# Any Good "performance improvement" programs



## dreamer62 (Oct 15, 2003)

I need help ..my computer is running sluggish, its slow to start up...slow on just about everything...I am pretty much a beginner and wanted to by a program that I could run that would diagnose and hopefully correct any problems...any good ones out there..my pc is a pentium 4, 1.8 GHz , 512 ram. Also how do I get local c out of start up..

Thanks


----------



## 1002richards (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi dreamer62,
Hi,
The benefits or otherwise of using registry cleaners / registry fixers elicits mixed views. Hopefully these links will illustrate this:

http://forums.techguy.org/all-other-software/528227-solved-registry-programs.html

http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

However, everyone is agreed that before going down this route - should one choose to - a full back-up beforehand is vital.

I'm sure others will also post their views but I hope my contribution has helped you?

Richard.


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

There really is not any one program that can detect and fix performance issues, no matter what the advertising states.

The best way to start is to Download, install and run HiJackThis

After the scan is completed a LOG file is created.

Come back here, go to the appropriate forum (98/XP), open a new thread with an appropriate title, explain what your problems are and then Copy the contents of the LOG file and PASTE them into the new thread for review.


----------



## Spider111 (Oct 2, 2006)

Disk CleanUp.


----------



## RoBe (Dec 26, 2006)

go to run in the start menu and type in "msconfig" then go to the startup tab and you can select what programs/services start up with your pc. Be careful not to uncheck any ones that the system need to run though


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

1002richards said:


> Hi dreamer62,
> Hi,
> The benefits or otherwise of using registry cleaners / registry fixers elicits mixed views. Hopefully these links will illustrate this:
> 
> ...


I don't understand why you always post that and yet you agree it is not good to use registry cleaners.


----------



## 1002richards (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi ferrija1,
I just want to alert people to the possible problems of using such progs. I don't want to force my views on anyone, I'm just trying to show a bit of balance I hope. Some people may have less experience than me but may have the confidence or the curiosity to want to go ahead and give it a try, but hopefully having read my few lines, perhaps with a bit more caution?
I hope that makes sense and you see what I'm trying to offer in my post?

Richard.


----------



## Fidelista (Jan 17, 2004)

Regarding "start-up items" and msconfig.
What to disable?
Here is site that will tell you what each item is --and if you need it.
Its alpha list --easy to use . Just click on the item and description will pop-up.
http://www.lafn.org/webconnect/mentor/startup/PENINDEX.HTM


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

1002richards said:


> Hi ferrija1,
> I just want to alert people to the possible problems of using such progs. I don't want to force my views on anyone, I'm just trying to show a bit of balance I hope. Some people may have less experience than me but may have the confidence or the curiosity to want to go ahead and give it a try, but hopefully having read my few lines, perhaps with a bit more caution?
> I hope that makes sense and you see what I'm trying to offer in my post?
> 
> Richard.


I was just thinking that you don't need to educate someone on something that is possibly bad and does no good.

The best way to speed up your computer is to upgrade the hardware, specifically RAM, though there are some things you can do on the OS side to make it a little faster.

-You should not use msconfig for long-term use. You should use services.msc instead.
1. Click *Start > Run*
2. Type _services.msc_
3. To disable an entry, *Right-click* it, click *Properties*, and change the _Start-up Type_ to _Disabled_

-Browse to _%systemroot%\prefetch_, select everything, and delete it. This will empty your prefetch folder.

-Use a utility like CCleaner to delete unneeded files (like temp. files, cache, etc.).

-Make sure you have all updates for your OS.

Turn off animations:
1. Click *Start > Control Panel*
2. Double-click *System*
3. Click the *Advanced* tab and click *Settings*, under the _Performance_ area.
4. Click *Custom*.
5. Uncheck animations you do not use/care about.
6. Click Apply then OK.

-Ensure you have no spyware or viruses on you system by posting a HijackThis log in the Security forum and waiting to have someone check it.


