Making Windows XP Start 60% FasterCode:
Whenever you start your computer, you are faced with a few moments of thumb
twiddling while Windows XP boots and prompts you to log on. Although you should
expect to wait for a few moments, sometimes Windows XP seems to boot rather slowly.In fact, you may notice that over a period of time the PC that used to roar to life seems a bit sluggish instead. Fortunately, you can perform several techniques that help WindowsXP get the boot up speed you want. This chapter explores how to put these techniques to work.Stopping unneeded Startup Services Along with the core operating system and programs that Windows XP runs when it starts,there is also a host of services involved. Many of these services are necessary for Windows XP to operate correctly. However, many of them are for features in Windows XP that you may not use at all. You can peruse the services and disable any service that you do not want to run. The fewer services that run, the more quickly Windows XP willboot.
Caution:Exercise caution when stopping services. If you do not know what a service does or are unsure of the ramifications of stopping the service, leave it alone.
Some services are critical to Windows XP's operations, so make sure you understand what the service is before you disable it.To reduce the number of services that start on bootup, you can access two different areas of Windows XP.
The first is the System Configuration Utility. The Services tab shows you the services that start when the computer boots.You can stop a service from starting by simply clearing the check box next to the service and clicking OK.
However, before you do so, there is another way to disable services thatyou may prefer because the interface gives you more information about the service inquestion.
Open Control Panel/Administrative Tools Services or else select Start/Run, type services.msc, and click OK. Either way, you see the Services console.
I prefer to use the Services console instead of the System Configuration Utility because itdescribes what the service does. Additionally, you can double-click a service and examine its properties.Notice the Startup Type column in Figure 4-2. This information lists whether the service is automatic or manual.
Manual services are only started in Windows XP when you start a process that requires the service. Some other process may require the service that has a"dependency" relationship with it; in this case, the dependency service will start, as well.Because these services do not start automatically when you boot Windows XP, you do not need to do anything with manual services.
However, all services listed as automatic start when Windows XP boots. These are the services that increase boot time. As I have mentioned, many of them are necessary and important, so you should not stop automatic services from booting unless you are sure ofthe ramifications.
You can get this information by looking at the Description column.Here's a quick look at common services you may want to live without:Automatic Updates: This service enables Windows XP to check the Web automaticallyfor updates. If you don't want to use Automatic Updates, you can disable the service.
You can always check for updates manually at the Windows Update Web site.Computer Browser: If your computer is not on a network, you don't need this service. Ifyou are on a network, leave it alone.DHCP Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are on asmall workgroup, you can still increase boot time by configuring manual IP addresses(which I explore later in this chapter).DNS Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are, leave italone.Error Reporting and Event Log: You don't have to use these services but they can be veryhelpful, so I would leave them configured as automatic.Fax: If you don't use your computer for fax services, you can disable this one.Help and Support: If you never use the Windows XP Help and Support Center (found onthe Start menu), you can disable this service.IMAPI CD-Burning COM: This service enables you to burn CDs on your computer. Ifyou never burn CDs, you can disable the service.Indexing Service: Your computer keeps an index of files but if you rarely search for files,the service is just a resource hog. You can stop it and turn the service to manual.Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing: If you do not use these features, you candisable them.Infrared Monitor: If you do not use infrared devices, you can disable this service.Messenger: This service sends alert messages on a local area network (it is not the sameas Windows Messenger). If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.Print Spooler: If you do not do any printing from the computer, you can disable thisservice. If you print, make sure you leave it as automatic.Remote Registry: This service allows remote users to modify the Registry on yourcomputer. If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.System Restore Service: This service allows you to use System Restore. If you haveturned off System Restore anyway, you do not need to turn off the service. If you do, youturn off System Restore.Themes: If you do not use themes, you can disable this service.Windows Image Acquisition: If you do not use scanners or digital cameras, you candisable this service.Wireless Zero Configuration: If do not use wireless networking