GeekTech
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Windows XP is out to get it's users.
You'd be surprised to know that Windows XP wants your machine to suffer. Really, I'm not lying. Just ask my computer. Of course I always have to use system restore atleast once a day for as much modifying as I do, but here's a couple tips that will REALLY help DEFEAT your evil operating system.
Step one - XP is stupid. So let's give it some brains - I mean memory.
(only perform these actions if you have 256 MB of RAM or more)
(be sure to create a system restore point and back up your registry before continuing - don't worry though, these tweaks are absolutely safe. You will not lose any files whatsoever.)
1. Go to Start > Run then type " regedit ". (you may need to be the computer's administrator in order to make changes to the Registry.
2. Find the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ SessionManager\Memory Management
3. Find " DisablePagingExecutive " and double click on it. Change the value to 1.
- This instructs the OS to keep program data in RAM for as long as possible enabling faster program responses
4. Find " LargeSystemCache " and double click on it. Set the value to 1.
- This makes the OS "Shadow ROM" or load the OS into RAM for faster load times and system responses.
5. Now right click in the white space under the list of keys and follow Create new > DWORD called "IOPageLockLimit" (without quotes), and set it to a value of "40000" if you have 512 MB or more. In case if you have 256 MB, set it as "10000". Remember that these should be HEX numbers. This particular tweak will speed up your disk cache.
6. Under the Memory management folder on the left, you will find a folder called PrefetchParameters. Click on this folder. On the right pane, you will find a key called "EnablePrefetcher". Set this value to "3".
All these tweaks put together should extract a significant amount of performance from your installation of Windows XP. I didn't perform all of these but I did post them in case you wanted to. The first time I read this I thought that using more RAM would actually slow the system but it is really helping my speeds.
***All information found in this tweak was taken from www.santa-reviews.blogspot.com***
Step two: XP is ugly so let's give it a make over - or new themes rather
(Be sure to create another system restore point just in case - again, this is safe!)
(if you do not have System Restore, you can download GoBack for free which does the exact same thing. Take care of that now!)
1. Go to www.wincustomize.com and look through some pretty cool themes, wallpapers, and screen savers.
1. Also you may want to check out www.Deviantart.com for free themes (this is where I get all my really sweet ones).
2. In order to use them however, you must replace one system file.
Here is a download link for a free utility to do all the work for you. Just run once and reboot. You will see no difference whatsoever after boot but the file is still changed. This does not harm your OS nor cause system instability/crashing/hooking.
3. Got a theme? Download it and unzip it if necessary. ***IMPORTANT*** When you apply this theme it becomes a system file. The theme file and containing folders should and cannot be modified at all. Save the theme somewhere on your computer (it actually does not matter where just don't forget because you need to know the path).
4. Double click on the .THEME file and your Window's Appearance Panel should open with the theme applied in the preview box. Some themes have multiple color profiles so be sure to check that drop down box. When the preview box is displaying a theme that you find satisfactory click Apply and then OK. XP will now display a message saying "Please Wait".
***You computer screen will then fade to black and white. This is NORMAL. This may also take sometime depending upon the speed of your processor and how good your specs are. This is also NORMAL. (mine usually takes a good thirty seconds or so.)
Your theme should now be applied. ***You may notice a slightly lower standard in system performance. Adding different visual effects causes delays in graphical rendering and thus uses more CPU processing.
Here's a screen shot of the theme that I am currently using. It is called Vistab2 and I download from deviantart.com:
***Click to enlarge***
5. Want different icons? You can find different shell32.dll files and installers to change your icons to new Vista, Mac, or any themed styles. Just search on google for icon installers. (wincustomize.com should have theme)
***That not working for you? Create your own! Simply open Paint and click on Image > Attributes. Set the Height and Width to 32 PIXELS (not inches) Then PAINT! When you are finished, click File > Save As. The file type must be a BMP (bitmap) but the filename can be whatever you want AS LONG AS it ends in " .ico " Again, this will be a system file if it is used, so save it in a place where it will not be modified, nor it's containing folders. To use that icon, click on the existing icon that you want to change. Go to Properties. Then click the Customize tab. Click "Change Icon" near the bottom and change the path to that of where your icon is saved. If you saved it correctly, it will be recognized and you may use it.