----------



## 1002richards (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi ferrija1,

I don't have the expertise to advise on hardware matters so I won't even think of going there to advise others. 

I hope though that my comments that you remarked upon are balanced? 

Some people are happy to use registry progs, some are happy to experiment and can rescue themselves if needs be. 

I hope that I'm just mentioning to the undecided that there are pros & cons but the choice is their's to make. Hopefully the links I use will help in making an informed choice.

Does this come across in my original post, or do I need to work on the phraseology?

Any contributions appreciated,
thanks

Richard


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

"Browse to %systemroot%\prefetch, select everything, and delete it. This will empty your prefetch folder"

There is no benefit to be gained by deleting prefetch files. In fact, it will slow the system "slightly" as the files are rebuilt and re-updated during boot up and as applications are run again.

"You should not use msconfig for long-term use. You should use services.msc instead"

The items that appear under Msconfig Startup are not the same as those under Services. There are no "nasty" side affects of using Msconfig for long term use.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

WhitPhil said:


> "Browse to %systemroot%\prefetch, select everything, and delete it. This will empty your prefetch folder"
> 
> There is no benefit to be gained by deleting prefetch files. In fact, it will slow the system "slightly" as the files are rebuilt and re-updated during boot up and as applications are run again.


After a while, though, it still has unused (but prefetched) things in there that slow it down when your computer starts.



WhitPhil said:


> "You should not use msconfig for long-term use. You should use services.msc instead"
> 
> The items that appear under Msconfig Startup are not the same as those under Services. There are no "nasty" side affects of using Msconfig for long term use.


Within msconfig, you can disable important things. In services.msc, you cannot, and it gives you more information about the service/item.


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

ferrija1 said:


> After a while, though, it still has unused (but prefetched) things in there that slow it down when your computer starts.


The files in this folder are only used when that particular app is run, or when the PC is booted. Having an "old" set of files there does nothing more than consume a small amount of disk, until you run enough new apps that these old files are deleted. There is nothing being "pre fetched" until the app is actually started.



> Within msconfig, you can disable important things. In services.msc, you cannot, and it gives you more information about the service/item.


I don't see any difference between "important" items and "unimportant" items.

Services.msc allows you to control "services". Msconfig allows you to control apps that initiate at boot time. There is no commonality.


----------



## kogatheninja (Mar 26, 2007)

I like Regscub and CCclean along with AVG and Adaware.


----------



## dr911 (Sep 21, 2005)

Running 98SE.



> You should not use msconfig for long-term use. You should use services.msc instead.
> 1. Click Start > Run
> 2. Type services.msc
> 3. To disable an entry, Right-click it, click Properties, and change the Start-up Type to Disabled


I've tried to run *services.msc*. A little window pops up say....." Cannot find file 'services.msc' or( one of its compote(s)).

Is this for XP or what ??


----------



## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

dr911 said:


> Running 98SE.
> 
> I've tried to run *services.msc*. A little window pops up say....." Cannot find file 'services.msc' or( one of its compote(s)).
> 
> Is this for XP or what ??


For 98se you should use msconfig.


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

dr911 said:


> Running 98SE.
> I've tried to run *services.msc*. A little window pops up say....." Cannot find file 'services.msc' or( one of its compote(s)).
> 
> Is this for XP or what ??


"Services" are part of the XP architecture.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

ferrija1 said:


> After a while, though, it still has unused (but prefetched) things in there that slow it down when your computer starts.


