This editorial contains simple procedures for optimizing the performance of your Windows 95, 98, 98SE and ME based computer. These simple tricks of the trade will open up system resources for programs so that your programs will start faster run smoother and be a little more reliable. These procedures are not difficult and only require a minimal amount of computer savvy to accomplish.
Cleaning Out the StartUp Folder
If you are running Windows 98, 98SE or ME this is a very simple procedure to gain back system resources lost to programs that automatically "StartUp" when Windows boots up. This procedure will not remove the programs from the computer but will keep them from automatically starting so you can use them when they are needed but they will not be running all the time in the background taking up valuable resources that could be used for programs that you wish to run right now.
Using Windows 98, 98SE and ME simply click on the "Start" button and then choose "Programs". Find the Folder titled "StartUp" and double click on it to open it in a window. All the icons you see here are merely shortcuts to the actual programs. Highlight the icon you wish to remove by right clicking on it (all can be safely removed without any problems). Choose "delete" from the drop down menu that appears. That's all there is to this procedure. If you are using Windows 95 you will have to open the "Taskbar Properties" window. To get maximum efficiency from your computer it is recommended to remove all icons from the StartUp folder.
For Windows 95 users, right click on the Start bar (not the Start button but a blank space on the bar next to it). Choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. You now have a window open that is titled "Taskbar Properties". There are two tabs at the top of this window labeled "Taskbar Options" and "Start Menu Programs". Click on "Start Menu Programs" and you will then see a list of folders that appear on your "Programs" menu when you click the Start button. Find the folder labeled "StartUp" and click the + next to it to open the list of shortcuts inside it. Click on a shortcut you wish to remove so that it is highlighted and then click remove at the bottom right of the window. You will have to repeat this procedure for all the programs you wish to remove from the StartUp folder.
Locking Down the Swap File and Defraging
Windows operating systems all use virtual memory or a Swap File located on the hard disk to help run programs and for basic operating system tasks. By default, Windows will set the swap file on the C: drive and allocate a minimum of "0" MB and a Maximum of "No Maximum", which means Windows will use any and all empty areas of the hard disk to store the swap file. This can hinder performance of your computer when the swap file becomes fragmented among all the other files on the hard drive. Locking down the swap file to a set size will keep it located in one area and help to keep it from becoming fragmented among other files on the drive.
To lock down your swap file, right click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. This opens a window titled "System Properties". There are four tabs at the top of the window. The fourth (last) one to the right is labeled "Performance", click on this tab. At the bottom of the window you will now see three buttons, the one to the right is labeled "Virtual Memory", click on this button. You will get a new window titled "Virtual Memory" and the first paragraph will warn you that these settings can adversely affect system performance and should be adjusted by advanced users. Don't let this discourage you, you're almost done.
Note: If you follow these instructions you will have no problems and will have better performance.
By default, Windows is managing the swap file but if you click the radio button that says "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings", you can change the amount of disk space used by the swap file. If you have plenty of space on the C: drive, set the settings to "Minimum 256" and "Maximum 256". This will keep the swap file the same size so it won't fluctuate and keep it in a specific location on the hard drive so it won't intermix with other files. Do not disable virtual memory or Windows will crash and cause you many headaches. Now click "OK" and Windows will prompt you asking you to confirm virtual memory settings and ask, "Are you sure you want to continue?" Click "Yes". When you close the window, Windows will ask you if you want to reboot, choose yes. That's all for this procedure.
Defraging
The way your computer writes information to the hard disk is in bits and pieces. It will write the information in any free space available. This is also how it writes information in the swap file. Therefor a file can be written in fragments anywhere there is an empty space and virtually take up more room than it actually needs. By defragmenting the hard disk at regular intervals you will keep the file system in order and help the computer run to it's optimal performance. To defrag your hard drive, simply click the "Start" button and choose "Run". In the blank field type "defrag" and hit the enter key. Defrag will start and ask which drive you wish to defrag. Choose C: first and if you have more than one hard drive or more than one partiton, you can defrag the others when C is finished. Click "OK" to start defraging. This procedure may take a while to complete if you have a large hard drive or a slow processor. Be patient and let the operation finish before doing any other tasks.
Setting the Primary Role of Your Computer
Most people are using their computer at home for simple internet access, games, music and word processing. Some may even use personal finance software or data base programs but most people do not think of their computer as a server. The primary role of your computer may be a desktop PC but when this is the setting in Windows your computer uses resources a little more freely than if your primary role is set to a network server. When the primary role is set to "Network Server" your computer uses less resources and uses them in a stricter fashion. This opens up resources for your programs to use and consequently runs them better.
To set the primary role of your computer, right click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. This opens a window titled "System Properties". There are four tabs at the top of the window. The fourth (last) one to the right is labeled "Performance", click on this tab. At the bottom of the window you will now see three buttons, the one to the left is labeled "File System". Click on the "File System" button and simply scroll the choices down or up until you see "Network Server" and choose this option. Under this you will see the control for "Read-ahead optimization", make sure this is set to "Full". Click "OK" and then click "OK" again on the previous window. Windows will now prompt you to reboot, go ahead and reboot. That's all for this procedure.
Doing only one of these procedure will not improve your performance that much, and may not even be noticeable but if you do all three you will see a significant system performance increase of about 6 to 8% in speed and programs will start faster and run smoother. You only have to do these procedure once unless you upgrade your operating system or format your hard drive. The only exception is defraging. Defraging should be done at least every week to keep your hard drive in top condition.
There are many more ways to help get the most out of your PC but this editorial is intended for people who may not have a lot of computer savvy or money to spend on utility software but wish to optimize their computing experience. I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so that anyone could take advantage of these procedures to increase their computers performance.
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