devices, you can disablethis service.You may have a number of other automatic services, depending on software and otherconfigurations on your computer. So it's a good idea to look through the services andlearn more about them. If you double-click a service, a Properties dialog box appearsNotice that on the General tab, you see a Startup Type drop-down menu. If you want tochange an automatic service to manual, select Manual here and click OK. As a generalrule, don't disable a service unless you are sure you will never use it. However, manualconfiguration allows the service to be started when you find it necessary, thus speedingup your boot time.However, before you change a service to manual, look at the Dependencies tab (seeFigure 4-4). This tab shows you which other services depend upon the service you areconsidering changing.Keep in mind that services are necessary for the vast functionality you get with WindowsXP. Change only those services that you understand and do not use. How you use yourWindows XP computer should be the best guide in terms of optional startup services.Tip:The Indexing service and the System Restore service take up a lot of disk space andsystem resources across the board. You can live without the Indexing service but Isuggest that you keep using System Restore. It works great when you are in a bind andthis is one case where the loss of speed may not be worth the ramifications of not usingSystem Restore.Speed Tips and Tricks for Windows XP StartupAside from startup programs, services, and the Prefetch folder, there are a number ofother startup procedures and issues you can modify to help Windows XP start faster. Thefollowing sections explore those tips and tricks.Manual IP Addressing on Small Office/Home NetworksWindows XP is configured to help you take care of networking. It uses the TCP/IPprotocol for networking in workgroups, or what you might call small office or homenetworks that do not use a dedicated server.The problem is that automatic IP addressing can be slow. When your computer boots, ithas to query the network to see what IP addresses are already in use and then assign itselfone. If you want to speed up the boot time a bit, consider manually assigning IP addressesto all computers on the network. This way, the network computers do not have to worryabout locating an automatic IP address. Because one is manually configured, theoperating system doesn't have to spend time solving this problem.This isn't a networking book, however, so I won't delve into the implications of using amanual IP address, but if you are using a computer that functions as a host computer tothe Internet (using Internet Connection Sharing [ICS]), you can get into connectivityproblems if you change the configuration of the IP address. However, you can still workaround this problem by starting with the ICS host computer.Select Start/Connect To/Show All Connections. Right-click your network adapter cardand click Properties. On the General tab, select TCP/IP in the list of services and click theProperties button.In the TCP/IP properties, you can see if you use an automatic or manual IP address. Inthe example in Figure 4-5, I have configured a manual IP address of 90.0.0.1 and adefault subnet mask. The other computers on my office network each use a different IPaddress in the same class, such as 90.0.0.2, 90.0.0.3, 90.0.0.4, and so on. This way, eachcomputer has a permanent IP address, which helps increase boot time. Note that if youchange the IP addresses of your computers, they must all use the same subnet mask. Adefault subject mask of 255.255.255.0 will keep you in good shape.Make sure you understand the implications of changing IP addresses on your network. Ifyou have no networking experience at all, you may be wiser to leave the automatic IPaddressing as is and try to gain some speed using the additional suggestions in thischapter.Disabling Recent Documents HistoryWindows XP includes a feature that keeps track of all recent documents you have openedor used. The idea is that you can select Start/Recent Documents History and quicklyreopen any document you have recently used. I use many documents each day and neveruse the feature myself. In my opinion, I can keep up with what I want to use withoutWindows XP doing it for me.The bad thing about Recent Documents History is that Windows XP has to calculate whatshould be put there each time you boot Windows, which can slow things down. So, if younever use the Recent Documents History, it's a good idea to disable it. Here's how:1. Open the Registry Editor (select Start/Run, type regedit, and click OK).2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.3. Create a NoRecentDocsHistory D_WORD key. Double-click the value to open it onceit is created.4. Set the Data Value to 1 to enable the restriction.5. Click OK and close the Registry Editor. You'll need to restart the computer for thechange to take effect.Disabling the Boot LogoYou can remove the boot logo that appears when you start Windows XP. This little tweakprobably shaves only a few seconds off your boot time but seconds count if you areserious about trying to get Windows XP up and running as quickly as possible. The onlynegative is that if you remove the boot logo, you will also not see any boot messages,such as check disk. (But if you are not having problems with your computer, this isn'tsuch a big