fORMS Noobie guide for Getting XP to run smooth as butter

[fORM]

Some of these tips are obviously located in the forums so I will give credit where credit is due. If I missed your post it's purely because I missed it. The site is huge!

Install the OS (ie XP) on it's own drive. 30-50gb is plenty

All programs on a seperate drive. All games on a seperate drive. Don't keep your good files on the OS drive. Make a small partition for personal data. This includes my received files, pictures, music and my docs. Dump em on a regular basis.

Tips on keeping your system clean & Fast:

1) Hijackthis // LSP checker (great post by another member)
2) Spybot - Free App out of Europe - Run it every so often
3) Dump your tmp files all the time in IE ...also search for *.tmp,*.chk,~*.* in my computer. You'll be amazed at how many things get left behind.
4) Run, msconfig uncheck every last item that doesn't not need to be running
5)Lose the XP theme and switch to classic view. You'll gain speed the moment you do.
6)Defrag your drives if you work with large data files or are getting crashes.
7)Check to see how many icons you have next to the clock on startup. Is there more than 6? Get rid of em.
8)Delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run and remove Qttask
9)Get rid of all those desktop files. Make folders based on content and keep your desktop clean.
10)Disable the remote assistance crap
11)Press ctrl alt del & see what processes you have running. Google the fishy ones and get rid of em.
12)Check discs Start Menu / Run... / type chkdsk /f c: / press ENTER (The /f stands for 'fix', c: represents the system drive or partition on which Windows XP is installed. In my case (maybe yours too) it's drive C. Again, XP will want to schedule a scan/repair for the next reboot.)

Have fun....

 

[bsobel]

Sad, so much generic bad information here, I hope no-one follows this.

 

[BigPete]

If you were trying to help then kudos to you. However, like bsobel said, too much generic bad information. Like who cares about the icons on your desktop? Thats just a cosmetic thing.... as is the "more than 6 icons in the system tray".

 

[timswim78]

The thing that really concerns me is your advice to store applications on a separate partition/disk. I really don't see what advantage this offers.

 

[skyking]

Many people mistakenly think that if you install the apps on a second drive, you can sucessfully re-format and reinstall the operating system without reinstalling the applications. Of course, that is totally untrue. All the registry entries are lost, and you end up starting over again.
You can use a second partition or drive sucessfully for documents, but that is also a bad idea in the long run. A much better plan is to back those docs up off the computer, on removable media.
If you don't and think you are safe on your second drive, you may be in for a rude surprise when THAT drive fails!!

 

[KoolDrew]

Install the OS (ie XP) on it's own drive. 30-50gb is plenty

All programs on a seperate drive. All games on a seperate drive. Don't keep your good files on the OS drive. Make a small partition for personal data. This includes my received files, pictures, music and my docs. Dump em on a regular basis.

I would much rather use a 2nd drive for storage rather then wasting time installing applications and other tuff on it.

 

[fORM]

I guess a few people are confused about what the term "Noob" means. With a status of elite member and 4970 posts one should no better. You knock the post yet provide no intelligent argument or facts to back up your claim. Maybe offer some of your amazing tricks to helping xp run smoothly. I'd love to hear them. And don't bother copying and pasting from other sites. I?ll spot them in a heartbeat.

Moving on...the os thrives on usuable disc space and less clutter. I'm making a gerneralization to the many hard drives I've saved from viruses and spyware. Also, many applications & games work fine without any reference to the reg files. I have entire games folders (ie, Ut2004, Q3, COD, C&C etc)) that work flawlessly on their own. You can easily spot this by testing the shortcuts if you're forced to do a fresh install of windows.

Lastly, if you paid any attention to my computer specs you might take notice the system is built for online gaming. Sli + dual cards?I have no idea what you use for computer for? Porn?


I'd love to hear your great ideas... I have my printer ready for the dozens of pages i'm going to need to print off.

Cheers

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: fORM
I guess a few people are confused what the term Noob means. With a status of elite member and 4970 posts one should no better. You knock the post yet provide no intelligent argument or facts to back up your claim. Maybe offer some of your amazing tricks to helping xp run smoothly. I'd love to hear them. And don't bother copying and pasting from other sites. I?ll spot them in a heartbeat.

:roll: You come in here and post a bunch of crap and misinformation. Misinformation that will get most Noob's into trouble. Your welcome to your opinion, however I will warn others how dangerous it is when you post it.

