How To Optmize Your Comp's Speed

[Tyberious]

by request I thought I'd post a howto guide on making your machine mroe effecient, if you want an example of how powerful you can get a machine then ill tell you what happened to both of my machines or you cna doa benchmark before and after.

the first thing to do is update ALL of your drivers, this should be one common sense and two automatic. Upgrade firmware (cdroms, hard drives ect), update your bios on your video card and motherboard (remember to backup unless you want a good excuse to buy another board) and update your windows to the latest files (such as service pack 1 (or service pack 2 which will eb coming out soon). Please note the firmware and bios updates are dangerous and can destray your hardware if you don't know what your doing or if the program freezes or somthing goes wrong so close down everything accept for the bare componets of the operating system and start flashing your bios.

Second optmizations can be made int he operating system its self aswell as programs that you have installed such as sound blasters AudioHQ.

One thing to do is somthing that should be done first, speed up your hard drive, to do that one make sure your controllers are all set to DMA (direct memory access) and not PIO (programmed input output) PIO was back in the dos days, we live in the future where dos may run int he background but, we have so much mroe control of what goes on with our computer.

Get a program called Cacheman (if you run windows 95-98-98SE-ME-NT) or get Cacheman XP (if you have 2000-XP)
http://www.outertech.com/
click on download and I told you what program you should get to optmize your hard drive, you an also get a program from the same site called "Cpu-Usage" that tells when your cpu is working hard or hardly working.

HUGE WARNING WITH CACHEMAN XP USERS! If you have a recent ATI card then don't use the large system cache option unless you want to f*ck up your data like I did (if you have a dual boot pc and you accidently do this then you need to install the backup that you made with your program in the backups tab

another thing you can do is go to microsoft.com and go under downloads then power tools and download tweakUI and tweak the user interface to your settings.

another would be to download both fresh UI and fresh diagnose and tweak & diagnose your machine to get an idea of how certain tweaks affect performance you can get them both here http://www.freshdevices.com/.

one huge way to tweak stuff would be to download a program called X-Setup Pro, just google it my friend but, if you have no idea what a setting does then leave ti the hell alone.

also get a program called tweak XP pro to do mroe tweaking.

if you want better video drivers (that are unoffical or jsut other porgrams that encahce your graphics capabilities then go to www.guru3d.com and select download files and select your video card, Right now im running the DNA 2.0.4.1 driver set based off of Radeons 4.1 Drivers (these are unoffical and are tweaked) If you run Nvidia graphics then get a driver set called StarStorm 53.03 (or whatever the newest version is out).

I will post mroe later as I haven't tld all of my tweaks, soem of the tweaks I do can't be told because I would have to be there in person, most of them are good tweaks too so I will try my best, and if you have a tweak that is not listed or have tips or ideas or even questions then submit em! Think of this as a computer weight loss camp, your computer loses all teh extra crap and is in better shape and runs faster.

My windows XP Pro operating system runs with 75MBs of memory or less without all the extra services, if you don't want to upgrade just yet then start tweaking to save cash.

One more thing you can do if you want to (Please have some knowledge before attempting this, better yet go to forums and websites to learn how and read up on everything you can find, and then read up on how it affects silicon) is to overclock, I ofcourse do this and it has netted me alot of benefit, My computer is extremely fast. I also make my own heatsinks, now its not about getting the fastest clock speed you can get, its knowing when to push and knowing when to back off. When you think oh I cna push it a little further and increase the voltage... I think yo should stop because that little bit could fry your hardware (I don't run higher then standard voltages so if you do then start reading up on how to do so safely).

To get rid of heat you can clean up that rats nest of cables in your computer and add more fans, or better yet get higher performance heatsinks and faster fans. Note that heat degrades performance so this will help a good ammount when it comes to your computer being faster but, it will help alot for making your computer last long enough to become a hand me down (and even longer if you take really good care fo it.)

[Tyberious]

I forgot to add, Sorry for the long post!!!

[DooMAD]

Originally Posted by Tyberious

.... and update your windows to the latest files (such as service pack 1 (or service pack 2 which will eb coming out soon).

That's the only part I'd disagree with. As a Win98 user, I have less bundled spyware than people who have downloaded the relevant service packs. One day I'm going to get around to clearing out all of 98's spyware,as documented here.

[Marshall Flag]

I just updraded to XP recently and I`ve found this site helpful too
lots of tips and downloads.

[Tyberious]

true that you may have less spyware but, I had so many BSODS (blue screens of deaths) hard drive crashes, program incompatabilities, memory dumps ect without updating and really sucky ass performance. Also these updates do somthing called updating bugs/glitches and make the operating system more stable, It was the same with 98SE for me aswell. That is what I have to say but, if everythign works for you without updating then more power to ya.

thanks for the site marshall flag.

by the way, I run a gaming rig/misic rig and everything else, my parents are civil engineers and run autocad, run networks and other stuff, not only is performance important, stability and staying updated and having undustry standards are also necessary, that is why I think its a good idea to stay updated. What id doom III runs on 98SE but, you don't have th updates for it? Remember, without these updates there are alot of holes that are unpatched and crackers can go ina nd mess you up (its happened alot to me, thats also why I run NTFS file system and its helped ever since.)

[iori]

*downloading Radeon DNA drivers*

Cool Stuff

[Player_of_Doom]

I've always tried "omega" drivers on my radeon and they work fine.

[Tyberious]

I been looking for those damn omega drivers. Also I jsut fixed my parents (read fast processor with a severely castrated motherboard and a crappy graphics card) computer because if kept BSOD (blue screen of death A.K.A. Memory dump), I loaded service pack 1 o it and most of the recommended updates on it and it works fine. Also I really recommend running anti-virus (no brainer there) software, I jsut detected 8 virus/worms on my computer (although really weak) so its best to have it for backup aling with Ad-Aware 6 (kills spyware), spyware blaster (disables ad-ware, spyware and scumware active x controls from being installed on your pc) and spybot search and destroy 1.2 (gets rid of spyware and blocks active x controls). I also knowa site for registry tweaking but, don't o anything unless you know what you are doing.

One reason I do all this stuff is to get to know computers more and learn more.

Like I said I make my own heatsinks, my siters computer's north bridge (also known as frint side bus) was running around 80-90 degrees F. Mind you that is pretty cool but, I can't help but to make computers as cool and as reliable/stable as possible so I slapped on an old GeForce 2 MX 200 heatsink onto it and a cheap ass 486 fan onto it, it went down to 80-85 degrees with silver compound. I thought nice but, I want it to be even better to the point where it still has more breathing room. I took my old Voodoo 3 3000 heatsink and lapped it (sanded it down till it had a shiny serface on every part and looked high performance then cleaned it. I put it into my sisters computer and used a pentium 2 fan and it dropped between 70-75 degrees.

my sisters computer also runs an athlon cooler. I have an engineering sample (both motherboard and processor) processor Pentium III with unlocked multiplier and internal frenquency, it was at a slow 750Mhz (mind you these processors run hot and are at 0.18 micron process also known as the codename coppermine) its running at a stable 900Mhz (which is an amazing clock jump) and runs at only 80 degrees F. Cooling helps your computer very much. I don't want my sister to have to suffer waht I had to through on my video card (heatsink fell off and landed on my motherboard and I almsot fired my card). I also tightened the cables and cleaned it up as much as I can, ill get a screenshot later. I still have to get a new GeForce 2 MX as I accidently fried that card (I bet the memory chips went first as the core was chilly with a copper heatsink and a fast card fan). That computer can compare with a pentium 4 (around 1.4 to 1.6 ghz) when it comes to some benchmarks but, others pass it up but, maybe not that much. The moral of the story is, treat your pc right and don't hold it back by not tweaking it and it will treat you good.

My motherboard was fried (when I bought my first computer with my own money) by a voltage virus which screwed up the south bridge and borked the north bridge, my computer must have loved me because it lasted a damn long time till I just had bought another motherboard and then it died, what a trooper. It was so unstable I lost the master hard drive and half of my ram plus lost my secondary and would hav eot coax it to come out of oblivion.

If oyu have a story about your pc, good or bad then tell one. I have more but, I don;t want to make your eyes bleed! You read enough, I written my length like novel post now. Cheers

[DOOM_GOAT]

You can pick up a GeForce 2 MX/400 for about $30 now, so I wouldn't worry.

[Wicked Anime Kid]

i can get a gf4 mx440 for 50 euro's
Oh the good days these are

[Exl]

a gf4 mx440 for

There's that MX type again.

[Player_of_Doom]

It's really interesting that you make your own heatsinks Tyberious.

[Looney]

Doom Mad, Just curiuos, how do you delete the only system file (WIN386.SWP) that windows98 needs to run its Virtual Memory. This file will recrate its self every time you reboot Windows.

Question:

What is win386.swp.

Additional information:

The Win386.swp is the Windows swap file used for Virtual Memory in the Windows environment. This allows the computer to provide more memory to applications than is physically present in the form of RAM.

This file can grow very large in size and needs to space to grow. Hard disk drives with low available disk space will experience issues and decreased performance because of the lack of space available for this file to grow.

Additional information about swap files can also be found on our swap file dictionary definition.

Answers:

The following is a listing of questions and answers to those questions relating to the Windows Win386.swp file.

How can I change the Win386.swp file location?

It may be necessary and/or recommended that users with different partitions or hard disk drives store the win386.swp on a different hard disk drive. Reasons why this may be beneficiary.

* If little or no space is available on the drive where win386.swp is located moving the swap file will help save space on that location.
* If a faster hard disk drive is installed onto the computer, moving the swap file location may help in increasing the performance of the computer.
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How to move the swap file location in Windows 9x and Windows ME:

1. Click Start / Settings / Control Panel and double click the System icon.
2. In System Properties click the performance tab.
3. Click the Virtual Memory button.
4. Select the option "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings.
5. Specify the hard disk drive where you wish for the win386.swp file to reside.
---------------------------------------------------
After setting custom virtual memory size, file changes from C:\<windowsdirectory> to the root of C:\ drive.

