Optimizing Windows - especially in general - is not easy, because there is no accounting for tastes. There are, however, some things you can do for the case and they can really burst Windows' performance.

This chapter divides into two parts; the first gives you some tips, and the other discusses how one can optimize Windows with WMI.

Before you change anything in Windows, it is highly recommended to record (backup the file you are to change, jot down the settings somewhere, etc.) the current status of the system, so if anything goes wrong or you feel that your system became clumsy, you have a point to return.

(NOTE: it is improbable that you can harm your Windows by performing the outlined methods, but I cannot guarantee anything!)
(HINT: the \Windows\System\SysEdit.exe is a handy tool for opening the configuration files.)

 

General Optimizations

• defragmented disks: when a file is created on a relatively empty disk, the file can be stored in adjacent blocks and therefore it's easy to read. But as more and more files are created and many disk operations (copy, delete, move, etc.) are committed, it gets harder and harder to place a file in neighboring blocks, so the file becomes fragmented. This results in decreased performance, because a fragmented file needs more time to read. To stave off this, you should regularly defragment your drives.
  (Windows defragmenter:  Start Menu->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk Defragmenter)
  
  
• disk cache size: cache is a memory area what Windows uses for prefetching some data from the disk, before the data is really used. If it's small it cannot serve well, but if it's immense, other parts of the operating system or your applications (which also need memory) might suffer. You can modify the default Windows cache settings by editing (or adding if not exists) the [vcache] section of the \Windows\system.ini file or by using Setup.
  
  The example below sets the minimal size of the disk cache to 2 MB (2*1,024=2,048 KB), and the maximal size to 32 MB (32*1,024=32,768 KB), so the cache size will vary between 2 MB and 32 MB:

The cache settings are heavily system and application(!) dependent, but the following table tries to outline some possible values (they are in MB not in KB, multiply the value by 1024 before you apply it!):

Phys. Memory	MinFileCache (rec.)	MaxFileCache (rec.)
32 MB	0-1 MB (1 MB)	2-6 MB (4 MB)
64 MB	0-2 MB (2 MB)	4-8 MB (6 MB)
128 MB	0-2 MB (2 MB)	12-32 MB (16 MB)
256 MB	0-4 MB (2 MB)	16-32 MB (32 MB)
384 MB or more	0-4 MB (2 MB)	16-32 MB (32 MB)

 

• permanent swap file: you might know, or might not, but applications (or any other processes) can use/allocate more memory than it is physically present, and if the physical memory amount is not enough to fulfill an application's request, the operating system (Windows) uses the hard disk to iron out the gap. This method is called virtual memory handling/support. What is called as a swap file is a special file, which Windows uses to augment your physical memory by placing seldom used memory regions there. If you specify a permanent swap file you gain more performance as the swap file will only be created once, and won't be resized many times while you are using Windows. To turn your swap file permanent, all you have to do is to set the minimum and maximum sizes to the same value, preferably to a size, which is at least two times of your physical memory, but more than 250 MB might just waste your disk storage, unless your applications really need that.
  (Swap file settings:  right click on My Computer->Settings->Performance->Virtual memory->Let me specify my own settings)
  
  
• optimized (conservative) swap file usage: if you have more than 128 MB of physical memory you can try to turn on the conservative swap file option, which reduces swap file usage and hereby lighten the burden of your hard disk. Accomplishing this task can be done with the Setup program or by carrying out the following steps:
  
  
1. make a backup copy of the \Windows\system.ini file,
2. open the system.ini with Notepad,
3. find the [386Enh] section,
4. add a new line "ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1" (sans quotes) after it,
5. close and save the file,
6. restart Windows
   
   

A WMI log file contains some information about the memory and CPU usage of you PC and that makes this WMI feature a fine tool for pulling more out of your computer.

Here is what to do, if you devise to optimize your system:

1. run Setup and set the followings:
   
   

   Item	Setting	Remark
   Log file	On	don't forget to specify a log file by pressing the "Change File" button
   CPU Usage refresh int.	2-4 sec.	-
   Memory Sensor refresh int.	15-25 sec.	-
   Aut. Mem Optimization	Off	If you're interested in how effective WMI's memory optimization method you can repeat this "test" by turning on Aut. Mem. Optimization.
   Sounds	Off	-

   
   
2. use your computer as usual (model everyday usage),
3. after some hours you might want to close WMI and peek into the created log file. At the end of the log file you will find a summary. Here's a table depicting what to look for:

Next topic:

• Utilities in the WMI package