Let's dig in shall we:

> 1) Hijackthis // LSP checker (great post by another member)

Yes, exactly the type of tool your Noob user will use and understand. How about recommending something usefull, like things to do to lower one's chances of getting spyware on the system in the first place.

> 2) Spybot - Free App out of Europe - Run it every so often

This might be the most usefull suggestion in the list, run anti-spyware software from someone on your system. I'll add run anti-virus too (at least until the categories merge later this year and we can get rid of this silly two app thing).

> 3) Dump your tmp files all the time in IE ...also search for *.tmp,*.chk,~*.* in my computer. You'll be amazed at how many things get left behind.

Those tmp files in IE are there for a reason. They are called a cache. They are there to speed up your online experience, it's plain dumb to 'dump ... all the time'.

> 4) Run, msconfig uncheck every last item that doesn't not need to be running

Again, your trying to help Noob's (or so you claimed). How do you expect them to make this determination?

> 5)Lose the XP theme and switch to classic view. You'll gain speed the moment you do.

Sure, if you have older hardware (or are memory limited) you may see some performance gains. But on current hardware you will not. This is more of a personal preference than any sort of speed-up trick.

> 6)Defrag your drives if you work with large data files or are getting crashes.

This is the worst of the list. I'd love to hear how a fragmented harddrive causes crashes. Go ahead, explain it to me. I'd love to hear this. Bear in mind, I probably worked on most of the defraggers you've used, so I'll call BS when you make something up.


> 7)Check to see how many icons you have next to the clock on startup. Is there more than 6? Get rid of em.

:roll:

> 8)Delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run and remove Qttask

Another absolutely horrible idea. Those items are generally there for a reason. Can an advanced user cull that list sometimes, sure (I do). But again, your trying to help Noob's remember? For them this is as stupid as most of the sites telling them what services to shutoff (and then I have to tell them to turn them back on when they posts here how there system is broken).

> 9)Get rid of all those desktop files. Make folders based on content and keep your desktop clean.

Again, personal preference. In no way relates to getting your system to run smoothly.

> 10)Disable the remote assistance crap

Yep, that is helping the Noob's out, turn off the opportunity for them to get remote help from someone with more experience.

> 11)Press ctrl alt del & see what processes you have running. Google the fishy ones and get rid of em.

Back to the start of the list, how about information to keep them from getting infected in the first place?

> 12)Check discs Start Menu / Run... / type chkdsk /f c: / press ENTER (The /f stands for 'fix', c: represents the system drive or partition on which Windows XP is installed. In my case (maybe yours too) it's drive C. Again, XP will want to schedule a scan/repair for the next reboot.)

To what point, do you expect random disk issues to occur? How often is the user to do this, hourly, daily, monthly, yearly? You provide no real information here.

 

[fORM]

I'm still waiting to hear about all your great ideas. Maybe "Bsobels Elite" guide to windows? Instead you refer to my suggestions as crap and call them "dangerous".

Then again you're from the US of A where "Guns" aren't considered dangerous.

Keep diggin yourself deeper. Your colors are starting to show.

 

[bsobel]

Then again you're from the US of A where "Guns" aren't considered dangerous.
Keep diggin yourself deeper. Your colors are starting to show.

Actually, it would appear that yours are.

Edited prior post to add more 'color' to my comments.

Bill

 

[bsobel]

Btw, the exact reason we have system rig links is so we don't have to have

AMD 3500+ 2.2
Asus AN8-SLi
2GB of Kingston PC3200 DDR 400
2 Leadtek Winfast 6800GT's
Seagate 8M Sata 200.0 GB @ 7200 RPMS
M-Audio Firewire 410
Klipsch 5.1 Desktop
Tsunami Dream Case (Silver)
Thermaltake 680W Silent PSU
Edirol PCR-30
WinXP Sp2

11 lines of detail (per system) in every post....

 

[fORM]

Finally some feedback... I'll read and respond. Give me a few mins.

 

[kamper]

fORMS Noobie guide for Getting XP to run smooth as butter

Hey, it doesn't make sense for noobies to write os tweaking guides

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: fORM
Finally some feedback... I'll read and respond. Give me a few mins.

I also want to hear what your qualifications are....

