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RSS feedsDo you ever get the feeling that your PC is holding out on you and not performing as well as it should? PCW does, which is why in this feature we're going to show you how to speed up your Windows 95, 98 or Me system.
The only restrictions are that we're not going to spend any money, and we're not straying into the murky territory of overclocking.
Instead we're going to keep it simple: the aim is making sure that your PC's "brain" is focused on the important jobs in hand and ignores the trivia.
Boot camp
We'll start with the basics: switching on your PC. We're sticking to our promise of not entering overclocking territory, but that doesn't mean we have to ignore the system's BIOS.
There are two BIOS settings that can be changed easily to save valuable time and will make a noticeable difference when you boot up your PC. You can access these by holding down the Delete (some BIOSs require F1 or Escape) key as your system boots.
You will be presented with a menu of options; we're looking for the section entitled "BIOS Features Setup". Look in here for an entry called Quick Boot, or Quick Power On Self Test, and make sure it is enabled.
On a desktop system, you also want to make sure that Boot Up Floppy Seek or Floppy Drive Seek is disabled.
These two settings shorten the degree of checking that is done, and when we timed boot-up on two PCs, the changes cut 15-20 seconds from booting time.
Disabling the floppy drive seek does not prevent you from booting the PC from a floppy.
The next stage in the boot process is the processing of the autoexec.bat and config.sys files, which reside in the root of your boot drive (normally C:/) and can be edited either individually in Notepad, or collectively by Start, Run, Sysedit.
Windows Me users can skip this bit, as it does not process these files.
Strictly speaking, Windows 95 and 98 don't need them either, but they can be used for a number of purposes. First, they set environmental variables, such as the path and the location of the temporary files folder.
Second, they set the keyboard layout and character set used in MS-DOS sessions. Typically, these are set using Device= and Country= lines in config.sys, with Mode and Keyboard commands in autoexec.bat.
Finally, there may be other DOS device drivers loading, such as those for a sound card. If you never use MS-DOS games, or even never use MS-DOS at all, then these can be selectively disabled, by putting REM at the start of each line.
Windows 98 users can also selectively disable items from the relevant tabs in the System Configuration Utility (Start, Run, MSConfig).
If you're feeling ruthless, then you can rename autoexec.bat and config.sys: the contents will be preserved in the event of something ceasing to work, but they won't be processed at all, saving further time.
Opening Windows
Moving out of the BIOS and into mainstream Windows, it's important to find out what programs are being started automatically. This is vital because each program not only adds loading time to the start-up process, but remains active for the entire Windows session, using memory, processor cycles and resources.
Here's a revealing experiment: start Windows, as normal, then without explicitly running any programs, take a look at the System Tray, at the far end of the Taskbar from the Start button.
Chances are you'll have the Windows clock, the volume control and the monitor icon that provides a quick way to change screen settings. All of these are useful and none takes a significant toll on performance.
But Windows comes with several other utilities that can occupy a place here, such as the Task Scheduler, International Keyboard settings, the System Resource Meter, and the invaluable icon that informs you when you have a dial-up connection. All of these take a small amount of memory and resources, but it's fairly easy to decide whether you really need them, and turn them off if you don't.
Other third-party denizens of the System Tray may not be such good value, slowing down the system and performing unnecessary tasks. The list of contenders for this prime site is too long to list in full, but one of our pet hates is programs that "phone home" - dialling up an internet connection to check for new versions of the parent software.
Often, you can control or disable the third-party System Tray icon by right-clicking on it and selecting "Properties" or "Configuration".
Part two requires pressing Ctrl & Alt & Del, again before running any programs - this will give you a list of all the tasks running. Some of these, such as Explorer, Rundll and Systray are parts of the normal business of Windows. Others may relate to System Tray icons, and others still may have no visible manifestation.
The names rarely give a clue to the identity of the program, so a little detective work is necessary.
For anyone still using Windows 95, this is something of a challenge, as there are several ways of starting a program when Windows loads. The obvious one is from an entry in the Windows/StartUp folder, but there are other, more devious, means.
Since Windows 3.x days, one has been able to use load= and run= commands in the win.ini file, which can be edited in Notepad or the Sysedit utility mentioned earlier. Although this is rarely used these days, it's worth a check.
The most common location for surreptitious start-ups is in the Registry. Making sure that this has recently been backed up, run Regedit and look for the following three branches:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Run;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Run;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/RunServices
The right-hand pane will list the name of each application loading, and the path to the relevant file.
Windows 98 and Me users have a much easier time: the Startup tab of the System Configuration Utility provides one-stop access to all means of auto-starting programs.
Either method will point you at the location of the programs, and further investigation of the folder name and contents should tell you what the mystery programs are. This, in turn, will let you decide whether you want to continue to let them load at start-up.
If you don't, then MSConfig provides a convenient way of disabling each entry rather than removing it altogether.
Windows 95 users may want to export the above-mentioned Registry Branches from Regedit (Registry, Export, Selected Branch) to somewhere safe before deleting any entries: the resulting reg files can be restored by double-clicking on them.