This behavior is by design to help inform any individual examining the computer that a custom virtual memory setting has been selected.
-----------------------------------------------------
After deleting the Win386.swp file it re-appears.

Windows Swap file is created by Windows and if it happens to be removed, Windows should recreate the file unless it has been disabled.
----------------------------------------------------
When storing the Win386.swp file on a removable media device and attempting to eject the storage medium from that device errors occur or the computer freezes.

Because the Windows Swap file is almost always being used ejecting the device or removing the device storing this file will cause errors as it will remove the location of where information is temporarily being stored.
-----------------------------------------------------
When booting from a removable media the performance tab may show that the computer is running in MS-DOS compatibility mode.

Change the location of the win386.swp file to a non-removable media.
----------------------------------------------------
Is the Win386.swp a computer virus?

While it is not impossible for a virus to be within the Win386.swp file it is very unlikely that you have a virus on the computer.

There are several users or so-called 'hackers' who claim that they have infected your computer with the Win386.swp virus. This file is not a virus however to some users it may appear to be a virus as the file grows very large in size as well as well re-appear after deleting the file.
If an individual has claimed to have sent you a virus through a chat channel, however you have not downloaded or accepted any files it is very unlikely that you have a virus and that they are just trying to scare your or cause you to believe that they are a hacker.

[Tyberious]

yeah, I make my own heatsinks and have to modify parts just to get them to fit but, whatever works. Also I use an MX in my sisters card because she is runnign autocad (she only uses the 2 demensional lines) and the occasional game (microsoft games mind you) and internet. Also that was funny looney, man I gotta tell someone that! Anyways ill be busy so I wont be able to make more tips jsut yet, jsut fixed my parents computer, bad stick of ram caused a 2 day PC headache and forced a massive reinstall and recover. I fixed alot of the stuff, ill tell ya all more stuff later, but not all is bad. I have one tip that everyone knows as a no brainer but, seldom people follow.

Make sure your pc runs rock stable, a microscopic instability is ok but, nothing above that. Alsays have a mix of performance and stability aswell as compatability.

[Tylenol]

Always make sure to keep your computer physicaly clean too. My rig had soo much dust in it, I even took the fan out of the power supply and cleaned it. Don't do this folks, unless you really know what your doing. The power supply has capacitors in it, meaning it stores power. No touchy.
You can pick up "normal" IDE cords at any computer store, instead of having those mammoth strips in your computer.
You can learn a lot by just taking the case off your computer and looking at it. I learned a lot about how computers work by just taking apart an old 486DX. It's amaxing what we can do without nowadays.

[Aliotroph?]

Originally Posted by Tylenol

Don't do this folks, unless you really know what your doing. The power supply has capacitors in it, meaning it stores power. No touchy.

Hehehe, I've touched capacitors bigger than the ones in a PC power supply. It hurts like crazy but not for long.

[Looney]

While that may be true for one that has been unused a while in a power supply, don't ever touch one in the back of a monitor, unless, you want to die. They can hold enough to cause an instant heart attack for months after being turned off.

[DOOM_GOAT]

Anything around 1A will kill you pretty quickly. Just play around with a CRT instead, while 35,000V might sting a bit it's only a few mA so you should live long enough to learn never to do it again.

[Tyberious]

Originally Posted by Tylenol

Always make sure to keep your computer physicaly clean too. My rig had soo much dust in it, I even took the fan out of the power supply and cleaned it. Don't do this folks, unless you really know what your doing. The power supply has capacitors in it, meaning it stores power. No touchy.
You can pick up "normal" IDE cords at any computer store, instead of having those mammoth strips in your computer.
You can learn a lot by just taking the case off your computer and looking at it. I learned a lot about how computers work by just taking apart an old 486DX. It's amaxing what we can do without nowadays.

yes this is all correct. Your computer should be clean, you should never handle power supplies or moniters, also a quarter of an amp is enough to kill the average person, please handle with care, avoid touching powersupplies and moniters unless you know what you are going or you are an electrical engineer. Also if you want to clean your computer, use a can of compressed air. Dust can seize up fan bearings making fnas useless and your computer catch on fire. Also ground oyurself before touching a computer, static electricity is around 1995% times the normal vontages in a computer which averages around 2000 volts, it takes taht much for a homan to feel static electricity, tahts why it cna jump small gaps.

a tech killed my mothers computer because he did not ground himself and it erupted in a ball of fire. Please use caution.

[Tylenol]

Originally Posted by Tyberious

Also if you want to clean your computer, use a can of compressed air. Dust can seize up fan bearings making fnas useless and your computer catch on fire.

Actually, don't use compresed air, it just wedges particles further into tiny places. Suck that crap out. Q-tips--I'm sorry, thats a brand name, "cotton swabs" do the trick on fans.
Grounding yourself only requires touching a metal part of the case, and to be sure not to fry your computer, try to keep a hand firmly placed on the power supply.
And don't forget to unplug your comupter before doing any of this stuff too. Although there is never enough power running through any of the parts to shock you, even when it's on, just do it, so XP doen't crap it's pants(in my case).