Step Three: XP is fat so lets get rid of some weight that's slowing it down - I mean the "Garbage"
There are two programs that I just adore: "Advanced Disk Cleaner" and "CCleaner"
1. Download Advanced Disk Cleaner. Simply install and run. In order to get your serial number, you must register. It is absolutely FREE. I mean it. I ordered my own serial number and I didn't pay one cent for it! You'd be surprised how much junk is on your computer. This will really help. Unfortunately, this will only scan for temporary files. ***NOT TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES*** The files it removes are from the temp directory. These are application files that are no longer necessary to have and are safe to remove. See #2...
2. Download CCleaner. Again, install and run. This requires no registration and of course it is still Freeware. I think I love this program better! The first time I used this, it removed so many useless files it wasn't even funny. The total scan time lasted only 106 seconds. It removed 1,716 MB of cookies, temp files, web browsing history, you name it!
Step Four: XP is a poor secretary - Let's fix the filing cabinet and it's list of operations.
The registry is probably the most important thing in your OS. Here, a list of instructions of every piece of code it kept. This instructs how the system should run and behave. When it gets jam packed with useless files, your computer slows down because it takes up room in the filing cabinet. Here's a piece of Freeware to help the system along.
***Products that require purchase do a better job than anything but this is the highest rated freeware registry cleaner according to CNET.***
1. Download Registry Defrag. Install and run. This will really speed your performance.
I don't recommend themeing XP but it can be done and is very cool to do so. The only reason why I don't recommend it is because it usually slows down your system just a little. But if you are only using a computer to check email and the news then it will not hurt your machine at all. I hope you find these tips helpful. Leave comments including your email address if you have any questions. I have comment moderation enabled so no one will see your comments or email addresses. I will not post them if they contain your contact info.
Step one - XP is stupid. So let's give it some brains - I mean memory.
(only perform these actions if you have 256 MB of RAM or more)
(be sure to create a system restore point and back up your registry before continuing - don't worry though, these tweaks are absolutely safe. You will not lose any files whatsoever.)
1. Go to Start > Run then type " regedit ". (you may need to be the computer's administrator in order to make changes to the Registry.
2. Find the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ SessionManager\Memory Management
3. Find " DisablePagingExecutive " and double click on it. Change the value to 1.
- This instructs the OS to keep program data in RAM for as long as possible enabling faster program responses
4. Find " LargeSystemCache " and double click on it. Set the value to 1.
- This makes the OS "Shadow ROM" or load the OS into RAM for faster load times and system responses.
5. Now right click in the white space under the list of keys and follow Create new > DWORD called "IOPageLockLimit" (without quotes), and set it to a value of "40000" if you have 512 MB or more. In case if you have 256 MB, set it as "10000". Remember that these should be HEX numbers. This particular tweak will speed up your disk cache.
6. Under the Memory management folder on the left, you will find a folder called PrefetchParameters. Click on this folder. On the right pane, you will find a key called "EnablePrefetcher". Set this value to "3".
All these tweaks put together should extract a significant amount of performance from your installation of Windows XP. I didn't perform all of these but I did post them in case you wanted to. The first time I read this I thought that using more RAM would actually slow the system but it is really helping my speeds.
***All information found in this tweak was taken from www.santa-reviews.blogspot.com***
Step two: XP is ugly so let's give it a make over - or new themes rather
(Be sure to create another system restore point just in case - again, this is safe!)
(if you do not have System Restore, you can download GoBack for free which does the exact same thing. Take care of that now!)
1. Go to www.wincustomize.com and look through some pretty cool themes, wallpapers, and screen savers.
1. Also you may want to check out www.Deviantart.com for free themes (this is where I get all my really sweet ones).
2. In order to use them however, you must replace one system file.
Here is a download link for a free utility to do all the work for you. Just run once and reboot. You will see no difference whatsoever after boot but the file is still changed. This does not harm your OS nor cause system instability/crashing/hooking.
UXTheme_Multi_Patcher_4.0.zip(Just download and unzip and run) To return the file back to normal just run this again. You will not be able to use your themes again after that.
3. Got a theme? Download it and unzip it if necessary. ***IMPORTANT*** When you apply this theme it becomes a system file. The theme file and containing folders should and cannot be modified at all. Save the theme somewhere on your computer (it actually does not matter where just don't forget because you need to know the path).
4. Double click on the .THEME file and your Window's Appearance Panel should open with the theme applied in the preview box. Some themes have multiple color profiles so be sure to check that drop down box. When the preview box is displaying a theme that you find satisfactory click Apply and then OK. XP will now display a message saying "Please Wait".
***You computer screen will then fade to black and white. This is NORMAL. This may also take sometime depending upon the speed of your processor and how good your specs are. This is also NORMAL. (mine usually takes a good thirty seconds or so.)
Your theme should now be applied. ***You may notice a slightly lower standard in system performance. Adding different visual effects causes delays in graphical rendering and thus uses more CPU processing.
Here's a screen shot of the theme that I am currently using. It is called Vistab2 and I download from deviantart.com:
***Click to enlarge***5. Want different icons? You can find different shell32.dll files and installers to change your icons to new Vista, Mac, or any themed styles. Just search on google for icon installers. (wincustomize.com should have theme)
***That not working for you? Create your own! Simply open Paint and click on Image > Attributes. Set the Height and Width to 32 PIXELS (not inches) Then PAINT! When you are finished, click File > Save As. The file type must be a BMP (bitmap) but the filename can be whatever you want AS LONG AS it ends in " .ico " Again, this will be a system file if it is used, so save it in a place where it will not be modified, nor it's containing folders. To use that icon, click on the existing icon that you want to change. Go to Properties. Then click the Customize tab. Click "Change Icon" near the bottom and change the path to that of where your icon is saved. If you saved it correctly, it will be recognized and you may use it.
Step Three: XP is fat so lets get rid of some weight that's slowing it down - I mean the "Garbage"
There are two programs that I just adore: "Advanced Disk Cleaner" and "CCleaner"
1. Download Advanced Disk Cleaner. Simply install and run. In order to get your serial number, you must register. It is absolutely FREE. I mean it. I ordered my own serial number and I didn't pay one cent for it! You'd be surprised how much junk is on your computer. This will really help. Unfortunately, this will only scan for temporary files. ***NOT TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES*** The files it removes are from the temp directory. These are application files that are no longer necessary to have and are safe to remove. See #2...
2. Download CCleaner. Again, install and run. This requires no registration and of course it is still Freeware. I think I love this program better! The first time I used this, it removed so many useless files it wasn't even funny. The total scan time lasted only 106 seconds. It removed 1,716 MB of cookies, temp files, web browsing history, you name it!
Step Four: XP is a poor secretary - Let's fix the filing cabinet and it's list of operations.
The registry is probably the most important thing in your OS. Here, a list of instructions of every piece of code it kept. This instructs how the system should run and behave. When it gets jam packed with useless files, your computer slows down because it takes up room in the filing cabinet. Here's a piece of Freeware to help the system along.
***Products that require purchase do a better job than anything but this is the highest rated freeware registry cleaner according to CNET.***
1. Download Registry Defrag. Install and run. This will really speed your performance.
I don't recommend themeing XP but it can be done and is very cool to do so. The only reason why I don't recommend it is because it usually slows down your system just a little. But if you are only using a computer to check email and the news then it will not hurt your machine at all. I hope you find these tips helpful. Leave comments including your email address if you have any questions. I have comment moderation enabled so no one will see your comments or email addresses. I will not post them if they contain your contact info.
