Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide

[GeneralAres]

Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide

Optimize Windows XP to improve both work and gaming performance safely. Windows XP's default configuration is far from optimized. This guide will help you improve your overall system performance. I avoid using or recommending "all-in-one" Windows XP Tweak programs since many blindly adjust settings that have no affect on performance and can cause future problems.

Steps 1 and 2 can be used soley for getting rid of Spyware and Viruses, the rest improves system performance.

 

[Nothinman]

Yay, another tweak site that refers to the pagefile as "virtual memory" and gives stupid advice like making the pagefile static.

 

[InlineFive]

What is the difference then since Windows seems to use both terms for the same thing?

 

[Nothinman]

The difference has been explained here many times. Yes, MS uses the term VM incorrectly in their UI. The only place they seem to use it correctly is in MSDN articles.

VM, like the name suggests, is the virtualization of memory addresses. Each process sees it's own set of memory addresses, on a 32-bit system there's 4G worth. 2G is reserved by the NT kernel and the other 2G is available for the process to use.

The pagefile is just a backing store for some data, NT requires everything in memory to have a backing store on disk so that it can free up that memory if it ever needs to. Most things can be paged back in from their original respective files (i.e. executables, shared libraries, non-changed files, etc) but any data in memory that's been altered needs a place to go on disk and that place is the pagefile.

 

[MysticX23]

whats wrong with keeping pagefile static?

 

[Nothinman]

whats wrong with keeping pagefile static?

It's completely pointless and you remove one of the major benefits of having a pagefile, a safety need for when you need more memory than you expected.

 

[GeneralAres]

There is nothing wrong with keeping the Page File Static. Considering the recommended Static Page File size in the guide is near to the maximum set by default anyway your memory concerns are not there. Keeping the page file static will prevent its fragmentation.

Please don't play all elitist with some Microsoft definitions of Virtual Memory. Please site your source of the definition you use for Virtual Memory, Microsoft does not count because the whole rest of the computer industry does not consider Microsoft the owner of words it did not create.

 

[Nothinman]

Keeping the page file static will prevent its fragmentation.

Fragmentation of the pagefile is a non-issue. The pagefile is never accessed in a sequential manner except for purely random circumstances.

Please don't play all elitist with some Microsoft definitions of Virtual Memory

I'm not playing elite, I just know how these things work.

Please site your source of the definition you use for Virtual Memory

Oh please, look at any book on OS internals. Personally I read "Understanding the Linux kernel", but if you're more of a MS person I'm sure "Microsoft Windows Internals" will have the exact same definition of VM.

 

[GeneralAres]

Fragmentation of the pagefile is a non-issue. The pagefile is never accessed in a sequential manner except for purely random circumstances.

Thats a myth.

I've done my research on the definition, I understand how it works and what you are implying it means. Your implication is not what the true definition is understood and has always been defined to be. I am still waiting for a link to a credible source. Regardles of how complicated you try to make it the definition is still the same. Whether it is paged, mapped, swapped ect... The Hard Drive is being used as a second source of RAM.

Even Microsoft Encarta defines it how it is understood.

Encarta

illusion of increased computer memory capacity: a technique for creating the illusion that a computer has more memory than it really has by swapping blocks or pages of data between memory and external storage

Oh and yes your trying to be elitist by redefining a known word.

 

[Nothinman]

Thats a myth.

Then please enlighten us, how is the pagefile accessed?

I am still waiting for a link to a credible source

You're incapable of finding a copy of the books I mentioned? I got mine at a local Barnes and Noble, stop down and read the chapter on memory management one day, it won't cost you anything and you might actually learn something.

Even Microsoft Encarta defines it how it is understood.

Wasn't it you who said that MS sources don't count?

Oh and yes your trying to be elitist by redefining a known word.

And which word would that be?

 

[GeneralAres]

You're incapable of finding a copy of the books I mentioned? I got mine at a local Barnes and Noble, stop down and read the chapter on memory management one day, it won't cost you anything and you might actually learn something.

You mean this book?
Microsoft Windows Internals

Written by:
Mark E. Russinovich

Who also wrote this utility:
PageDefrag?

One of the limitations of the Windows NT/2000 defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system.

ROFLMAO!

And which word would that be?

Virtual Memory

 

[Sunner]

Here you go.

 

[GeneralAres]

That explains how the Linux Virtual Memory Manager works. It is not a source for how you define Virtual Memory.