deal.)To remove the boot logo, follow these steps:1. Select Start/Run, type msconfig, and click OK.2. In the System Configuration Utility, click the BOOT.INI tab.3. On the BOOT.INI tab, click the NOGUIBOOT check box option. Click OK.Removing Unwanted FontsOne trick that increases your boot time a bit is to lose any fonts in the Fonts folder inControl Panel that you never use. The more fonts you have, the more processingWindows XP has to do to prep all of those fonts for use. You must be a bit careful here tonot remove fonts that you might want, but there is a good chance that you can livewithout many of them. For instance, you may have foreign language fonts and othersymbol fonts (such as Wingdings) that you never use.To delete unneeded fonts, follow these steps:1. Open the Fonts folder in Control Panel.2. Select Edit/Select All and then Edit/Copy.3. Create a new folder on your desktop, open it, and select Edit/Paste.4. In this new folder, delete any of the fonts you do not want.5. Return to the Fonts folder in Control Panel. Right-click the selected fonts and clickDelete.6. Go back to your new desktop folder and click Edit/Select All.7. Return to your Fonts folder and click Edit/Paste. You now have only the desired fontsin the Fonts folder.Tip:You can directly delete fonts from the Fonts folder without creating the secondary folder.However, I recommend the preceding steps to help ensure that you do not make a mistakein the deletion process.Stopping Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop SharingIn Windows XP Professional, you have two remote networking features called RemoteAssistance and Remote Desktop Sharing. These remote networking features are veryhelpful in a variety of situations but if you don't use them, it is good idea to disable themto save boot time. You can always enable them later if you want to use them.Note:If you are interested in using Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance, see my bookWindows XP for Power Users: Power Pack published by John Wiley & Sons.1. Open the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties.2. Click the Remote Tab.3. Clear both check boxes to disable Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop.Speeding Up the Dual-Boot TimeoutIf you dual-boot your computer with Windows XP and another operating system, you seean operating system selection menu on startup. If you typically boot into Windows XPand not the other operating system, you can speed up the dual-boot timeout value so thatyou do not wait so long for the boot process to select your default operating system andcontinue with the boot process. The default timeout value is 30 seconds but you canchange this setting to 10. This gives you enough time to select the alternate operatingsystem if you want but also speeds up the boot process. You can skip this section if youdo not use a dual-boot configuration.Follow these steps:1. Locate the boot.ini file on your computer. It is a hidden file by default; mine is locatedin C:\boot.ini.2. Open the file with Notepad (which is what opens it by default).3. Change the Timeout value to 10 (see Figure 4-11).4. Select File/Save and close Notepad.Speeding Up Your PPPoE ConnectionIf you use a Point-to-Point Protocol connection over Ethernet (PPPoE), you may notice adelay in using the PPPoE connection after startup. By default, there is a 120 second delaybut you can stop this behavior by manually configuring an IP address for the networkadapter card. If you do not use a PPPoE connection, you can skip this section.1. Select Start/Connect to/Show All Connections.2. Open the TCP/IP properties for your LAN network interface card.3. Manually set the IP address on the TCP/IP properties to an appropriate IP address andsubnet mask for your network.Reducing the Wait TimeWhen you start to shut down Windows XP, it has to quit, or "kill," any live applicationsor processes that are currently running. So close all applications first. However, someapplications and processes are always running in the background. You can reduce theamount of time that Windows XP waits for those applications and processes to closebefore Windows XP kills them. Edit three different Registry settings to change this:1. Open the Registry Editor.2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. SelectWaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000.3. Select the HungAppTimeout value and set it to 1000 as well.4. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop. Set theWaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000. Select the HungAppTimeout \newlinevalue and set it to 1000 as well.5. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControl Set\Contro l. Selectthe WaitToKillServiceTimeout value and set it to 1000.6. Close the Registry Editor.Automatically Killing Tasks on ShutdownYou know the drill. You start to shut down the computer, you wait a few moments, andthen you see a dialog box asking if you want to kill an application or service that isrunning. Instead of prompting you, you can make Windows XP take care of the kill taskautomatically. Here's how:1. Open the Registry Editor.2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.3. Highlight the value AutoEndTasks and change the value to 1.4. Close the Registry Editor.Well thats about it... when you done all the steps you machine most run faster...withoutANY errors !!.thankx
