PC OPTIMIZATION(Current for Windows98 Second Edition)

 

These tips and tricks have been tested out and have proved successful in many occasions. If you follow this document to the "T" you will have your system in true optimum performance.

 

First: Make sure you dont have ANY  IRQ conflicts of any sort.

                Right click "My Computer"

                                Select "Properties"

                                Select the "Device Manager" tab

                                Double click on the "Computer" icon and you will see a complete list of all the IRQ's

                                in use. If you see more than 2(two) of the same number you might have a conflict. I say

                                might becuase some devices CAN share and wont cause any problems.

               

                                Things to watch out for:

                                                SCSI controllers sharing wth ANYTHING!!

                                                Audio cards/devices sharing with USB/SCSI...(428 being the exception here!)

                                                Network/Modems sharing with USB/SCSI/Video

                                                Etc Etc Etc

 

                                If you have a conflict and you want to fix it:

                                                There is truly only one way that IRQ's can be moved around...

                                                Take the card in question and move it to a different PCI slot..There are SOME

                                                BIOS manufacturers who allow you to assign a specific IRQ to a PCI slot..but

                                                remember this that you should NOT assign IRQ #9 to anything..that is the

                                                cascaded IRQ from #2..

                                                One of the best results is to remove ALL cards except for the video card and                                         add one card at a time and playing with the slot configurations

 

Second: Change the "Role" of the computer..

                Right click "My Computer"

                                Select "Properties"

                                Select the "Performance" tab

                                Click on the "File System" button

                                Change  the role of your PC from a Desktop to a Network Server...this will allow faster

                                streams of audio.(Restart)

 

Third: Make sure nothing is started up when you launch Windows:

                In your Start Menu you will go to RUN

                                Type in MSCONFIG and press OK

                                Select the "Startup" tab and deselect EVERYTHING BUT YOUR SYSTEM TRAY!!!

                                Press "Apply" ...Press "OK" (Restart)

                NEW-----It turns out when you disable your startup items from this System Config Utility program

                                it creates a "second"  Run category in your registry which "could" lead to a possible

                                issue at some point due to it creating a dash(-) after the word run.

                In Start Menu you will go to RUN

                                Type in Regedit and press OK

                                Expand Hkey_Local_Machine

                                                Expand Software

                                                Expand Microsoft

                                                Expand Windows

                                                Expand Current Version

                                                Find the folder labeled Run

                                                Highlite each item and delete the key leaving your Systrem Tray alone

                                You will also see a Run Services  folder

                                                Hhighlite each item and delete each one and remove them all

                Now...if you have done the MSCONFIG tweak in the startup tab you will see two folders here...Run

                and Run-.....Delete the Run- folder and then continue as decribed above on the NEW way of

                tweaking the startup..do the same with the Run Services- folder as well

 

 

Fourth: Make sure DMA is ON for your Hard Drives and Auto-Insert Notification is OFF for your CDROMS

                Right click "My Computer"

                                Select "Properties"

                                Select the "Device Manager" tab

                                Expand(Press the + sign) Disk Drives

                                Double click on the Drive you need to change

                                Select the "Settings" tab and make sure DMA has a check next to it. Windows will give

                                you a prompt...hit OK..Do this for the second drive as well(If you dont have a second

                                drive....GET ONE!!)

                                Expand the CDROMS

                                Select the "settings" tab and make sure Auto-Insert Notification is unchecked. Do this

                                for all CDROMS and CDR/RW's(Restart)

 

Fifth: Optimize your Swap File:

                Right click "My Computer"

                                Select "Properties"

                                Select the "Performance" tab

                                Press the "Virtual Memory" button

                                Depending on how much RAM you have is how you figure out what to set the Virtual

                                Memory to....As apposed to Windows 95 days the rule about making the swap file twice

                                the size of your memory is no longer needed...ever since FAT32 that has all but gone

                                away. Nowadays you will need less...for example-128MB RAM is about 192Min and Max

                                256MB RAM you should set to 128Min and Max. Obvioulsy it is not going to hurt your

                                system if you allocate more than your memory but it is not needed and will use your hard

                                drive more than you need it to.

