OptimizingWindows PDF

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Copyright 2000. O'Reilly. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
OptimizingWindowsforGames,Graphics,andMultimedia
DavidL.Farquhar
BeijingCambridgeFarnhamKlnParisSebastopolTaipeiTokyo
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OptimizingWindowsforGames,Graphics,andMultimedia
byDavidL.Farquhar
Copyright 2000O'Reilly&Associates,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
PublishedbyO'Reilly&Associates,Inc.,101MorrisStreet,Sebastopol,CA95472.
Editor:RobertDenn
ProductionEditor:MadeleineNewell
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PrintingHistory:
January2000:FirstEdition.
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awareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationshavebeenprintedincapsorinitialcaps.Theassociationbetweentheimageofaroadrunnerandthetopicofoptimizing
Windowsforgames,graphics,andmultimediaisatrademarkofO'Reilly&Associates,Inc.
Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,thepublisherassumesnoresponsibilityforerrorsoromissions,orfordamagesresultingfrom
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TableofContents
Preface
ix
1.SystemOptimizationTheory
WhatMakesaComputerFast?
TheIdealOperatingSystem
WorkingWithinWindows'Limitations
IsMyComputerGettingSlower?
WhatYouCanExpecttoGetfromThisBook
RequirementsforThisBook
MeasuringtheImprovement
11
2.FirstSteps
13
CheckYourFreeDiskSpace
14
Loseautoexec.batandconfig.sys
17
MakeSureYourSystemIsUsing32bitDrivers
17
CleanOutYourStartupGroup
17
OptimizeYourSwapFile
18
OptimizeYourDiskCache(andGetaUPS!)
20
TunetheHiddenWindowsDiskCacheSettings
21
TuneYourCDROMCaching
22
TurnOffCDROMAutoplay
23
OptimizeYourMultimediaSettings
23
TurnOffPowerManagement
24
TakeDownYourWallpaper
25
UseHotkeysInsteadofDesktopIcons
25
LosetheScreenSavers
26
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LosetheSystemSoundsandDesktopSchemes
26
TurnOfftheWindows98Animations
27
TurnOffWindows98Tooltips
27
FindtheFastestSettingsforYourVideoCard
28
EnableYourHardDrive'sDMASetting
29
ShrinkYourStartMenu
29
APrimeronRegeditandtheRegistry
30
TurnOffWindows95'sWindowAnimation
35
TurnOffPauseinMenus
35
TurnOffClickHeretoBegin
36
TuneWindows9xtoYourModernCDROMDrive
36
RecoverThatWastedCDROMCacheMemory
38
ImprovetheWindows9xServerTemplateEvenMore
38
ReduceFilesystemFragmentation
39
3.DiskOptimization
41
DirectoryOptimization
42
TakingCareofFragmentation
50
WorkingWithinthePhysicalLimitationsoftheDisk
56
LivingwithFAT
57
OtherDiskPerformanceTools
69
HowMuchDifferenceWillThisMake?
73
GettingRidofDiskCompression
74
4.SpeedingUptheBootProcess
76
TheBootProcessExplained
76
SpeedingUptheBootProcess
78
msdos.sysOptions
79
WringingThatLastOunceofSpeedfrommsdos.sys
86
SpeedingUpautoexec.bat
87
GettingBywithLessinYourStartupGroup
87
SpeedingUpPOST
89
CompactingtheRegistry
91
5.Utilities
93
WhatToolsYouNeedandHowtoUseThem
93
ShouldIUpgradetoWindows98?
94
TheBigThreeUtilitiesSuites
95
UninstallationPrograms
105
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AntiVirusSoftware
107
FreewareandSharewareUtilities
109
6.ReplacementWindowsShells
119
ProgramManager
120
EVWM
123
StarOffice
125
LiteStep
126
7.OptimizingDOS
134
TryIt
135
"InsufficientMemory?"IHave64Megs!
135
WhenDOSProgramsAreSluggish
140
RunningDOSProgramsinDOSMode
141
APseudoDualBoot
143
DualBootingWindows9xandTrueDOS
145
TweaksYou'llWantEvenIfYouNeverRunDOSSoftware
148
WhattoDoWhenDOSGamesRunTooFast
148
PuttingItintoPractice
150
RunningDOSGamesfromaRAMDisk
155
8.ModemsandtheInternet
157
IdealisticGeneralPrinciples
158
FindingYourModernandOptimizingYourPortSpeed
158
OptimizingYourPort
159
SoWhat'sThisUARTBusiness?
159
ABitofLowTech:YourPhoneConnection
160
DownloadtheNewestDriversforYourModern
161
TuneYourConnectionviaSoftware
161
SpeedUpDNSLookups
163
LosetheAdsAltogether
165
PreloadingandCachingUtilities
168
TakingFullControlofYourInternetConnection
169
TheValueofFreeSoftware
171
WhichWebBrowserShouldIUse?
171
TuneYourWebBrowser
172
9.HomeNetworking
174
Requirements
174
UsingNetworkstoSaveDiskSpace
184
SomeNetworkingTips
185
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10.CleanWindowsInstallation
FirstStepswithWindows95
188
HackingOutMSNandtheExchangeClient
190
OSR2.x'sExcessBaggage
191
InstallingWindows98
192
InstallingWindows98WithoutInternetExplorer
195
RemovingInternetExplorerfromanExistingWindows98Installation
197
InstallingDeviceDrivers
197
PerformingtheInstallation
198
PostinstallationMagic
201
StupidInstallationTricks
202
MultiBootingWindows95and98
204
11.RAMDisks
206
AdvantagesofRAMDisks
206
SpecialConsiderationsforWindows98andRAMDisks
214
12.HardwareUpgrades
188
217
PrudenceinHardwareUpgrades
218
RealisticMemoryRequirements
218
VideoCards
226
Modems
231
Printers
233
ThePCIBus
233
StraightTalkonCPUUpgrades
234
Motherboards
239
CDROMandDVDDrives
245
ExternalRemovableMediaDrives
248
Scanners
248
Monitors
248
InputDevices
249
BuyingNewSystems
250
Scavenging
251
WhatDoIDowithThisOld486?
252
Appendix:UsefulWebResources
255
Index
261
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Preface
Windows95and98haveearnedareputationforbeingbloated,antiquated,andslow.Toadegree,thisimageisdeserved,astheminimumsystemrequirementsfor
thevenerableWindows9xoperatingsystemhavegrownsignificantlysinceitsreleaseinthelatesummerof1995.
Windows9xrollson,however,foravarietyofreasons.ItsinstalledbaseismuchlargerthanthatofWindowsNT,andwhilehardcoregamerspraiseNTasabetter
platformforrunningcertaingames,9xisoverallamuchbetterplatformforhomeuse,gamesincluded.Consumerhardwareandsoftwarethatworkonlywithgreat
effort(ornotatall)underNTworksunder9x.
Initsdefaultconfiguration,Windows9xprobablydeserveseverysnidecommentitgets.However,itiscertainlypossibletotransformthisbehemothintoamuch
sleekerpackagethatmakesyoufeelalmostasifyougotanewcomputer.Inthisbook,I'llshowyouhowtodojustthat.
Who'sThisBookFor?
ThisisnotabeginningbookonWindows.Whilemostofthebookiswithinthegraspoftheintermediateuser,Idon'tspendanytimeexplainingwhatrightclickingis,
ormuchofanythingabouttheuserinterfaceitself.Thisisalsonotabookforthetimid.Ifyouwantyoursystemtoruninastatethat'scompletelysupportedbyboth
Microsoftandyourhardwaremanufacturer,youwon'tgetthemostoutofthisbook.
If,ontheotherhand,youbuyallthosemagazineswitharticlesonhowtotuneWindowsforperformance,andyouhaveallthosearticlesinastacksomewhereinyour
computerroomforreference,thisbookisforyou.I'vecollectedhundredsof
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suchtipsovertheyearsfrombothmagazinesandwebsites,wellknownandobscure,andaddedsomeofmyowndiscoveries.
Thisbooktargetsthehomeuser.AlthoughthetricksinthisbookwillalsomakeMicrosoftOfficerunfasterontheagingworkstationsinyouroffice,Idon'tspend
muchtimetalkingabouttheworkenvironment.YoursupportcontractmayrequireyoutorunyourPCsinstandardconfigurations.WhileI'vefoundthe
recommendationsinthisbooktobesafeandreliable(IkeepallofmyPCs,plusmostofmyfriends'PCs,configuredthewayIdescribehere),yourITdepartment
and/oryourthirdpartysupportvendorwillprobablynotwantyoutorunyourPCinaconfigurationthattheyhaven'ttestedthemselves.
What'sNotinThisBook
TherearemoreWindows95and98booksonthemarketthanIcancount,andmanyofthemtrytocovereverypossibleaspectofWindows.It'sanadmirablegoal,
butWindowshasbecomesuchacomplexbeastthatanyefforttocoveritcomprehensivelyisgoingtofallshortinmostareas,evenifthebookis2,000pagesin
length.Instead,IhavechosentocoverasingletopicanddothebestjobIcaninthatspecializedarea.
Ialsodon'tspendanytimetalkingaboutWindowsNT.AlthoughsomeofthesetipsandmanyoftheconceptsinthisbookwillworkunderWindowsNT(the
conceptsbehindgettingcomputerstorunfastaresurprisinglyuniversal),NThasalmostasmuchincommonwithOS/2asitdoeswithWindows9x,especiallyonce
youstartdiggingunderthehood.
HowThisBookIsOrganized
Thisbookisbrokeninto12chaptersandoneappendix.Ingeneral,thechaptersstartwiththesimplestconcepts,andgetincreasinglycomplicatedasthebookgoes
on.Here'sabriefsummaryofeachchapter'scontents:
Chapter1,SystemOptimizationTheory,introducestheconceptsofsystemoptimizationintermsthatapplynotonlytoWindows9x,butalsotootheroperating
systems.
Chapter2,FirstSteps,isahugecollectionofsettings,registryhacks,andtipstospeedupanyWindows9xbasedPC,includingmanytipsI'veneverseen
publishedanywhereelse.
Chapter3,DiskOptimization,discussesadvanceddiskoptimization,startingwithdefragmentationutilities,thenmovingintofileplacementanddirectory
optimizationtoincreaseperformancefurther.Thischapteralsodiscussesstrategicpartitioningofharddrivestoreducefragmentation.
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Chapter4,SpeedingUptheBootProcess,discussesthebootupprocess,alloftheknownsettingsinthemysteriousmsdos.sysfile,andhowtoreduceyour
systemboottimefromminutestoseconds.
Chapter5,Utilities,discussesandcomparesthebigthreeutilitiessuites,includingwhichsuitetobuyandwhatcomponentstoinstall,aswellasotherusefulthird
partycommercial,shareware,andfreewareutilities.
Chapter6,ReplacementWindowsShells,discussestheuseofreplacementsforMicrosoft'sExplorershelltodecreaseyourPC'smemoryusage,increaseyour
system'scustomizability,orboth.
Chapter7,OptimizingDOS,coversthedifficulttopicofconfiguringtheMSDOS7operatingsystemthatliesbeneathWindows9x,aswellasgettingthose
stubbornclassicDOSgamestorun.
Chapter8,ModemsandtheInternet,discussesoptimizationofyourmodemformaximumspeed,includingfreeandinexpensiveutilitiesthatgiveyouallthe
functionality(ormore)ofcommercialmodemaccelerators.
Chapter9,HomeNetworking,describeshowtosetupahomenetworkformaximumefficiency,whichallowsyoutoshareperipheralsamongmultiplePCs
withoutslowingallofthemtoacrawl.
Chapter10,CleanWindowsInstallation,explainshowtoinstallorreinstallWindows9xforthemostefficientsystempossible.Thischapterincludesinformation
onremovingMSN,theExchangeclient,andInternetExplorerfromWindows95or98.
Chapter11,RAMDisks,coverstheuseofRAMasahighspeeddiskdriveforthefastestpossiblespeed,includinghowtobootandrunWindowsfromahuge
RAMdisk.
Chapter12,HardwareUpgrades,discusseswhattodowhenchangingyoursoftwareconfigurationjustisn'tenoughandhowtogetthemostforyourupgrade
dollar.
Theappendix,UsefulWebResources,listsalargenumberofwebsitesI'vefoundhelpfuloverthecourseofthepastfewyears.Manyofthemprovide
downloadablesoftware,usefulsoftwaresettings,hardwareadvice,orallthree.
ConventionsinThisBook
Thefollowingtypographicalconventionsareusedinthisbook:
ConstantWidth
isusedtoindicatecommandlinecomputeroutputandcodeexamples.
Constantwidthitalic
isusedtoindicatevariablesinexamples.
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Italics
isusedtointroducenewtermsandtoindicateURLs,variables,userdefinedfilesanddirectories,fileextensions,Components,directoryorfoldernames,andUNC
pathnames.
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Acknowledgments
AlargenumberofpeoplecontributedinonewayoranothertothisbookifItrulyweretothankeveryonewhodeservesthanks,theacknowledgmentswouldeasily
bethebiggestsectionofthisbook.ThebookstartedwithadiscussionwithRobertDenn,myeditoratO'Reilly.Despitethepressreportsatthetime,Ididn'tbelieve
Windows9xwasgoingawayanytimesoon,andtheeventsofthepastsix
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monthshaveonlyreinforcedthatbelief.I'mgladheagreedwithme,andIappreciatehispatienceasIadjustedtowritingabook.
AtO'Reilly,anentireproductioncrewlaboredtoturnmyoriginaldraftsintoafinishedproduct.IespeciallywanttothankStevenAbrams,whomadesureIhad
everythingIneededtofinishthisbookandspentmanyhourshelpingmegetthemanuscriptintoausableform.
Ialsowanttothankmyexcellenttechnicalreviewers:SamKalat,agamedeveloperatRedStormEntertainmentSteveDeLassusJohnMeyer,asystemsanalystat
theUniversityofMissouriColumbiaSchoolofJournalismandTomGatermannallporedoverthemanuscriptinsearchoferrors,omissions,andmisguidedideas.
Theirsuggestionsimmenselyimprovedthisbook.
Withoutthesupportandencouragementofmymentors,thisprojectwouldhavebeenmuchmoredifficult.ItwasJerryPournelle'sessaytitled''HowtoGetMyJob"
thatgotmethinkingaboutwritingaboutcomputersagain.Avirtualcommunitysprunguparoundhiswebsite,knowncollectivelybysomeas"TheDaynotesGang"
theyalsodeservethanks.AuthorsRobertBruceThompsonandTomSyroidprovidedinvaluableadviceonhowtoapproachaprojectlikethis,asdidDanBowman,
afrequentcontributortotheirsites.Ialsowanttothankseveralofmypastteachers,whotaughtmeaboutwriting,computers,life,orallthree:DebbieSchulte,Duane
Giesselmann,TheRev.MerlenWegener,ElizabethSpencer,BobSullivan,BrianBrooks,andByronScott.
Mymotherandsisterwereextremelysupportiveandunderstandingduringthisproject,whichfrequentlykeptmefromvisitingthemasoftenaswewouldhaveliked.I
amthankfulandgratefulfortheirloveandencouragement.Lastlyandmostimportantly,IwanttothanktheLordforhisguidanceandmanyblessingsduringthisand
everyotherendeavor.
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1
SystemOptimizationTheory
Onewebsitechangedmywholewayoflookingatcomputers.
IwaslookingforsitesaboutWindows98.Igotasiteaboutcars.Iftherewaseveranydoubtinmymindthatthere'sawebsiteabouteverything,thissiteerasedit.
BeforeIknewit,IwasreadingabouttweakingoutDodgeSpiritsandracingthem.Onefanofthesitewrotein,criticizingsomeaspectsoftheSpirit'sdesign.Another
buffsaidthatwithoutcuttingdownthesprings,modifyingthegizmothatholdstheairfiltertogetmoreairflowingintotheengine,andotherlessthantrivial
modifications,thecarwas"totallyinadequate"forstopandgocitydriving.
Irelatedthestorytoacoupleoffriendswhodon'texactlysharemyloveofcomputersandaskedifthatwaswhatIsoundedlikewhenIstartedtalkingabout
computers.Bothagreedadamantly.
WouldIknowatotallyinadequatecarifIdroveone?MySpiritalwaysseemedfinetome.ButwhatdoIknow?I'msureifIletrealcarbuffshaveaweekwithmy
cartodoanythingpossibletoimproveit,theywouldmakeazillionlittlechanges,thentrytoexplainthemtomeandIwouldn'tunderstand.ButI'dnoticethe
differencewhenIgotbehindthewheel.
ThenI'dturnthetablesandsitdownatthecarbuffscomputer.Chancesare,itwouldseemslowtome,I'dcallit"totallyinadequate,"andthenI'dgototownmaking
changeafterchange.
That'swhatthisbookisaboutfinetuningyourcomputertobeanawesomemachine.Maybeyou'relikeme:youknowagoodcomputerwhenyouseeone,butif
it'ssluggish,itbugsyou.Youwanttogetinthereanddigandtweakuntilitfeelsjustright.OrmaybeyouuseyourcomputerthewayIdrivemycar.Youappreciateit
whenitworksyouknowitcouldbealittlebitbetter,butyoudon't
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wanttodedicateyourlifetoreengineeringyourcomputer.Similarly,Iappreciatenothavingtowalkeightmilestoworkeverymorning,butIdon'twanttobean
automotiveengineer.Youdon'thavetobeanaspiringcomputerscientisttoenjoyvideogames,andyoushouldn'thavetobeacomputerscientistinordertohave
yourgamesplaywell.
You'lllearnafewthingsaboutcomputersfromreadingthisbook,justasIlearnedafewthingsaboutcarsfromreadingthatwebsite.Takewhatyouwantfromthe
experience.Ifyoujustwantafastercomputer,Icanhelpyougetthere.Ifyouwantafastercomputerbutalsowanttoknowwhyyoushoulddocertainthings,that's
finetoo.Iexplainwhythisstuffworks.Dowithitwhatyouwill.Maybegetajobmaintainingcomputers.TakebottomlinePCsandmakethemperformlikemachines
thatcostfourtimesasmuch,ifyouwant.PullneglectedfouryearoldPCsoffthescrapheapandputthemtouse.Orjustgetbacktoyourseriousworkorplay.
Atleastonceayear,mostofthemajorU.S.computermagazinespublishalistoftricksthatpurporttomakeWindowsrunfaster.Iimaginethoseissuessellbriskly.I
don'tthinkI'veevermetanyonewhocomplainedaboutacomputerbeingtoofast,andmostofthepeoplewhobragabouttheircomputersjustboughttheirs.I
imaginethat,inreality,they'resecretlydissatisfiedwiththespeedoftheircomputers(orwillbeinacouplemoremonths),butwhowantstotalkabouta$3,000
computerbeingtooslowwhenyoustillhavetenmonths'worthofpaymentstogoonit?
Thetrickspresentedinthosemagazinearticlesgenerallyworkprettywell,butatenpagefeaturearticlewithlotsofslickfourcolorartcanonlycoveraverylimited
amountofground.Theartofmakingacomputerrunfaster(anditisasmuchanartasascience)justcan'tbeconfinedtosuchasmallspace.
Booksonthetopicaremuchhardertocomeby.I'veseenacoupleofbookswiththewords"Windowsoptimization"intheirtitles,butI'vealwaysbeendisappointed
bythem.Typically,theyspendonlyonechaptertalkingaboutoptimization,andtherestofthebooktalksaboutworkhabitsanduserinterfacetutorials.They'reuseful
books,butcallingthemoptimizationguidesisamisnomer.TheyhavemoreincommonwithDavidKarp'sWindowsAnnoyances(O'Reilly&Associates)thanwith
thisbook.
Thisisn'tabookabouthowtouseWindowsmoreeffectively.It'sabookaboutperformancetuning.
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WhatMakesaComputerFast?
There'salotofmisinformationoutthereonthistopic.Agoodfriendrecentlytoldmeaboutaconversationhehadinthecamerastorewhereheworks.Itseemsmost
peoplewholikecamerasalsolikecomputersthesedays,andthiscustomerwasnoexception.He'dbeenaMacintoshfanaticforsometime,andhadjustboughthis
firstPC:a400MHzPentiumII.Hejustwouldn'tstoptalkingabouthowfastitis.Myfriend,who'ssomewhatofaperformancetweakerhimself,kepttryingtoget
moredetails.
"Whatkindofharddrivedoesithave?"heasked.
"Eightpointfourgigabytes,"thecustomeranswered."That'sfast!"
Myfriendtriednottorollhiseyes.''Howmuchmemory?"
"Onehundredtwentyeightmegabytes,"thecustomeranswered.
Beforehecouldadd,"That'sfast!"thestoreownerappeared,havingcaughtenoughoftheconversationtoknowthecustomerhadjustboughtanewcomputer.
"Whatkindofcomputerisit?"sheasked.
"PentiumII400,"hesaid.
"Oh,that'sallthatmatters,"shesaid.
Intel'smarketinghypewouldhaveyoubelievethatCPUspeedisallthatmatters,andaslongasyouhavea550MHzPentiumIII,youdon'thavetoworryabout
anythingelse.Aslongaspeoplethinkofcomputersonlyintermsofmicroprocessors,they'regoingtohaveoverpriced,underachievingcomputers.
Butasystemdoesn'thavetocostafortunetobefast.AsIwasfinishingthisbook,IboughttwonewCeleron400systemsfor$650each.They'remorethan
adequateforalmosteverythingIdoandI'macomputerprofessional.Itwouldbeniceiftheyhadbettervideoandsoundcards,andImayreplacethosesoon.For
$200,Icanaddgoodstufffor$300,Icanaddthebeststuff.IfandwhenIdo,I'llhavean$850or$950systemthatplayslikea$1,500system.
TheComputerIsaTeam
Althoughthecomputerlookslikejustaboxsittingthereonthedeskoronthefloor,itactuallyconsistsofmanydiscretecomponentsthatworktogetherlikeateam.
TheCPUisthebigmoneyplayerontheteam,theflamboyantplayerwhogetsalltheheadlinesandisexpectedtocarrytheteam.
Butwithoutadequatememory,videoandsoundcardsthatdoalotoftheworkontheirown,afastharddrive,andamotherboardthatprovidesfastandreliabledata
pathsbetweenthecomponents,thatbigmoneyplayerwon'tmakeahugedifferenceinthecomputer'sperformance.Howoftendoesafalteringsportsteam,or,to
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acertaindegree,afailingtelevisionshow,golookingforabignametocomeonboardandturneverythingaround?Iftherealproblemissomethingrelativelyminor,a
newfacecaninjectsomenewperspectiveandmakeadifference.Butalltoooften,abignamecomesin,findstheproblemsarebiggerthanonepersoncansolve,and
becomesasymboloffutility.Whathadbeenabadteambecomesjustabadteamwithabigstar.