Temporary measures
Now that you're in control of what is and isn't running on your PC, it's time to tackle your hard disk. There are two factors here that can make your PC extremely sluggish: lack of space, and fragmentation.
First, we'll tackle the issue of free space. Windows needs a fair amount of this, as it creates a lot of temporary files - for spooling output to the printer, for example.
So do applications. Microsoft Office, for example, creates temporary files for each open document, and the Office 2000 multiple clipboard creates a folder full of files.
Media-related applications, such as image editing, sound, video, as well as CD writers, can create huge temporary files, but at least with these you usually get the option to place them somewhere other than the Windows/Temp folder.
Temporary files present two issues: first you need to make sure there is room for them. There is no hard-and-fast rule here, but for general use, it's wise to keep 200Mb free on the drive in which Windows resides.
The other point is that temporary files sometimes stick: although Windows and applications should delete these when exited, a program or system crash can leave them behind. So you should regularly check the Temp folder for old temporary files.
It's possible to automate this in Windows 95/98 with MS-DOS delete commands built in to the autoexec.bat file, but we don't recommend it. Some application installation routines, that require you to restart the PC, need to find temporary files that were created before the restart.
A better method is to reboot the machine, and delete any temporary files not created in the current session.
On a similar note, you should also keep an eye on other temporary storage sites such as the Temporary Internet and Downloaded Program files. Windows 98 and Me users have a one-stop solution to all this: the Disk Cleanup Wizard, which can also, optionally, clear the Recycle Bin, offline web pages, and other litter.
Windows also needs room for the swap file. This is a tract of disk space that Windows uses as if it were RAM: it's also known as virtual memory.
This was a great idea 10 years ago when real RAM was very expensive and PCs came with 1-2Mb, but the tradition has persisted: even with 128Mb or more of the real thing, Windows still needs its swap file.
You'll find a great deal of conflicting advice on optimising swap file settings, but we're going to keep it simple. The golden rule is that the swap file should have adequate, unfragmented space. The best way of ensuring this is to give the swap file its own partition on your fastest hard disk (if you have more than one).
At the current prices of hard disks, a 1Gb partition is hardly a luxury. This partition should not be shared with any program or data files, although static files, such as the Windows installation cab files, are acceptable neighbours.
So, go to Control Panel, System, Performance, Virtual Memory. Select the "Let me specify ..." option and the greyed-out setting will leap into activity.
Change the Hard Disk letter to the drive of your choice, but leave the minimum and maximum settings to their defaults: normally zero and all available space. OK and confirm.
When you next visit this dialog, you will see that the "Let Windows manage ..." option is reselected, but the (greyed out) drive has been changed.
- Quick tip
If you are really crammed for space on the Windows drive, you can relocate the Temporary files folder by adding the following lines to autoexec.bat:
SET TEMP=drive:/folder
SET TMP= drive:/folder
If you're using Windows Me, then you can alter these settings from the Environment tab of MSConfig.
Fragmented disk
Disk fragmentation has a major impact on your PC's performance. When Windows is first installed, all the files are arranged in a neat order.
But as files are deleted, gaps appear. Subsequent files that are copied and created fill in these gaps, but if a file is larger than the first available gap, it will be stored over more than one physical region of disk.
To read that file, the disk head has to skip about, which takes longer than if it reads it all off in one smooth hit. This progressive deterioration is known as fragmentation, and results in a slowing down of the system generally.
Defragmenting will piece all the fragmented files together on contiguous physical disk space, and leave a swathe of empty disk space for new files.
You can defrag on demand (Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter), but as this can be a lengthy task, it pays to use the Windows 98 or Me Task Scheduler, also among the System Tools.
Click on "Add Scheduled Task", follow the Wizard, and you'll be able to tell Windows to run the Disk Defragmenter when you're in bed.
There is one big gotcha with defragging: if another program writes to the disk being defragged, the whole process has to start again. So, close all programs before starting, and do a Ctrl & Alt & Del to ensure no other tasks are running.
Two other golden defrag rules are to clean up unwanted files and empty the Recycle bin before defragging a drive: there is no point in rearranging rubbish.
Second, do defrag a drive before you relocate the swap file or install new applications on it.
- Quick tip
Windows 98 users have a neat way of avoiding the Defrag restart problem.
In the Tools/Mstutils folder of the installation CD is a file named Defrag.inf.
Right-click and select Install. This will create a "RunServicesOnce" entry in the Registry that will run Defrag before anything else is loaded.
Note that you must have a Windows Login enabled for this to work, and that the Registry entry removes itself, having performed its task.
Down with Web view
It may be pretty, but the "Web view" option in Windows Explorer, as the Active Desktop, take a major hit in performance without offering a great deal in enhancement. Hardline users turn it all off by choosing "Classic" desktop and folder settings from Folder Options.
If you want thumbnail views of graphic files, then use software specifically for this, such as the Paint Shop Pro browser, or the (free) Irfanview.
System sundries
There are a few system settings you might want to tinker with under System Properties, Performance.