 

[fORM]

Let's dig in shall we:

> 1) Hijackthis // LSP checker (great post by another member)

Yes, exactly the type of tool your Noob user will use and understand. How about recommending something usefull, like things to do to lower one's chances of getting spyware on the system in the first place.



fORM-----Many people have never heard of this. I examine customer systems all day long. We run this program as a starting block to see exactly how infected the unit is



> 2) Spybot - Free App out of Europe - Run it every so often

This might be the most usefull suggestion in the list, run anti-spyware software from someone on your system. I'll add run anti-virus too (at least until the categories merge later this year and we can get rid of this silly two app thing).

fORM-----Agreed...the program works great

> 3) Dump your tmp files all the time in IE ...also search for *.tmp,*.chk,~*.* in my computer. You'll be amazed at how many things get left behind.
Those tmp files in IE are there for a reason. They are called a cache. They are there to speed up your online experience, it's plain dumb to 'dump ... all the time'.


fORM-----They are great for sites you visit on a regular basis. So yes they are very helpful with page loads. However, we all surf the net and visit many other sites. So we couldn't possibly need all of em anyways? In addition most of us have broadband..so whats few extra seconds? Maybe we can meet in the middle and say it's not suitable for 56kers. Also...there is an IE bug which occurs quite often which does not allow you to save images as jpegs. The bmp format is only shown and this is fixed by deleting tmp files.


> 4) Run, msconfig uncheck every last item that doesn't not need to be running

Again, your trying to help Noob's (or so you claimed). How do you expect them to make this determination?

fORM----- Most of the items are named quite clearly under the startup tab. I'd hope the user knows what he's installed on his system and can safely uncheck a few programs he doesn't need. It's easy to launch the programs from the desktop or start bar.

> 5)Lose the XP theme and switch to classic view. You'll gain speed the moment you do.

Sure, if you have older hardware (or are memory limited) you may see some performance gains. But on current hardware you will not. This is more of a personal preference than any sort of speed-up trick.


fORM-----"visual effects" cause a mild slowdown.Windows XP Professional's visual effects encompass such enhancements as animated menus, fade effects, cursor shadows, menu shadows, and more. While these effects are pleasing to the eye and can add to your overall XP sensory experience, they also have a negative effect on how quickly your operating system responds to your requests. The more visual effects you have activated, the slower your system performance. Nuff said

> 6)Defrag your drives if you work with large data files or are getting crashes.

This is the worst of the list. I'd love to hear how a fragmented harddrive causes crashes. Go ahead, explain it to me. I'd love to hear this. Bear in mind, I probably worked on most of the defraggers you've used, so I'll call BS when you make something up.

fORM----- Alright, lets go into a bit more detail...When Windows creates a new file on your hard drive, it will search for some empty space, and save the file at that location. When a file is deleted, you will get a hole at that location, which is later filled by a new file and so on. The problem is that not all files are of the same size. The solution is to split the files into smaller equally sized parts. This way, when you delete one file and save another one, the parts of the new file will fit into the holes of free space. This works very well, but, after a while, your files will be scattered all over your hard drive. When you try to read a particular file, your computer will have to search your hard drive for all the small parts. This will obviously take a lot of time. Imagine trying to read a book with the pages in random order. When you run defrag, all the small pieces of files on your hard drive will be reorganized so that all the parts of a particular file are stored sequentially in one place. This can increase the speed of your system considerably! Especially if it has been running for a long time without defragging. Sometimes we have very large data files..ie DVD backups/Zipped folders which are far too big for defragging. Often they are left untouched as defrag can't do anything with them. These files should be burned to DVD or removed off your system.


> 7)Check to see how many icons you have next to the clock on startup. Is there more than 6? Get rid of em. fORM-----No rebuttal



> 8)Delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run and remove Qttask

Another absolutely horrible idea. Those items are generally there for a reason. Can an advanced user cull that list sometimes, sure (I do). But again, your trying to help Noob's remember? For them this is as stupid as most of the sites telling them what services to shutoff (and then I have to tell them to turn them back on when they posts here how there system is broken).

fORM-----Simply answer..u don't need qttask!

> 9)Get rid of all those desktop files. Make folders based on content and keep your desktop clean.

Again, personal preference. In no way relates to getting your system to run smoothly.

fORM----- Your desktop loads faster upon closing applications when you have fewer folders showing. It doesn't have to load all the images. So yes this increases speed & performance and yes I prefer to have a tidy desktop.

> 10)Disable the remote assistance crap

Yep, that is helping the Noob's out, turn off the opportunity for them to get remote help from someone with more experience.

fORM-----That?s why we have beautiful sites like these. This advice is more for avoiding hackers. It's happened to several companies I service. Threes a hacker ploy that involves someone claiming to be from the IT department asking an employee if he or she can connect to the computer via remote assistance to load a security patch. After the connection is made, a spyware module is loaded onto the machine. The spyware module then collects username and password information and e-mails them to the hacker. The beauty of this technique is that the hacker never has to ask for a password. Instead, the user actually lets the hacker work on his or her machine by remote control. Since the user never actually sees the hacker?s face, the hacker?s identity is protected, especially if specific path routing is used...

> 11)Press ctrl alt del & see what processes you have running. Google the fishy ones and get rid of em.

Back to the start of the list, how about information to keep them from getting infected in the first place?

fORM----- Well you should get busy on a making a new thread about how to combat issues before they arise.

> 12)Check discs Start Menu / Run... / type chkdsk /f c: / press ENTER (The /f stands for 'fix', c: represents the system drive or partition on which Windows XP is installed. In my case (maybe yours too) it's drive C. Again, XP will want to schedule a scan/repair for the next reboot.)

To what point, do you expect random disk issues to occur? How often is the user to do this, hourly, daily, monthly, yearly? You provide no real information here.

On an NT/XP workstation, run the CHKDSK utility at least once a month. Assuming you are not running something like Norton's Utilities which does equivalent checking . CHKDSK checks for and fixes inconsistencies in the file system. Test for and repair directory errors, NTFS errors, compressed-drive errors, FAT errors, long filename errors and file system errors.

 

[bsobel]

> 1) Hijackthis // LSP checker (great post by another member)
Yes, exactly the type of tool your Noob user will use and understand. How about recommending something usefull, like things to do to lower one's chances of getting spyware on the system in the first place.
fORM-----Many people have never heard of this. I examine customer systems all day long. We run this program as a starting block to see exactly how infected the unit is

That is exactly my point. You have enough experience to possibly understand what the program is telling you. However, your recommendation is that Noobs use this tool, which is not geared towards them.

fORM-----They are great for sites you visit on a regular basis. So yes they are very helpful with page loads. However, we all surf the net and visit many other sites. So we couldn't possibly need all of em anyways? In addition most of us have broadband..so whats few extra seconds? Maybe we can meet in the middle and say it's not suitable for 56kers. Also...there is an IE bug which occurs quite often which does not allow you to save images as jpegs. The bmp format is only shown and this is fixed by deleting tmp files.

I love the logic. Everything else slows down your system, but the cache that speeds it up falls under 'whats a few extra seconds'.

> 6)Defrag your drives if you work with large data files or are getting crashes.
This is the worst of the list. I'd love to hear how a fragmented harddrive causes crashes. Go ahead, explain it to me. I'd love to hear this. Bear in mind, I probably worked on most of the defraggers you've used, so I'll call BS when you make something up.
fORM----- Alright, lets go into a bit more detail...When Windows creates a new file on your hard drive, it will search for some empty space, and save the file at that location. When a file is deleted, you will get a hole at that location, which is later filled by a new file and so on. The problem is that not all files are of the same size. The solution is to split the files into smaller equally sized parts. This way, when you delete one file and save another one, the parts of the new file will fit into the holes of free space. This works very well, but, after a while, your files will be scattered all over your hard drive. When you try to read a particular file, your computer will have to search your hard drive for all the small parts. This will obviously take a lot of time. Imagine trying to read a book with the pages in random order. When you run defrag, all the small pieces of files on your hard drive will be reorganized so that all the parts of a particular file are stored sequentially in one place. This can increase the speed of your system considerably! Especially if it has been running for a long time without defragging. Sometimes we have very large data files..ie DVD backups/Zipped folders which are far too big for defragging. Often they are left untouched as defrag can't do anything with them. These files should be burned to DVD or removed off your system.

Thank you for drive fragmentation 101. As I said, I worked on plenty of defraggers (including Speeddisk). You still didn't answer the question, you posted that fragmenation helps deal with crashes. I'm still waiting for an example of a crash you can attribute to fragmenation.

fORM-----Simply answer..u don't need qttask!
> 9)Get rid of all those desktop files. Make folders based on content and keep your desktop clean.

