Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide

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CTho9305

Elite Member
Jul 26, 2000
9,214
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Originally posted by: GeneralAres
What kind of awful P2P app are you using? Every reputable source I've seen has shown no ill effects
It doesn't have to be aweful it just has to be a large enough network were people are constantly coming on and offline.
Name the app or protocol. Name a major P2P app that behaves in a way where 10 incomplete connection attempts is really going to have an effect. Gnutella? You're not supposed to be directly connected to more than ~10 people anyway. Bittorrent? The tracker updates every few minutes - when you get an IP, it's most likely going to still be on the network. Even if it's not, would you really trade off 30 seconds faster bittorrent startup (given that torrents are used for large files, and thus take at best multiple minutes anyway) against millions more worm-infected computers?
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
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You're just going further and further away from stubborn and right onto being pathetic instead.
Stash is a Microsoft employee, heck even if he was in the XP product activation helpdesk you'd think he could just ask someone else about most anything that wasn't top secret.

Oh and I once made my living building computers, worked with it for about a year, so I guess that qualifies me as an expert in the subject of whatever I feel like.
 

spyordie007

Diamond Member
May 28, 2001
6,229
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<- Runs an IT infrastructure with 95+% windows machines. But I wouldnt know anything about TCP networking under Windows.

What, a packet's a packet right?


:roll:
 

Nothinman

Elite Member
Sep 14, 2001
30,672
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Actually it sounds like my suspicions are true.

Like I said, even if you can guess my age, it's irrelevant. Hell if you were to guess my age as something like 17-20 I would love it, because it would mean you thought that I've had more experience "in the field" before my legal drinking age then you ever will with your attitude.

LMAO, Comcast Data is irrelevant? (BTW I don't work for them).

You don't work for them yet you have data on more than your surrounding area?

Needless to say this proves another point you consistently make careless assumptions based on information you do not have and have no way of obtaining.

And the only data you have is what you've acquired driving around your area plugging in cables, how is that any better?
 

GeneralAres

Member
Jan 24, 2005
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Dell built more than 1000 systems running ME and I don't consider them an expert on pagefiles and VM *lol*
You can read previous posts can you or do you just skim over them?

Even if it's not, would you really trade off 30 seconds faster bittorrent startup (given that torrents are used for large files, and thus take at best multiple minutes anyway) against millions more worm-infected computers?
You really believe some cap on incomplete outbound connection attempts stops worms from spreading or even remotely slows them down? What planet are you living on?

You're just going further and further away from stubborn and right onto being pathetic instead. Stash is a Microsoft employee, heck even if he was in the XP product activation helpdesk you'd think he could just ask someone else about most anything that wasn't top secret.
Forgive me if I don't support the local Heros. Like I said "Helpdesk" entry level positions. FYI you do realize most of these are subcontracted out and have no real communication with the main office outside their job related duties? I know it's easier to play the "Microsoft" job trump card. Again too many people don't even think about what they actually do at Microsoft, if they even work for the company or a subcontractor and why they would be posting in these forums. Pathetic indead!

Like I said, even if you can guess my age, it's irrelevant. Hell if you were to guess my age as something like 17-20 I would love it, because it would mean you thought that I've had more experience "in the field" before my legal drinking age then you ever will with your attitude.
Who knows what your age or experience is your more likely to lie about it at this point instead of losing any Elite status you may have here.

You don't work for them yet you have data on more than your surrounding area?
Perks of the job I guess.

And the only data you have is what you've acquired driving around your area plugging in cables, how is that any better?
Nope but nice try.
 

Nothinman

Elite Member
Sep 14, 2001
30,672
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Who knows what your age or experience is your more likely to lie about it at this point instead of losing any Elite status you may have here.

The difference being that I'm right and you're not. And my 'status' here is irrelevant, I have a life outside this forum.

Perks of the job I guess.

If you consider that a perk you must get paid pretty poorly, what good is Comcast's consumer data to you anyway? The only possible use that you could have for it would be SPAM. And if you don't work for them you must have obtained it illegally anyway. And even if you did have data on whether or not all of Comcast's customers had NAT devices upon installation it would be out of date extremely fast because Comcast has no way to determine if one was installed by the user on a later date.

And we're currently in discussions with Comcast, so they may be our client in the future so I'll have access to to that same data, call it a perk if you will, but I doubt I'll take a look at it because, who cares?
 

dev0lution

Senior member
Dec 23, 2004
472
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Yep, I skim the posts long enough to detect a pattern. Here's my book report - I'll call stash and Nothinman if I have a technical question on an area outside my general expertise and I need a few responses with varying references to help me find what I'm looking for.

I'll call you if I need 10 book recommendations on XP tweaks and an in depth analysis on the author's finer points in idiomology. Oh, and when my cable modem is having problems...
 

