PC Tips for Vista to XP Copying Performance being Slower

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I’m making this how to for those people that want to see the computers from their network but are annoyed by Windows Xp.

Why are they annoyed? When you try to access a workgroup to see it’s computers, windows explorer freezes for a few seconds while searching for computers, that sucks.
Using Command Prompt you can overcome fast and easy this problem.

1.Click Start and then click Run, a box will open.
2. Type in the box: CMD and command prompt will open.
3. Type in the command prompt box: net view
4. A list of computers in the workgroup will be shown.

NOTE: Keep in mind that computers behind a firewall will not appear in the list.

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Have a fear you will forget your password, or the adminstrator password. Well, back it up. I’d personally not worry about it all, but it’s a feature.

Backup up login password:

open Control Panel
User Accounts and Family Safety
User Accounts
Create a password reset disk
Follow wizard
Insert USB stick
Type current password

To use Backup login password:

boot pc
At login screen, press ok, or type in an incorrect password
Select reset password
insert your flash drive/floppy disk
Follow wizard

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This little tweak tends to work for most programs. If your program doesn’t load properly just undo the change. For any program:

1. Right-click on the icon/shortcut you use to launch the program
2. Select properties
3. In the ‘target’ box, add ‘ /prefetch:1′ at the end of the line.
4. Click “Ok”

Voila – your programs will now load faster.

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If you have more than 256MB of RAM this tweak will considerably improve your performance. It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.

1. Go to Start then Run
2. Type “msconfig.exe” then ok
3. Click on the System.ini tab
4. Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the plus sign
5. Click on new then in the blank box type”ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1″
6. Click OK
7. Restart PC

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Because Windows XP has to be all things to all people it has many services running that take up system resources that you will never need. Below is a list of services that can be disabled on most machines:

• Alerter
• Clipbook
• Computer Browser
• Distributed Link Tracking Client
• Fast User Switching
• Help and Support – (If you use Windows Help and Support leave this enabled)
• Human Interface Access Devices
• Indexing Service
• IPSEC Services
• Messenger
• Netmeeting Remote Desktop
  Sharing (disabled for extra security)
• Portable Media Serial Number
• Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
• Remote Procedure Call Locator
• Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
• Remote Registry Service
• Secondary Logon
• Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
• Server
• SSDP Discovery Service – (Unplug n’ Pray will disable this)
• Telnet
• TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
• Upload Manager
• Universal Plug and Play Device Host
• Windows Time
• Wireless Zero Configuration (Do not disable if you use a wireless network)
• Workstation

To disable these services:

1. Go to Start and then Run and type “services.msc”
2. Doubleclick on the service you want to change
3. Change the startup type to ‘Disable”

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PC Tips for Changing Windows XP Virtual Memory Size

The virtual memory is a portion of your hard disk that acts as RAM memory when your Random Access Memory(RAM) is full.

The downside is that is much slower because the access time is determined by the hard disk’s speed. But you need it for those days when you use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, editing a movie and converting some sound files so here is how you can change it.

Important: The virtual memory size must be fixed in order to prevent windows from fragmenting your hard disk. Why? Because when windows virtual memory is full windows will take some more space from your hard disk.

So fix the memory size a little higher but set the minimum and the maximum at the same fixed size, 2 gb(this works for me). This way windows will have a fixed size to work with and will stop fragmenting your hard disk.

1. Click Start, right click on My Computer and then click Properties
2. Click ” Advanced “.
3. At the ” Performance ” section click ” Settings ” .
4. Select ” Advanced ” and in the ” Virtual Memory ” click ” Change ” .
5. Here, Click on your Windows Partition, select ” Custom Size ” and set the Initial Size and Maximum Size to 2000(2gb). Click ” Set ” .
6. Click Ok and restart your Computer.

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PC Tips for Modifying Application Timeout

Often this number is set too high. But in some circumstances it is set too low. Depending on if the program is doing a lot of calculations in the background the computer may think that it is timed out. To prevent this increase the value of the timeout in the registry.

Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Select HungAppTimeout from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to the new timeout value.
Reboot your computer.

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PC Tips for Keeping Your Windows XP PC Running Fast

As the neighborhood computer nerd, I end up being the recipient of everyone’s old, “broken” computers. What’s shocking is that the vast majority of the time they aren’t broken at all. While there’s nothing physically wrong with most of these computers, the software their manufacturers so graciously installed and the habits of their users have rendered them useless. By following a few simple guidelines, you can greatly extend the time between necessary reinstalls of Windows.

First, as a general rule of thumb, only put software that you will need on your computer. That Bonzai Buddy might seem like a great idea at first, but keep in mind that most free programs up for download on the Internet fall into the category of “malware,” or malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer without the owners informed consent. Keep in mind what you use your computer for-most people need one office suite, one CD/DVD authoring program, one graphics editing program, one IM program, one browser, a firewall/virus control program, and one media player. Choose one of everything that you like and stick with it. Before you install something, do a search for it on Google and see if any articles come up referring to it as spyware, adware or malware. Tying into this, choose an Internet service provider that doesn’t require any additional software installed to use. AOL is probably the best example of an ISP whose software can cause numerous PC problems: entire articles could be and have been written on the problems it causes.

Microsoft Office is generally the standard for office suites. When installing it, make sure you do a custom install and only select what you need. Depending on which version you use, the options might be somewhere different, but FindFast, the animated helpers and Office shortcut bar are all completely unnecessary. For CD and DVD burning, I recommend Nero for a variety of reasons including its lack of malware and ability to burn almost any kind of disc you could possibly dream of. If you use more than one instant messenger program, gAIM is probably the software for you. It’s malware free, works with AIM, ICQ, MSN and every other major protocol out there. ZoneAlarm is the best software firewall suite I’ve found and includes antivirus/antispyware in its most recent incarnations. If Windows Media Player isn’t cutting it for you, give WinAmp or VLC a try. Again, these are suggestions: the underlying guideline is to install only the programs you need and seek out the ones that include only what you need.

Finally, clean the existing unnecessary software off of the computer. This is a matter of damage control and is often the most difficult step. If you purchased a computer from any of the major brand names, it probably came with a lot of software you do not need included. You can see a list of everything installed on your computer by going to the Start menu, then to the Control Panel and then “Add/Remove Programs.” Anything you do not recognize or isn’t labeled as a driver or Windows update can go. Much software of this sort affects a computer’s performance by causing a program to run every time it starts. You can see everything that’s running at startup by going to the Start menu, to Programs, and then Startup. Unfortunately, many of these programs are very good at hiding themselves and some will not show up under Startup. For a complete list of what’s starting with your computer, go to the Start menu and click “Run.” In the text box, type “regedit,” hit enter, and browse to hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run using the folders on the left. The right will now display every program running at startup. Again, you can use Google to search for everything running and determine whether it’s necessary or not. Finally, you can turn off some unnecessary (and sometimes dangerously insecure) portions of Windows. This can be done by once again going to the Start menu, to Run, and this time typing in, “msconfig” and hitting enter. Clicking the Services tab will show you a list of everything else running at startup. The following services are unnecessary (if you use them, you’ll know not to disable them) and may be unchecked: Alterter, Computer Browser, Clipbook, Error Reporting Service, Fast User Switching, Help and Support, Messenger, Net Logon, NT LM Security Support, Remote Desktop Help, Remote Registry, Telnet, Volume Shadow Copy, Portable Media Serial Number. If you use Windows XP Home, some of these may not show up-this is one of its disadvantages over Windows XP Professional.

By following these simple guidelines, you can extend the time between reformatting and installing the operating system on your computer considerably.

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