile
s easily. Each hardware profile is in the subkey Hardware Profiles\ N, where N i
s the incremental Number beginning with 0000. These subkeys look like stripped-
down versions of HKLM\SOFTWARE and HKLM\SYSTEM keys. They contain only those val
ues that the hardware profile changes, though. In other words, when Windows XP u
ses a hardward profile, the settings in the profile override the settings in SOF
TWARE and SYSTEM. They represent a powerful way to customize the operating syste
m for different scenarios. HKCC is also a link to the current hardware profile.
[Changing a value in any of these three locations changes the same value in the
remaining two locations.]
Widows XP maintains information about all its hardware profiles in the key HKLM\
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\IDConfigDB.
[Hope this helps in understanding Hardware Profiles]
[Don't Use Wallpaper]
Sound boring? I agree, however, not using wallpaper can free up
a bit of memory and speed boot times.
To eliminate wallpaper:
Right-click on a blank area of the desktop > choose Properties
> click on the Desktop tab
> in the area that says "Background" choose (None)
> to change the color of the desktop,
click on the arrow next to "Color:" and pick your color >
click Apply and OK.

[Disable Disk Performance Counters]

Press the Windows + R keys > type diskperf -n > reboot

[Turn off the Built-In CD Burner]

If you want to turn off the ability to using the built-in CD burner software tha
t comes with Windows XP; Open up the Explorer Right click on the drive that is y
our CD burner
> Select Properties > Click on the Recording tab
> Uncheck "Enable CD recording on this drive"

Set CPU Priority [you should do this one, even if your not a gamer]
This setting gives a boost to priority of foreground applications.
In very overly-simplified terms, what you see on the screen gets more attention
from the CPU than what you can't. [base Hexadecimal]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl]
Win32PrioritySeparation REG_DWORD 0x00000026 (38)

These allow you to end tasks faster, shut down faster and speed up the menu disp
lay.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
ForegroundLockTimeout REG_DWORD 0x00000000 (0)
HungAppTimeout REG_SZ 5000 to 20000 (5 to
20 seconds)
MenuShowDelay REG_SZ 200 to 2000
WaitToKillAppTimeout REG_SZ 5000 to 20000 (5 to 2
0 seconds)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
WaitToKillServiceTimeout REG_SZ 5000

Changing Priority Class Levels

 You can change the priority class of the program in one of two ways. The first
way is through the Task Manager, and is done while the program is already runnin
g. If you right-click on the desired program under the Processes tab, you will
be presented with the option of switching the program's priority class.
You can also change the priority on program startup by using a special batch fi
le to execute the program. The batch file (.BAT) would look like this when it is
open in a text editor:
[Example:]
Echo off
Start /high c:\(Program folder)\(file.exe)
If you store the batch file in the same directory as the file you're running, yo
u don't need the path.
Echo off
Start/high (file.exe)
The (file.exe) without the brackets is the name of the executable file that runs
your program or game. Name the .bat file start.bat and just put it in the same
folder that the (file.exe) is in, that's all ~ next time you start that program
it's priority will be high.
[I suggest you never set a program's priority to Real-Time, it may really screw
with windows!]

X-Setup - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=127
TweakUI - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
________to be continued________________________________________

Video Drivers;{*^,*}
Always Update your Video Card drivers from the manufactuer.
(most of the time they might not be signed, but it takes Windows,
sometimes, up to a year to sign'em ~ don't wait!
. . . make sure the drivers are really compatible with your card;
the newest drivers aren't necessarily the best for your card
especially if it's older)
. . .read and review drivers first at;
XTreme-G drivers can be found at Tweaks`R`Us
http://www.tweaksrus.com/index.php
The guru of of 3D ~ most excellent site for the serious gamer!
Downloads, Game & Hardware Reviews, Guides and more. . .
http://www.guru3d.com/
Last Edit: November 10, 2005, 03:48:54 PM by ROM-DOS