Hmm... I think you need to re-think this piece of advice. XP automatically maintains this folder, no need for intervention.[WEBQUOTE="http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html"]XP systems have a Prefetch directory underneath the windows root directory, full of .pf files  these are lists of pages to load. The file names are generated from hashing the EXE to load  whenever you load the EXE, we hash, see if theres a matching (exename)-(hash).pf file in the prefetch directory, and if so we load those pages. (If it doesnt exist, we track what pages it loads, create that file, and pick a handful of them to save to it.) So, first off, *it is a bad idea to periodically clean out that folder as some tech sites suggest*. For one thing, XP will just re-create that data anyways; secondly, it trims the files anyways if theres ever more than 128 of them so that it doesnt needlessly consume space. So not only is deleting the directory totally unnecessary, but youre also putting a temporary dent in your PCs performance.[/WEBQUOTE]


> Bottom line: You will not improve Windows performance by cleaning out the Prefetch folder. You will, in fact, degrade Windows performance by cleaning out the Prefetch folder. Ive done performance testing that establishes this definitively. In all the many sites that offer this bogus tip, I have yet to see a single piece of actual performance testing


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Hmm... I think you need to re-think this piece of advice. XP automatically maintains this folder, no need for intervention.[WEBQUOTE="http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html"]XP systems have a Prefetch directory underneath the windows root directory, full of .pf files  these are lists of pages to load. The file names are generated from hashing the EXE to load  whenever you load the EXE, we hash, see if theres a matching (exename)-(hash).pf file in the prefetch directory, and if so we load those pages. (If it doesnt exist, we track what pages it loads, create that file, and pick a handful of them to save to it.) So, first off, *it is a bad idea to periodically clean out that folder as some tech sites suggest*. For one thing, XP will just re-create that data anyways; secondly, it trims the files anyways if theres ever more than 128 of them so that it doesnt needlessly consume space. So not only is deleting the directory totally unnecessary, but youre also putting a temporary dent in your PCs performance.[/WEBQUOTE]


I read somewhere that you should clean it out, but that convinced me you shouldn't.

You win.


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

ferrija1 said:


> I read somewhere that you should clean it out, but that convinced me you shouldn't.
> 
> You win.


It's the age old axiom, don't believe half of what you read and question the other half.


----------



## jhpolk (Mar 27, 2007)

A few things to look at when tring to clean a computer
Ad-aware Pesonal Additon (free)
Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 (free)
Avast Antivirus home (free)
ccleaner (free)
if you have xp-Microsoft Defender (free)

Download the above program, let them update and run there scan. Ad-aware and Spybot will take from 15 to 20 minutes each CCleaner will remove all of the leftover progams (eg. temp files, internet temp files, cookie) Avast is a good free antivirus that to me has shown it sees and remove more viruses that AVG, Norton, McAfee or Trend Micro. If you have XP or Vista you would need to have the Microsoft Defender (at Microsoft's download page) It will get it's updates via Microsoft Updates. After runing all those program you can us 'msconfig' to temporary stop program that are starting at startup. The nice thing about msconfig is that you can go back and have programs you need without any trouble or reloading. Unchecking in msconfig is easy and you can start by stoping most of the items.
If thing still keep recreating themselfs in msconfig you may want to try 'hijackthis'. I leave this to last hoping I don't need to use it. If not careful you can disable services you need. 

Take all this and do some research on these programs to see if you could use them. To me I still am looking for the one progam or fix that will work but by the time if think I found it, the problem changes and I have to look even more.

Happy Computing
jhpolk


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

WhitPhil said:


> It's the age old axiom, don't believe half of what you read and question the other half.


----------



## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

And use RegSeeker too!

Great registry cleaner!


----------



## SlimJimmy (Jun 14, 2005)

I use two freeware apps. on a regular basis - CCleaner and RegSeeker. CCleaner gets rid of the CRAP (Hence the name CCleaner) that accumulates on your hard drive and which isn't needed. As far as RegSeeker goes, I know that some very great people who post here, especially JohnWill (whom I respect very much and who's posts I really enjoy reading daily and religously), think that messing with the registry is very dangerous and unecessary, some of us are just anal and can't help ourselves. I've been using it for a very long time, I only select the green items and I've never had any adverse effects. It also automatically makes a backup before cleaning. Advanced Windows Care is also a very good app. But you have to know what you're doing with that one with version 2. Anyways, just my thoughts.