GeneralAres

Member
Jan 24, 2005
140
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The difference being that I'm right and you're not. And my 'status' here is irrelevant, I have a life outside this forum
Yes you "think" your right, you have made this clear many times.


If you consider that a perk you must get paid pretty poorly, what good is Comcast's consumer data to you anyway?
I consider data like this a Perk. You got me there I can not think of a single use for Comcast's data. :roll:


The only possible use that you could have for it would be SPAM. And if you don't work for them you must have obtained it illegally anyway.
You just get more wrong the more you guess.

And even if you did have data on whether or not all of Comcast's customers had NAT devices upon installation it would be out of date extremely fast because Comcast has no way to determine if one was installed by the user on a later date.
It sure is a lot more relevant then any data you have and good demographics information nonetheless.

And we're currently in discussions with Comcast, so they may be our client in the future so I'll have access to to that same data, call it a perk if you will, but I doubt I'll take a look at it because, who cares?
I doubt you'll take a look at it too since you looked at no relevant data before making you're earlier extremely misinformed statement. Statements such as these need to be taken into question when judging other statements you have made.

Yep, I skim the posts long enough to detect a pattern. Here's my book report - I'll call stash and Nothinman if I have a technical question on an area outside my general expertise and I need a few responses with varying references to help me find what I'm looking for.
Next time read what I said. See now you learned something.

I'll call you if I need 10 book recommendations on XP tweaks and an in depth analysis on the author's finer points in idiomology. Oh, and when my cable modem is having problems...
Well I can surely help you diagnose a Cable modem problem but considering I'm not a cable modem technician it would make more sense for you to call your local cable company. You can call me anytime if you need some XP Tweaks that work. ;)
 

Nothinman

Elite Member
Sep 14, 2001
30,672
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Yes you "think" your right, you have made this clear many times.

Yes, I have been extremely clear, it's just that you won't stop to actually think about the subject and you blindly trust random sources online, except this one of course.

You just get more wrong the more you guess.

Why don't you enlighten us then, nothing's stopped you from spreading your wisdumb on other subjects here.

It sure is a lot more relevant then any data you have and good demographics information nonetheless.

You install cable modems, wtf would you need demographics for? Oh I know, maybe you're calling people up and promoting other ISPs so that you can install a cable modem for them twice, get yourself a little extra work.

I doubt you'll take a look at it too since you looked at no relevant data before making you're earlier extremely misinformed statement

I looked at all the data I needed to long before you showed up. Do you really think that "Understanding the Linux kernel" is completely wrong with regards to how VM works?
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,764
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Every broadband user I know is sitting behind a NAT device, with the exception of one. I'd have him on a router also, if it were not for qwest's abominable "stinger" DSLAM gear in his area.
Even my sister's cheesy little DSL "modem" hands out a 10.0.0.x address to her single computer.
You reveal your ignorance by referring to a NAT device as a NAT firewall. If you had one clue about how it works, you would use proper terminology while you are getting flamed in here:p:)
 

spyordie007

Diamond Member
May 28, 2001
6,229
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You really believe some cap on incomplete outbound connection attempts stops worms from spreading or even remotely slows them down? What planet are you living on?
Let's think about this for a second. The ability for a machine to attempt to infect 10 machines at once or 1000?

It certainly doesn?t stop the spread of worms; but it does help to slow them down due to the way the machine must wait for a previous TCP connection attempt to timeout before attempting to infect another remote host. The point of this change in the OS is so that if and when there is another internet worm out there it will spread a little slower and give people time to react (i.e. hours rather than minutes). This change really shouldn?t effect legitimate traffic in any noticeable way.

A couple of things about the whole home firewall thing. I don?t deal with a lot of home users so I'm not going to claim that I personally know how many of them are firewalled. And even if I did work at a lot of homes (as you indicate that you do GeneralAres) I still wouldn?t suggest that I know what the worldwide norm is based on my local (and therefore likely biased) observations.

According to Consumer Reports and Carnegie-Mellon University 40% of home users with broadband internet connections are not firewalled.

I do agree that every home user needs to be "firewalled". I think as a point of clarification we need to define a firewall:
Any of a number of security schemes that prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to a computer network or that monitor transfers of information to and from the network.

Using this definition a firewall could be a hardware device, software application, or set of network configurations that limit access in one way shape or form.
You reveal your ignorance by referring to a NAT device as a NAT firewall
Lets be careful here arguing semantics. While NAT in-and-of itself is not technically a firewall the vast majority of NAT implementations do function as a rudimentary firewall (i.e. one-to-many address mappings).