Under File System, Hard Disk, check that Read-ahead is set to maximum. If you habitually have lots of programs running, you may also be able to boost performance by setting the "Typical Role" to Network Server instead of Desktop Computer - this increases the number of recently used file and path names cached in memory.
Next, turn to the Floppy Disk tab and turn off "Search for new floppy disk ...": this is only useful if you have a removable floppy drive on a laptop.
On the CD-ROM tab, check that the speed and cache size are correct.
On the Performance, Graphics tab, check that full hardware acceleration is set.
Finally, turn to the Device Manager tab, and double-click on each of your hard disk and CD-ROM drives in turn.
Under the "Settings" tab, check that DMA (Direct Memory Access) is enabled.
If you're not sure if your drive is DMA-compatible, enable it anyway, restart Windows and go back to the dialog: if the tick has survived, then the drive is compatible.
Leaky Windows
One gradual progression we've seen in Windows is stability, and yes, I am keeping a straight face. This means that it's possible to leave the computer on for long periods of time without having to shut down or reboot.
However, unless your PC is engaged in some mission-critical 24/7 task, this is not necessarily a good thing.
Here's another experiment. Restart your PC, and fire up the System Monitor from the Accessories, System Tools menu.
From the Edit menu, add some of the items in the "Memory Manager" category, such as "Allocated Memory" and "Unused Physical Memory".
Now open up a few applications and data files - Office documents, for example - and a few web pages. Grief! What's happened to all that RAM?
You'll probably find your Unused Physical Memory is down to single-megabyte figures or less. This, in itself, is not worrying.
Windows is managing memory in its own arcane way, and tends to use any physical memory not in use by applications as a disk cache, to save unnecessary reading and writing to disk.
What is worrying is that if you close all those documents and web pages, you may not return to where you started: memory has "leaked".
You can perform a similar experiment with the Resource Meter. This shows the state of three small but crucial areas of memory. If these get too low, then Windows will grind slowly to a halt, shedding display elements such as buttons, menus and fonts.
The way to reclaim leaked memory and resources is to restart the PC. Which, in turn, makes all that boot-tuning at the beginning of this feature worthwhile.
Another solution to RAM drain is to use third-party software. Utilities such as Ramoptimizer www.ramoptimizer.com claim to recover and defragment memory.
We don't have room to investigate these claims at length, but we did find the online version freed up memory by reducing the disk cache and increasing the swap file: both things that Windows does anyway.
Dr Salman's Powertools www.dmisoftware.com/ claims to optimise RAM, speed up internet connections, tighten security and more. Again, we weren't able to test this, but the free trial version could be worth a look.
GETTING RID OF OFFICE IRRITATIONS
There is one important performance issue for users of Microsoft Office, called Find Fast. The idea is that Find Fast automatically generates a keyword index of all your documents, so that you can do a search from the Tools menu of the Office Open dialog.
Unfortunately, creating the indexes can cause a lot of disk churning and performance loss, so unless you make heavy use of the advanced search facilities, you are better off without it.
To get rid of it, you first need to delete the indexes. Go to Control Panel, Find Fast, select each item in the "Index for documents in and below" list and delete it.
Then check that "Run When I Log On" is unticked in the Index menu.
Close Find Fast, go to Add/Remove Programs, and select Microsoft Office. In the "Office Maintenance Mode" dialog box select "Add/Remove Features" and from the Office Tools branch, click on Find Fast Control Panel and make it "Not Available".
On a more minor note, the Office Startup Assistant (OSA9.exe) runs from the StartUp folder by default. It's designed to make Office components load faster by initialising certain common code and handling commands such as New/Open Office Document.
With the addition of various command-line switches, it is also used to load the Office Toolbar and Find Fast.
We use neither of these, but timed Windows, Word and Excel loading with and without OSA9.exe. There was no discernible difference.
Finally, another little Office irritation you might want to get rid of is the Debug Manager. If you're not developing scripts in Office, then you don't need it, as it also extends its activities to debugging scripts on web pages you view.
Remove it from the Startup tab of MSConfig and make sure "Disable script debugging" is ticked in IE Properties, Advanced.
CLEANING UP REGISTRY DEBRIS
Many applications store their program settings in the Windows Registry.
When you uninstall the app, these settings should be removed. In practice, this doesn't always happen: sometimes the user has deleted an app rather than used the uninstall feature and, depressingly often, the app's uninstall routine just fails to clean up after itself.
The result is a gradual increase of fossilised Registry entries, which serve no purpose but to bloat and slow down the system.
Microsoft produces a Registry cleaner, Regclean 4.1a. This is not included with Windows, but is available for download from a number of websites, though at the time of writing, not Microsoft's. Its critics also maintain it doesn't do a very effective job.
If you're willing to trust a third-party utility, and are prepared to take a more expert approach, then RegCleaner 4.1 from www.jv16.org,/A> or RegVac from www.superwin.com do a more thorough job.
Needless to say, you should always make sure you have a good Registry backup before taking cleaning action.
See also:
All Software Applications
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