Alotofcomputersareabadteamwithonebigstar.TheyhaveonebigticketiteminafastCPU,buttheyhaveaninadequateamountofmemoryandaslowhard
drive.A450MHzPentiumIIwith32MBofRAMandaQuantumBigfootharddrivewillusuallybeoutclassedbya$399AMDorCyrixbasedeMachinesPC
upgradedwith128MBofRAM.
DumpingbucketsofmoneyforabigticketCPUisevenmorefoolhardythanbuyingabigticketathlete,becausethebigticketCPUwillbethemidrangeCPUinsix
monthsandentrylevelsixmonthsafterthat.
Everycomputerhaslimitedresources.LinuxrunsfasterthanWindows,especiallyonlowendhardware,preciselybecauseitmakesbetteruseoflimitedresources
thanWindows9xdoes.Butit'spossibletomakeWindowsscrappierandmoreefficientifyoushiftyourmindsetfromaCPUcentricapproachtomoreofawhole
systemapproach.Thinkofthecomputerasabigpoolofmegahertz,availableRAM,anddiskthroughput.Themorewaterinthepool,thefasteryourcomputerruns,
buteverythingyoudotakesalittlebitofwaterfromthepool.Whenyouupgradeyourcomputer,youmakethatpoollastlongerbecauseyoumakeitbigger.You
needtoconsidertwothings:youcanmakethepoolbiggerbyaddingmemoryordiskthroughput,andit'susuallylessexpensivethanaddingmoreCPUspeed
(megahertz).Butconsiderthatyoucanmakethepoollastlongerbymakingeverythingthatdrinksfromitdrinkless.
TheIdealOperatingSystem
IrecentlyranacrossaquotefromLeoTolstoy's"AnAfterwordtotheKreutzerSonata."Tolstoywastalkingabouthisownreligiousideals,buthiswordsseem
applicabletoidealsingeneral.
"Thetestofobservance,"Tolstoywrote,"isourconsciousnessoffailuretoachieveanidealperfection.Thedegreetowhichwedrawneartothisperfectioncannotbe
seenallwecanseeistheextentofourdeviation."
Tolstoywastryingtomeasureuptoanidealthathecouldn'treallysee.Heknewhewasn'tperfect,andevenathisbest,hecouldn'tseehowclosetoperfecthewas.
Hecouldonlymeasureimperfection,andhewasmorelikelytonoticehisshortcomingsonabaddaythanonagoodday.
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Theidealoperatingsystemissomethingwecan'treallysee.Inthiscase,it'sanabstractthingthatexistsonlyincomputerprogrammers'minds.I'mnotabouttojump
intotheWindowsversusMacintoshversusLinuxversuswhateverdebate,becauseallofthoseoperatingsystemshaveshortcomingsthatsometimesdrivemeupthe
wall.Theidealoperatingsystembecomesausefulconceptwhenwetakethesysteminquestioninthiscase,Windows9xandholdituptotheideal,thenmeasure
thedeviationanddowhatwecantoclosethegap.
Ithinkeveryonewho'susedcomputersheavilyformorethanafewmonthshasapictureoftheidealoperatingsystem.Icanthinkofsixcharacteristicsmyideal
operatingsystemwouldhave.Myidealoperatingsystem:
Isstable.
Makesthemostefficientuseofmemorypossible.Itmakesgooduseofasmuchmemoryasitcan,butwastesverylittleonsuperfluousfeatures.
CompensatesfortheslowspeedofharddrivesandCDROMdrivesbyusingdiskcaching,butisn'tobsessedwiththistask.
UsesasfewCPUcyclesaspossible,leavingthemavailablefortheapplications'use.
Fragmentsthediskaslittleaspossible,soastokeepI/Ooperationsfastandefficient.
Usesdiskspaceefficientlysoastonotslowdowndramaticallyasthediskfillsup.
Everyoperatingsystemonthemarkettodayfallsshortoftheseideals.Thekeytomakingthebestofanyoperatingsystem,Windowsorotherwise,istoworkwithin
itslimitationsinordertomakeitcomeasclosetotheidealaspossible.
WorkingWithinWindows'Limitations
I'veusedanumberofdifferentoperatingsystems.MyfirstcomputerwithaharddrivewasanAmiga2000.IusedMacintoshesinhighschool,andIusedavarietyof
computersincollege:PCsrunningWindows3.1,PCsrunningOS/2,NeXTsrunningNeXTstep,andSGIsrunningIrix.UnlikemanyauthorsofWindowsbooks,I
wasalatecomertotheWindows9xgame.IusedWindows95afewtimesinthefallof1995,butatthetimemyPCranOS/2.IwasworkingparttimeinanOS/2
shop,andOS/2didanexcellentjobofrunningtheprogramsIneededtorun,soIsawlittlereasontoswitch.
Ifinallyswitchedinlate1996,when32bitWindowsprogramsstartedbecomingcommonplaceandIrealizedIneededthem.IfoundWindows95tobesomewhere
betweenWindows3.1andOS/2intermsofbothspeedandstability.
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ComparingitsspeedtoNeXTstep,Irix,andAmigaOSwasdifficult,sincethosesystemsranondifferenthardware,buttheyweredefinitelymorestable.
IhadaccumulatedacollectionofOS/2speeduptricksoverthecourseofthetwoyearsIranthatoperatingsystem,andIfoundmanyofthosetricksappliedto
Windows9xaswell.Thismadesense,asWindowsandOS/2arecousinsandrunonthesamehardware.
ThenItookalonglookattheotheroperatingsystemsthathadvisibleadvantagesoverWindows.AmigaOSwasdesignedtorunofffloppydisks,sotogetaround
thathugespeeddeficiency,itstoredthingsliketemporaryfilesandpreferences(theclosestAmigaequivalenttotheWindowsregistry)inaRAMdisk.Italsostored
largeportionsoftheoperatingsysteminROM.
WhenIlookedatUnixderivedoperatingsystemslikeNeXTStep,Irix,andLinux,Inoticedatendencytoputeverythinginitsownisolatedpartition.Youdidn'thave
toworkthatway,buteveryonedid.Unixhasadefiniteisolationistmentality,ropingoffeverytaskandfunctiontopreventtasksfrominterferingwithoneanother.This
processincreasesreliabilityanditcan'thelpbutimprovespeedaswell.Iftheoperatingsystem,applications,data,swapspace,andtemporaryspaceareallon
separatepartitions,thelikelihoodofonecorruptinganotherisreduced,andsoisthepossibilityoffragmentation.Fragmentationpronefilesystemsdon'tfragmentas
much,andfragmentationresistantfilesystemsdon'thavetoworkashard.
AsIexaminedotheroperatingsystems,onecommonthreadpoppedupoverandover.Theseotheroperatingsystemshaveamuchgreatertendencytotakethe
underlyinghardwareintoconsideration.IwonderedwhatwouldhappenifItriedtoaddsimilarbehaviortoWindows.
Myconclusionsshouldn'tbetoosurprising.MakingWindowstaketheunderlyinghardwareintogreaterconsiderationresultsinasystemthatperformsmuchbetter.
Howmuchbetterdependsonwhatyoudo,butinextremecases,suchaslowendPentiumswithoutanyhighspeedcachememory,youcanmakeWindowsperform
40%faster.
WorkingwithinthelimitsofyourPCanditsoperatingsystemcanforceyoutothinkabitdifferentlyandperhapswillmakethecomputeralittlebitlessuserfriendlyat
first.Thedifferenceinperformanceissostaggering,however,thatIdoubtyou'llmind.
RadicalChangesoraReturntothePast?
SomeofthetechniquesIpresentherewillcomeacrossasabitradicalandmaygodirectlyagainstcommonpractice.Forinstance,mostcomputerwritersandeditors
recommendformattingharddrivesasonebigdrivebecauseit'slessconfusing.InChapter3,DiskOptimization,Irecommendexactlytheopposite,suggestingthata
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singleharddriveoughttobesplitintoatleastfourchunksofvaryingsizes.Thisconfigurationislessconfusingforthecomputer,andIwouldarguethatitcanbeless
confusingforhumanbeingsaswell.Howmanyofushaveafilecabinetwithjustonedrawerinit?
Itendtodedicatepartitionsofaharddrivetosingletasks:onefortheoperatingsystem,oneforprograms,onefordata,onefortemporaryfiles,andpossiblyonefor
virtualmemory.DOSandWindowshaveneveroperatedthiswaybydefaultI'msuggestingthatshouldchange.Someofthefastestandmostreliablecomputersin
theworldrunonUnixsystems,whichareoftensplitupintothistypeofpartitionconfiguration.MyproposaltosuddenlychangesomethingovertotheUnixwayof
doingthingsmaysoundradicalafterall,PCshavebeenoperatingtheirownwaysince1981.However,IwouldarguethatI'mbeingconservative,notradical,
becauseUnixhasbeendoingthingsitswaysince1970.
IsMyComputerGettingSlower?
Ifyourcomputerjustdoesn'tseemaszippytodayasitdidthedayyouunpackedit,itprobablyisn'tallinyourhead.I'msuresomeofitissimplytheresultofseeing
fastercomputers.In1993,Ihonestlybelieveda66MHz486wouldbeallthecomputermostpeoplewouldeverneed.ThenIsawaPentiumbeingusedfor
somethingotherthanplayingWindowsSolitaireandchangedmymind.Today,thatPentiumseemsslowenoughthatIwouldn'tevenwantitonmydeskasmydayto
dayPC.Butthegradualdeclineinyourcomputer'sspeedovertimedefinitelyisn't100%psychological.
Windowsexpertshavetalkedaboutthisphenomenon,commonlycalledOSrot,"foryears.I'vebeenreadingsuggestionseversince1996thatthe"95"inWindows
95standsforthenumberofdaysyoushouldgobeforereformattingandreinstallingyourdrive.Thisapproachwouldworkevena33MHz486isn'ttoobadwitha
cleaninstallationofWindowscontainingaminimalnumberofoptionalcomponentsbutit'sextreme.Thiscurecouldbeworsethanthediseaseformanypeople.
Toacertaindegree,allMicrosoftoperatingsystemsexhibitthiskindofbehaviorundertherightcircumstances.Windows9xjusthappenstobemorevulnerablethan
WindowsNTandmuchmorewidespreadthanNTorearlierversionsofWindows.I'veneverseenanyverifiableevidencethatWindowsregularlyandconsistently
corruptsitselftothepointthatacompletereinstallistheonlypossibleremedy.Rather,OSrotseemstobeduetoacombinationoffactors,mostofthemunavoidable
ifyouuseyourcomputerforeventhemostbasictasks.
Forinstance,sometimesprogramswilldumpjunkfilesintoyoursystem'sWindowsdirectory,whichslowsthesystemdown.Junkfilesalsoaccumulateevery
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timeyouinstallsoftware.Beawarethatyoucanbeinstallingsoftwarewithoutrealizingit.IfyoudownloadthenewestversionofRealPlayersoyoucanlistento
RealAudioovertheWeb,you'reinstallingsoftware.IfapieceofsoftwaremakesachangetoanyWindowsconfigurationfile,chancesarethatitwilldumpabackup
copyofthatfileinyourWindowsdirectory.SomeprogramsinstalllargepiecesofthemselvesintheWindowsdirectoryMicrosoft'sownsoftwareespeciallytendsto
exhibitthistrait.InstallingOffice97resultsinmorechangestotheWindowssystemdirectoriesthaninstallingsomeversionsofInternetExplorer,whichMicrosoftbills
asanupgradetotheoperatingsystem.
Acomputerisworthlesswithoutsoftware,soI'mnotsayingthatinstallingsoftwareisabadidea.Butwhenyouupgradeapieceofsoftware,uninstalltheoldversion
beforeyouinstallthenewone.Andifpossible,monitoreverysoftwareinstallationwithathirdpartyuninstallationprogram.
RegularmaintenancecanprettymucheradicatethethreatofOSrotfromyoursystem.Thisconceptiscoveredthroughoutthebook.InChapters10and11,Isuggest
reinstallingwhateverversionofWindowsyouuse,andIpresentstrategiesfordoingso.Ifafterperformingthisinstallationyoufollowtherestoftheadviceinthis
book,youwon'thavemuchproblemwithOSrot.
WhatYouCanExpecttoGetfromThisBook
Iadmitthatsettingcomputersupinthefashiondescribedinthisbookisalotofwork.Itwilltakeatleasttwiceaslongasjustacceptingthedefaultsandgoingon.It's
alsonotaflashymethod.Thisbooktakesaveryutilitarianapproachtocomputing.ManyofthewhizbangfeaturesinWindowsslowtheprogramdown.IfIcangain
somespeedbysacrificingsomeglitz,Ialwaysdoit,andrecommendthatyoudoit,too.Ifyou'reusedtohavingyourcomputerplayaudioclipsandspiniconsanduse
themousecursortowinkbackatyoueverytimeyoulaunchaprogram,youmightevensaycomputersthataresetupmywayareboring.
Buttherearetremendousbenefitsaswell.Idon'tevenlookatthehardwarerequirementswhenIbuyanewpieceofsoftware.Honestly.Ijustinstallthenewsoftware
andrunit,andthensometimesfindoutlater,whenIbothertotakealookatthebox,thatmysystemdoesn'tmeetthesupposedminimumrequirements.RightafterI
gotRailroadTycoonIIandAlphaCentauri,Iinstalledthemona75MHzPentium.RailroadTycoonIIseemedalittlebitslow,soItookalookatthesystem
requirements:bothstatedaminimumofaPentium133.Ilaughed.Fromthewaytheyplayedonmymachine,IwouldhaveguessedaminimumforAlphaCentauri
shouldbeaPentium60,ormaybeevena486DX4120,andtheminimumforRailroadTycoonaPentium75.ButafterIthoughtaboutitsome
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more,Irealizedthatifthecomputersaresetupintypicalfashion,IcancertainlyseehowaPentium120wouldbeinadequateforthesegames.
Mostpeopleconsidera120MHzPentiumobsoletenow.Butproperlyconfigured,aPentium120stilldoesagoodjobwiththemajorityofeverydaytasks.Iconsider
aPentium100alittletooslowformetowanttouseoneeveryday,butit'sadequateformostthings.Evena486cansurpriseyou.
RequirementsforThisBook
Ispendagreatdealoftimediscussingsoftwarethatdoesn'tshipwithWindows.Whenpossible,Istaywithsoftwarethat'savailablefreeofcharge.Anexampleofthis
isChapter8,ModemsandtheInternet,whereItellyouhowtogetthefunctionalityofthecommercialInternetspeedupprogramsforfree.Butinsomecases,there
arenotrulyadequatefreealternatives.Forpeakperformance,yoursystemabsolutelyneedsoneofthebigthreeutilitiessuites(Symantec'sNortonUtilities,
www.symantec.comNetworkAssociates'Nuts&Bolts,www.mcafee.comorMijenix'sFixIt,www.mijenix.com)andoneofthetwomajoruninstallation
programs(CleanSweep,formerlymarketedbyQuarterdeckbutnowavailablefromSymantec,www.symantec.comorUnInstaller,formerlyfromMicroHelpbut
nowavailablefromNetworkAssociates,www.mcafee.com).Additionally,you'llneedanantivirusprogram.ThesetoolsarediscussedinmoredetailinChapter5,
Utilities.
Itmightseemridiculoustobuya$399computer,thenturnaroundandspendanother$150onsoftwarethatdoesn'tevendoanydaytodaywork.Butthinkofit
anotherway:that$150worthofsoftwarewillmakeyour$399PCrunaswellasanunenhanced$799PC.Andifyoujustplunkeddown$3,499forthebestPC
availabletoday,that$150willgiveyoutheperformanceyoupaidfor.Ineithercase,theinvestmentwilldelayobsolescenceforyourshinynewPC.
Themostimportantrequirementforthisbook,however,ismultiplebackupcopiesofyourWindowsdirectory.InfoZIP'sfreecommandlineZipandUnZiputilities
areexcellentchoices.Downloadthemfromwww.cdrom.com/pub/infozip.You'llwantthe32bitWindowsversionsofZipandUnZip,aswellasthe16bitDOS
versionofUnZip(whichwillallowyoutorestoreWindowsfromabootfloppyifthingsgowrong).The32bitUnzip.exeisaselfextractingfile.Openacommand
line,changetothedirectorywhereyousavedthefile,thenexecutethefile(thecurrentversioniscalledunz540x3.exe)bytypingtheComponent.Youcanthenuse
Unzip.exetoextractthefilesfromtheotherarchive.Type:
UnzipComponent
SincethecurrentversionComponentforZipisZip22x3.exe,youwouldtype:
Unzipzip22x3.exe
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Nowcopythe32bitversionsofZip.exeandUnzip.exetoC:\Windows\Commandbytyping:
copyzip.exec:\windows\command
andpressingEnter.Thentype:
copyunzip.exec:\windows\command
andpressEnter.
Nowinsertablankfloppydiskandissuethefollowingcommands:
Sysa:
Unzipzip22x.zip
Copyzip.exea:\
Keepthisdiskinasafeplace.CreatingabackupcopyofyourWindowsconfigurationiseasy.Typethefollowingcommands:
C:
CD\
ZipRSwindows.zipc:\windows\*.*
YouwillnowhaveafilecalledWindows.zipintherootdirectory.IfyoumessupyourWindowsinstallation,bootoffthefloppydiskyoujustmade,thentypethe
followingline:
Unzipc:\windows.zipdc:\windows
Aslongasyou'recarefulandfollowtheinstructionsinthisbookexactly,yourchancesofmessingupyoursystemareminimal.Ifyouhaveacurrentbackupcopy,you
don'thavetoworryaboutit.Experiencedcomputertechniciansandadministratorskeepaseriesofbackupcopiesastheyconfigureasystem,sotheycanalways
revertbackasteportwowhensomethinggoeswrong.Ifyouwanttokeepmultiplebackupcopies,justappendanumbertotheendofthefirstoccurrenceofthe
word"windows"intheprecedinglines.Forexample:
C:
CD\
ZipRSwindows2.zipc:\windows\ .
and:
Unzipc:\windows2.zipdc:\windows
Thisprocedurewillpermityoutokeepmultiplebackups.Youcansubstitutewhatevernumberyouwish.Youarelimitedonlybytheamountoffreediskspaceyou
have.Onceyoumakeachangeandverifythatthesystemisindeedworkingbetter,Isuggestyoudiscardthepriorseriesofbackups.
Alternatively,youcanuseaprogramlikeSymantec'sNortonGhost(www.symantec.com)orPowerQuest'sDriveImage(www.powerquest.com)tomake
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backupcopiesofyourentireharddrivetoanimagefile.ThisisalittlebiteasierthanusingInfoZIP,butitrequiresyoutohavemorediskspaceavailable,andthese
utilitiescostmoney,whereasInfoZIPisfree.
Whichevermethodyouchoose,Icannotpossiblyoveremphasizetheimportanceofmakingbackupcopies.I'vetakeneverysteppossibletominimizeoreliminatethe
problemsyoumighthaveimplementingthesuggestionsinthisbook.Thatsaid,youprobablywillstillrunintoproblems,andIdon'twantyoutorunintoaproblemyou
can'treverse.
MeasuringtheImprovement
Idon'ttalkmuchaboutbenchmarkingprogramsinthisbook,becausemostbenchmarkingprogramsseemtobedesignedforcomparinghardware.They'reusefulfor
givingyouanideaofhowmuchbetterQuakeIIwillrunifyoureplaceyourvideocardwiththismonth'smodel,buttheydon'tdoaverygoodjoboftellingyouhow
muchfasteryoursystemrunsrightafteryoudefragmentyourdrive.There'snodenyingthatyoursystemrunsfaster,butthedifferencedoesn'tregisterinthe
benchmark.
IntheJune14,1999issueofInfoWorld,columnistBrianLivingstonproposedaningeniousbenchmarkingmethod:setyourPCtoloadallofyourlargestdocuments
atstartup,thenrestart,anduseastopwatchtomeasurethetimefromstartuptotheinstanttheWindowshourglassdisappearsandtheharddrivestopschurning.
Optimize,thenrepeattheprocessandcomparethetwonumbers.
Thebestthingaboutthismethodisthatitdoesn'trequireyoutodownloadorinstallanysoftware.Themethodisn'tperfectit'snotathoroughtestofhowquicklythe
programsperformtaskslikeacceptinginput,andit'sworthlessforgamerswhomaynotkeepverymanywordprocessingfilesbutit'sagoodexerciseformostof
thecomponentsinyoursystem.Bestofall,it'sspecifictohowyoursystemisoperatingnownotitsidealcondition,itstypicalcondition.
Here'sthemethod,modifiedslightlyinordertobeusefulforgamersaswell.RightclickyourStartmenu,thenclickExplore.DoubleclickStartup.Resizethiswindow
soitdoesn'tfillyourentirescreen.Now,pressStart Programs WindowsExplorer.Navigatetothedirectorywhereyoustoreyourdatafiles(probablyC:\My
Documents,butthiscanvarydependingonwhatprogramsyourun).SelectView Details.NowclickSizetwice.Takethelargestdocumentofeachtype(your
largestwordprocessingdocument,yourlargestspreadsheet,yourlargestnewsletter,yourlongestplayingMP3file,etc.)anddragittothewindowthat'sdisplaying
yourStartmenu'sStartupgroup.(Don'tworry,you'rejustcreatingshortcutstothesefilesyou'renotmovingthem.)Closethatwindow.Now,rightclickyourStart
menuagain,selectExplore,anddragyourwebbrowser'sicon
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overintotheStartupwindow.Ifyou'reagamer,takethegamethattakesthelongestperiodoftimetoloadanddragitintotheStartupwindow.
rabyourstopwatch,thenrestartyourcomputerandtimeit.You'llprobablyfeelthatacalendarwouldbeamoreappropriatemeasuringtoolthanastopwatchthese
loadtimescangetverylongandtediousbutbepatient.Whentheloadfinishes,writedownthetime.Now,toreturnyoursystemtonormal,closealloftheprograms
thatjustloaded.Rightclickyourdesktop,selectNew Folder,andnamethefolderStartup.RightclickyourStartmenu,selectExplore,anddoubleclick
Startup.Dragallthosethingsyoujustaddedintothenewfolderonyourdesktop.Nowyoucanquicklyswitchyourcomputerfromtestmodetogeneralusagemode
andbackjustbydraggingthoseiconsbetweenthetwofolders.
Afteryou'vedonesomeperformancetuningandyouwanttomeasuretheresults,dragthecontentsoftheStartupfolderonyourdesktoptotheStartupfolderin
yourStartmenu,thenrestart.
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2
FirstSteps
WhenWindowssetsitselfup,itmakesanumberofassumptionsaboutwhatyouwanttodowithyourcomputer.IhaveinstalledWindows95onliterallyhundredsof
computerssinceitsintroduction,andIhaveyettoseeoneinstallationwherethoseassumptionswerecorrect.Windows'incorrectassumptionscomeatapricethey
consumememory,CPUcycles,orboth.
Computermanufacturersmakeasetofassumptionsaswell.Frequently,theirdecisionsaboutsetupseemtobeaimedatmakingtheircomputerslookflashiestinthe
storeofcoursethatcomputerhastobethebest,justlookatallthespinningiconsandlistentoallthecoolsounds!Theresultisasystemthat'shopelessly
overburdened.
Whatthismeansisthatnomatterwhoyouareandnomatterwhatyoudowithyourcomputer,thereareprobablyafewadjustmentsyoucanmaketoyoursystem's
configurationthatwillmakethesystemrunbetter.
AsIsaidinChapter1,SystemOptimizationTheory,computerspeedisacomplexformula,withCPUspeed,amountofmemory,memoryspeed,motherboard
speed,videocardspeed,andharddiskspeedbeingthemajorvariables.Beforespendingmoneyonhardwareupgrades,itmakessensetotakewhat'salreadythere
andmaximizeit.
EverymajorcomputermagazinepublishesayearlylistofWindowstips,includingahandfulofspeeduptips.Thesetipswork,thoughtheireffectivenesstendstovarya
bit.Thebiggestproblemisthattherejustisn'tenoughroominamagazinetogointomuchdepthaboutwhythesetrickswork,sothemagazinearticlesendupbeinga
bitsuperficial.
Chancesare,ifyou'rereadingthisbook,you'redissatisfiedwithyourcomputer'sperformance.HavingseenPentiumsystemsthatrunslowerthanthetypical486,I
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understandthat.I'veseenitoften.Thatsaid,I'vealsoseenoverachieving90MHzPentiumsthatcertainlyfeltmuchfaster,usuallybecausesomeonebeatmeto
optimizingthem.ThischapterbeginstoexplainwhatIdowhenIsitdowninfrontofacomputerandtheuserorownercomplainsaboutitbeingtoosloworIget
sickofwaitingonit.Likeme,youmayfindthatanoverachieving90MHzPentiumisn'thalfbad.
Mostofthesetricksareeasytoimplement,solet'sstartoffwiththeclassic,easytoimplementtipsthatmakeadifferencerightaway.Manyofthesechangeswill
requireyoutorestartthesysteminorderforthemtotakeeffect.UnlessItellyouspecificallytorebootimmediately,answernowhengiventhechoice.Makeallthe
changesyouwant,thenrestart,andthechangeswillalltakeeffectatonce.Whilethisgoesagainststandardtroubleshootingadvice,mostofthesetipswon'tcause
problems,andnonecauseanyproblemsthatlaterchaptersdon'ttellyouhowtosolve.
CheckYourFreeDiskSpace
I'lltalkabouthowtominimizetheimportanceofcheckingyourfreediskspaceinChapter3,DiskOptimization,butI'llshootforthequickfixfornow,becauseif
you'rehavingthisproblem,theimplementationofeveryothertrickisgoingtobedownrightpainful.Ifthefreespaceonaharddiskfallstobelow10%ofthesizeof
thedriveor100MB(whicheverissmaller),performanceslowstoanabsolutecrawl.Theeasiestwaytoquicklycheckyouravailablediskspaceistodoubleclick
MyComputer,hitF5,andclickonceonC:.Thedrive'scapacityandfreediskspacewillappearinthelowerpaneofthewindow.
Ifthespaceistoolow,youneedtodosomequickanddirtyhousecleaning.LeavingtheMyComputerwindowopen,Start Find Filesorfolders .tmpwill
probablyturnupsometempfiles.CtrlAShiftDelEnterwillbanishthemwithoutsendingthemtotheRecycleBin.Toseehowmuchdiskspaceyouhavefreed,click
backontheC:iconintheMyComputerwindowandhitF5.
CHKfilesalsotendtoclutterupharddrivesthesearethelostclustersScanDiskfindsandsavesunlesstoldotherwise.Start Find
mayturnupsomemorecandidatesfordeletion.CtrlAShiftDelEnterdisposesofthemproperly.
Filesorfolders .chk
Ifyou'restillshortonspace,tryStart Run c:\Windowsand,whileholdingdowntheControlkey,clickonceonthefolderlabeledTemporaryInternet

FilesandonceonthefolderlabeledCookies.Ifyouhavesettingsthataresavedincookies,suchaslogonIDsforpasswordprotectedwebsites,don'tselect
Cookies.ShiftDelwillthrowawayyourInternetExplorercache(IEusesaninordinatelyhigh10%ofyouravailablediskspaceforcachebydefault)andyour
Internet
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Explorercookies.InternetExplorerwillrebuildthisfolderthenexttimeit'slaunched.
IfyouuseNetscapeNavigatororCommunicatorinsteadofInternetExplorer,trytofindyourNetscapecache.IsuggestStart Find
cache Findin c:\ProgramFiles\Netscape FindNow.Whenyoufindit,clickonitonce,thenhitShiftDel.
FilesorFolders
Named
Shouldallofthisproveinadequate,proceedtothenexttwotips,whichalsodealwithfreediskspace.
UninstallUnneededApplications
Toseewhat'sinstalledonthesystem,runWindows9x'snativeuninstallationprogrambypressingStart Settings ControlPanel Add/RemovePrograms.If
youhaveseldomusedprogramsthere,uninstallthem.YoucanalwaysreinstallaseldomusedprogramfromtheoriginalCDorfloppydisksifitturnsoutyouneedit
later.
Installedapplicationswillslowdownyourharddriveevenifyouaren'trunningthem.ThisphenomenonisdescribedindetailinChapter3,butasageneralrule,the
fewerapplicationsyouhaveinstalledonyoursystem,thefasteritwillrun.Leavingsoftwareinstalledjustbecauseyouthinkyoumightneeditsomedayisusuallyabad
idea.Whenprogramsusedtocomeonstacksoftenormorefloppydisks,thismademoresense.ButnowthatprogramscomeonCDROMandinstallinaminute,it
justdoesn'tmakemuchsensetoleavethoseprogramsyouonlyrunonceayearinstalledallthetime.
Wealsobuysomepackagesthatweuseonlyoncetaxpreparationsoftwarecomestomind.Onceyourtaxreturnisfiled,uninstallyourtaxpreparationsoftware.
Theuninstallprogramwillleaveyourdatafilesalone,soifyoureinstallthesoftware,yourreturnisstillthere.Thisisgood,becauseitmeansnextyear'seditionwillbe
abletofindyourreturntoimportdata,andinthecaseofanIRSaudit(gulp),youcanreinstallandtheprogramwillfindyourdata.
Otherexamplesofgoodcandidatesforuninstallationwouldincludegamesyourarelyplayanymoreandpreviousversionsofsoftwarepackagesyou'veupgraded.
Chapter5,Utilities,willdealwiththeproblemsofdiskbloatinmoredetail.
Ifyouhaveasmallnumberofapplicationsthatyourarelyusebutneverknowwhenyou'llneedthem,youmightwanttoconsiderinstallingasecondcopyofWindows
andinstallingthemunderthatcopy,keepingacleanercopyforgeneraluse.ThisadvancedtechniqueiscoveredinChapter10,CleanWindowsInstallation.
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GetRidofExcessFonts
Windows9xisbetteratfontmanagementthanWindows3.1was,butthisplatformstillhasdifficultymanaginglargenumbersoffonts.Fontsconsumediskspaceand
chewupCPUcycleswhetheryou'reusingthemornot.Ifyouhavehundredsoffonts,eithergetapackagelikeAdobeTypeManagerDeluxethatletsyougroupand
categorizethemforspecialprojects,orgroupandcategorizethemintofoldersyourself,draggingtheircontentsintoyourfontsfolderasyouneedthem.Aslongas
fontsaren'tintheC:\Windows\Fontsdirectory,they'rejustoccupyingdiskspace,andthey'renotconsuminganyCPUcycles.
Forgeneralhomeuse,thedefaultsetoffontsinstalledwithWindowsisadequate:Arial,CourierNew,Marlett,Symbol,TimesNewRoman,Verdana,Wingdings,
andWebdings.(Windows95doesn'tcomewithMarlett,Verdana,andWebdingsbydefault.)Havinganadditionalserifedfont(afontwithfeetandearslikeTimes
NewRoman)andanadditionalsansseriffont(acleanfontlikeArial)won'tdragyoursystemdownanoticeableamount,andusingfontsotherthanArialandTimes
willgiveyourdocumentsadistinctivelook.Chancesareyouwillwantahandfulofnoveltyfontsthosefunfontsyouuseongreetingcardsaswell.Butbyallmeans,if
there'safontonyoursystemthatyoudon'tlikeandcan'timagineusing,getridofit.Windows9xcanhandleafewdozenfontswithoutmuchdifficulty,buthundreds
offontswilltakeitstoll.
Ifyouhavealowresourcesystemlikeanold486,orifyouareshortondiskspace,stripoutanyunusedfonts,includingrarelyusedboldanditalicvariationsoffonts
youdouse.Windowscangeneratedraftqualityboldsanditalicsfromthebasefontwhenneeded.AndtheonlypeoplelikelytoneedtheSymbolfontare
mathematicians,collegestudentslivinginGreekhouses,andstudentsstudyingtheGreeklanguage.Ifyoudon'tfallintoanyofthosethreecategories,youcanditch
Symbolaswell.
DefragmentYourHardDrive
Afteryoumaximizeyourfreespace,youwanttodefragmentyourdriveusingStart Programs Accessories DiskDefragmenter.Defragmentwhether
Windowssaysyouneedtoornot.Therearestrategiesfordefragmenting,thirdpartyutilitiesthatdoabetterjob,andstrategiesforreducingthefrequencywithwhich
youwillneedtodefragmentyourdrive.ThesearecoveredinChapters3and5.Fornow,blindoptimizationisfarbetterthannooptimization.
Defragmentyourdriveafteryouremoveanylargequantityofdatafromyourharddrive,aswellasanytimeyouinstallsoftware.Youshouldalsomakeahabitof
defragmentingyourdriveonceamonth.
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Theneedtodefragmentadriveisonepointthatthepopularcomputerpresshasdoneagoodjobofdrivinghome.Thereasonswhyfragmentationhappensandthe
reasonsitcanslowyourcomputerdownarediscussedindetailinChapter3.
Loseautoexec.batandconfig.sys
Chapters3and7discussthecreationofoptimalconfigurationfiles,butbecausetheconfigurationfilesmostPCscomewithfromthemanufacturerareworsethanno
configurationfilesatall,renameautoexec.battoautoexec.xyzandrenameconfig.battoconfig.xyzandrestart.Ifyoudon'trunDOSprograms,thistrickisa
doubleblessing:youspeedupyoursystem,andyoudon'thavetochangethewayyouworkatall.Renamingthefileslikethisallowsyoutokeepthefilesfor
reference,butkeepsthesystemfromfindingthemandusingtheconfigurationdatainthem.YoucoulduseyourinitialsastheextensionIsuggestusingtheletters
''xyz."
Besuretorestartimmediatelyafteryoudothisprocedure,becauseitcanhaveadramaticeffectonyoursystemspeed.Itcanalsopreventtheproblemdescribedin
thenextsection.
MakeSureYourSystemisUsing32bitDrivers
Ifthesystemismuchslowerthanitshouldbe,there'sagoodchancethatWindowsisn'tusingitsnative32bitdriversfordiskaccess.Anothercommonsymptomof
thisproblemisanonfunctioningCDROMdrive.Tocheckformoresymptoms,pressStart,thenproceedtoSettings ControlPanel System Performance.If
youseeamessagethatsayscertaindrivesareusingMSDOScompatibilitymode,youhaveaproblem.SwitchovertoDeviceManager HardDiskControllers.If
youseeyellowexclamationpoints,youmayhaveoneverycommon(butperplexing)Windows9xproblem.Tofixit,pressStart,thenproceedtoRun Regedit,
thenCtrlFNoIDEEnter.We'lltalkaboutRegeditinalittlebitmoredepthlaterinthischapter.Fornow,ifRegeditcomesbackwithakeylabeledNoIDE
highlightedinblue,rightclickonitandselectDelete.Nowrestartimmediately.Youshouldseeanimmediate,dramaticimprovementindiskperformance.
CleanOutYourStartupGroup
TheremaybeprogramsWindowsisloadingatstartupthatyoudon'tneed.RightclickStart Explore
yourStartupfolder.PerhapstwoofthemostcommonareMicrosoftFindFastand
Programs Startup.Takealookaroundattheitemsin
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OfficeStartup.BotharecomponentsofOffice95andOffice97.FindFastindexesthefilesonyourharddriveatcertainintervals.ThisprocessspeedsuptheStart
menu'sFindoperationsomewhatandallowsyoutosearchthetextofyourfiles,butattheexpenseofmakingPentiumsfeelhalfasfastastheirratedspeed.Ifthese
featuresarelessimportanttoyouthansystemspeed,removeFindFast.OfficeStartupmakesOfficeloadslightlyfaster,butOfficecanrunwithoutit,andOffice
Startupconsumesmemory.UnlessyouuseyourcomputeralmostexclusivelyforOfficebasedapplications,removeOfficeStartup.Ifthereareotherprograms
runningatstartupthatyoudon'tneedtoloadautomatically,getridofthem
Therearetwootherplacesfromwhichprogramscanrunatstartup.PressStart Run sysedit win.ini Search Find run= Next.Stepthroughand
delete(orcommentoutbyprecedingwithasemicolon)anylinethatrunsaprogramyoudon'twantstartingautomatically.Startupprogramscanalsohideinthe
registry.PressStart Run regedit.NavigatetoHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runandexamineany
RunOnce,RunServices,andRunServicesOncekeys.
Diggingaroundinwin.iniandintheregistrycanbecumbersome,andputtingdeletedprogramsbackifnecessaryisevenmorecumbersome.Tomakelifeeasier,
downloadafreewareprogramcalledStartupManagerfromwww.delpbifreestuff.com/freeware/files/smsetup.exe.FormoreonStartupManager,seeChapter5.
OptimizeYourSwapFile
Firstthingsfirst:forgeteverypieceofadviceyou'veeverheardorreadaboutvirtualmemory.There'salotofcorrectinformationaboutitoutthere,butthere'salsoa
lotofdubiousadvice.You'veprobablyheardsomethingaboutmultiplyingtheamountofmemoryyouhavebythreeandusingthatfigure.Forgetthat.Generic,one
sizefitsalladviceaboutvirtualmemorydoesn'tworkforyoursystem.Theamountofmemory(andtheamountofvirtualmemory)youneeddependsonwhatyoudo
withyourcomputernotonwhatsomehotshotcomputerjournalistdoeswithit.
Windows'defaultmethodofhandlingvirtualmemoryworkswellforexactlytwokindsofpeople:thosewhohavefartoolittlememoryintheirsystems(8MBorso),
andthosewhorunvoicerecognitionprogramslikeDragonNaturallySpeakingorIBMViaVoice.Ifyoufallintoeitherofthesecategories,proceedtothenext
section.
Ifyou'restillwithmehere,youneedtofigureouthowmuchvirtualmemoryyourequire.SohittheWebandgotowww.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra,whereyou
candownloadanoutstandingutilitycalledSiSoftSandraStandard.Thisisafreeutilitythatgivesahostofinvaluableinformationaboutyoursystem.InstallSandra.
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Now,thinkforaminute.Pictureyourcomputeratitsworstthehourglasssittingtheretauntingyou,theharddrivegrindingincessantly,thecomputeractinglike
someonepouredthickmolassesintoit.Maybeit'swhenyouhaveyourwebmailclient,yourinstantmessagingclient,andyourMP3playerallopenandactiveat
once.Maybethere'sonegameinyourlibrarythattakesforevertoloadandthentrudgesalongjerkily.Whateveritis,findthatconfiguration.
Maybeyou'reluckyandyouhaven'tfoundthatconfigurationyet.Ifthat'sthecase,I'lltellyouhowtomakeit.Ifyou'reagamer,loadagame,thenswitchbackto
WindowsExplorerandlaunchanother.Switchbackagainandlaunchanother.Repeatuntilyou'veeitherloadedeverygameyouownoryoucan'tstandyour
computer'sslownessanymore.
Ifyouuseyourcomputerforpersonalproductivity,openyourwebbrowserandyouremailclient.OpenSolitaireorMinesweeperorsomeothersimplegame.Run
yourspreadsheetprogramandopenyourbiggest,nastiestspreadsheetfile.Nowopenyourwordprocessorandloadthat25pagepaperyouhadtowritelastterm
(orwhateveryourbiggestwordprocessingdocumenthappenstobe).Openyourpersonalfinanceprogram.Ifyouhaveadesktoppublishingprogram,openitalong
withitsbiggestdocument.Openyourphotoeditingprogramandloadyourbiggestpictureintoit.
Ifyoursystemisn'tcrawlingbynow,congratulations.Youhaveabsolutelytoomuchmemory,andyougettoproceedtothenextsectionandignoreeverythingelseI
havetosayhere.Andifyou'rethinkingyouneverhavethismuchstuffopen,don'tworryaboutit.Somedayyou'llstrainyourcomputerwe'regettingitreadyforthat
day.We'retryingtosimulatetheabsolutetoughestloadyoucanthrowatyourcomputer.
Nowthatyourcomputerisbeggingformercy,launchSiSoftSandra(Start Programs SiSoftUtilities SiSoftSandra99Standard).HitOKtoclearitsstartup
tip.DoubleclicktheiconlabeledWindowsMemoryInformation.LookattheheadinglabeledCurrentSwapFile,thenlookattheheadinglabeledFreePageFile.
SubtractFreePageFilefromCurrentSwapFile,andyounowknowtheamountofvirtualmemoryyouneed.Writedownthatnumberbecauseyou'llneeditinafew
minutes.HitOK,thencloseSandra,thenclosethatobnoxiousnumberofprogramsIhadyouopen.Nowthatyouhaveacleansystemwithnoprogramsrunning,go
intoControlPanelandopentheSystemapplet.ProceedtoPerformance VirtualMemory DisableVirtualMemory.Windowswillcomplainaboutreduced
performanceandotherassortedparanoia.Ignoreit.WeneedWindowstostartwithoutaswapfile,becauseDefragcannotdefragmenttheswapfile,norcanitmove
it.Soweturnoffvirtualmemoryinordertogettheswapfileoutoftheway.We'llrecreateitafterwe'refinished.
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Afterrebooting,runStart Run Defrag.Goaheadanddefragmentallofyourharddrives,evenifWindowssaystheyare0%fragmented.Windows'definitionof

0%fragmentationisawfullylenient.Ifthefilesthemselvesaren'tfragmented,thediskcanhavegapsinthefreespaceandstillbeconsidered0%fragmented.Adisk
meetingthisdefinitionofzerofragmentationwon'tstayunfragmentedforlong.We'lltalkawholelotmoreaboutdefragginginChapter3.
ShouldWindowsfailtostartproperly,rebootandhitF8atthe"StartingWindows9x"message.SelectSafeModefromthebootmenu.SafeModewillalwaysrun,
butdefragmentationinSafeModeismuchslowerthannormal.
Nowthatyourharddriveisdefragmented,reenterControlPanel System Performance
EnterthenumberyougotfromrunningSandrafortheminimumandmaximumvalues.
VirtualMemory
Letmespecifymyownvirtualmemorysettings.
Thesesettingsworkverywellforthemajorityofapplications.Windowsspendslesstimetryingtofigureouthowmuchvirtualmemoryit'sgoingtoneeditusually
doesapoorjobanywayandtheCPUspendsitstimeinsteadconcentratingonrealwork.
OptimizeYourDiskCache(andGetaUPS!)
TheonlyreasonIcanthinkofforusingWindows'defaultdiskcachesettingsisfearofdatalossshouldthepowergoout.WindowskeepsthelastfewComponents
anddirectorynamesithasaccessedinmemorytoimproveperformance.Thedefaultsettingsuseabout16Kthebestsettings(withoutregistryhacks)use40K.
Unlessyouhavelessthan8MBofRAM,thisisjustaboutthebestinvestmentof24Kofmemoryyoucanmake.Admittedly,thischangedoesmakethesystemmore
vulnerabletopoweroutages,soyoushouldhaveanUninterruptiblePowerSupply(UPS)ifyouchoosetousethissetting.Thisisn'tabigdealaUPSmakesyour
systemcrashlessandlastlongerbysupplyingitwithconsistentpower,andUPSsarecheap.IfrequentlyseelowendAPCUPSs,whicharefineforhomeuse,on
salefor$50.
GotoStart Settings ControlPanel System Performance FileSystem TypicalRoleofthisMachine NetworkServer.Windowswillnowstore
thelast2,729Componentsandthelast64directorynamesit'sused.Ofthewellknowntips,thisonetendstomakethemostnoticeabledifference.
TheoriginalAugust24,1995releaseofWindows95andtheOEMServiceRelease1(Windows95A)bothcontainabuginthissettingthatactuallycausesthe
networkserversettingstodramaticallyslowthemachinedown.
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TofindoutwhatversionofWindows95youarerunning,gotoControlPanel System General.UnderaheadinglabeledSystem,Windowswilltellyouits

versionnumber.IftheversionisWindows954.00.950orWindows954.00.950A,youneedthebugfix,presentedlaterinthischapteritinvolveschangingthe
Windowsregistry.
TunetheHiddenWindowsDiskCacheSettings
Thistrickisnotaswellknown.YoucanforceWindowstoallocateafixedamountofmemoryfordiskcaching,ortosetafloororceilingontheamountsituses.To
dothis,pressStart Run SYSEDIT.ClickonthewindowlabeledC:\Windows\System.ini.Nearthebottomofthefile,thereisalinecontaining[vcache].
Under[vcache],addthefollowinglines:
MinFileCache=4096
MaxFileCache=4096
Thevaluesyouincludeforthesetwosettingswillvary.IfyouhaveaPentiumclassprocessor,setMinFileCacheto1/8ofyourtotalmemoryor1024,whicheveris
lower,andsetMaxFileCachetoofyourmemoryor16384,whicheverislower.Ifyouhavea386or486processor,setMinFileCacheandMaxFileCachetothe
samevalueeitherofyourmemoryifyouhave16MBormore,or1/8ifyouhaveless.