 

[GeneralAres]

Merrian Websters

external memory (as magnetic disks) for a computer that can be used as if it were an extension of the computer's internal memory -- called also virtual storage

Geek.com

A section of a hard drive used to augment a computer's RAM, or main memory. Different operating systems have different ways of dealing with virtual memory. UNIX and Linux often use a separate hard drive partition dedicated to virtual memory, while Windows uses a file or files on any number of hard drive partitions. However, Linux and UNIX can be configured to use a swap file as needed also. Virtual memory is used when the operating system runs low on physical memory. Virtual memory is also used to swap out lesser used portions of physical memory, freeing it up for other operations.

The Hutchinson Dictionary of Computers, Multimedia and the Internet

A technique whereby a portion of the computer backing storage, or external, memory is used as an extension of its immediate-access, or internal, memory. The contents of an area of the immediate-access memory are stored on, say, a hard disc while they are not needed, and brought back into main memory when required. The process, called paging or segmentation, is controlled by the computer operating system and is hidden from the programmer, to whom the computer's internal memory appears larger than it really is. The technique can be successfully implemented only if very fast backing store is available, so that 'pages' of memory can be rapidly switched into and out of the immediate-access memory.

Oxford Dictionary

Computing memory that appears to exist as main storage although most of it is supported by data held in secondary storage.

 

[Sunner]

Ok, here then, about as straight from the horse's mouth as it gets.

 

[GeneralAres]

That does not redefine the definition of Virtual Memory, it meerly explains how the Linux Kernel Accesses, Addresses and Maps Memory. It should be more properly defined there as Virtual Memory Addressing.

 

[Nothinman]

Virtual Memory

That's two words.

Also, not surprisingly, all of those links you supplied are wrong. Technically they're "good enough" definitions for the layman who doesn't care how the OS actually works, but they're still wrong.

That does not redefine the definition of Virtual Memory, it meerly explains how the Linux Kernel Accesses, Addresses and Maps Memory. It should be more properly defined there as Virtual Memory Addressing.

Virtual Memory and Virtual Memory addressing would be the same thing, if you don't think so how would you define the two?

The pagefile (or swap on Linux) only requires virtual memory because in order to make the storage and retrieval of pages to the pagefile transparent the OS needs the ability to remap pages in memory at will and that requires virtual addresses to be presented to each process. An OS that uses VM does not need a pagefile or swap space (well, technically Windows requires one under normal usage but that's an NT design limitation because I can run Linux with no swap just fine) but an OS that wants to do anonymous paging to a pagefile or swap space does need VM. Do you really believe that if you disable your pagefile or swap space that you're now running your OS without VM enabled?

 

[KoolDrew]

GeneralAres you are wrong. I do NOT even know why you are trying to argue with anyone. I am not suprised you are wrong though as many people also believe virtual memory is what you are saying when it is not true. This is a quote from "Inside Windows 2000, Third Edition"

Windows 2000 implements a virtual memory system based on a flat (linear) 32bit address space. Thirty-two bits of address space translates into 4 GB of virtual memory. On most systems, Windows 2000 allocates half this address space (the lower half of the 4-GB virtual address space, from x00000000 through x7FFFFFFF) to processes for their unique private storage and uses the other half (the upper half, addresses x80000000 through xFFFFFFFF) for its own protected operating system memory utilization. The mappings of the lower half change to reflect the virtual address space of the currently executing process, but the mappings of the upper half always consist of the operating system's virtual memory. Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Datacenter Server support a boot-time option (the /3GB qualifier in Boot.ini) that gives processes running specially marked programs (the large address space aware flag must be set in the header of the executable image) a 3-GB private address space (leaving 1 GB for the operating system). This option allows applications such as database servers to keep larger portions of a database in the process address space, thus reducing the need to map subset views of the database. Figure 1-2 shows the two virtual address space layouts supported by Windows 2000.

The page file is completely different. Also read this:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php

 

[GeneralAres]

I already defined what it means all those quotes and explanations you guys posted refer to Virtual Memory Addressing. Anyone can check the links out for themselves. This is tough one to believe dictionaries or an Anandtech forum member who doesn't even understand the Pagefile can get fragmented?

 

[KoolDrew]

I already defined what it means

NO you did not.

all those quotes and explanations you guys posted refer to Virtual Memory Addressing

They are the same thing..