Sure, but your recommendation was to REMOVE ALL OF THE RUN ITEMS not just qttask.

Assuming you are not running something like Norton's Utilities which does equivalent checking . CHKDSK checks for and fixes inconsistencies in the file system. Test for and repair directory errors, NTFS errors, compressed-drive errors, FAT errors, long filename errors and file system errors.

I know worked on Disk Doctor also... We know what the tools do, you havent indicated why a user would need to run them monthly.

Bill

 

[fORM]

EA Burnaby , British Columbia
Tech Center
Install Networks and Computers
Repair Computers and Networks
Computers include Apple, Intel, and AMD models
Sale contracts and equipment
Installation/Configuration of media/audio stations

 

[bsobel]

NM, you answered the question why I was posting this. Edited out.

 

[KoolDrew]

I'm still waiting to hear about all your great ideas. Maybe "Bsobels Elite" guide to windows?

Windows Xp is basically tweaked out of the box. This isn't the 9x days.

fORM----- Alright, lets go into a bit more detail...When Windows creates a new file on your hard drive, it will search for some empty space, and save the file at that location. When a file is deleted, you will get a hole at that location, which is later filled by a new file and so on. The problem is that not all files are of the same size. The solution is to split the files into smaller equally sized parts. This way, when you delete one file and save another one, the parts of the new file will fit into the holes of free space. This works very well, but, after a while, your files will be scattered all over your hard drive. When you try to read a particular file, your computer will have to search your hard drive for all the small parts. This will obviously take a lot of time. Imagine trying to read a book with the pages in random order. When you run defrag, all the small pieces of files on your hard drive will be reorganized so that all the parts of a particular file are stored sequentially in one place. This can increase the speed of your system considerably! Especially if it has been running for a long time without defragging. Sometimes we have very large data files..ie DVD backups/Zipped folders which are far too big for defragging. Often they are left untouched as defrag can't do anything with them. These files should be burned to DVD or removed off your system.

When actually reading a file the head will be moving all over the place anyway because of IOs to other files. So if the head is moving all over the place anyway fragmentation does not have as big of an affect on performance as people think. Placing the files in a particualr order is much more benefitial and this is why I use O&O defrag.

 

[fORM]

quote:

---------------------------------That is exactly my point. You have enough experience to possibly understand what the program is telling you. However, your recommendation is that Noobs use this tool, which is not geared towards them.

fORM-------It doesn't hurt to save a log file and paste to hijackthis.de. I've never had any problems by removing NASTY items. The site has done thousands of scans and won't make any recommendations that would slaughter your pc. The latest hijack this is dummy proof with lots of clear/easy to read menus


quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fORM-----They are great for sites you visit on a regular basis. So yes they are very helpful with page loads. However, we all surf the net and visit many other sites. So we couldn't possibly need all of em anyways? In addition most of us have broadband..so whats few extra seconds? Maybe we can meet in the middle and say it's not suitable for 56kers. Also...there is an IE bug which occurs quite often which does not allow you to save images as jpegs. The bmp format is only shown and this is fixed by deleting tmp files.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I love the logic. Everything else slows down your system, but the cache that speeds it up falls under 'whats a few extra seconds'.

I've cleared tmp files from a users pc's that took as long as 30mins to clear. This eats up valuable space.


quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 6)Defrag your drives if you work with large data files or are getting crashes.
This is the worst of the list. I'd love to hear how a fragmented harddrive causes crashes. Go ahead, explain it to me. I'd love to hear this. Bear in mind, I probably worked on most of the defraggers you've used, so I'll call BS when you make something up.
fORM----- Alright, lets go into a bit more detail...When Windows creates a new file on your hard drive, it will search for some empty space, and save the file at that location. When a file is deleted, you will get a hole at that location, which is later filled by a new file and so on. The problem is that not all files are of the same size. The solution is to split the files into smaller equally sized parts. This way, when you delete one file and save another one, the parts of the new file will fit into the holes of free space. This works very well, but, after a while, your files will be scattered all over your hard drive. When you try to read a particular file, your computer will have to search your hard drive for all the small parts. This will obviously take a lot of time. Imagine trying to read a book with the pages in random order. When you run defrag, all the small pieces of files on your hard drive will be reorganized so that all the parts of a particular file are stored sequentially in one place. This can increase the speed of your system considerably! Especially if it has been running for a long time without defragging. Sometimes we have very large data files..ie DVD backups/Zipped folders which are far too big for defragging. Often they are left untouched as defrag can't do anything with them. These files should be burned to DVD or removed off your system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Thank you for drive fragmentation 101. As I said, I worked on plenty of defraggers (including Speeddisk). You still didn't answer the question, you posted that fragmenation helps deal with crashes. I'm still waiting for an example of a crash you can attribute to fragmenation.

It prevents the swapfile from getting fragmented which can also cause performance slowdowns and even problems if fragmented badly.


quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fORM-----Simply answer..u don't need qttask!
> 9)Get rid of all those desktop files. Make folders based on content and keep your desktop clean.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sure, but your recommendation was to REMOVE ALL OF THE RUN ITEMS not just qttask.
Theres a ton you don't need. Search http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/qttask/ or google the suspicious run items if your too clueless to determine whats right or wrong

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assuming you are not running something like Norton's Utilities which does equivalent checking . CHKDSK checks for and fixes inconsistencies in the file system. Test for and repair directory errors, NTFS errors, compressed-drive errors, FAT errors, long filename errors and file system errors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I know worked on Disk Doctor also... We know what the tools do, you havent indicated why a user would need to run them monthly.

So you can be rest assured your system is running A-1

Bill

 

[calyco]

Use xp-Antispy, CrapCleaner and Spybot. That should be enough. Oh and use firefox

 

[bsobel]

I've cleared tmp files from a users pc's that took as long as 30mins to clear. This eats up valuable space.

Funny how your logic changes everytime. Now it's a disk space issue. You do know that you can presize the cache and the system will automatically prune it as needed.

It prevents the swapfile from getting fragmented which can also cause performance slowdowns and even problems if fragmented badly.

Question still not answered (and you can't answer it, since you lied and made it up). Post a case where fragmentation has lead to crashes.

Bill

 

[fORM]

Windows Xp is basically tweaked out of the box. This isn't the 9x days. fORM---agreed but you can always do more


When actually reading a file the head will be moving all over the place anyway because of IOs to other files. So if the head is moving all over the place anyway fragmentation does not have as big of an affect on performance as people think. Placing the files in a particualr order is much more benefitial and this is why I use O&O defrag.

fORM-----Great utility...didnt recommend it because it requires $$

[/quote]

 

[KoolDrew]

fORM-------It doesn't hurt to save a log file and paste to hijackthis.de. I've never had any problems by removing NASTY items. The site has done thousands of scans and won't make any recommendations that would slaughter your pc.

Then why did you not mention that in your initial post?

It prevents the swapfile from getting fragmented which can also cause performance slowdowns and even problems if fragmented badly.

The pagefile cannot be moved so this will not prevent pagefile fragmentation if it resizes. Also Windows never reads or writes more than 64 KBytes per buffer to the pagefile. Also the pagefile will almost never be read or written to in sequential 64KB chunk so the head will have to move anyway. The harddrive will also acess many other files. Because of this a fragmented pagefile will not cause a noticable degrade in performance.

 

[fORM]

Originally posted by: bsobel

I've cleared tmp files from a users pc's that took as long as 30mins to clear. This eats up valuable space.

Funny how your logic changes everytime. Now it's a disk space issue. You do know that you can presize the cache and the system will automatically prune it as needed. How does it change? We're referring to a smooth Os

It prevents the swapfile from getting fragmented which can also cause performance slowdowns and even problems if fragmented badly.

Question still not answered (and you can't answer it, since you lied and made it up). Post a case where fragmentation has lead to crashes.

Defragging is an aid for disaster recovery. The more fragmented the files on your drive are, the more likely a disk error is to destroy them. Lastly, File fragmentation causes a huge degradation in system performance, and over time can bring your system to a near crawl. Fragmentation causes your computer to use excessive resources (memory and CPU time) to complete tasks related to reading and writing files. This unnecessarily increases the work your computer must do to support the applications you are running. In most cases of severe fragmentation, some applications may not run at all. Fragmentation can cause applications to launch more slowly, file access to take longer, system boot/shut down to slow, videos to drop frames, and music to skip.If you're clicking rapidly and trying to get your desktop back the system may often crash or freeze because it's badly fragmented...you can't tell me you've never seen this!??

Bill