 

                Explanation of Virtual Memory....Windows allocates your entire hard drive as a means of shuffling

                data back and forth from Memory as it is needed. When an application is running threads of

                information are put into memory(RAM) and processed..when that thread is done and the next           thread is ready windows uses the hard drive to prepare the thread then swaps it with the thread             that has been used allready. Depending on the software and the machine, the size of the threads

                can get larger and smaller using any available space on your drive....Fragmentation hell and it

                also can cause your machine to crash/stall when it has to search the entire drive for the next thread.

                Thus making the swap file the same size for Minimum and Maximum you are telling Windows to

                use only a certain part of the drive and to use the fastest part of it as well...the outside track. Thus

                windows has less of an area to find the next thread and continue on as normal

 

                **** VERY IMPORTANT***************

                YOU MUST DEFRAG YOUR HARD DRIVE AFTER RESTARTING!!! DO NOT USE THE

                WINDOWS DEFRAGGER..IT DOES NOT OPTIMIZE YOUR SWAP FILE...IT LEAVES THE

                CURRENT STATE IN TACT....USE NORTON'S TO DEFRAG AND MAKE SURE YOU

                TELL IT TO OPTIMIZE THE SWAP FILE!!! THIS CAN BE FOUND USUALLY IN THE

                ADVANCED SECTION OF THE PROGRAM

                ***********************************

               

Sixth: Lower your Bit Depth rate for your Display settings:

                Right click on your desktop and select "Properties"

                This will bring you to your Display Properties window

                Select the "Settings" tab

                Change the "Color" settings to 16Bit...32Bit will eat up your performance

                Screen resolution is of your choice...I prefer 1024x768...larger screen area

                                Not always is it best to go out and get the most "RAM" intensive video card.

                                Staying with a 16MB video(AGP of course) is a fine standard to be at.

                                Try and stay away from PCI video cards..puts a strain on your PCI bus!

 

Seven:  Power Schemes:

                Right click on your desktop and select "Properties"

                This will bring you to your Display Properties window

                Select the "Screen Saver" tab

                Set Screen Saver to NONE

                Press the "Settings" button in the Energy Saver area

                For Power Schemes choose Home/Office Desk

                Set System Standby to NEVER

                Turn off monitor to NEVER

                Turn off Hard Disks to NEVER

               

Eight: Multimedia Settings:

                Make sure windows doesnt use your sound card to "Map" thru it

                Go to your Start menu>Settings>Control Panel

                Double click on Multimedia

                Select the "devices" tab

                Expand the Audio Devices item

                Double click on the audio card/device in question

                Check the box that says "Do not map thru this device"

                Press Apply(Restart)

 

Nine: Stop the Scheduled Tasks from running

                Go to your Start menu>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks

                Double click on "Tune-up Application Start"

                At the bottom of the screen deselect "Enabled"

 

Ten: Network Settings:

                If you are connected to the internet via your PC DAW via a modem/DSL but are NOT        

                using File Sharing >remove Client For Microsoft Networks

                Go to your Start menu>Settings>Control Panel

                Double click on Network>Highlite "Client for Microsoft Networks

                Press "Remove"

                When you close out of the Network box it will tell you your network is not complete and   

                do you want to continue...say YES!!(Restart)

 

Eleven: More System Configuration

                These steps arent neccessary but reccomended

                In your Start Menu you will go to RUN

                                Type in MSCONFIG and press OK

                                Select the "Config.sys" tab

                                Deselect everything

                                Select the "Autoexec.bat" tab

                                Deselect everything

                                Press Apply..Press OK(Restart)

 

As far as "tweak" settings are concerned this should do it. Obviously  there are system requirements too but this a known issue and all should be aware that a PII 400 is the minumum reccomended processor. 128MB RAM minimum(256 Reccomended) AGP Video card...No internet...Constantly making sure your hard drive(s)  are optimized(defragged) and also not installing every software known to man(which can corrupt the registry) As far as "Physical" building of a system one should not put two hard drives on one IDE cable..this will cause bus speeds to be bogged down. Partitioning a single hard drive does not make it two drives...it only "emulates" a second drive..there is still one mechanical arm reading the two parts of one drive...this can cause skips or possible stutters. I reccomend using your main drive for ALL applications and the secondary drive for ALL data...audio files..program information..etc etc..

 

If you have any questions regarding this document and would like to possibly find out more information regarding PC Optimization issues..feel free to email me :

Gary Brenner

opusdaw2k@hotmail.com

 

ENJOY!!!!

March 3rd, 2001