Anyone can check the links out for themselves

And we should believe those over a book like "Inside Windows 200" which is a much more reliable source then some web site? There is a lot of false info on the web. If I showed you a website that said Windows ME was the most stable OS ever would you believe it?

This is tough one to believe dictionaries or an Anandtech forum member who doesn't even understand the Pagefile can get fragmented?

Nobody said it cannot get fragmented. Fragmentation of the pagefile does not affect performance though and if set correctly the pagefile will not have to resize itself and will not get fragmented.

I am at least glad that this tweak guide did not mention things like IRQ8priority and IOpagelocklimit..

I belive someone should write a sticky about this stuff as there ware way too many topics about this stuff. Just cover many of the myths and everything. You might want to stick a Linux FAQ in there too as there is a "What distro should I use" topic like every day.

 

[GeneralAres]

And we should believe those over a book like "Inside Windows 200" which is a much more reliable source then some web site. There is a lot of false info on the web. If I showed you a website that said Windows ME was the most stable OS ever would you believe it?

I would believe a dictionary over anything when it comes to defining words. As for Windows ME it was the most stable of the Win9x OSes. None of which you could consider 100% stable. I wouldn't need a website for that I built about 1000+ PCs with it installed before XP came out.

Nobody said it cannot get fragmented. Fragmentation of the pagefile does not affect performance though and if set correctly the pagefile will not have to resize itself and will not get fragmented.

Yeah set correctly as in set to a static size. As for the performance issue KB 314482

Another advantage of using a pagefile on its own partition is that the pagefile will not become fragmented. If the pagefile is on a partition with other data, the pagefile might experience fragmentation as it expands to satisfy the extra virtual memory required. A defragmented pagefile leads to faster virtual memory access and improves the chances of capturing a dump file without significant errors.

From the Author of Windows Internals:

One of the limitations of the Windows NT/2000 defragmentation interface is that it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system.

 

[GeneralAres]

I am at least glad that this tweak guide did not mention things like IRQ8priority and IOpagelocklimit..

That is covered here Xp Myths

 

[Nothinman]

I would believe a dictionary over anything when it comes to defining words

Dictionaries are written by people, people make mistakes and I doubt the people writing for Merrian Websters also designed an OS.

The Merrian Websters definition you posted is pretty much wrong, depending on the definition of extension used. Taken literally it makes it sound as if the pagefile is addressed directly as memory, which isn't true.

The geek.com definition is right up until the point where they say "Virtual memory is used when the operating system runs low on physical memory". Virtual Memory is always in use and no matter how much data is being stored in the pagefile.

The The Hutchinson Dictionary of Computers, Multimedia and the Internet definition is just plain wrong. It successfully describes paging and the use of the pagefile, but that's not what VM is.

The Oxford Dictionary is completely wrong.

Yeah set correctly as in set to a static size. As for the performance issue KB 314482

No where in that article does it say to set the min and max sizes the same. It does say that fragmentation can cause a performance drop and I don't deny that. But I do deny that the performance drop will be anything noticable, if you're already paging that much then a few extra seeks here and there won't be noticable. It's sort of like pounding out a small dent on the hood of your car to get better airflow and performance.

In odd circumstances the fragmentation could actually help performance, depending on where the fragments lie in relation to the rest of the data being accessed on the filesystem.

That is covered here Xp Myths

If you want I can setup an XP Myths page describing what VM really is on my comcast webspace and link to it too, would that be credible to you?

 

[BigPete]

Originally posted by: GeneralAres
As for Windows ME it was the most stable of the Win9x OSes. None of which you could consider 100% stable. I wouldn't need a website for that I built about 1000+ PCs with it installed before XP came out.

You just lost credibility. ME was a piece of crap. Sure, you cant consider any of the 9x OSes stable, but which OS COULD you consider 100% stable? All OSes have their issues.



*EDIT*

I dont want to take credit away from you GeneralAres. You have a decent site with some pretty decent information. You provide a lot of information that might be common knowledge for most of us geeks but most average people should be able to walk away with a better, more secure operating system.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: Nothinmanand I doubt the people writing for Merrian Websters also designed an OS.

Indeed.

If you'll look at the link I posted(where it actually does say "Virtual Memory", but I'm guessing you didn't actually read it?), you'll see that the author is, among other things, working on porting a Linux distro that describes itself as such: "The Linux/Microcontroller project is a port of Linux to systems without a Memory Management Unit (MMU).".

I think he might have some kind of idea of how virtual memory and it's management works :roll: