Chapter 34: Tuning Windows XP for Maximum Performance
Tuning Your Hard Disk's Performance The most effective way to speed up most Windows systems, short of adding extra memory or a faster drive, is to optimize your hard disk. Try these two Windows utilities:
- Disk Defragmenter The most important Windows tuning program is the Disk Defragmenter. As it defragments your disk, this program can also rearrange your executable programs so they can start and run faster.
- Disk Cleanup As time passes, your computer's hard disk gathers junk (such as unneeded files). Windows slows down and may act strangely if too many of these unneeded files have accumulated, especially if they are in your temporary storage folder (usually C:\Documents And Settings\user name\Local Settings\Temp). The Disk Cleanup utility deletes these troublesome files.
The biggest space waster of the bunch is Internet Explorer, which is usually configured to occupy as much as 100MB of your hard disk with temporary files. Two options can help to reduce this waste. First, reduce the amount of space that Internet Explorer uses for its temporary files. Choose Start | Control Panel | Network And Internet Connections and open the Internet Options icon. Or choose Tools | Internet Options from the Internet Explorer menu bar. You see the General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box. In the Temporary Internet Files section of the dialog box, click the Settings button and reduce the space allocation to something more reasonable, like 50MB. Click OK. Second, click the Advanced tab and scroll down to the Security section of the settings. Select the Empty Temporary Internet Files Folder When Browser Is Closed check box to tell Internet Explorer to remove all old files automatically.