Don?t get us wrong GeneralAres; I?d say that half the steps on the link you posted are things that every internet connected computer user should hear (OS & Software updates/firewalling/virus scanning/spyware). But there are some suggestions that it makes that the majority of users should not be following and/or would make very little difference in production. Rather than taking offense when people make corrections or suggestions for the tweak guide you need to accept that your way may not be the right way for everyone else and that you don?t know everything. I think one of the biggest reasons this thread is turning into a pissing match is because you have been giving off an attitude that you know everything and nobody gets to correct you.
 

stash

Diamond Member
Jun 22, 2000
5,468
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++

A little humility would go a long way here. Nobody likes someone who comes here who thinks they know it all and is unwilling to listen to the opinions of others. Always having to have the last word is irritating as well.
 

CTho9305

Elite Member
Jul 26, 2000
9,214
1
81
Originally posted by: GeneralAres
Even if it's not, would you really trade off 30 seconds faster bittorrent startup (given that torrents are used for large files, and thus take at best multiple minutes anyway) against millions more worm-infected computers?
You really believe some cap on incomplete outbound connection attempts stops worms from spreading or even remotely slows them down? What planet are you living on?

You didn't answer the question - what legit app is negatively affected? Note that by legit I mean non-worm - I'm counting piracy software as legit in this case.

On my connection, I could probably hit multiple thousands of IPs per second if I got infected (and when I got SQL Slammer, I probably was... oops). With this limit, I can hit at most 10 IPs per second (assuming the worm reduces its timeout to 1 second, which probably isn't long enough for slow machines to respond). So, without the cap, I could theoretically probe around 1,000,000 machines/hr (a that's only assuming 200 connetions per second), versus 3600 machines. You can't tell me that isn't going to slow down a worm. As spyordie007 pointed out, this isn't going to stop worms, but it will make it much less likely for a worm to "take down the internet" in a matter of minutes.
 

Codewiz

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2002
5,758
0
76
OK, how about this. Since this nutjob thinks he is SO experienced, I will list out my experience and expertise.

I am 26 years old. Yep, I consider myself young but I also know where my strengths are.
I have a BS in Computer Science. I took 3 courses on Operating System Design.
I currently work for the government as a developer.

I have a FIRM grasp of how operating system in general work. I know and understand the concepts. I do not however design OSes for a living. I have done case studies on the design decisions made for both NT4 and Linux.

I UNDERSTAND FILE SYSTEMS AND MEMORY MANAGEMENT!!! I KNOW FIRST HAND HOW IT IS DONE. I HAVE LOOKED AT THE CODE.

Of course none of this will change your mind. You are an idiot. Nothingman and the rest of the group are TOTALLY CORRECT! Just because lots of people misuse words and definitions DOES NOT make them correct. It is a fact that it is easy to just gloss over what something is than actually explain it correctly.

Call me an elitest or whatever. It doesn't change the fact that you are WRONG.

As for why defraging a page file is good. The ONLY performance gain you can get is if the page file happens to cause fragmentation of other files.

 

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
10,226
7
81
As for why defraging a page file is good. The ONLY performance gain you can get is if the page file happens to cause fragmentation of other files. Page files are hardly never access sequentially. It is pretty much random just like RAM.

Even then the pagefile only needs to be defragmented once because if the pagefile needs expanding it will revert back to it's initial size on reboot. So it cannot get fragmented once it is already contiguous unless you increase the initial size of the pagefile later.
 

Codewiz

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2002
5,758
0
76
Originally posted by: KoolDrew
As for why defraging a page file is good. The ONLY performance gain you can get is if the page file happens to cause fragmentation of other files. Page files are hardly never access sequentially. It is pretty much random just like RAM.

Even then the pagefile only needs to be defragmented once because if the pagefile needs expanding it will revert back to it's initial size on reboot. So it cannot get fragmented once it is already contiguous unless you increase the initial size of the pagefile later.

Absolutely correct.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Nothing more I hate than know it all teenagers or a teenager who never grew up.. Hard-headed!! Which is why they do scut-work like install cable late in life.
 

trikster2

Banned
Oct 28, 2000
1,907
0
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wow. Just have to say I'm impressed. A techy thread made the top 20 threads on anandtech.

What a concept!

Oh that and GeneralAres is right and the rest of you are a bunch of idiots!


 

bsobel

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Dec 9, 2001
13,346
0
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Originally posted by: Codewiz
Of course none of this will change your mind. You are an idiot. Nothingman and the rest of the group are TOTALLY CORRECT! Just because lots of people misuse words and definitions DOES NOT make them correct. It is a fact that it is easy to just gloss over what something is than actually explain it correctly.

Not to piss Nothingman (or anyone else) off, but after reading the entire thread I'd have to say 70%-30% :)

GeneralAres: Virtual Memory and the page file are two seperate but related concepts. Many people mistakenly treat them as one. I can implment a VM system on an x86 without a paging file (in fact, this is what you wind up doing when you turn off paging on a Windows system).

Gang: Regarding Mark and the registry/page file fragmentation. While the pagefile is not accessed sequentially (at least not for signifigant runs), the additional extents do require additional calculations to be performed to determine where to read the data from. If the extents themsleves got long enough, an additional (or at least longer, depending on fragmentation) read can occur while the system parses the file system (this is all presuming NTFS). In most cases, minor PF fragmentation will have no noticeable effects. However on a system with alot of uncolacsed free space, you could (in theory) wind up with a large number of extents. This is more noticable (IMHO) with the registry which tends to grow and many defraggers don't defrag. However, (again, IMHO based on my experience) you would be hard pressed to notice the difference (although I know you can measure it if you try).

GeneralAreas: TCP incomplete connection throtteling. Your right, it will not stop any worm. However, it will (in studies by us, HP and others) slow them down. Slammer took about 14 minutes to spread, things would have been much better if this took a couple of hours (or days like CodeRed). So the setting does help.

Gang: NAT Firewall devices (yea yea, I've had enough arguments on that name, if you want to be techincal, most of them are PAT devices anyhow. Then again, my dsl modem isn't a MODEM so the fact that we are right on naming doesn't always matter). The penetration is fairly low, unless your in a multi-machine / home network environment in which case they are everywhere. It's the home network adoption that is pushing these out. The folks with single PC's (and unlike us, there are ALOT of them) are still generally plugging into there cable/dsl modem with no device inbetween. If we are lucky they at least have a software firewall.

Bill

 

GeneralAres

Member
Jan 24, 2005
140
0
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Even then the pagefile only needs to be defragmented once because if the pagefile needs expanding it will revert back to it's initial size on reboot. So it cannot get fragmented once it is already contiguous unless you increase the initial size of the pagefile later.
Unless you set it to a static size in which case after defragmenting it, it will never get fragmented again. Even with your recommendation to allow the page file to expand will cause it to fragment prior to rebooting. With Windows XP rebooting rarely happens. The problem with your recommendation is it goes even beyond the default maximum that XP uses to resize the page file. The setting I recommend is the most optimal, since it prevents the page file from resizing regardless and leaves the safety net in place.

Of course none of this will change your mind. You are an idiot. Nothingman and the rest of the group are TOTALLY CORRECT! Just because lots of people misuse words and definitions DOES NOT make them correct. It is a fact that it is easy to just gloss over what something is than actually explain it correctly.
Who is the authority on the definition of Virtual Memory? You and everyone here, I hardly think so and if for a second you think I do not understand how the Virtual Memory Manager or Virtual Memory Addressing works, think again. I'm not disbuting how they work only on the common definition of a commonly used word. What I have proven is my position wether you want to accept it or not.

windows me was the most stable 9x os (or even stable period). hahaha. what a tool
It was but again this would require a knowledge of what was different about it then 95(A, B, C) and 98(SE). I've built and supported enough PCs with the 9x OSes on it to know. Only people knowledgable in the field who had extensive experience with it would understand. Still it was only slightly more stable then 98SE and obviously not even remotely close to the NT line (NT, 2000 and XP).

Nothing more I hate than know it all teenagers or a teenager who never grew up.. Hard-headed!! Which is why they do scut-work like install cable late in life.
Same here that is why I've found forums to be filled with them. Most of the cable installs I do are related to small business server connectivity. But I do get feedback from the Tier 1 techs.

 

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
10,226
7
81
Unless you set it to a static size in which case after defragmenting it, it will never get fragmented again. Even with your recommendation to allow the page file to expand will cause it to fragment prior to rebooting. With Windows XP rebooting rarely happens. The problem with your recommendation is it goes even beyond the default maximum that XP uses to resize the page file. The setting I recommend is the most optimal, since it prevents the page file from resizing regardless and leaves the safety net in place.

With your reccomendation there is no safety net. The pagefile cannot be expanded when needed. If the initial size is high enough then the pagefile will not get fragmented anyway as it will not need to be resized, but in the event it needs to be it can.

Who is the authority on the definition of Virtual Memory? You and everyone here, I hardly think so and if for a second you think I do not understand how the Virtual Memory Manager or Virtual Memory Addressing works, think again. I'm not disbuting how they work only on the common definition of a commonly used word. What I have proven is my position wether you want to accept it or not.

By your posts here it shows you don;t even have a basic understanding of how Virtual memory works. Also if you would actually look at the source that were provided to you you would realize how pathetic you sound right now.

Same here that is why I've found forums to be filled with them

Like yourself?