WindowsusesitsVCACHEtomirrordataonyourharddrive.Ittakesonlyalittlebitlongertoread128Koffthediskthanittakestoread64K,sowhenWindows
asksfor64K,theVCACHEwillgoaheadandreadmoredatathanWindowsasksfor.AndifWindowsasksforthenextpiece,VCACHEcanprovidethatdata
fromRAMinsteadoffromthedisk.Also,ifyouaskforapieceofdataonce,there'sadecentchanceyou'llaskforitagain,soVCACHEholdswhateverdatayou've
loadedlastforaslongaspossible.
Toillustratethisprinciple,tryrestartingyourcomputer,thenloadingalargeapplicationlikeMicrosoftWord.Countoffthesecondsbeforeitloadsanunscientific
oneonethousand,twoonethousandwillsufficeforthisillustration.NowimmediatelycloseWordandloaditagain.Thistime,itwillloadmuchmorequickly,
becausemuchofWordisloadingfromRAMratherthanfromdisk.
Longago,diskcacheswereafixedsize.Youtoldthesystemhowmuchmemorytousetocachetheharddrive,andthatmemorycouldn'tbeusedforanyother
purpose.Windows95introduceddynamicdiskcaching,whichuseshowevermuchfreememoryisavailableforadiskcache.Ifyou'renotusingmuchmemory,you
getabigdiskcache.Ifyou'reusingalotofmemory,Windowsissupposedtouseasmalldiskcache.
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Onafastcomputerwithalotofmemory,thisisareallygoodidea.ButslowcomputersmaynothaveenoughCPUtimetodynamicallytunetheircacheswithout
affectingtheotherworktheyhavetodo.Andacomputerwith8MBofRAMcan'tholdWindowsExplorerentirelyinRAM,sothere'snopointinallocatingmore
thanofavailableRAMtocaching.Andthere'snopointinlettingWindowsconstantlychewupCPUcyclestocometothatconclusion.
Evenifyouhavememorytoburn,itmakessensetogiveWindowsafloorandaceiling,becauseWindows'dynamiccachingoftenmakesimprudentdecisions
sometimesallocatingasmuchas80%ofsystemmemorytothediskcache.Thereareveryfewsituationswhereyoudon'twantadiskcache,butbythesametoken,if
youareusingmorethanaboutofyouravailablememoryfordiskcache,you'reimprovingdiskperformanceattheexpenseoftherestofyoursystem.
TuneYourCDROMCaching
Stopreadthistipevenifyoudon'thaveaCDROMdrive.Justbecauseyouknowyoudon'thaveaCDROMdrivedoesn'tmeanWindowsdoes.OpenControl
Panel System Performance FileSystem CDROM.
TheconventionaladviceistosettheSupplementalcachesizesliderallthewaytotheright,andsetOptimizeAccessPatternstoquadspeedorhigher,regardlessof
thespeedofyourCDROMdrive.IfyoumakeheavyuseofyourCDROMdriveandyouhavemorethan16MBofmemory,youshoulddothisstep.
Ifyoursystemdoesn'thaveaCDROMdrive,orifyoudon'tusetheCDROMdriveforanythingbutinstallingsoftwareorlisteningtomusicCDs,dotheopposite.
Slidethesupplementalcachesizeallthewaytotheleft,andsetOptimizeAccessPatternsto"Noreadahead."NowWindowswillallocate64Kofpreciousmemory
tocachingyournonexistentCDROMdrive.Thisiswasteful,butcouldbeworse.SometimesWindowschoosestoallocate1.2MBtothistask.Thistrickis
absolutelyessentialifyouarerunningWindows95or98onasystemwith4or8MBofRAM.I'lltellyouhowtorecoverthat64Kofmemorylaterinthischapter,
afterwetalkaboutRegedit.
Windows'defaultCDROMdrivesettingsdon'tmakeawholelotofsense.Slowandfastdrivesalikebenefitfromlargeamountsofcaching.Windowswouldbe
betteroffpickinganarbitraryamountofmemorytocacheanyCDROMdrivespresent,andpicktheamountbasedonthetotalamountofsystemmemory,rather
thanonthespeedofthedrive.ThoughWindowsdoesn'tdoitautomaticallyandyoucan'tchangethememoryusagefromtheControlPanel,youcanchangeitfrom
theregistry.IfyouhaveplentyofmemoryandyouwantthesmoothestpossibleplaybackfromCDROM,it'spossibletotunethequadspeedsettingsfortoday's
muchfasterdrives.Sincethistiprequiresdiggingintotheregistry,I'lltalkaboutitlaterinthechapter.
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TurnOffCDROMAutoplay
Undersomecircumstances,Windows9xpollstheCDROMdriveeveryfewsecondstoseeifaCDhasbeeninserted.Dependingonthenatureofyoursystem,this
canmakethingsnoticeablymoresluggish.YoucanturnthisoffwiththeWindows95PowerToys,butit'sbesttogotothesource.ControlPanel System
DeviceManager CDROM <nameofyourCDROMdrive> Properties Settings.CleartheboxlabeledAutoInsertNotification,thenclickOK.Ifyou
havemorethanoneCDorDVDdevice,repeatthisprocessforeachdriveinyoursystem.
Unfortunately,asmallnumberofsoftwaretitlesassumeyouhaveautoplayturnedon.Ifyouturnautoplayoffandthenaprogramrefusestoinstallorbehaves
erraticallywhenyourunit,tryturningautoplaybackontoseeiftheprogramwillrun.
OptimizeYourMultimediaSettings
Windows95and98makesomefairlyabsurdassumptionsaboutthemultimediadevicesconnectedtoatypicalPC.ClickStart Settings ControlPanel
Multimedia Advanced(inWindows98,Start Settings ControlPanel Multimedia Devices).ExpandtheviewforMediaControlDevices.Among
these,youwillfindentriesforVISCAVCRDeviceandPioneerLaserDiscPlayer.Ifyoudon'thavealaserdiscplayerconnectedtoyourcomputer,clickonitsentry,
hitProperties,hitRemove,andhitOK.Ifyou'relikemeand99.9%ofallothercomputerusers,andyoudon'thaveaVCRconnectedtoyourcomputer,dothesame
fortheVCRdeviceentry.
Windows9xassumesthatyouhavethesedevicesconnectedtoyourcomputer,yetyoudon'twanttousethem.Itdoesn'tmakethesameassumptionsaboutmore
commonhardwarelikeCDROMdrivesandsoundcards.Itassumesyouhavethemandwanttousethem,evenifyoudon't.Ifyoudon'thaveaCDROMdriveor
youdon'tuseittoplayaudioCDs,gotoCDAudioDevice Properties DonotusethisMediaControlDevice Remove OK.Ifyoudon'thaveasound
card,removetheMIDISequencerDeviceandWaveAudioDeviceinthesamefashion.Ifyou'rereallystrappedformemoryandarewillingtoriskincompatibility
withsomesoftware,youcantrydoingthesamethingfortheActiveMovieMCIDriverandtheMotionVideoDevice.Asmallnumberofmultimediatitlesandolder
gamesespeciallythosethatstreamfullmotionvideostraightofftheCDROMneedthesefeatures,sothere'sasmallchanceyoumayfindyouhavetoaddthem
backin.Butmostpopulargametitlestodaydon'tusethem,andneitherdomostproductivitytitles.Shouldyoufindyourselfneedingthembackyou'llknowyoudoif
aprogramthatusedtoworksuddenlystartsgivingyouerrormessagejustinsertyourWindowsCDROM,thengotoControlPanel AddNew
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Hardware Next No Next Sound,videoandgamecontrollers

multipledevices,repeatthisprocessforeachone.
Next
Manufacturer MicrosoftMCI,andselectthedeviceyouneed.Ifyouneed
Windows9xalsoinstallscoder/decoders(codecs)forvariousobsoleteaudioandvideoformats.Youcanremovetheseonaninterimbasis,addingthembackinif
youfindyoursoftwareusesthem.NewersoftwareismorelikelytouseApple'sQuickTimevideostandardthanIntel'solderIndeo standard.YoucanditchIndeo
withControlPanel Multimedia Advanced VideoCompressionCodecs Indeo video5.04andIntelIndeo VideoInteractive32bitDriver
Properties Remove Yes OK OK.Whileyou'rethere,youcangointotheAudioCompressionCodecs,andyoucangetridoftheIndeoaudiosoftware.
Windows95alsoinstallsanMSNaudiocodec,whichyoucaneliminate.
Ifyoufindyouneedtoreplaceanyofthesecodecs,it'seasyenoughjustgotoControlPanel AddNewHardware Next No Next Sound,video,
andgamecontrollers Next Manufacturer,thenpicktheappropriatemanufacturer(usuallyeitherMicrosoftorIntel),andpickthecodecyouneedtoreinstall.
TurnOffPowerManagement
Bydefault,Windowswillshutdownyourharddriveafteraperiodofinactivity.Thisfeaturecancausesignificantslowdowns,becauseyourdrivethenhastopower
backupthenexttimeit'saccessed.Thedelaycaneasilybeasecondormore.Thisdelaywillbenoticeableifyourdiskcachehasbeenworkingwellandyoursystem
hasn'thadtoaccessthedriveforalongperiodoftime,butasuddenchangeofeventsmakesthesystemlooktothedrive.
Thewisdomofturningoffharddrivesinordertosavepowerisquestionableanyway.Thispracticecausesthemtowearoutmuchmorequickly,andtheamountof
moneyyousavewillbepenniesperyear,ifthattheamountofpoweramodernharddriveconsumesisthatnegligible.Reducingthelifespanofausefuldrivethatwill
cost$200toreplaceinordertosaveadimejustdoesn'tseemlikeawisemove.
Inlaptopcomputers,thesituationisalittlebitdifferentsinceyourprimaryconcernisbatterylife,ratherthanperformanceorlongevity.Youhavelittlechoicebuttouse
powermanagementonyourlaptophowever,keepitturnedoffonyourdesktopcomputer.
InWindows95,gotoStart Settings ControlPanel Power.Cleartheboxthatreads"AllowWindowstomanagepowerusageonthiscomputer."Thenclick
ontheDiskDrivestabandclearthecheckboxthereaswell.
InWindows98,gotoStart Settings ControlPanel PowerManagement PowerSchemes Home/officedesk
Turnoffharddisks
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TakeDownYourWallpaper
Thisisusuallyanunpopulartip,butonanythingbutthenewestsystems,abackdroponyourdesktopslowsdownyoursystembyconsumingmemorytostoreitand
consumingCPUcyclestoredrawit.Thesimpleryourbackdropis,thefasteryoursystemwillbe.Andifyouhavea486,byallmeansdon'thaveafancybackdrop
youhaveneithertheCPUcyclesnorthememorytospare.
Inallfairness,modernCPUsandfastAGPvideocardsminimizethiseffect.TheamountofspeedyouwringoutofthetypicalPentiumII450won'tbenoticeable,but
itcanmakeadifferenceonamarginalsystem.I'llusewallpaperonmyCyrixMIIPR233becauseithasafast128bitSTBvideocardandaboatloadofRAM.ButI
don'teventhinkaboutwallpaperonmyPentium90withitspuny32bitTridentvideocard.Thatsystemneedsallthehelpitcanget.
IfyouhaveWindows98orhaveInternetExplorer4or5installedunderWindows95,ActiveDesktoppermitsyoutouseGIForJPEGimagesorwebpagesas
wallpaper.Thisisaseriousperformancedrain.Ifyoumustkeepyourwallpaper,youcanconvertitintoaresourcesaving.bmpfileandresetitasyourwallpaperin
oneswoopbyloadingtheimageintoInternetExplorerorNetscapeNavigator,thenrightclickingitandselectingtheSetAsWallpaperoption.
UseHotkeysInsteadofDesktopIcons
Manypeoplekeepshortcutstotheirmostfrequentlyusedapplicationsontheirdesktop.Inthepast,I'verecommendedthatpeoplefollowthispractice.Unfortunately,
havingdozensoficonsonthedesktopslowsthesystemdownforthesamereasonthathavingdesktopwallpaperdoes,onlymoresobecausethesystemfrequently
hastoloadtheiconsfromdiskwhenredrawingthedesktop.Keepyourdesktopsimpleifyouneedfastaccesstocertainkeyapplicationsanddon'twantto
navigatetheStartmenu,definehotkeysinstead.They'refasterthandoubleclickinganicon,they'realwaysavailablewithouthavingtomakethedesktopvisibleagain,
andtheydon'tslowthesystemdown.
Tomakeahotkey,rightclickontheStartmenuandhitExplore.Navigatetoyourprogram'sicon,thenrightclickonitandhitProperties.ClicktheShortcuttab,and
clickintheboxlabeledShortcutKey.HitakeythatmakessenseItypicallyusethefirstletteroftheapplication'snamethenhitOK.Fromthenon,hittingCtrlAlt
andthatletterkeywilllaunchthatapplication.
Iusemywordprocessortoprintalistofmycomputer'shotkeysintenpointtextjustasimplelistcontainingeachkeyandtheprogramitlaunchesandIcutitout
andtapeittomymonitor.
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LosetheScreenSavers
Theneedforscreensaversevaporatedintheearly1990swhenmonitorrefreshratesincreased,butpeoplecontinuetobuythem.Thereisabsolutelynocompelling
reasontousethemfromatechnicalstandpoint,theydofarmoreharmthangood.Therealdangerwithmonitorsisnotthepicturebecomingpermanentlyetchedonto
thescreenit'sthephosphorswearingoutfrombeingoverworked.Manyscreensavershavenearlyasmuchmovementasafastpacedvideogameandmakethe
monitorandCPUworkaboutashardaswell.Ifyoursystemisdoingroutinemaintenancelikescanningforviruses,checkingharddisksforerrorsandcorrecting
them,ordefragmentingharddisksthingsitshouldbedoingautomatically,andwe'llcoverthatinChapter5ascreensaverinterruptingthosetaskswillmakethem
takemuchlonger.Ifyou'rewaitingforthecomputertofinishsometimeintensivetasklikeatransforminPhotoshoporevenalengthydownloadfromtheInternet,the
screensaverstealsvaluableRAMandCPUpowerfromthattask.Italsocreatesonemoretaskforthecomputertojuggleandonemorereasonforittocrash.
Somescreensavershavebeenknowntocrashsystems.
UsingtheBlankScreenscreensaverthatcomeswithWindowsisagoodideaitdoesn'tuseanyCPUpower,anditgivesyourmonitor'sphosphorstheopportunity
toreallyrest,savingwearandtearonthemonitorandreducingitspowerconsumption.Ifyouwanttoprotectyourmonitor,useBlankScreenandgiveitatimeout
periodof30minutes.Theuseofanyotherscreensavercausesmoreharmthangood.
Somemonitorseliminatetheneedforanyscreensaveraltogether.MyIiyamaVisionMasterPromonitorhasapowermanagementmenu.Ifyourmonitorhasdigital
onscreencontrols,itmayalsohaveitsownpowermanagement.Ifthat'sthecase,setyourmonitortoputitselfinpowersavingmodeafter30minutes,whichallows
youtodispenseevenwiththeBlankScreenscreensaver.
LosetheSystemSoundsandDesktopSchemes
TheMicrosoftPluspacksforWindows95and98containsomegimmickssuchasdesktopthemesthancauseiconstospinasthey'reclicked.Unlessyouhavean
extremelyhighendcomputerasofthiswriting,thatwouldbeabetterthan400MHzcomputerwithmorethan64MBofRAMturnthatstuffoff.Inmanycases,
ittakeslongerforthecomputertospintheprogram'siconthanitdoestoloadandlaunchtheprogram.
Youalsowanttoturnoffanimatedcursorsandsystemsounds,asthesetoyscansteallargeamountsofmemoryandCPUtime.Ifyouneedsystemsoundstowarn
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youofimportantthingslikecriticalevents,programerrors,orincomingmail,goaheadandusethem,butrefrainfromassigningsoundstoeveryevent.Onthemajority
ofsystems,IgointotheSoundscontrolpanel,selecttheschemesbox,andsetittoNoSounds.
Iknowyoulosesomepersonalizationbydoingthesethings.IknowthatsettingtheCriticalStopeventtoa.wavfileofPeterSellerssaying,''Specialdeliveryforyou.
Abomb.Didyouorderone?"helpsyoukeepyoursenseofhumorwhenWindowsdecidestocrash.AndI'vebeenknowntorundownthecanonicallistofweird
bandnames,makingmultimediathemesbasedonthemusicofAlienSexFiendandofCrispyAmbulance(heavenforbidIuseahalfwaycalmandsanesoundingartist
likeElvisCostelloorAimeeMann)formycolleagues'systems.IcanalsotellyouthatI'veneverseena300MHzsystemrunasslowasitdidwiththosethemes
installed.Atthetime,thatwasoneofthefastestcomputersmoneycouldbuy,butitranlikealowend486.That'swhyIneverputanyofthesethemesonmyown
systemsonlyonotherpeople's.
Ifyouwanttoexpressyourcreativitywithoutdraggingdownyoursystemoralienatingyourfriends,family,orcoworkers,thereareother,lessexpensivewaysto
customizeyoursystem.Trycomingupwithyourowncolorschemes,orchangingWindows'fontsetsandsizesinstead.Rightclickonthedesktop,selectProperties,
andclickontheAppearancetab.Usethosesettingstoexpressyourself,ratherthanCPUhoggingcursorsandsounds.YoucanalsotryplayingaroundwithLiteStep,
areplacementWindowsshell(coveredinChapter6,ReplacementWindowsShells),whichisalmostinfinitelycustomizable.
TurnOfftheWindows98Animations
OneofthefewnoticeablechangesbetweenWindows95andWindows98isthemenuanimationinWindows98.Thatslowsthecomputerdown.Itmightalsoannoy
ordistractyou.Toturnitoff,gotoControlPanel Display Effects Animatewindows,menus,andlists.
TurnOffWindows98Tooltips
Oneofthemostmaddeningthings(tomeatleast)aboutWindows98arethetooltipsthatpopuprightasI'mabouttodosomething.IfIdidn'tknowwhattheclose
boxontheprogram'stitlebardid,wouldIbepointingatit?
Tobanishthetooltips,installtheWindows98versionofTweakUI,locatedin\tools\reskit\powertoyontheWindows98CD.Rightclickthetweakui.inffileand
selectInstallit.YoucannowpickTweakUIfromtheControlPanel,andchoosetheGeneraltab.Confusingly,thetooltipsarecalled"Mousehottracking
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effects."Deselectthatoption,andWindowswillassumeyouknowwhatyou'redoingandwon'tannoyyouwhenyoureachforthatminimizeormaximizebutton.
FindtheFastestSettingsforYourVideoCard
Youmaybeexpectingmetosaythatthebestsettingforyourvideocardis640480with256colors.That'stheclassicadvice,butunlessyouhaveanold,
unacceleratedVGAorSVGAvideocard,thatisn'tthecaseanymore.That'sgood,because640480doesn'tprovideenoughresolutionforeffectivemultitasking,
andwebpagesjustdon'tlookverygoodin256colors.
Sincepeoplegenerallydon'tusethoselowresolution,256colorsettingsanymore,videocardmanufacturersoptimizetheircardsanddriversforhighresolution,high
colordisplays.Computermagazinebenchmarkprogramsusuallytestataminimumofresolutionof1024768with16bitcolor,sovideocardmanufacturers
frequentlyoptimizetheirdriversforthatresolutioninanefforttogivetheappearanceofbeingthefastestvideocard.GamingsitesontheWebfrequentlytestat
800600withatleast16bitcolor,soifthevideocardmanufactureristargetingthegamingcrowd,itmayoptimizeforthatresolution.
Youcanbenchmarkyoursystem'svideoperformanceatvarioussettingstodeterminethebestonetouse.Butformostpeople,anunscientifictestwillsuffice.Ifyou
haveWindows98,gotoStart Settings ControlPanel Display Effects Showwindowcontentswhiledragging.Thissettinggivesthevideocardagood
workout.Enablethis,thendragthewindowaroundandnotewhetherthemovementisjumpyorsmooth.Trydifferentresolutionsandcolordepths(ControlPanel
Display Settings Colors,ScreenArea),andnotewhichsettinggivesthebestmovement.
OnWindows95,gotoStart Setting ControlPanel Display Plus! Showwindowcontentswhiledragging,whichwillhavethesameeffect.Ifyoudon't
havethePlus!Tab,youcandownloadtheWindows95fontsmoothingutilityfromwww.microsoft.com/windows95/downloadstogetthatcapability.Alternatively,
justloadalongdocumentintoyourwordprocessor,andseeifthespeedofitsscrollingchangesasresolutionandcolordepthchange.
Interestinglyenough,IfoundthatonsomemodernAGPvideocards,16bitcolorisfast,24bitcolorisextremelyslow,but32bitcolorisnearlyasfastas16bit
color.Yourcommonsenseandintuitionaren'tlikelytohelpyoumuchinfindingthefastestvideosetting.Trythemall,eventhemodesthatgoagainstyourbetter
judgment.
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EnableYourHardDrive'sDMASetting
Ifyourdiskcontrolleriscapableofdirectmemoryaccess(DMA)andhasthecorrectdriverinstalled,youcandramaticallyreducetheamountofCPUpoweryour
drivesrequire.DMApermitsthecontrollerchiptowritetomemorydirectly,ratherthansendingittotheCPUandmakingtheCPUwriteittomemory.Thisfeature
alonedoesn'tdomuchtoimprovethespeedofthedatatransfer,butitdoespermittheCPUtodootherworkwhilediskaccessistakingplace,whichcanincrease
overallsystemspeed.
ManypeopleknowtodownloadtheDMAcapabledriversfortheirdiskcontrollers,buttheyfrequentlymissthisstep,whichnegatesmostofthebenefitofhavingthe
drivers.ToenableDMA,gotoStart ControlPanel System DeviceManager DiskDrives <anyIDEdrivepresent> Properties Settings
Options EnableDMA.
Ifthedriveorcontrollerisn'tcapableofDMA,oriftheinstalleddriverdoesn'tsupportDMA,theEnableDMAboxwon'tappear.Inaddition,thisboxprobably
won'tappearonSCSIdevices,becauseSCSIcontrollersgenerallyuseDMAbydefaultanddon'tgivetheoptiontoturnitoff.
ShrinkYourStartMenu
IfyouabsolutelymustsaveeverylastCPUcycleyoucan,rightclickyourtaskbar,hitProperties,andchecktheboxthatsays"ShowsmalliconsinStartMenu."This
givesyouasmallerStartmenu,whichwilldrawslightlyfaster,allowingyoutocutdownthetimeittakestolaunchprogramsbyafewfractionsofasecond.Or,if
you'relikeme,youmayfindyoulikethelookofthesmallerStartmenubetter,inwhichcasethefewfractionsofasecondyousavearejustabonus.
Whileyou'replayingwiththeStartmenu,youmightaswellorganizeit,too.RightclicktheStartmenu,thenclickExplore.You'llprobablyfindallsortsofthingsright
awaythatthinkthey'rethemostimportantpartofyoursystem.ThreecommonitemsareNewOfficeDocument,OpenOfficeDocument,andNetscapeSmart
Update.Maybeyou'relikemeandyou'veneverclickedonanyofthose.Deletethemifyoudon'tusethem.Theonlyitemthatappearsherethatyoureallyneedis
Windows98'sWindowsUpdate,whichyoushouldneverdelete.NowdoubleclickonPrograms.Youcanreorganizetheseitemsaswell.Forexample,Netscape
browserscreateafolderwithtonsofsuperfluousicons.ChancesaretheonlyiconinthegroupthatyouuseisNetscapeNavigator.DragitouttothePrograms
section,thendeletethefolder.
Comeupwithanorganizationschemethatmakessensetoyou.Maybeyouwantallofyour3Dshootergamesgroupedtogetherinonefolder.Createorrenamea
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folderanddragalloftheiconsintoit,thendeletetheoldones.Weallworkabitdifferently,soourStartmenusshouldprobablyreflectthat.Youwanttobeableto
quicklyfindthethingsyouusefrequently.Itmakesyouworkfaster,and,yes,thecomputerspendslesstimedrawingthemenu.
APrimeronRegeditandtheRegistry
RegeditisthetoolMicrosoftshipstoedittheWindowsregistry,whichisakindofcatchallforsystemsettings.Regeditwasintendedtoreplaceautoexec.bat,
config.sys,andthemyriadof.inifilesintheWindowsdirectory.Thesefilesdidn'tcompletelydisappearinWindows9x,buttheyaremuchsmallerandmuchless
importantthantheyusedtobe.Theregistryitselfisalargedatabaseconsistingoftwofilesnamedsystem.datanduser.dat.
Youshouldn'tcasuallypokearoundinsidetheregistryandchangethings.Acorruptregistrycancauseprogramstomalfunction,orworse,itcanrenderthesystem
unstartable.
SinceRegeditissuchapowerfulanddangeroustool,itdoesn'tappearanywhereintheStartmenu.YoucanaddittotheStartmenuortothedesktopbycreatinga
newshortcut,typingRegeditinthecommandlinefield,andclickingOK.OryoucanjustgotoStart Run Regedit.Whichapproachyoushoulduseisupto
youifyou'retechnicallyadeptandaretheonlypersonwhousesyourcomputer,goaheadandaddanicon.Ifotherpeopleuseyourcomputer,Isuggestresistingthe
temptationtocreateaniconforit.
WhenyoulaunchRegedit,itswindowwilllooklikeFigure21.RegeditresemblesWindowsExplorersomewhatbothinfeelandinconcept.Thefoldersresemble
subfoldersofaharddrive,soIwillrefertotheminthesamefashionreferringtoHKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\DesktopjustasIwouldC:\Windows\
System.WhenIsaytonavigatetoHKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\DesktopjustasImeandoubleclickonHKEY_CURRENT_USER,thendouble
clickControlPanel,thendoubleclickDesktop.
JustasyoucancreateanewfilebyrightclickinginanemptyareainExplorerandselectingNewfromthepopupmenu,youcancreateanewregistrykeyby
rightclickinginanemptyareainRegeditandselectingNew.
Theregistry'slayoutisabitcomplicated,butsomeexplanationmakesitmuchmorelogical.Theregistryisdividedintosixmajorsubtrees:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT(HKCR)
Thispartcontainsuserinterfaceinformation,suchasshortcutsettings,draganddropoperations,andfileassociations.ThesettingsheredefineWindows'reaction
tomouseclicks,menus,andtheotherfundamentalthingsthatmake
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Figure21.
LaunchingRegedit
Windows9xfeellikeWindows9x.ThisbranchisamirrorofHKLM\Software\Classes.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER(HKCU)
Thispartcontainssettingsorpreferencesforthecurrentlyloggedinuser.Manyimportantperformancetuningsettingsarelocatedhere.Unfortunately,Windows
isinconsistentaboutwhichsettingsshouldbeglobalandwhichsettingsshouldapplyonlytothecurrentuser,soifyouhaveanetworkedenvironmentwithmore
thanoneuserloggingintoaPC,youmayhavetodosomeoftheoptimizationsforeachuserwhologsin.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE(HKLM)
Thispartcontainsgeneric,globalhardwareandsoftwaresettingsthatapplytoallusersofthemachine.ThesesettingsarestoredinWindows\system.dat.
Becauseoftheglobalnatureofthissubtree,optimizationsperformedhereonlyhavetotakeplaceonce.
HKEY_USERS(HKU)
Thispartcontainsallofthedataforallofthemachine'susers.Thinkofthisasthepermanentstorageareaforeachuser'sHKCUsubtree.EachuserofthePC
getsaseparatesubkeyhere,whichismirroredtoHKCUatlogon.Ifthesystemhasonlyoneuser,theonlysubkeyhereiscalled.Default.
Thisbranch'svaluesarestoredin\Windows\user.dat,andifprofilesareenabled,in\Windows\Profiles\<loginname>\user.dat.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG(HKCC)
ThispartisthesourceofHKLM.Windows9xsupportsmultiplehardwareconfigurations,althoughthisabilityisseldomusedexceptonlaptopcomputers.Each
configurationhasanumber,andthisnumberistheconfiguration'ssubkeyunderHKCC.WhenWindowsbootsandyouselectahardwareconfiguration,that
configurationismirroredfromHKCCtoHKLM.
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IfyouhavemultiplehardwareprofilesenabledonyourPCforinstance,ifyouhavealaptopwithseparateprofilesfortheofficeandforhomeandyouwant
tooptimizeit,youmustperformtheseoptimizationsonceineachprofile.
HKEY_DYN_DATA(HKDD)
Asthenamesuggests,thispartcontainsdynamicdatathatcanchange.Thissubtreeexistsonlyinmemory,notineitheroftheregistry'sfiles.ThiscontainsPlug
andPlayinformationandperformancemonitoringstatistics.
Fromthestandpointofperformancetuning,theonlytrulyimportantregistrysubtreesareHKCUandHKLM.HKCCandHKUareimportantonlybecausetheyare
thesourceforHKLMandHKCU,butitissaferandeasiertomanipulateHKLMandHKCUthanitistomanipulateHKCCandHKUdirectly.
Inthefollowingsections,IwillexplainthevarioussubkeysinHKCUandHKLM,sinceanoverviewofthesesubtreesaddsalittlebitofclarificationtowhatweare
doingintherestofthechapter.TheWindowsregistryismuchlikeanunfamiliarcity.Amapisnosubstituteforalifetimespentinthecity,butithelpsyouto
understandwrittendirectionsabitbetter.Whatfollowsisamapofthetwomostimportantpartsofthecity,orregistry.Thewrittendirectionswillfollowthemap.
Ifyouwantamoredetaileddiscussionoftheregistry,thereareseveralbooksavailable.Windows95inaNutshell,byTimO'ReillyandTroyMott(O'Reilly&
Associates),anditscompanionbookbyO'Reilly,Mott,andWalterGlenn,Windows98inaNutshell(O'Reilly&Associates),bothdedicateafullchaptertoan
overviewoftheregistryfromtheuser'sstandpoint.InsidetheWindows95Registry,byRonPetrusha(O'Reilly&Associates),goesintomuchmoredetailaboutthe
registryandhowitworks,andcoversadvanceduseofRegeditfromtheperspectiveofasoftwaredeveloper.Experienceduserswantingamorethorough
understandingoftheregistrywillbenefitfromconsultingInsidetheWindows95Registry.
Althoughperformancetuningdoesrequiresomespelunkingintotheregistry,theseexcursionsarelimitedtoafewsmallareas.Theimportantareas(fromasystem
optimizationstandpoint)arenoted.Abriefoverviewofthelessimportantareasisprovidedstrictlyforclarityforthesamereasonpeoplewillusuallydescribenearby
streetsaswellasthedestinationstreetwhengivingdirections.
HKCU
HKCUcontainsseventoplevelsubkeysthatdefinehowWindowswillbehave.Theirstructureissomewhatinconsistentmerelyarepositoryforthedatatheauthors
ofWindowsandwhateverapplicationsyouhaveinstalledfeltnecessarytostoresomeplace.Thisinconsistency,unfortunately,goesallthewaydowntothe
capitalizationanduseofspacesinthesubkeys.
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HKCU\AppEventsstorestheassociationsbetweenapplicationeventsandthesoundsthesystemplayswhentheyoccur.Whenyouselectasoundschemeinthe
ControlPanel(somethingthatisalmostalwaysdetrimentaltoperformance,asstatedearlier),theinformationcontainedintheschemeisstoredhere.
HKCU\ControlPanelstoressomeofthedatafromtheControlPanelapplets,thoughmanyControlPanelsettingsarestillstoredin.inifiles.Windows9x's
inconsistenciesarerarelymoreevidentthantheyarehere:notallchangeablecontrolpanelsettingsarestoredinHKCU/ControlPanel,andnotallofthechangeable
settingsstoredinHKCU/ControlPanelareaccessibleandchangeablefromtheControlPanelapplets.Thereareseveralsettingsthatcanbechangedheretoimprove
performance.
HKCU\InstallLocationsMRUliststhelastfivelocationsfromwhichsoftwarewasinstalled(MRUstandsforMostRecentlyUsed).Thissubtreehasnobearingon
systemoptimization.
HKCU\keyboardlayoutisusedonlyinmultilingualWindows95setups,ifyouhavedefinedmultiplekeyboardlayoutsinControlPanel Keyboard Language.
Again,thissubtreehasnobearingonsystemoptimization.
HKCU\Networkstoresnetworkconnectionsyouhavemade.Thissubtreehasnobearingonsystemoptimization.
HKCU\RemoteAccessstoresdataforDialUpNetworking,andhasnobearingonsystemoptimization.
HKCU\Softwarecontainssubkeysforeachvendorwhosesoftwareyouhaveinstalled,knowinglyorunknowingly,onyourPC.Eachvendor'ssubkeyinturnhas
subkeysforeachinstalledproduct.SoftwaresettingsthatchangefromusertouserarestoredhereglobalsoftwaresettingsarestoredinHKLM\SOFTWARE.
HKLM
HKLMcontainseighttoplevelsubkeys,oneofwhichisnotpresentonallsystems.TheirstructureisnotnecessarilyconsistentwithinHKLMnorwithinHKCU.
HKCU\SoftwareandHKLM\SOFTWAREworktogether,yeteventheirnameconventionsareinconsistent.Inconsistenciessuchastheseareoneofthemost
frustratingandintimidatingaspectsoftheregistry.
HKLM\Configishometohardwareprofiles.ThecurrentlyselectedprofileismirroredtoHKCC.Thissubtreehasnobearingonsystemoptimization.
HKLM\DesktopManagementisnotpresentonallsystems.ItprovidesinformationforMicrosoft'sDesktopManagementInterface(DMI).Ithasnobearingon
systemoptimization.
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HKLM\Enumisagoodplacetoavoid.ThissubkeycontainsPlugandPlayandotherhardwarerelatedinformation.Ithasnobearingonsystemoptimization.
HKLM\hardwarecontainsmorehardwarerelatedinformation,includingserialportinformationandsettingsandCPUinformation.Again,thissubkeyhasnobearing
onsystemoptimization.
HKLM\Networkcontainsnetworksettings,usedheavilybyDialUpNetworking.Thishasnorelevancetosystemoptimization.
HKLM\Securityisusedbyremoteadministration.Itispoorlydocumentedandisirrelevanttosystemoptimization.
HKLM\SOFTWAREisveryimportanttothesystem,butalloftheWindowssettingsworthchangingareactuallystoredinitscompanionsection,HKCU\Software.
HKLM\Systemisthemostimportantsectionfromasystemoptimizationstandpoint.Systemstartup,devicedriver,andoperatingsysteminformationandsettingslive
here.ThesubkeyCurrentControlSethasanumberofchangeablevalues.
BackingUptheRegistry
Windows98automaticallykeepsfivebackupcopiesoftheregistryWindows95keepsasinglebackupcopyoftheregistrymadeafteritwasfirstinstalled.
Whicheverversionyourun,you'remuchbetteroffmakingabackupcopybeforeyoumakeanychangestotheregistry.
Beforeyoumakeanyoftheregistrychangessuggestedinthischapter,restartyourcomputerinDOSmode(Start Shutdown
mode Yes).
RestartthecomputerinMSDOS
Inlaterchapters,IsuggestmakingadirectorycalledC:\Windows\backups.xyzforstoringbackupcopiesofvariousWindowsfiles.We'lldothatnow,thenwe'll
copytheregistryintothatdirectory:
c:\>cdc:\Windows
c:\windows>mdbackups.xyz
c:\windows>attribhrssystem.dat
c:\windows>attribhrsuser.dat
c:\windows>copysystem.datbackups.xyz
c:\windows>copyuser.datbackups.xyz
c:\windows>attrib+h+r+ssystem.dat
c:\windows>attrib+h+r+suser.dat
Nowthatyouhaveabackupcopy,restartyourcomputernormally.
Afteryou'vedonethis,afewsimplecommandsfromMSDOSmode(notfromwithinaDOSboxintheWindowsGUI!)willrestoreyourregistryfromthelast
backupyoumade:
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c:\>cdc:\windows
c:\windows>attribhrssystem.dat
c:\windows>attribhrsuser.dat
c:\windows>copysystem.datsystem.bad
c:\windows>copyuser.datuser.bad
c:\windows>copybackups.xyz\user.dat
c:\windows>copybackups.xyz\system.dat
c:\windows>attrib+h+r+ssystem.dat
c:\windows>attrib+h+r+suser.dat
Restartingwillrestoreyourcomputertoitslastgoodstate.
SincetheselastfewtipsrequireRegeditunlessyouarewillingtoinstallMicrosoft'sPowerToys,theyareslightlymoredifficulttoimplement.Thelasttwocannotbe
implementedwithPowerToys,thoughvariousfreewareprogramscanmanipulatethem.Thesetipsscareliabilitylawyersmorethantheyshouldscareyou,however.
Aslongasyouexercisecaution,don'trush,andfollowtheinstructionsexactly,youwillcausenoharmtoyoursystem.Evenifyoudomakeamistake,abackupcopy
willgetyoubackupandrunning.Domakesureyoumakeabackupcopy,becauseusuallytheonlywaytoreviveasystemwithacorruptregistryandnobackup
copyistoreinstallWindowsentirely,orrestorefromabackupcopyasdescribedinChapter1.
TurnOffWindows95'sWindowAnimation
Bydefault,Windows95makesitswindowsexplodeintoandoutofthetaskbar.ThisanimationeatsupCPUtime,especiallyoncomputerswithslowprocessors
and/orslowvideocards,andforsomepeopleit'sdistracting.Toturnthisfeatureoff,launchRegedit.NavigatetoHKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop\
WindowMetrics.LookforanentrytitledMinAnimate.Ifit'snotpresent,rightclickanemptyspotinthewindowandselectNew\StringValue.TypeMinAnimateand
hitEnter.NowdoubleclickonMinAnimate,deleteitsdefaultvalueof0,andEnteravalueof1.Thischangerequiresyoutorestartthesystem.
Ifyou'renotcomfortableplayingwiththeregistry,downloadtheWindows95PowerToys,whichpermitchangestothisvalue.ThistipisunnecessaryinWindows98,
whichallowsyoutoturnoffanimationfromtheEffectstaboftheDisplayControlPanel,asdescribedearlierinthischapter.
TurnOffPauseinMenus
UnlessInternetExplorer4or5isinstalled,Windows95pausesforaninstantbeforeitdisplaysthecontentsofitsmenus.TheonlyexplanationIcanthinkofforthisis
dramaticeffect,andifIwanteddrama,I'dgotothetheater.Toturnthisoff,openRegedit,navigatetoHKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop.
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LookforanentrycalledMenuShowDelay.Ifit'snotthere,rightclickanemptyspotinthewindowandselectNew\StringValue.TypeMenuShowDelayandpress
Enter.NowdoubleclickMenuShowDelay,andgiveitavalueof1.Thestartmenu,taskbar,andmenuswillnowbemuchfaster.
InternetExplorer4and5bothdisablethiskey,sochangingthiskeyhasnopositiveeffectonWindows98systemsorWindows95systemswitharecentversionof
InternetExplorer.
Alternatively,youcanchangethissettingwithMicrosoft'sWindows95PowerToys,ifyouprefernottodiveintotheregistry.
TurnOffClickHeretoBegin
ThepreInternetExplorer4Windows95alsoshootsananimatedarrowacrossthetaskbaratbootup,pointingattheStartmenu,andtellingyoutoclickhereto
begin.Mostofusalreadyknowtodothis,andthosewhodon'tusuallyfigureitoutprettyquickly.ThisislittlemorethanadistractiononnewerPCs,butonslower
machines,thisprocesscaninterferewiththelaunchofyourfirstprogramifyoutrytonavigatetheStartmenuwhiletheanimationisstillplaying.Youcanupgradeyour
CPUandvideocard,oryoucanjustturnofftheuselessfluff.Todothat,openRegeditandnavigateto
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.LookforavaluetitledNoStartBanner.Ifit'snotpresent,rightclicka
blankareaandselectNew\BinaryValue.TypeNoStartBannerandhitEnter.DoubleclickNoStartBanner,andchangeitsvalueto01.Thischangerequiresareboot
totakeeffect.
TuneWindows9xtoYourModernCDROMDrive
Likethefilesystemsettingsforthecomputerprofiles,theCDROMaccesspatternsarestoredintheregistry,sowecanmodifythem.(Unfortunately,Windows
doesn'tdynamicallyallocatememorytoCDROMcachinglikeitdoestodiskcaching.)Allthecontrolpanel'sSystemappletdoesiswritepredefinedvaluesintothe
registry.Tofinetuneperformance,wecanjustoverwritethosevaluesmanuallywithourownvalues.
StartRegedit(Start Run Regedit),andnavigatetoHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\FileSystem\CDFS.There,youwillfind
twokeysnamedCacheSizeandPrefetch.ThesecanbestoredasDWORDvaluesorasbinaryvaluestheeasiestwaytotellistodoubleclickontheentryandlook
attheresultingdialogbox.Ifitsays,"EditDWORDvalue,"it'saDWORDkey,whereasifitsays,"EditBinaryvalue,"it'sabinaryvalue.
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ThevalueyoushoulduseforCacheSizedependsonhowmuchmemoryyou'rewillingtodedicatetotheCDROMcache.Thiswillrequiresomeexperimentationwith
yourfavoriteCDROMtitles,sincesometitlesbenefitverylittlefromthesesettings,whileothersbenefitagreatdeal.Youwanttoincreaseyourvaluesenoughto
makeanoticeabledifference,butunlessyouhavemorethan64MBofRAM,youprobablydon'twanttogodedicatingover4MBofmemoryjusttoaCDROM
cache.
TheCacheSizeparametertellsWindowshowmany2KBpagestouseforcachingtheCDROMdrive.Table21givesalistofsuggestedvalues,containingapage
countindecimal,alongwiththememoryusageofeachsetting,andthebinaryandDWORDvaluesthatimplementeachsetting.
Don'tletthebinaryvaluesconfuseyouiftheydon'tlookliketheonesandzeroesyourememberfromusingthebinarysysteminmathclass.Theregistrystoresits
binaryvaluesinhexadecimal(base16,usingthenumbers09andthelettersaf)insteadofbinary.Hexadecimaltranslatesmuchmorequicklyandeasilyintobinary
thandoesourdecimal(base10)numberingsystem,andit'smucheasiertotypethanbinary.
Table21.CacheSizeParameterValues
PageCount
MemoryUsage
(inKB)
Binary
DWORD
619
1238
6b,02,00,00
0000026b
1238
2476
d6,04,00,00
000004d6
2476
4952
ac,09,00,00
000009ac
Table22providesalistofprefetchvalues.TheprefetchvalueisslightlyhigherthantheamountofmemoryinkilobytesthatWindowswillusetocachetheCDROM
drive,butyoucanmakeaquickestimateofhowmuchmemoryWindowswillbeusingbyaddingtheCacheSizeandPrefetch.
Table22.PrefetchParameterValues
CDROMSpeed
Decimal
Binary
DWORD
4x[Default]
228
e4,00,00,00
000000e4
8x
448
c0,01,00,00
000001c0
16x
896
80,03,00,00
00000380
24x
1344
40,05,00,00
00000540
32x
1792
00,07,00,00
00000700
Thesearesuggestedvaluesforthegivendrivespeeds,butfeelfreetomoveupordownthescaleasavailablememorypermits.Yourold4xdrivewouldbenefit
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fromthe32xparametersifyouhavetheextramemorytodedicatetoit.Thefasterdrivesbenefitmore,butifyouhavesomegamesthatusetheCDROMdrive
extensively,goaheadanduselargeCacheSizeandPrefetchvalues.
RecoverThatWastedCDROMCacheMemory
It'spossibletousetheprinciplesfromtheprevioussectiontorecoverthe64KofmemorythatWindowsinsistsonusingtocacheyourphantomCDROMdriveon
CDlesssystemsortosavememoryonsystemsthathaveCDROMdrivesthatarerarelyused.SimplyopenRegedit(Start Run Regedit),navigateto
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\FileSystem\CDFS,andzerooutthevalueforPrefetch.
ThebestwaytokeepWindowsfromwastingmemoryonlowRAMsystemsis,ofcourse,tonevergiveittheopportunity.
FixtheWindows95/95AFilesystemBug
Outofthebox,Windows95and95AstorethewrongnumberofpathsandfilesintheNetworkServertemplate.Thiscausesgreatlyreducedperformanceifyou
selectthistemplate.
Tofixthisbug,youneedtoloadRegeditbygoingtoStart Run RegeditandthenhittingEnter.Navigateto
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\FSTemplates\Server.ThevaluesforNameCacheandPathCachearereversed.
DoubleclickNameCache,deletethefirsttwonumbers,andtypeA90A.Next,doubleclickPathCache,deletethefirsttwonumbers,andtype4000.Nowclose
Regeditandrestartyourcomputer.
ImprovetheWindows9xServerTemplateEvenMore
IfyouhaveanuninterruptiblepowersupplyandanyversionofWindows95or98,goaheadandthrowsomemorememoryatthediskspeedproblem.Followthe
sameprocedureasintheprevioussection,butinsteadoftypingA90A,type5215.Insteadoftyping4000,type8000.Ifyouhavemorethan32MBofRAMand
aUPS,enterA42AinplaceofA90A,and0001inplaceof4000.AsI'vesaidbefore(butitneverhurtstosayitagain),aUPSisagoodinvestmentforreasons
otherthanthisintheeventofapowerfailure,yougetafewminutestogracefullyshutyoursystemdown,whichwillpreventdataloss.AndtheUPSwillensureyour
systemgetscleanerpower,makingitcrashlessfrequently.
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ReduceFilesystemFragmentation
Thereisatrickcommonlypassedaroundonlineasawaytooptimizethefilesystemformultimediaapplications.ThestandardadviceistoselectStart Run
Regedit,thennavigatetoHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\FileSystemandgotoNew DWORD ConfigFileAllocSize.Then
doubleclick Decimal 512.Thistrickismoreofaplacebothananythingelse,asthedefaultsettingis500.
ThissettingsimplytellsWindowshowmuchfreespace,inkilobytes,itshouldlookforwhenwritinganewfile.Ifallyoudoisworkwithlargefiles,suchasaudioand
videoapplications,youwillwantalargesetting,suchas1024.
Ifyouworkwithalotofsmallfilesforinstance,ifyourprimaryusesforacomputerarewordprocessing,email,andgamingyoumightbebetterservedwitha
smallernumberbecauseyourtypicalfileswillbemuchsmallerthanthedefault500KB,andWindowswon'twasteitstimelookingforablockoffreespacelarger
thanyourtypicalfilesize.
Formostpurposes,thedefaultsettingof500KBisfine.Butifyouwantasupertunedsystem,here'showtogoaboutfindinganappropriatesettingforthisentry.Go
toStart Run Command,whichwillopenacommandprompt.Enterthissinglecommand:
c:\>dirc:\/w/s
ThiscommandforcesWindowstorunthroughandlisteveryfileonyourharddrive.We'reinterestedinthelaststatementitmakesthefiletotals.Dividethetotal
numberofbytesusedbythetotalnumberoffiles,thendividethatnumberby1024togetanaveragefilesizeinkilobytes.Ononeofmysystems,Igetatotalof9,494
files,occupying4,228,611,074bytes.That'sanaveragefilesizeofabout435K.Onanotheroneofmysystems,wheremyusagehabitsaredifferent,theaveragefile
sizeisonly137K.
Tofindavalueforthisregistryentry,divideyouraveragesizeby32,rounduptothenextwholenumber,thenmultiplyby32again.Soratherthanuseaminimumfile
sizeof137K,Iwouldspecifyasizeofatleast160K.Onmyothersystem,asizeof448Kistheoreticallymoreappropriate.
Ifyouraveragefilesizeislargerthan500K,youdefinitelywanttoadjustthedefaultnumberupward.
I'mnotsosurethatIwouldwanttochangethissettingoneitherofmysystemsdescribedhere,however,sinceit'sfarbetterforthisvaluetobetoolargethantoo
small.Afterall,lookingfora160Kblocktowritea600Kfilewillresultinfragmentation.Ifthere'salargedisparitybetweenyouraveragefilesizeandthe500K
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defaultsuchasthereisonmysystemwithanaveragefilesizeof137Kyoucanspeeddiskwritesslightlybyadjustingthissettingdownward,aslongasyou're
defragmentingyourdrivefrequently.
That'sitfortheclassictips.Thesearetheeasiesttrickstoimplement,sincetheydon'trequiremuchdiggingintothesystem.AfewminutesintheControlPanelcan
quicklyimplementthemajorityofthesetricksonanysystem.ButtherearestillplentyofthingsyoucandotomakeWindowsrunfaster:theyjustrequireamore
thoroughunderstandingofthesystemsatworkbelowtheprettygraphicalinterface.
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3
DiskOptimization
MostpeopleknowthattheyneedtorunScanDiskandDefragontheircomputerseveryonceinawhile,andmostpeoplehaveavagueideathatthesetwoprograms
somehowmaketheirharddrivefasterandmorereliable.
However,routineuseofthedisktoolsMicrosoftincludedwithWindowsisneitherthefirstwordnorthelastwordindiskoptimization.Theharddriveisoneofthe
biggestbottlenecksinyoursystem,sonomatterwhatyoudowithyoursystemandnomatterwhichharddriveyouhaveinit,youwanttodoeverythingyoucanto
helpoutyourharddrive.
TheconstantthemeofthisbookisworkingwithinWindow'slimitations.Thisisalwaysimportant,butnowhereisitmoreimportantthanwhendealingwithharddrives.
Therearefivefactorsthatslowdownyourdrive.Theyare:
Thenumberofentriesincrucialsystemdirectories.Fortunately,thiscanbefixedwithoutanyspecialtools.
Fragmentation.ThiscanbecorrectedwithDefrag,thediskoptimizerincludedwithWindows,orwithathirdpartydiskoptimizer.
Physicallimitationsofthediskitself,whichcausebetterperformanceontheoutermosttracksthanontheinnermost.Defragcandoalittlebittohelpthis,butit
takesathirdpartydiskoptimizertoreallycombatthisproblem.
Thefilesystem.FAT16isfasterthanFAT32,period.
Datacompression.Itmadesomesenseintheearly1990s,butnotontoday'ssupercheapgargantuanharddrives.Theperformancedrainisjusttoogreat,andthe
gaintoolow.
Onceyouknowthethingsthatslowyourdiskdown,youcantakestepstostartfixingthem.
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DirectoryOptimization
There'salittleknownoptimizationtrickthat'sperhapsevenmoreeffectivethandefragmentation.Ithascirculatedingurucirclesforyears,butIhaveonlyseenitin
printonceburiedintheoldMicrosoftMSDOS5manual,whereitwasmentionedonlyinpassingandIhaveneverseenagoodexplanationofwhyitworks.The
trickistolimitthenumberofentriesyouhaveincrucialsystemdirectories,especiallyintheroot.
Thereasonwhythisworksisobvioustoanysecondsemestercomputersciencestudentonceheorshethinksaboutit.TheFATfilesystemstoresitsdirectoriesas
linkedlists,whichareveryeasytoprogrambutnotoriousforbecomingveryslowasthenumberofentriesincreases.
OptimizingYourRootDirectory
Foryears,programssimplyinstalledthemselvesintheirowndedicatedsubdirectorieshangingofftheroot.WordPerfect5.1installeditselfinC:\WP51,Lotus123
installeditselfinC:\123,DOSinstalleditselfinC:\DOS,andWindowsinC:\Windows.Itwasn'tuncommonatalltofinddozensanddozensofentriesintheroot
directoryofC.Thisdidn'tseemlikeaproblemtosoftwaremanufacturers,becausetherootdirectoryofharddrivescouldstore512entries.
Windows95forcedthistochange.Traditionally,FATComponentshavebeenlimitedtoeightcharactersplusathreecharacterextension.Windows95'sVFAT
addressedthisproblem,permittinglongComponentsbyspanningthenamesacrossmultipledirectoryentries.Butthiscreatedanotherproblem:it'sdifficulttoknow
forcertainhowmanydirectoryentriesareactuallyinuseonaWindows95computer,sinceanyComponentthatcontainsaspace,uppercasecharacters,ormore
thaneightcharactersisoccupyingatleasttwodirectoryentries.WithlongComponentsinthemixnow,itdidn'ttakelongforthatoncelarge512entrylimitto
becomeinadequate.TheeasiestsolutionwastostopinstallingprogramsintotherootdirectoryandstartinstallingthembydefaultinC:\ProgramFilesinstead.This
wentalongwaytowardhelpingtomakePCsrunfaster.
ThistrickworksbecauseFATdirectoriesarealsolinkedlists.Let'stakethischapterasanexample.Forthesakeofargument,we'llsayit'sstoredinC:\My
Documents\Books\OptimizingWindows\Chapter3.doc.Thereare17entriesinmyrootdirectory.WindowssortsthroughthemuntilitfindsMyDocuments.That
directoryhashundredsofentries,becauseIwritealotandIneverthrowanythingaway.Ikeeptheimportantstuffsorted,butadmittedlythat'smoreformy
conveniencethanformycomputer's.Finally,WindowsfindstheentryforBooks.SincethisisthefirstbookI'vepublished,therearen'tmanyentriesthere.Acoupleof
worksinprogress,plusthisone,soitfindsOptimizingWindowspretty
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quickly.Sincethisbookisprettyshort,therearen'tmanyentriesinsideiteither.ItfindsChapter3.docprettyquicklyaswell.
Butaftersteppingthroughthatprocess,isn'titeasytoseehowwecouldhavemadethedocumentloadmuchfasterifIhadcorralledallthosehundredsofloosefiles
inMyDocumentsintoadirectorycalled,say,JunkorMisc?
Ifyoupartitionyourdrive,youforceaprettyefficientrootdirectorystructure.IfyoupartitionyourdrivewithPartitionMagicandthenusetheincludedMagicMover
utilitytomoveyourapplicationsdirectoriesintoonepartitionandyourdatadirectoriesintoanotherpartition,you'llhaveaprettyefficientdiskstructure.Ifyoudon't
havePartitionMagic,youcanaccomplishmuchthesamethingmanuallybyuninstallingapplicationsbeforeyouresize,thenreinstallingthoseapplicationsinthenew
partition.Inmostcasesyoucanmovedatapartitionsjustbydraggingtheircontentsfromonedrivetoanother.
Whichevermethodyouuse,you'llprobablyhavetopointyourapplicationstowardsyourdata'snewhomeusuallyanapplicationwillhaveaPreferencesmenu
buriedsomewhereinitsmenustructure,whereyoucanspecifythelocationsofitsdatafiles.
Ideally,yourdrivemapshouldlooksomethinglikethis:
DirectoryofC:\
RECYCLED<DIR>0404984:52PRECYCLED
WINDOWS<DIR>0404984:46PWINDOWS
IOSYS214,83608249611:11AIO.SYS
SYSTEM1ST230,1160110993:47PSYSTEM.1ST
COMMANDCOM93,81208249611:11aCOMMAND.COM
MSDOSSYS1,7300327981:36pMSDOS.SYS
CONFIGSYS1880327981:36pCONFIG.SYS
AUTOEXECBAT1220401997:40pAUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXECDOS920110993:37pAUTOEXEC.DOS
CONFIGDOS670328997:54pCONFIG.DOS
DirectoryofD:\
PROGRA~1<DIR>12029810:41pProgramFiles
DirectoryofE:\
MYDOCU~1<DIR>12029810:37pMyDocuments
DirectoryofF:\
TEMP<DIR>12029810:57pTEMP
CACHE<DIR>12029810:59pCACHE
DirectoryofG:\
WIN386SWP001279911:38pWIN386.SWP
Butidealismandrealityarerarelythesame.WindowsnormallyputsanumberoffilesintherootofC:\thatareofquestionablenecessity.Justtobeonthesafe
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side,IcreateadirectoryinsideC:\Windowscalledbackups.xyz.Imovealltheextraneousfiles,likeMSDOS.*,andautoexec.old,allthe.txtand.logfiles,and
anythingelsenotonthelistoffilesaboveintothisdirectory.
Ifyouhaveapplicationsthatinstalledthemselvesintotherootdirectoryononeofyourdrives,movetheminto\ProgramFileswithPowerQuest'sMagicMover
(whichcomeswithPartitionMagic)orwithCleanSweeporUnInstaller.Ifyoudon'thaveanyoftheseutilities,youcanuseWindows'Add/RemoveProgramsapplet
touninstallthemandreinstallthem,andspecifyasubdirectorywithin\ProgramFileswhenitpromptsyouforadestinationdirectory.SomeolderWindows3.1
applicationswon'taccept\ProgramFilesasavaliddirectorynameinthosecases,specify\progra~1\instead.Thevastmajorityofold16bitapplicationswill
acceptthatdirectoryname.
OptimizingYourDataandApplicationsDrives
Technically,ifyoudedicateapartitionexclusivelytodataandexclusivelytoapplicationsandmovethosefilesthere,youcandispensewiththeProgramFilesandMy
Documentssubdirectories,butsinceFAT16driveshavealimitednumberofentriesintherootdirectory,Icontinuetousethesedirectoriesanyway.Itseemslikemy
applicationsanddatadrivesalwaysenduptemporarilyholdingnonrelateddatawhetherIplanitthatwayornotkeepingpermanentstuffinonepermanent
subdirectoryhelpsmecleanthingsupafterthefact.
Youwillwanttosortthecontentsofyourapplicationsanddatadirectoriesintosubdirectoriesforoptimalspeed.Howyouorganizeyourdatafilesiscompletelyupto
you:inventasystemthatmakessensetoyou.Organizingyourapplicationsisabittrickier.Gameswillusuallysortthemselvesbymanufacturer.Sierragames,for
instance,alwaysseemtowanttoinstallinto\ProgramFiles\Sierra\[title].YoumayjustwanttosorttheProgramFilessubdirectoriesbycategory:putgamesinto
\ProgramFiles\Games,applicationsinto\ProgramFiles\Apps,utilitiesinto\ProgramFiles\Utilities,andsoon.Trytothinkofcategoriesthatwillgiveyoua
numberofsubdirectorieswithroughlyanequalnumberofentries.Butifyoudon'thavemorethanacoupledozensubdirectories,don'tbother.You'llspendmoretime
organizingthanyou'llsaveinincreasedperformance.
Trytolookfortheobviousasyougothroughthisprocess.Forinstance,my\ProgramFilesdirectoryhad22entriesinit.Ofthose,sixwereInternetrelatedutilities,
soIcreatedasubdirectoryandmovedthoseapplications'subdirectoriesintoit,droppingthenumberofentriesto17.Anotherfourweregraphicsutilities,soIcreated
anothersubdirectoryforthem,reducingthenumberofentriesto14.That'squickreductionofthedirectorysizebyjustoverathird.ButthenInoticedthatoneof
thoseremainingapplicationswasamusiceditor,andanotherwasCDrecordingsoftware.Whynotmakethegraphicsdirectorymultimediainsteadandinclude
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thosetwoapplications?Thekeyisoftennottogettoopreciseinsortingifasubdirectoryonlyhasthreeentriesinit,it'sprobablynotworthhaving.Shootforbetween
6and12entriessendingyourPCdownalongtrailofsmallsubdirectoriesisn'tanybetterthangivingitonehugeunsorteddirectory.
Youdon'twanttomessaroundmuchinsideyourapplicationsdirectoriesthemselvesthelocationsofmostapplicationsfilesarehardcoded.Theexceptiontothisis
yourdataifyourapplicationcanstoredataelsewhere,say,inside\MyDocuments,moveyourdatathere.Someapplicationsdefaulttostoringyourdatainthesame
directoryastheapplicationitself,whichhindersperformanceandconfusesfilemanagement.There'soneothernotableexception.Microsoftsoftwarehasanannoying
tendencytocreatedirectoriescalledMscreate.diralloveryourharddisk.Toquicklypurgeyourdriveofthisspaceandperformancehoggingmenace,gotoStart
Find Filesorfolders Named mscreate.dir Lookin MyComputer FindNow CtrlAShiftDelete Yes Yestoall.Repeatthisprocess
anytimeyouinstallanypieceofsoftwarefromMicrosoft.
OptimizingYourWindowsDirectory
Thereisonedirectorythat'salwaysworthoptimizing,andit'sprobablyworthallthetimeittakestooptimize:C:\Windows.Itisalwaysamess.It'snotuncommonfor
thisdirectorytohaveseveralhundredfilesinit.I'vemanagedtowhittleitdowntoabout140files,andthespeedupafterdoingsoisnoticeable.You'veprobably
noticedthatWindowsalwaysseemsmuchfastertightafterit'sbeenfreshlyinstalled,andonceyoustartedinstallingapplications,itslowsdown.That'sbecauseyour
applicationsaredumpingfilesintoC:\Windows,andsinceWindowsandjustabouteveryapplicationinexistenceloadfilesfromthatdirectory,anythingthataffects
thespeedofthatdirectory,eitherpositivelyornegatively,willhaveaglobaleffectonsystemperformance.
Withthatinmind,ImakeaWindowssubdirectoryinsideC:\Windows\backups.xyzandstartmovingfilesintoit.Istartwithanyfilewithanextensionof.bakor.old.
You'renotlikelytoeverneedthesefiles,butsincetheytendtobesmall,Idon'tworryaboutthediskspace.IthrowtheminthebackupdirectoryontheoffchanceI
mightonedayneedthem,andIdothesameforanyfilewithanumericextension,suchassystem.001.There,theyconsumeaminimalamountofdiskspaceand
they'renotinthewayofanything.Thereareafew.docand.txtfilesintheWindowsdirectoryaswell.Youcaneithermovethoseintothebackupdirectoryordelete
thementirely.Deleteany.tmpor.mpfilesyoufindintheWindowsdirectory.Ifyouusedesktopwallpaper,createadirectorycalledC:\Windows\wallpaper(or
betteryet,x:\MyDocuments\Wallpaper,specifyingthedriveletterofyourdatadriveforx,ofcourse)andmoveallthe.bmpfilesintoit.Whenyougotochoose
yourwallpaper,you'llhavetoopenthatsubdirectory
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firstselectControlPanel Display Wallpaper Browse Drives <drivethatcontainsMyDocuments> MyDocuments Wallpaper.Thisaddsa

fewstepstochangingyourwallpaper,butdoingthiswillkeepalargecollectionofwallpaperfromsignificantlyslowingdownyoursystem.
You'relikelytoalsofindnumerousbackupcopiesofcriticalsystemconfigurationfiles.Thecrucialfilesaresystem.dat,user.dat,system.ini,andwin.ini.Ifyoufind
anyfilesbythesenameswithdifferentextensions(aquicklookintotheWindowsdirectoryononeofmymachinesrevealedbackupcopieswithextensionsof.bak,
.b4,.syd,.rdb,.cor,.nu4,and.hlxmanyofwhichcorrespondsomewhattosoftwarepackagesI'veeitherinstalledoratonetimehadinstalledonthatPC),move
themintoC:\Windows\backups.xyz\Windows.Ifyouwanttoalwayshaveapristinesystem,doublecheckyourWindowsdirectoryeverytimeyouinstalloruninstall
asoftwarepackage,sincethesearetheoperationsmostlikelytogeneratebackupfiles.
Youcanautomatethisprocesstoadegreebyaddingthefollowinglinestoautoexec.bat:
Move/yc:\windows\win.*c:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Move/yc:\windows\system.*c:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Move/yc:\windows\*.bakc:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Move/yc:\windows\*.txtc:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Move/yc:\windows\*.oldc:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Move/yc:\windows\*.0??c:\windows\backups.xyz\windows
Movec:\windows\backups.xyz\windows\*.inic:\windows
Movec:\windows\backups.xyz\windows\*.datc:\windows
Movec:\windows\backups.xyz\windows\*.comc:\windows
Theselineswon'tcatcheveryfile,buttheywillgetthemajorityofthem.Thisisbetterthansimplydeletingthefiles,becauseonrareoccasions,youwillneedtorefer
backtoabackupcopyofyourfiles.IknowI'vebeenstuckneedingabackupbutnothavingonefartoomanytimes.Sincediskspaceischeap,wecanaffordto
keepsomeoldbackupfileslingeringaround,aslongasthey'renotgettinginthewayofimportantwork(orplay).
IfyouupgradedfromapreviousversionofWindows,thereareundoubtedlysomefilesleftoverfromyourpreviousversion,andmostofthemareunused.Search
yourWindowstreeforfilesthatmatchthedatesofanypreviousversionsofWindows,thenmovethemintotheBackups.xyzdirectory.Isuggestyourecreatethe
Windowsdirectorystructureinsideyourbackupdirectory,storinganyfilesyoufindinC:\Windows\SystemintoC:\Windows\Backups.xyz\Windows\System.Ifit
turnsoutthatyouneededacertainfileafterall,itwillbemucheasiertorestoreitthatway.
ThesearethefiledatesthatcorrespondtovariousversionsofWindows:
03/10/92:Windows3.1
09/30/92:WindowsforWorkgroups3.1
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11/01/93:WindowsforWorkgroups3.11
12/31/93:Windows3.11
07/11/95:Windows95
08/10/96:Windows95OSR2
05/11/98:Windows98
IfyoufindadirectorycalledWIN32SinyourWindows9xdirectorystructure,deleteitaswell.Therewillbereferencestoitinyoursystem.inifile,sobesureto
removethoseafterdeletingWIN32S.WIN32Swasa32bitsubsystemthatallowedsome32bitWindowsprogramstorununderWindows3.x,andit'snolonger
neededunderWindows9x(Windows9xhasitsown32bitsubsystem).Afewprogramsmistakenlyinstallit.
Windowsalsoputsanumberof.exefilesinitsroot.ImoveagoodnumberoftheseintoC:\Windows\Command.Windowswillstillfindthemthere,andsystem
performancewillincrease
Generallyspeaking,youdon'twanttomoveapplicationsaroundbyhand,buttheC:\Windowsdirectoryplaysbyadifferentsetofrulesfromtherestofthesystem.
SinceC:\Windows,C:\Windows\Command,andC:\Windows\Systemareallinthesystempath,standardpracticeistocalljusttheexecutablefilewithoutspecifying
itsfullpath.SoexecutablefilesthatarepartofWindowscanresideinanyofthesethreedirectorieswithoutharmingWindows.
ItmaybetemptingtojustmovealltheexecutablefilesfromC:\WindowsintoC:\Windows\Command,seewhatbreaks,andmovefilesbackuntilyoufixallofthe
problems.That'saveryineffectiveapproachtosolvingthisproblemwhenItriedthatapproachonaWindows98system,itcausedsomanyproblemsthatIended
upreinstallingthewholeprogram.Justmovingthefilesbackdidn'tsolvetheproblem.Thiskindofoptimizationcallsforamoreconservative,oneatatimeapproach.
It'sbettertomovetoofewfilesthantoomany.
ManypeopletendtocopycertainubiquitoussmallutilitiessuchasPKZIP/UNZIPorInfoZIP'sZip/UnZip,usefulbatchfiles,utilitiesfromtheWindowsCDROM
andMicrosoft'sResourceKit,andotherusefulcommandlinetoolsintoC:\Windows.I'vedonethismyself.Ifyoudothis,movethosefilesoutofthereandstop
puttingthingsthere.Ifyou'reacommandlineutilityjunkielikeme,insteadofputtingtheseutilitiesintheovercrowdedC:\Windows,eitherputthemin
C:\Windows\Commandorfollowtheacceptedprocedureofcreatingautilitiesdirectorysomewhere(say,D:\ProgramFiles\Utils)andaddingittothePATH
statementinautoexec.bat.
MostWindowsinstallationswon'thaveallofthefileslistedinthischapter,butonanygivenmachine,youcanexpectasubsetofthesefilestomakeupasizeable
percentageoftheexecutablefilesintheC:\WindowsandC:\Windows\
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Systemdirectories.MostWindowsinstallationshave100ormoreexecutablefilesinC:\Windows,butyoushouldn'thaveanytroubledroppingthatnumberbelow
50thesmallestnumberofexecutablesI'veseeninafunctioningWindowsinstallationis22.
Therearenoissuestomovingthemajorityoftheexecutablefiles.Filesthathavenoissuesarelistedbelow,followedbyfilesthathaveminorissues.Ifafileisn'tlisted,
don'tmoveit.
FilesyoucanmovewithoutissuesintoC:\Windows\Command:
Arp.exe
Cfgback.exe
Clipbrd.exe
Clipbook.exe
Cmpagent.exe
Control.exe
Drwatson.exe
Extract.exe
Extrac32.exe
Faxcover.exe
Faxview.exe
Fontview.exe
FTP.exe
Grpconv.exe
Ipconfig.exe
Jview.exe
Logview.exe
Mkcompat.exe
Nbstat.exe
Net.exe
Netdde.exe
Netstat.exe
Netwatch.exe
Packager.exe
Ping.exe
Progman.exe
Qfecheck.exe
Quikview.exe
Regedit.exe
Route.exe
Scandisk.exe
Scanregw.exe
Shortcut.exe
Sysedit.exe
Sysmon.exe
Taskman.exe
Taskmon.exe
Telnet.exe
Tour98.exe
Tracert.exe
Tzedit.exe
Waitd.exe
Wangimg.exe
Welcome.exe
Win.com
Winfile.exe
Winhelp.exe
Winhlp32.exe
Winipcfg.exe
Wintop.exe
Winver.exe
FileswhoseStartmenuentrieswillhavetobeupdatedifyoumovethemtoC:\Windows\Command:
Aniedit.exe(AnimatedCursorEditor)
Cdplayer.exe(CDPlayer)
Cleanmgr.exe(CleanupManager)
Dialer.exe(PhoneDialer)
Exchng32.exe(Inbox,ontheWindowsdesktop)
Hypertrm.exe(HyperTerminal)
Infinst.exe(INFInstaller)
Mshearts.exe(Hearts)
Pbrush.exe(Paintbrush)
Pwledit.exe(PasswordListEditor)
Scandskw.exe(ScanDisk)
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Sndrec32.exe(SoundRecorder)
Sol.exe(Solitaire)
Tuneup.exe(MaintenanceWizard)
Winmine.exe(Minesweeper)
Calc.exe(Calculator)
Charmap.exe(CharacterMap)
Defrag.exe(DiskDefragmenter)
Directcc.exe(DirectCableConnection)
Freecell.exe(FreeCell)
Imagedit.exe(ImageEditor)
Mplayer.exe(MediaPlayer)
Notepad.exe(Notepad)
Pinball.exe(SpaceCadetPinball)
Rsrcmtr.exe(ResourceMeter)
Scanpst.exe(InboxRepairTool)
Sndvol32.exe(VolumeControl)
Sysagent.exe(SystemAgent)
Winchat.exe(Chat)
Write.exe(WordPad)
FilesspecifiedinsystemconfigurationfileswhoseentrieswillhavetobeupdatedifmovedtoC:\Windows\Command:
EMM386.exe(config.sys)
Mscdex.exe(autoexec.bat)
Setver.exe(config.sys)
Smartdrv.exe(autoexec.bat)
Ifyou'rewillingtospelunkintotheregistry,youcanmovetheeightshellfoldersinside\Windowselsewhere.MoveCopyDesktop,Favorites,Fonts,NetHood,
StartMenu,Recent,SendTo,andShellNewtoanewlocationonepossibilityisC:\Windows\Shell\andthenlaunchRegedit.Punchthroughto
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellFolders,exportthebranchjustincaseyoumakeamistake,thenchangethepathsof10ofthe
11entriestopointattheirnewlocations(thePersonalEntrywon'tchangeStartupandProgramsaresubdirectoriesofStartMenu,sotheyhavetochangeas
well).Next,headdowntoHKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserShellFoldersandmakethechangesagainforFavoritesandRecent.
Restart,andifalliswell,deletethosesubdirectoriesinC:\Windows.Onecaveat:wellbehavedprogramsshouldchecktheregistryforthelocationsofthese
directories,butsomemaybehardcodedtowritetocertaindirectories,likeC:\Windows\Desktop.Ifyoudon'tlikeprogramsthatclutteryourdesktoporaddnew
itemstotheNewsectionofExplorer'scontextmenuwithoutyourpermission,havingthemmalfunctionmight
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beagoodthing.Butbeawarethatthischangeisuncommonenoughthatmanysoftwaredevelopersarelikelytooverlookthepossibilitythatthesedirectoriescouldbe
anywhereelse.
Onceyou'vecleanedoutC:\Windows,defragmentyourdrivetocleanuptheemptydirectoryentries.Theperformanceincreaseaftercompletingthisprocesswill
vary,butitshouldbenoticeableonallsystemsanddramaticonsome.
TakingCareofFragmentation
Themostwellknownlimitingfactorondiskperformanceisfragmentation.FragmentationisabyproductofthewaythatFATwritesfiles.Whentoldtowriteafile,
FATtakesalookatthesegmentofclusters,grabsthefirstclusteravailable,thenthenext,thenthenext,withoutanythought.Onafreshdisk,alltheseclusterswillbe
nexttooneanother.Ifyou'vedeletedanumberoffiles,however,thefreespaceonthediskmaynotbecontiguous,causingthediskheadtoshufflebackandforthas
itreadsthefile.Ifthefileisbadlyscatteredacrossthedisk,itcantakeconsiderablylongertoreadit.Ifalargenumberoffilesaresimilarlyscattered,overallsystem
performancedrops.SinceFAThastowalkonestepatatimedownablindalleyeverytimeitwritesafile,itlackstheinsighttoreducefragmentation.Windows95's
enhancementtotheFATfilesystem,calledVFAT,addedsomeintelligencetotheprocess.Ratherthangrabthefirstavailablecluster,itlooksforagroupofclusters
largerthan500kilobytes.Thisaddssomeoverheadtodiskwrites,butthereductioninfragmentationisworththesmallpenalty.However,VFATdoesn'tevencome
closetoeliminatingfragmentation.VFATdoesn'tlookforablockofspacethesizeofthefileinsomecases,theoperatingsystemdoesn'tknowhowlargethefileit's
writingisgoingtobesotheintelligenceislimited.Ifthere'sa500KBblockjustbeforea1MBblockandyou'rewritinga600Kfile,thefirst500Kwillgointothe
firstblock,andthenext100Kwillgointothefirstpartofthat1MBblock.
Defragmentingyourharddrivewillsometimesleadtosignificantperformanceimprovements,anditalsoreducestheamountofwearandtearonyourdrive.
ScanYourDrivesforErrorsBeforeDefragmenting
TherearetwosituationswhenyouwanttouseScanDiskorathirdpartydiskrepairtool.Anytimeyoursystemlocksupandyouhavetopushtheresetbuttonor
cyclepowerwithoutbeingabletoshutdownproperly,youshouldrunadiskrepairtoolonallofyourharddrives.Windows95B,95C,and98shouldpromptyouto
runScanDiskafterimpropershutdowns,buttheydon'talways,andtheysometimesscanonlydriveC.Tobesafe,scanallofyourdrives.
Youalsowanttorunthesetoolsjustbeforeyoudefragmentyourdrive.Defragmentingadrivewitherrorsonitisn'ttheendoftheworldthedefragmentation
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toolwillspottheerror,refusetocontinue,andtellyoutorepairthedisk.YoumightaswellscanthedrivefirstinordertoavoidhavingtorunDefragtwice.
Diskrepairtoolsusuallyoffertomakeanundodisk,whichstorestheinformationnecessarytoundoanychangestheymaketothedrive(hencethename).If
ScanDiskoranothertoolfindsamajordiskproblem,suchasmismatchedFATsorabadpartitiontable,makeanundodisk.Iftheproblemislostclusters,don't
bother.
AcolleagueinCalifornialikestotellanundodiskstory.Lateoneevening,hereceivedafranticphonecallfromoneoftheusershesupportsinhisoffice.She'dbeen
workingonalargeprojectinMicrosoftPublisherwhenthecomputercrashed,butthenitwantedtosaveherworkandsheranoutofdisks.Hewasconfusedwhat
programsays,''Hey,I'mabouttocrashandthere'snothingyoucandoaboutit,buthere,I'llbeniceandsaveyourdatafirst,"afterall?buthetoldherhe'dcomein
inthemorning,recoverwhateverhecould,andmakesurethecomputerwasOKbeforeshecameintogetbacktowork.
Whenhecameinthenextmorning,hefoundastackof25diskssittingnexttothecomputer.'Whatdoyoumean,ranoutofdisks?"heaskedhimself.Heturnedon
themonitorandgottheanswertohisquestion.ThefamiliarblueScanDiskscreenwasup,tellinghimithadfoundsome130,000+lostclustersonthedriveandasking
forthenextdisksoitcouldsaveitsundofile.Evidently,asScanDiskstartedaskingfordisksthenightbefore,shehadfranticallyrunfromofficetooffice,scoopingup
everysparediskshecouldfind,anddutifullyshovedthemintothedriveasitaskedforthem.Toaddinsulttoinjury,sheprobablywouldhaveonlyneededanother
diskortwotocompletethetediousbutaltogetherunnecessarytaskofbackingupthelostclustersfromthismonsterMSPublisherdocument.
There'snoneedtosaveanundofiletoreversethecreationoflostclusters.Justhaveitsavethecollectionoflostclustersasafile(theyalwaysendupbeingfileswith
anextensionof.chkintheroot),theninspectthefileafterScanDiskfinishes.Ifthefileisimportant,renameit.Ifitturnsouttobegibberish,deleteit.
DefragmentationTools
Windows95'sdiskdefragmenterisbetterthannothing,butthere'slittlemoretosayaboutit.Thereareseveraldefragmentersouttherethatdoabetterjob.Golden
Bow'sVopt(www.goldenbow.com)isalongtimesharewarefavorite.It'snotmuchmoreconfigurablethantheonethatcomeswithWindows95,butitismuch
faster,andataboutU.S.$20,it'sinexpensive.DefragPlus,partofMijenixFixIt99(www.mijenix.com),issimilartoVoptinspeedandconfigurability,butlike
Windows98'sdefragmenter,itstrategicallyinterleavescertainfilestospeedapplicationloading.
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DiskOptimizer,thedefragmentationtoolthatshipswithMcAfeeNuts&Bolts(www.mcafee.com),isfasterthantheWindows95defragmenter,anditalsosupports
advancedfeatureslikefilereorderinganddirectorysorting.Thebestoveralldefragmenteronthemarket,however,isNortonSpeedDisk(www.symantec.com),part
ofSymantec'svenerableNortonUtilities.LikeMcAfee'stool,itcanreorderfilesandsortdirectories,andwhilenotasfastasVopt,itismuchfasterthanMcAfee's
DiskOptimizer.Forthebestcombinationofspeedandconfigurability,you'llwanttogowithNortonUtilities.Formoreinformationontheutilitiessuitesthatinclude
thesetools,seeChapter5,Utilities.
StrategiesforDefragmentation
There'slittlestrategyavailablefortheMicrosoftprovideddefragmentersbesidesrunningthemregularly.Ifyouuseathirdpartytool,however,youhaveanumberof
optionsthatallowyoutosupertuneadiskforanextrameasureofperformance.Youwanttomaketheutilityreorderfilesbytheirlastaccessdate,sortdirectoriesin
someintelligentmanner(preferablybyclusternumber,butifthatoption'sunavailable,bysizeindescendingorder),andplacesubdirectoriesfirst.
Here'sthereasoningbehindthesesettings.Windows95,unfortunately,doesn'tcountthenumberoftimesafilehasbeenaccessed,butitdoestrackthelasttimeafile
wasaccessed.Soeverytimeyourunaprogram,theassociatedfilesaremarkedwiththecurrentdate.Frequentlyaccessedfilesarelikelytohaveafairlyrecent
accessdate.Therewillbeanomaliesifyouhavefilesthatyouonlyaccessonceayearandyouoptimizeyourdiskthedayafteryoujustaccessedoneofthosefiles,
they'regoingtomovetowardthefrontofthediskfornogoodreason.Sortingfilesbyaccessdateworkswellenoughforthemajorityofcircumstances,however.It's
certainly,betterthanleavingthefilessortedintheirdefaulthaphazardorder.
Sortingdirectoriesbyclusternumberinconjunctionwithsortingthefilesbyaccessdatecausesthedirectories'fileentriestobesortedinorderofimportance.When
Windowssearchesforafile,itfindsitsdirectory,thenlooksateachentrystartingfromthefirst.Bysortingthedirectoriesbyfileimportance,Windowsfindsthemost
importantfilesfirst.Whensortingbyclusternumberisn'tpossible,sortingbysizegivesanotherindicationofimportance.
Youusuallyplacesubdirectoriesfirstbecausetheyareimportant.Anapplicationwilltypicallystoreitsfrequentlyaccessedcomponentsinsubdirectories,soyouwant
thematthetopofthelinkedlist,whereWindowswillfindthemrapidly.
Fordetailsonhowtoimplementthisdefragmentationstrategyusingoneofthethreemajorutilitiespackagesonthemarkettoday,seeChapter5.
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TheFragmentationControversy
Someexpertsquestiontheeffectivenessofdiskdefragmentationonseveralgrounds.
Muchofwhattheysayistrue,buttheirargumentsdon'talwaysholdupwellunder
scrutiny.
Itistruethatmanytechnicalsupportpeople,whenfacedwithaproblemtheydon'tknow
howtosolve,telltheusertorunScanDiskandDefrag,thencallbackifthatdoesn't
solvetheproblem.Thisisaplaceborunningthiscombinationofprogramssolvesonlya
smallfractionofcomputerproblemsnotrelatedtospeed.
However,theabuseofScanDiskandDefragdoesnotautomaticallymakethemuseless
tools,anymoresothanadoctortellingapatienttotaketwoaspirinandcallinthe
morningmakesaspirinauselessdrug.Nordoesoveruseofaspirinasaplacebo
invalidatethewholecategoryofdrugsknownaspainkillers.WhileDefragisnotthebest
tooltouse,ifadiskisbadlyfragmented,runningitwillstillshowanundeniable
improvement.
Someexpertsalsoquestiondefragmentationbasedontechnicalmerits.Theysaythat
unlessthedriveisveryfull,defragmentingmakeslittledifferenceinperformance,andthat
abetterwaytoimprovespeedistobuyabig,fast,newharddrive.
However,buyingalargerharddrivedoesnothingtosolvetheproblemoffragmentation.
Itreducestheeffects,becausefrequentlyalargeharddrivewillalsobeatechnological
improvementoverthedriveitreplacesinotherwaysitmayhaveafasterspindle,a
largercache,alowerseektime,and/orhigherplatterdensitybutunderWindows9x,
thisdoesnothingtosolvefragmentationsinceVFATjustusesthefirsthalfmegabyte
blockoffreespaceitfinds,and,failinginthatendeavor,useswhateverfreespaceis
available.Andtheslowdownofadriveasitfillsuphasnothingtodowithfragmentation.
Thetwoeffectscancompoundeachother,buttheyareunrelated.
Buyingabig,fast,newharddrivewillimprovespeed,butharddrivereplacementcanbe
costlyandtimeconsumingandonlyputsofftherealproblem.
Someexpertsalsopointoutthattheactofdefragmentingandfilereorderingjustmoves
filesaroundsothataprogramsitsonconsecutivelynumberedsectors.However,thereis
noguaranteeonamodernharddrivethatconsecutivelynumberedsectorsareactually
adjacent.Theyusuallywillbe,butwhenasectorisbad,thedrive'selectronicswillswap
itwithasectorfromitspoolofspares.Sotwo"adjacent"sectorscouldactuallybeon
oppositeendsofthedrive.
Continued
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Thenonadjacent"adjacent"sectorargumenthasthemostvalidityofthethree,butthis
argumentisasymptomofknowingalotabouthowdiskdrivesworkbutnotenough
abouthowFATworks.Consecutivelynumberedsectorswillbephysicallyadjacent
enoughofthetimetomakedefragmentationgenerallyworthwhile,andconsecutively
numberedsectorsarealwaysadjacentintheFATtables.
Thisargumentisstrongerwhenusedagainstfilereordering,whichiswhatNorton
UtilitiesandNuts&Boltsdowhenyoutellthemtosortfilesbyaccessdate.File
reorderingisbasedontheobservationthatoperationsonlownumberedsectorsnearthe
frontofthedrivearefasterthanoperationsonhighnumberedsectors.Thethinkinggoes
thatifyoutakerecentlyaccessedorfrequentlyaccessedfilesandmovethemtowardthe
frontofthedrive,youwillincreasesystemperformance.Whykeepthatbackupcopyof
config.systhathasn'tbeentouchedsince1996onvaluablefastsectorsnearthefront?
Theoretically,itisimpossibletoknowexactlywhichsectorsonthedrivewillbethe
fastest,becauseit'simpossibletoknowwheretheclustersareonthedisk,andit'salso
impossibletoknowhowthedriveismappingthem.However,thewayFATordersits
tablesisbothknownandconstant.Beingalinkedlist,entriesnearthefrontwillalways
getfasteraccessthanentriesatthebackofthetable.Ifyoumoveafiletothefrontofthe
FAT,accesswillbefaster.Thefile'sphysicalplacementonthediskmayendupbeing
lessthanoptimal,butwhat'stosayitsphysicalplacementonthediskwasoptimalinthe
firstplace?Thesameexpertswhoargueagainstfilereorderingfrequentlyarguethatmild
fragmentationisn'tmuchofaproblem,sotheirownargumentscanbeusedagainstthem.
Theseargumentsalsoignoreanotherbenefitofnofragmentation.Duetothewayfilesare
stored,onceafragmentedfileisdeletedfromthedisk(notjuststoredintheRecycle
Bin),it'simpossibletorecoverit.Youcanrecoverthefirstfragment,butyouwon'tget
backthewholefile.MicrosoftnolongershipsanundeleteutilitywithWindows9x(they
didwithMSDOS6.x),butseveralutilitiespackagesstillshipwithundeleteutilities.
Whenyouwantafileback,youwantitback.Ifyourdisksarepartitionedwithtemp
files,yourswapfileisquarantinedoff,andyoudefragmentyourdrivesregularly,your
chancesofrecoveringadeletedfileareprettyhigh.Yourchancesofcrosslinkedfiles
instanceswheretwofilesclaimownershipofthesameclusteronthediskalso
decreaseifyourdisksaredefragmented.
So,whilethephysicalbenefitsoffragmentationmaybequestionable,thelogical
benefitsatleastwhenyourdiskdrivespeaksFATarenot.Iwillgrantthenaysayers
thatpreventionismoreimportant,butwithpreventionmeasureslikestrategicpartitioning
(discussedlaterinthischapter)inplace,optimizationperformedonaregularbasis
increasesperformancewithouttakingforever.
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WhentoDefragment
Asmentionedearlierinthebook,youshoulddefragmentyourdrive(s)everytimeyouuninstallaprogram,aswellasafteryouinstallanyprogram.Inaddition,you
shoulddefragmentallofyourdrivesonceamonth,whetheryourdiskdefragmentersaysit'snecessaryornot.Anoptimizeddiskisahealthydisk.
UsingaSchedulingProgramtoAutomaticallyDefragmentaDrive
TheWindows95Plus!Pack,Windows98,andmostantivirusutilitiesshipwithaschedulingprogram,whichallowsyoutospecifycertaintimesforprogramsor
eventstooccur.Thisisarealboonfordefragmentationprograms:justscheduleadiskcheckingprogramtorunfirstinordertopreventdiskerrorsfromhangingup
thedefragmenter,thenrunthediskdefragmenter.Thisapproachisbetterthanrunningbothatstartup,becauseyoucanhavethemrunatoffhours.Ifyouleaveyour
systemonallthetime,youcanscheduleittofixerrorsanddefragmenteverydayat4a.m.,ifyouwant.It'soverkill,butitensuresthatyoursystemisalwaysasclose
to0%fragmentationaspossible.Andifitrunseveryday,itwon'ttakeverylongandwon'tcausemuchwearandtearonyourdriveeither.
Therearefartoomanyschedulingprogramstogiveexplicitinstructionsforeachofthem.Butifyoualreadyknowhowtoscheduleanevent,theonlyadditional
informationyouneedistheComponentoftheutilityanditscommandlinearguments.Toscheduleadiskscanningevent,feedyourschedulerthecommand:
scandisk/a/n
ThiscausesScanDisktoscanalllocalharddrives,noquestionsasked.Toscheduleadefragmentationevent,feedtheschedulerthecommand:
defrag/all/f/noprompt
Thiscausesfulloptimizationonalldrives,again,noquestionsasked.Youcansubstitutethe/uor/qparametersforfilesonlyandquickoptimizationifyouwish,but
ifyou'reschedulingtheoptimizationsforafterhours,youmightaswelldoacompleteoptimization.Iusuallyscheduletheeventsabout15minutesaparttogivethe
diskscanningplentyoftimetofinish.
IfyouhavetheNortonUtilities,youcanscheduleitscomponentsinsteadofMicrosoft'sutilities.ThecommandsforNortonDiskDoctorareNDD32/qtorun
everythingbutasurfacetest,andNDD32/ctodoeverythingincludingasurfacetest.Isuggestrunningthesurfacetestonceeverysixmonths.It'soverkilltodoa
surfacetestanymorefrequentlythanthat,asittakesalongtimeandcausesthedrivetoworkunnecessarily.ThecommandforNortonSpeedDiskis:
SD32[drive:]/f
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Ifyouhavemultipledrives,you'llunfortunatelyhavetoscheduleaseparateeventforeachofthem.Ifyouwanttodoafilesonlyorquickoptimizationinstead,
substitutethe/uor/qparameters.
