12 Tips to Speed that ole computer

12 Tips to Speed that Computer

		This page has some tips for speeding up most computers with all versions of Windows.
Tip #1		If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm not responsible if the following advice causes a problem. Use at your own risk. But don't run too many programs in the system tray on any computer (above Win95). Start \| Run \| type in "msconfig" \| startup tab, and take out unneeded programs that are running continuously. Take a few items out one at a time, and test your computer for proper operation of devices like sound and CD. These boxes will still be there to check again if needed, but essential items can prevent booting up to Windows. Keep ScanRegistry, SystemTray, Keyboard Manager and UDBMMKBD (if present for a multimedia keyboard, and USB keyboard, respectively), (hp or any)?sysdrv (for motherboard resources), Adaptec DirectCD, TweakUI, NAV Agent and ScriptBlocking (if running a continuously checking Norton AV. Keep any ZoneAlarm programs including True Vector. Keep Windows Task manager, it tells when any CD programs are to run, when a CD is inserted. If you automatically power down as a screen saver, Keep "LoadPowerProfile". Most of the rest can be unchecked so as not to run. If your computer crashes on restart, hit F8 on boot up and choose "DOS prompt only" and type in Scanreg /restore and choose a previously successfully started computer copy of the registry (with an "S"), provided by ScanRegistry.
Tip #2		For super fast printing of text, in all versions, set up Windows "generic text" printer driver. This text printer driver can save/export ASCII text from HTML and DAT files by printing to a file.
Tip #3		Speed up the Keyboard in DOS by adding this DOS Mode command in the Autoexec.bat: "MODE CON: RATE=32 DELAY=1 " Also set the keyboard to its fastest settings in all versions of the Windows in the control panel.
Tip #4		Restoring some data is faster than re-installing everything from scratch. Remember those corrupted .dll files? Before a disaster, Make a startup diskette and then use Backup to preserve your work and programs. If formatting the HD, and restoring from a compressed complete backup, some things will not restore completely. Copying and burning groups of files to a CD is a good way to backup. Be sure you have that start-up diskette with the CD-ROM drivers and any drivers for backup devices such as a CDRW, removable or tape drive. See tips in PC mantenance,,,things that should be done for keeping your PC alive. Additional backup: Copy your old Win3.1 or DOS computer onto the new giant one, then burn backup CDs. This can be done with a boot menu or with Win98's "direct cable conntction" over a parallel printer cable. In times of trouble, as a "last resort" all versions of Windows can be installed "over itself". To reinstall the "upgrade" version on a freshly formated HD, you will need an old copy of Windows (95) on CD, or even Win3.1 on diskette or placed on the HD.
Tip #5		Dump useless TSR's (in DOS) and remove programs from the system tray and in "Start-up". These run all the time stealing clock cycles. Here is how; for Win95/98/00. In the "Taskbar and Startup", take out any "start-up" programs. Those all intrusive meddling programs which won't remove from startups or the system tray might be stopped by running the program and choosing the correct options. Otherwise they may have to be edited out of your registry. If you don't know how to backup and edit the registry, don't do it.
Tip #6		To get the most DOS 5&6 conventional memory on 3 and 486 computers, use EMM386.EXE with the NOEMS switch, And use MEMMAKER to load drivers and TSR's in the high memory area....DOS=HIGH,UMB In DOS, if there are unexpected crashes, use EXCLUDE switches with EMM386. Or do NOT "search more aggressively" with Memmaker in the first place. Here is an example of excluding the black and white transfer area in upper memory from being used by programs. The exclusion is necessary so some old Paradise brand of ISA SVGA Video cards won't be crashed. In the config.sys: DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE X=B000-BFFF NOEMS Likewise, keep all adapter adapter I/O address areas (such as SCSI/netowrk) safe from being over-written [crashed] by programs. Use the SCSI adapter manual to find this BASE address and how far it extends (in HEX). An exclude statement might say: X=ED00-EFFF. Use MSD \| Utilities \| Memory browser to show these areas. Warning, MSD can corrupt some old 8 bit SCSI drives, it writes through the formatting on the Hard Drive. In that case, MEM /D /P will display memory usage just as well. With DOS, it may take some work on your part to achieve memory optimization. It is usually best to load the largest memory hogs first, then squeeze the smaller ones in later. Memmaker cannot change the order that drivers are loaded, but, you do that by trial and error, and by referring to MEMMAKER.STS in the dos directory. Then use the MEM /D /P to see the best results.
Tip #7		In Windows 3.1, make a DOS Boot menu to load only the drivers you need in memory at a particular time. It can help get big jobs done faster. See the article: "A Boot Menu Can Fix Impossible Conflicts". And/or refer to the DOS 6.0+ manual
Tip #8		A clean hard drive runs faster. In Win 95/98/00, "My Computer", right click on a drive, choose properties, choose tools, choose "disk cleanup". While there, do scandisk and defrag. Purchase another HD rather than use compression.
Tip #9		Once SCANDISK has run properly, De-fragment the Hard Drive. A good DOS6.2 syntax is: DEFRAG C: /F /SN /H and hey, now any directory listing is alphabetized. Use Smartdrv disk cache. For Windows 3.1 and DOS, make it 1/8th the size of actual memory.
Tip #10		Remove drive compression. If you are only using 50% of a compressed hard drive's space. Why do it? With DOS 6.x, to find if there is enough space to uncompress the drive: Exit Windows, type DBLSPACE /INFO, or DRVSPACE /RATIO. Compare the choices. Removing that complex layer of software between the programs and the hardware will speed things up, as well as make your system more reliable. First, decompress all diskettes and try to MSBackup the Hard Drive. To decompress the drive, type "dblspace /uncompress". Wait overnight for it to finish.
Tip #11		Remove any screen savers or performance monitors, these all steal clock cycles. Big (off line) jobs will run faster in Windows 3.1 by checking "exclusively in the foreground" in the control panel, enhanced, scheduling. Choose "Close all other applications".
Tip #12		Immediately after running SCANDISK and DEFRAG manage all versions of Windows virtual memory yourself. you decide on the permanent size of the swap file. If Windows [itself] manages an excessively large fragmented swap file, it can slow the down the system, and make your HD "thrash" by constantly seeking and re-writing. It is my opinion that this is one big step backwards in efficiency which started in Windows95. Try these initial size recommendations. For an old Win3.1 computer, make virtual memory 4 times the actual RAM. For the average Win 85/98 computer, make virtual memory 2 times actual RAM. On new machines, unless you do graphics or run out of memory, a swap file One or 2 times the actual memory should be adequate. In the performance section, set up the computer as a network "server."
		Tip: Upgrading to a faster processor will improve the over-all performance of any system, including video. But, some things don't change much, like the modem or floppy copy speed. Note that most Pentium 3 mother boards won't fit in a Pentium 2 case.
		One more, if you visit a news web site every time you start your browser, set it to clear your browser cache each time it starts and keep it small, about 4mb.. If your computer is slow and you surf somewhere different each every day, set the home page to "about:blank".