# speed up computer



## n_g_429 (Apr 21, 2007)

I have 2 GB of RAM but I have a LOT of music on my computer (20.7 GB). Will my computer speed up tremendously if I move all of the music files to my external hard drive?


----------



## aconstas (Apr 24, 2007)

n_g_429 said:


> I have 2 GB of RAM but I have a LOT of music on my computer (20.7 GB). Will my computer speed up tremendously if I move all of the music files to my external hard drive?


Your computer's "speed" is based on alot more things than RAM and whether or not your files are on an internal hard drive...

Before you start doing drastic changes, try downloading and installing CCleaner run that and fix any errors, defragment your PC, run antivirus and adaware to remove unwanted files from your computer. these things will help your computer run much faster.


----------



## Kenny94 (Dec 16, 2004)

> Will my computer speed up tremendously if I move all of the music files to my external hard drive?


Not really. But with all the music you have... I would purchase a external hard drive to back up all your songs. In case your hard drive goes bad! :up:

Making a computer quicker is not a simple task; it depends upon many things. However, there are some adjustments you can do yourself to enhance performance.

*Deleting rubbish from your PC.*

Double Click *My Computer* _(WinXP: Navigate to Start >My Computer)_

You will see an icon representing your hard drive (most likely C: Drive) Right Click on the hard drive icon and click *Properties* at the bottom of the fly out window.

On the very first tab *(General)* you will see a button labelled *"Disk Cleanup"*...click that button.

Make sure the following are checked:
_Downloaded Program Files
Temporary Internet Files and
Recycle Bin
Compress Old Files_
Click *OK* and Disk Cleanup will delete those files for you.

Next, go to *Start>Run>*type in *%temp%* hit *Enter* and delete the content of all the temp folders shown (only the content, not the folder). A couple of files may be in memory and will not therefore delete, this is normal.

Please download *ATF Cleaner* by Atribune.
*This program is for XP and Windows 2000 only*
Double-click *ATF-Cleaner.exe* to run the program.
Under *Main* choose: *Select All*
Click the *Empty Selected* button.
If you use Firefox browser
Click *Firefox* at the top and choose: *Select All*
Click the *Empty Selected* button.
*NOTE:* If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click *No* at the prompt.
If you use Opera browser
Click *Opera* at the top and choose: *Select All*
Click the *Empty Selected* button.
*NOTE:* If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click *No* at the prompt.
Click *Exit* on the Main menu to close the program.
For *Technical Support*, double-click the e-mail address located at the bottom of each menu.

*A fragmented drive causes a slow system. 
Easy steps to defragment your drive: *

1. open My Computer. 
2. Rightclick on the drive you want to defragment and select "Properties". 
3. Click on the Tools tab. 
4. Select Defragment Now....

*Disable Indexing*
 Double click My Computer

 Right click on your system hard drive (probably C )

 Choose Properties

 Uncheck Allow Indexing Service etc this may take a while

 Apply > OK

* Disabling eye candy, bells and whistles*

Windows XP contains a huge list of special effects and visual enhancements such as animated menus, fade effects, cursor shadows, menu shadows etc. Disabling some of these settings can make Windows XP running faster and use fewer system resources
 Open Control Panel from the Start menu and choose "System." Choose the "Advanced" tab.
 Select the "Settings" button under the Performance section. 
 Check the "Adjust for best performance" box and click "Apply" to apply the settings. 
 Alternatively, you can choose the "Custom" open, you can then selectively enable or disable each specific effect. The cursor shadowing effect can have a noticeable impact on performance.
*Display Properties* 
Well, it is sad to say goodbye to special effects, but we want to speed up the computer. 
 Open Control Panel from the Start menu and choose Display. 
 Choose the "Desktop tab and set the Background to "None." 
 Select the "Appearance" tab. 
 Under "Windows and buttons," choose "Windows Classic Style" from the drop-down menu. 
 Click the "Effects" button. 
 Deselect all options and click OK. 
 Click OK to close the Display Properties and apply the changes.
*Start Menu and Folders*

Context click (usually known as Right click) on the Windows XP Start button and choose "Properties" from the contextual menu. 
 Choose "Classic Start Menu" 
 Click the "Customise" button 
 Select the "Show Small Icons in Start Menu" option 
 Deselect any other items that you don't use often.
*Folder Options* 
 Open My Computer 
 Open the C: Drive or any other drive 
 Choose "Folder Options" from the Tools menu 
 Select "Use Windows classic folders" 
 Select the "View" tab. 
 Deselect the "Automatically search for network folders and printers" option. 
 Click "Apply" 
 Click the "Apply to All Folders" button 
 Click OK.
Now, you can enjoy your PC and Windows XP faster.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Moving files that aren't being accessed won't affect the speed at all.


----------



## Kenny94 (Dec 16, 2004)

Hey John..



> *Moving files that aren't being accessed *won't affect the speed at all.


True.


----------



## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Click Start - Run, type in MSCONFIG, then click OK - "Startup" tab. All entries with a checkmark next to them are loading during startup and running in the background. Most of them don't need to load and run. The smaller the startup list is kept, the better and faster a computer will run. 

This site will assist you in trimming down the startup list.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A large buildup of temp/junk files can also slow down a computer and cause other problems, so get rid of them. Delete everything inside these TEMP folders:

C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\(USERNAME)\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------



## BIGALX58 (Jul 22, 2001)

Hi...In my Disk Cleanup ( Properties.... General tab), I don't have the "compress old files" category. Why? Should I have it? How can I get it, if it's important? Thanks.