----------



## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

Yeah, Advanced Windows Care is good too.

And it helps inoculate your computer against lots of things, just like SpyBot S&D does.


----------



## rpbreno (Apr 15, 2007)

Have you tried defraging? Diskeeper 10 is software everyone should have.Set it for screen saver and you will be defraged every time the screen saver comes on. Also, hit control. alt and delete to bring up Task Manager. At the top of Task Manager you will see a pull down called View. Click on update SPEED and click on fast. Also, while you are in Task Manager you can check your CPU use, memory and etc.
Good Luck and Take Care
rpbreno


----------



## kingy169 (Apr 23, 2007)

I have not seen anyone say anything about drive zappers, I use a program that I got (not at home can't rem the full name) from a comuter magazine, it seems to be a good program. Basicly what it does is delete programs/files that have been deleted from your computer over the months/years and when I have used it on different PC's it has varied from the amount deleted. I got a new hard drive and after about 3 months I run the drive zapper, it wiped 40gb of c**p off my computer. I then ran it on another one and it deleted 87gb. I then ran it on another computer (quite old) and it deleted 127gb of deleted information. So for you people who want to give your system a full cleanup, do the main things first. Like disc cleanup, run programs such as ccleaner, adaware, avg, spybot, plus many other ways you do it. then get a drive zapper. I then use Diskeeper after all this, I have found systems after a good clean out then run drive zapper and Diskeeper they speed up a alot. I hope people have found this helpfull.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

rpbreno said:


> Have you tried defraging? Diskeeper 10 is software everyone should have.Set it for screen saver and you will be defraged every time the screen saver comes on. Also, hit control. alt and delete to bring up Task Manager. At the top of Task Manager you will see a pull down called View. Click on update SPEED and click on fast. Also, while you are in Task Manager you can check your CPU use, memory and etc.
> Good Luck and Take Care
> rpbreno


1. Newer, hard-drives do not benefit much from defragmenting, though it is not a bad idea to defragment every couple of months.
2. There is such thing as over defragmenting (it's really using the hard drive too much) , so you should not defragment every time the screen saver starts.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

ferrija1 said:


> 1. Newer, hard-drives do not benefit much from defragmenting, though it is not a bad idea to defragment every couple of months.


HUH? There has been no change in the benefits of defragmenting the filesystem since the dawn of time. The age of the hard disk in question does not change that fact.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> HUH? There has been no change in the benefits of defragmenting the filesystem since the dawn of time. The age of the hard disk in question does not change that fact.


I always thought newer hard drives did not benefit as much as older drives as they are faster. Now I'm confused.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Even though the hard disk is faster, seeking all over the disk to read parts of a file takes a lot longer then sequential reads. Hard disk dynamics haven't changed since the dawn of time, seeks are still the most time consuming part of accessing records.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Even though the hard disk is faster, seeking all over the disk to read parts of a file takes a lot longer then sequential reads. Hard disk dynamics haven't changed since the dawn of time, seeks are still the most time consuming part of accessing records.


[WEBQUOTE="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defragmentation"]Many Windows users believe that frequent defragmentation is necessary to maintain adequate system performance. Although it may produce substantial file system speed improvements in rare cases, for the typical Windows user the overall performance improvement is minor or unnoticeable.[/WEBQUOTE]

All the times I've defragmented, I haven't seen it get any faster.


----------



## aconstas (Apr 24, 2007)

CCleaner is a good one.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Obviously, defragmentation results will depend on the specific use of the system in question. However, if you do substantial work with lots of file updates, defragmentation will make a significant difference. If you don't do many updates, obviously you'll have less fragmentation.

If you don't notice any difference, don't defragment.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Obviously, defragmentation results will depend on the specific use of the system in question. However, if you do substantial work with lots of file updates, defragmentation will make a significant difference. If you don't do many updates, obviously you'll have less fragmentation.
> 
> If you don't notice any difference, don't defragment.


Ok, so if it works for you, use it.


----------