----------



## Kenny94 (Dec 16, 2004)

BIGALX58 said:


> Hi...In my Disk Cleanup ( Properties.... General tab), I don't have the "compress old files" category. Why? Should I have it? How can I get it, if it's important? Thanks.





> Unlike the other categories, Compress Old Files doesn't delete any files from the drive. It compresses files that Windows hasn't accessed for a specified period of time. The files are still available, but there will be a slight increase in access times because the files will be decompressed the next time they are accessed. *Note that when Compress Old Files is highlighted an Options button appears. *Clicking it will allow you to set the number of days to wait before an unaccessed file is compressed.


http://www.theeldergeek.com/disk_cleanup_utility.htm


----------



## BIGALX58 (Jul 22, 2001)

I'm sorry, but have my questions been answered?...


----------



## Kenny94 (Dec 16, 2004)

BIGALX58 said:


> I'm sorry, but have my questions been answered?...


OK.



> I don't have the "compress old files" category. Why?


It seems that you've lost the compress old files option. Sounds like the "Compress old files registry key" is missing.



> Should I have it?


Yes.



> How can I get it


System File Checker (SFC) should restore this option.



> it's important?


No.



> Thanks.


You're welcome.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-tricks/549030-any-good-performance-improvement-programs.html


----------



## nvnmenon (Apr 29, 2007)

1) Go to start -> run-> prefetch->delete all the files that come up there.

2) Do an Msconfig -> click on system.ini -> click new -> add this entry exactly as u see
MinSPs=32 
apply -> close -> reboot -> check the speed...:up:


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

nvnmenon said:


> 1) Go to start -> run-> prefetch->delete all the files that come up there.
> 
> 2) Do an Msconfig -> click on system.ini -> click new -> add this entry exactly as u see
> MinSPs=32
> apply -> close -> reboot -> check the speed...:up:


First, number one is a myth of the worst kind, since it actually will cause a decrease in performance

Reference (of many)

And lastly, number 2 is a Windows98 option (that has nothing to do with performance), that does absolutely nothing on a XP system.


----------



## nvnmenon (Apr 29, 2007)

Try it and let me know sir..


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

nvnmenon said:


> Try it and let me know sir..


WhitPhil is right, I suggested it somewhere in here and they convinced me it's bad to.
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-tricks/549030-any-good-performance-improvement-programs.html


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

nvnmenon said:


> Try it and let me know sir..


Try what?

Deleting the prefetch files is counter intuitive and DOES result in a performance hit. Sometimes small, but definitely there since XP needs to rebuild all of the "knowledge" in the prefetch info files.

And Minsps is not an XP option.

So, if neither of these, then what??

And, if you are "really" recommending deleting the prefetch files, please take the time to explain why you believe that this would actually result in an increase in performance.


----------



## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

nvnmenon:

You've giving out BAD information. :down: 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Anybody know what the second suggestion does?


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

On a Win9x system, if the option is placed correctly, it gets around an error with no stack pages.

Since this is not an option on XP, it does nothing.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Ok, thanks.


----------



## groovyteq (May 3, 2007)

to speed up in the system in xp why not boost the virtual memory in the custom
initial as 2064 
maximum as 3064
and then click on set and then apply and click okay and then restart the system and then try msconfig and other attributes like defrag and disk cleanup and registry fixers.
this can be done by right clicking the desktop and then on properties and then advanced tab in system properties and then settings under performance and then advanced tab again and then change the attributes there.
also one can go on the internet and download the windows accelerator and then install the same on the system,this will boost the speed of the processor on the system itself.
PLEASE NOTE:These steps are performed and tested on 1500 DELL systems everyday.and not a problem till date.


----------



## groovyteq (May 3, 2007)

ferrija1 said:


> Ok, thanks.


why is "to" sounds like the digit number 2 and then "go" should sound like gu is that so?
Does that answer your questions.


----------



## groovyteq (May 3, 2007)

JohnWill said:



> Moving files that aren't being accessed won't affect the speed at all.


but they still are eating the sapce on the hard drive and cannot be deleted out.
what is the reason keep these useless files on the system if they do not have any use.
That space can be spent other things.

Just a simple thought dont you think so.


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

groovyteq said:


> to speed up in the system in xp why not boost the virtual memory.


"boosting" virtual memory has no affect on performance.

By default, Windows uses as much as needed to begin with.

The key to performance is NOT having an overly active pagefile, and there are only so many ways to reduce this. Such as adding more ram and reducing the amount of applications being run simultaneously.

Playing with swapfile settings paid dividends on Win 3.1 and Win95, but with the advent of faster systems with more ram and faster drives, and the improvement in Windows memory management, there is little to be gained anymore.


----------



## groovyteq (May 3, 2007)

WhitPhil said:


> "boosting" virtual memory has no affect on performance.
> 
> By default, Windows uses as much as needed to begin with.
> 
> ...


was takling in only reference to XP that is XP HOME,XP PRO,XP MCE only,please read solution line first for reference.
Thanks


----------



## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

I was talking about XP (as well as Win9x)

Why do you believe that boosting VM on these systems affects performance?

Having more buys you nothing!


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

groovyteq said:


> why is "to" sounds like the digit number 2 and then "go" should sound like gu is that so?
> Does that answer your questions.


What the heck?!?!?!


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The only thing I can see boosting virtual memory doing is reducing performance, I can't imagine having excess virtual memory available is going to help in any way. If you want better performance, add real memory.


----------



## durant125 (Aug 15, 2004)

reformat hardrive and download and install gentoo.


----------



## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

durant125 said:


> reformat hardrive and download and install gentoo.


Simply, no.


----------