WorkingWithinthePhysicalLimitationsoftheDisk
Performanceisalwaysbetterontheoutsidetracks(thelogicalfrontofthedisk)thanontheinnertracks.Thisisbecausemodernharddisksplacemoresectorsinthe
outertracks,atechniqueknownasZonedBitRecording(ZBR).TheperformancedifferencebetweentheinnermostandoutermosttracksontheQuantumFireball
harddisk,circa1996,was47%.ThisispartofthereasonwhyasystemseemsmuchfasterwhenyoufreshlyformatitsdiskandtheninstallWindows.Evena
486SX/25from1992seemsreasonablyfastwithafreshlyformatteddiskandnothingbutWindows95installed.
Theutilitiespackagesdescribedintheprevioussectiondoagreatdealtominimizethiseffect.Ifforsomereasonyoucan'tuseanythingbutWindows'builtintools,
youcanminimizetheseeffectstoadegreebyhand,asdescribedinthefollowingsection.
UninstallRarelyUsedApplications(ThenReinstallIfNecessary)
Weallhaveprogramswedon'tuseveryoften.Ideally,wewouldn'tkeeptheminstalled,butthat'snotalwaysanoption.SincetheDefragincludedwithWindows
doesn'tsortfilesbyaccessdateorbyanythingelsebesidesitsownwhims,youhavetouseaworkaround.Uninstallanyprogramsyourarelyuse,thenrunDefrag.
Now,ifyoudecidesomeoftheprogramsyoujustuninstalledareimportantenoughtomeritreinstallingthem,reinstallthem,oneatatime,inorderofimportance.Be
suretorunDefragafterinstallingeachprogram.Theresultisn'tquiteasoptimalasusingthedefragmenterfromNortonUtilitiesorNuts&Bolts,butit'scloseand
doesn'tcostanythingextra.
DeleteUnnecessaryFiles
Windowstendstocreatealotofjunkfiles,fromawebbrowsercachetothenotorioustempfilesthatapplicationsopentouseastemporaryscratchpads,butthen
neverseemtocleanup.
InternetExplorerallocatesentirelytoomuchdiskspace10%ofyourdrivetobrowsercache,andwhileNetscape'sfixedcacheisamorereasonablesize,neither
browserseemstobeverygoodaboutstayingwithinthelimitsyousetand
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deletingobsoletecontent.Despitethisdrawback,Idon'tagreewithpeoplewhosayyoushoulddeleteyourbrowsercacheregularly.Deleteitwhenyou'reshorton
diskspace,yes.Thoughhavingatonofancient.gifandHTMLfilesonyourdriveaccomplishesnothinguseful,ifyou'relikemostpeople,youfrequentasmallnumber
ofsites,andhavingalargecachemakesvisitingthosesitesmuchfaster.Ifyou'redeletingyourcacheeveryweek,you'respendingtoomuchtimedownloadingthe
samefilesoverandoveragainespeciallyifyouhaveamodemconnection.
Tempfilesareanotherstory.Programsdumpthemeverywhereinyourapplicationsdirectories,inyourdatadirectories,inC:\Windows,inC:\Windows\Temp,and
anywhereelseimaginable.Programsalsotendnottodoaveryadmirablejobofcleaningthesefilesup.Creatingaquarantinepartitionfortempfiles,asdescribed
earlierinthischapter,helps.ButsometimesapplicationswillignoreWindows'directivesanddumptempfilesinrandomlocationsanyway.
TheeasiestwaytocleanouttempfileswithWindows95istorestart,thengotoStart Find FilesorFolders *.tmp.Then,useExplorertoopenyourtemp
directoryC:\Windows\Tempbydefault,orifyouredirecteditwithSETstatementsinautoexec.bat,openthatdirectoryanddeleteitscontentsaswell.
Ifyoudeletethesefilesbeforedefragmentingyourdrive,thedefragmentationprocesswillgofasteranditwillbemoreeffective.
LivingwithFAT
FATisfrequentlymalignedtoday,andrightfullyso.Ondiskdrivessmallerthan200MB,it'soneofthemostefficientfilesystemspossible.Unfortunately,FATdoesn't
scalewellatall.UnderWindows95and98,youhavelittlechoiceaboutwhatfilesystemtouse:yourmenuislimitedtothreeflavorsofFAT.Sinceyoucan'tchange
filesystems,youhavetolearntoworkwithinFAT'slimitationsifyouwantmaximumperformance.
WhyFAT16IsFasterThanFAT32
Windows95OEMServiceRelease2,releasedinlate1996,introducedanewvariationofFAT,calledFAT32.Thisgreatlyextendedthenumberofclustersper
disk,whichallowedsmallerpartitionstousesmallerclustersizes,thuswasting,lessspace,anditalsoalloweddisksizesfarinexcessoftheoldFAT162GBlimit.
FAT32offersgreatlyextendedstoragecapacitybyuppingthemaximumnumberofclusterstonearly4.3billion(actually4,294,967,295,ifyou'recounting).Onsmall
drives,thismeanssmallerclusters.That2GBdriveformattedwithFAT32uses4Kclustersratherthanthe32KclustersforcedbyFAT16.Using32Kclusters,
FAT32canhandlepartitionsoftwoterrabytes(2048gigabytes,orjustovertwotrillionbytes)insize.
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Thesenewfeaturescameataprice,however.FAT32hassignificantlymoreoverheadthanFAT16,soifyoutaketwoidenticaldrives,andformatoneasFAT16and
theotherasFAT32,theFAT16drivewillgivebetterperformance.Theotherproblemisthelackofbackwardcompatibility.DiskutilitieswrittenforFAT16willnot
workproperlyonaFAT32drive.
ThereasonthatFAT32isslowerthanFAT16isbecauseofthewayFATstoresitstables.FATstoresalistofeveryclusteronthedisk,chainingtheclusterstogether
onthismaptokeeptrackofthedisk'sfiles.Thetableisimplementedasalinkedlist,whichisknownforthreethings:
Efficiencyintermsoftheamountofmemoryituses
Easeofimplementation
Veryslowexecutionspeed
Alinkedlistissimplythedatasittingnexttotheaddressofthenextpieceofdata,soitdoesn'tusemuchmemory.Thiswasagoodfeature,sinceFATwasfirst
implementedon8bitcomputerswithextremelylimitedamountsofRAMusingdiskdriveswithlessthan200Kofstorage.
BillGatesdemonstratedtheeaseofimplementationbywritingthefirstimplementationofFATinahotelroominjustonenightinthemid1970s.However,the
efficiencyandeaseofimplementationcomeatthepriceofexecutionspeed.Let'ssaywehavealinkedlistoffouritems.Inordertogettothefourthitem,the
computerhastolookatthefirstitemtogettheaddressofthesecond,thenlookattheseconditemtogettheaddressofthethird,thengettheaddressofthefourth
itemfromthethird,andfinallylookatthedata.
ThemainreasonwhyFAT32issomuchslowerthanFAT16isthatthesizeofthelinkedlistincreaseddramatically.A2GBFAT16drivehas65,536clusters.A2
GBFAT32drivehas524,288clusters!
MuchofWindows98istunedtoworkoptimallyonFAT32drives,butWindows98can'tdoanythingtogetpastthisfundamentaldifferencebetweenthetwo
systems.SomeoperationsonFAT32driveswillbefasterunderWindows98thantheywereunderWindows95B,andsomeoperationsunderWindows98willbe
fasteronFAT32drivesthantheywouldbeonFAT16drives.ButFAT16isalwaysgoingtobeanallaroundbetterperformerthanFAT32.It'sjustnotpossibleto
completelyescapethepitfallsofFAT32'smuchlargerdatastructures.
Thelargesizeoftoday'sharddrivesmakesitimpracticaltocompletelyavoidusingFAT32.However,youshouldalwaysinstallWindowsonaFAT16partitionifat
allpossible.
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DiskPartitioningExplained
Thischaptertalksalotaboutdiskpartitioning,becausepartitionshelptosolveawidevarietyofperformanceissues.AlthoughPCsfrequentlycomewiththeirhard
drivesformattedasonebigdrive,itdoesn'thavetobethatway.Youcansplitasinglephysicaldriveintomultiplelogicaldrives.Asfarasyouandyourapplications
softwareareconcerned,therearemultipleharddrivesinyoursystem.
DOSderivedoperatingsystems,includingWindows95and98,permitthreetypesofpartitions:primary,extended,andlogical.Primarypartitionsarethemost
common.Whenyoupartitionadriveasonedriveletter,you'reusingaprimarypartition.Primarypartitionshavetheadvantageofbeingbootable.Youcanhaveupto
fourprimarypartitionsonadrive,butWindowscanseeonlyoneprimarypartitionatatime.
Extendedpartitionsarereallynothingmorethanacontainerforholdinglogicalpartitions.Whenyouwanttopartitionadriveintomorethanonepartition,youcreate
aprimarypartition,andthenyoucreateanextendedpartitionthatfillstheremainderofthedrive.Youthencreatelogicalpartitionsofwhateversizesyoudesire
insidetheextendedpartition.Anextendedpartitioncancontainupto20logicalpartitions.
Windowsgiveseachpartitionadriveletter.Drivelettermappingcanbeconfusing,unfortunately.Here'stherule.C:isalwaystheprimarypartitiononyourfirsthard
drive.Theletteringafterwarddependsonhowmanydrivesyouhave.Ifyouhaveasecondharddrive,itsprimarypartitiongetsmappedtoD:.Athirdharddrive's
primarypartitiongetsE:.Thesystemrunsthroughyourchainofharddrives,fromfirsttolast,andmapstheprimarypartitionsfirst.Itthengoesbacktothefirstdrive,
mapsallofitslogicalpartitions,thenmapsalloftheseconddrive'slogicalpartitions,andsoon.DeviceslikeCDROMandZipdrivesaremappedlastharddrives
ofanykindtakeprecedence.
Let'ssayasystemhastwoharddrivespartitionedinthemannerdescribedinFigure31.WindowswouldmapthedrivelettersasshowninFigure32.
Figure31.
Physicalharddrivelayout
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Figure32.
HowWindowsmapsthephysicaldrivelayoutfromFigure31
Sincethisprocesscangetconfusing,peoplewithmultipleharddrivesfrequentlywilloptnottoputaprimarypartitiononanydrivebuttheirfirstdrive,andjustput
logicalpartitionsonsubsequentdrives.Ifyoudoitthisway,drivelettersalwaysadvancefromonepartitiontothenext,fromonedrivetothenext,incompletely
predictable,sequentialorder.
Whyyoushouldpartitionyourdrive
DiskpartitioningutilitieslikePowerQuest'sPartitionMagicandQuarterdeck'sPartitionItusedtohaveveryaggressiveadvertisingcampaigns,askinguserswhythey
stoodbyidlywhileFAT'soverheadconsumedanaverageof25%oftheirexpensive1GBharddrives'usablespace."Buyourproduct,regain$70or$80worthof
diskspace,andspeedupyoursystemintheprocess,"theyurged.Ofcourse,theyneversaidhowmuchyoucouldexpecttospeedupyoursystem,nordidtheytell
youwhyitmightspeedupyoursystem.
Thespeedimprovementisrealnotjustmarketinghypebutthereasonfornotgivingaconcreteestimateisprettysimple.Itdependsonyoursystem,justlike
defragmentingyourdrive.Thereareafewreasonswhypartitioningwillimproveyoursystem'sspeed.First,ifyoucutadriveinhalf,youalsocutitspartitiontablesin
half.Thedrivemaneuversmorequicklyasitspartitiontablesbecomelesscomplex:suddenlyyou'vedoubledthenumberofsectorsyouhaveatthefrontofapartition.
Secondly,ifyoupartitionyourdriveintotwoequalparts,chancesarethathalfthefileswillendupinonehalfandhalfthefileswillendupintheother.Thissetup
dramaticallyspeedsupdirectorysearches.Thesearepuresideeffectsofpartitioning,buttheywork,duetotheweaknessesofFAT.
Ifyouplanyourpartitioningright(orarejustplainlucky),athirdbenefitcanalsocomeintoplay:reducedfragmentation.Let'sconsiderwhathappenswhenyoulaunch
MicrosoftWordandloadadocument:
1.WindowsloadstheWordexecutable.
2.WindowsloadsthesystemDLLsthatWordrequires.
3.Windowsallocatesvirtualmemoryondiskifneeded.
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4.Wordopensthedocument.
5.Wordwritesavarietyoftemporaryfiles,includingbackupcopiesofthedocument.
6.Tenminuteslater,Wordresavesyourdocument.
Writinganddeletingfilescausefragmentation.Generallyspeaking,executablesandDLLsdon'tchange,sothefirsttwooperationswon'tcauseanyfragmentation.The
allocationofvirtualmemorycouldcausefragmentationundersomecircumstances.Theactofopeningthedocumentcausesnofragmentation,butthewritingof
temporaryfilesisverylikelyto.Temporaryfilesbytheirverynatureareconstantlychanging,eatingtinyholesintoyourfreespace.Similarly,savingyourdocumentcan
causefragmentation.YourdocumentandWord'stempfilescanveryeasilystartinterweavinglikeatapestry.Ifyoursystemdoesn'thaveagreatdealofphysical
RAM,there'salsothepossibilitythatyourvirtualmemorywillgetentangledinthismessaswell.Virtualmemoryisslowenoughasitis.
Partitioningcanminimizethedamage,however.Ifthere'sasmallpartitiononthedrivededicatedtovirtualmemory,virtualmemorywillneverbecomefragmented.If
yourdataisstoredonanotherpartition,itmaybecomefragmented,butthat'slesslikely,anditwon'tbenearlyasmuchofatangledmess.Ifyourtemporaryfilesare
storedonyetanotherpartition,you'redoingdamagecontrol.There'sverylittleyoucandotokeeptemporaryfilesfrombecomingfragmented,butifthey'reisolated,
atleasttheyaren'tcausinganythingelsetobecomefragmented.
Since10GBdrivesareinexpensiveandlooktobecomestandardequipmentverysoon,I'llsuggestthedisklayoutshowninFigure33.
Figure33
Partitioninga10GBdrive
Ifyouhaveasmallerdrive,scalethepartitionsaccordingly.Ifyouhavealargerdrive,enlargetheapplicationsanddatapartitionstofillthedrive.
IsuggestisolatingWindows95/98andyourapplicationssoftwarelargelyforperformancereasons.TheWindowsbootdrivealwayshasaclutteredrootdirectory
becausetherearesomanyfilesthathavetobestoredintherootandcan'tbemovedelsewhere.Windowswilloperatefasterifitdoesn'thaveapplicationdirectories
clutteringupitsdrive,andyourapplicationswillrunfasteriftheydon'thaveoperatingsystemfilesslowingWindows'searchfortheircrucialfiles.Havingthe
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Windowssystemisolatedinitsownpartitionalsospeedsdisasterrecovery.WhenapoweroutageoranerranttaskcausesWindowstotrashadrive,it'susuallythe
bootdrivethatgetstrashed.IfthebootdrivecontainsnothingbutWindows,you'llbeabletogetbackupandrunningsimplybyrestoringyourbootdrive.
YourbootdriveshouldincludeFAT16forperformancereasons.WindowsprogramstendtorelyveryheavilyonunderlyingWindowscode,loadingitinandoutof
memory,somakingWindowsfilesaccessiblequicklyspeedssystemperformanceasawhole.
Isuggestisolatingapplicationsfromuserdatamostlytominimizefragmentation.Onalargedrive,youhavenochoicebuttouseFAT32foryourapplicationspartition.
Ifyouhavetrulyspeedintensiveapplications,youcaninstalltheminyoursystempartitionforbetterperformance,butIsuggestmakingthistheexceptionratherthan
therule.
Userdatashoulddefinitelybeisolated.Thisistheonlypartofthesystemyoureallyneedtobackup,asWindowscanbereinstalledfromCDandupdates
redownloadedfromtheInternetapplicationscanbereinstalledfromCDorredownloadedandswapfiles,temporaryfiles,andbrowsercachefilesaremeaningless
data.Agigabyteisusuallymorethanenoughspaceforyourdata,unlessyouworkinpublishingoraudio/videoediting.
Likewise,temporaryfilesshouldbeisolated.Thesefilesarethemostlikelytobecomefragmentedandtocauseotherfilestobecomefragmented.Ifyouquarantine
them,theywillfragmentonlyoneanotherandwon'thinderoverallsystemperformancenearlyasmuch.Youcanredirectyourtemporaryfileswiththefollowinglinesin
autoexec.bat:
Settemp=x:\temp
Settmp=x:\temp
Substitutexforthedriveletterofyourquarantinepartition,andaftercreatingthepartition,don'tforgettocreateadirectorycalled\temp.
Isolatingtheswapfilepreventsitfrombecomingfragmented.Movingtheswapfileisn'tdifficult:opentheControlPanel,thengotoSystem Performance Virtual
Memory Letmespecifymyownvirtualmemorysettings Harddisk,andthenselectthedriveyouwanttouse.
Ifyoursystemhasmultipleharddrives,incorporatethemintothestrategy.Alwaysputtheswapfileonadifferentdrivefromyouroperatingsystem,unlessthesecond
driveisextremelyoldandslow.IfthetwodrivesareofsufficientsizethatonecanholdWindowsandtheothercanholdtheapplications,that'sfine.Ifyouhaveanold
170MBdriveinaneglected386or486,putthatdriveinyoursystemandassignyourtemporaryfilesandwebbrowsercachetoit.Rememberthata
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harddrivecandoonlyonethingatatime.Soifyoursystemisloadingafileintovirtualmemory,thedriveheadsareshufflingbackandforthbetweenthetwofiles.If
youhaveasecondharddrive,however,thedrivethat'sloadingthefilecanbefetchingthenextpiecewhilethedrivethathoststhevirtualmemoryiswritingthecurrent
piece.
Iusedtoutilizeelaboratepartitioningschemesacrossmultipleharddrives,mostlyinordertogetmaximumperformancefortheswapfile.Memorypriceshave
collapsedrecently,however,makingmemorysocheapthatwedon'thavetothinkmuchaboutvirtualmemoryanymore.
Youcangetaslightperformancegainbyputtingtwoharddrivesinasystem,andinstallingtheoperatingsystemononedriveandapplicationsontheother,butthe
gainisn'tsignificantenoughtodeemthissetupabsolutelyessential.
Apartitionlayoutforsmalldrives
Ifyouhaveasmallharddrive(say,2GBorsmaller),youprobablycan'taffordtopartitionitintothreedrivesthepartitionsizeswillbetoosmalltobeveryuseful.In
thecasesofsmalldrives,goaheadandcreateonelargepartition(about75%oftheavailabledrivespace)toholdWindowsandapplications,thencreateapartition
withtheremainingspacetoholdtempfiles,browsercache,anddata.
PartitioningyourdrivewithFDISK
WhenMicrosoftreleasedWindows95anddeclaredDOSdead,theyforgotsomething.ClunkyoldFDISK,aDOSremnantthatshouldhavebeenreplacedin1984
withsomethinglesscryptic,isstillhangingaround.FDISKusuallydoesthejobifyoudon'thaveanythingelseaslongasthatjobdoesn'tincluderiddingasystemof
nonDOSpartitions.LackofupdatestoFDISKisoneofthebiggestfaultsIfindwithWindows9x.
FDISKisadestructiveutility.Ifyouuseittorepartitionadrivewithdataalreadyonit,youwillloseallofthatdata.Ifyoudecideyouwanttorepartitionyourdrive,
backupallofyourdatabeforerunningFDISK,thenrealizethatyouwillhavetoreinstallWindows,thenrestoreyourdata,andinalllikelihoodyouwillalsohaveto
reinstallagoodnumberofyourapplications.
TorunFDISK,it'sbesttorestartyourcomputerinMSDOSmode,thentypeFDISKatthecommandprompt.Ifyou'vejustaddedasecondharddriveandwantto
partitionit,youcangetawaywithrunningFDISKfromacommandpromptwithinWindows,butifyou'rerepartitioningthedrivethatcontainsWindows,runitfrom
DOSmode(anddon'tproceeduntilyoualsoreadeitherChapter10,CleanWindowsInstallation,orChapter11,RAMDisks,whicheverisappropriateforyour
system).
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IfyouhaveWindows95B,Windows95C,orWindows98andyouhaveaharddrivelargerthanabout500MB,FDISKwillaskyouifyouwanttoenablelarge
disksupport.ThisisFDISK'scrypticwayofaskingwhetheryouwanttoformatyourdriveswithFAT16orFAT32yes,youselectthisfeaturefromFDISK,not
fromFORMAT.IfyouwanttomixFAT16andFAT32onthesamedrive,youhavetorunFDISKtwice:oncewithlargedisksupportenabled(forFAT32)and
oncewithitdisabled(forFAT16)
Let'sstepthroughtheprocessofformattingadrivewithasingleFAT32partitionandasingleFAT16partitiontheidealconfigurationforanapplications/tempfile
drivedescribedearlier.Wewillassumethedrivehasasingleprimarypartition,asmostdo.
1.RestartinMSDOSmode,typeFDISKatthecommandprompt.
2.Answeryestothepromptaskingwhethertoenablelargedisksupport.
3.Select3DeletepartitionorlogicalDOSdrive.
4.Select1DeleteprimaryDOSpartition.Answerallprompts.FDISKwillthenreturnyoutothemainmenu.
5.Select1CreateDOSpartitionorlogicalDOSdrive.
6.Select1CreateprimaryDOSpartition.
7.FDISKwillaskyouifyouwanttouseallavailablespaceandmakethepartitionactive.Answerno.FDISKwillthenaskwhatpercentageofthediskyouwantto
dedicatetotheprimarypartition,orwhatsizeinMB.Pickanappropriatesizeinthiscase,usingallbutabout200MBwilldoandenterit.
8.ExitFDISK.
9.RunFDISKagain,answeringnotothepromptaskingwhethertoenablelargedisksupport.
10.Select1CreateDOSpartitionorlogicalDOSdrive.
11.Select2Createextendedpartition.Remember,extendedpartitionsareawrapperforlogicalDOSdrives.Whetheryourdiskhastwopartitionsonitor24,you
mustcreateanextendedpartition.FDISKwillaskyouhowmuchofthedrivetouse.Goaheadandusewhatever'sleft.
12.FDISKwillautomaticallyselecttheoptiontocreatelogicaldrivesintheextendedDOSpartition.FDISKwilloffertousealloftheavailablespace.Takeitupon
theoffer,sincewe'recreatingonlyonedrive.
Afteryourestart,yourdrivewillbepartitionedbutthepartitionswon'tbeformattedyet.FormatthemwiththeDOSFORMATcommandfromacommandprompt,
orformatthemfromWindows'MyComputerwindow.
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Allinall,FDISKisaprettyclunky,inconsistentprogram.Ifyoujustwanttopartitionabrandnewdriveintotwoparts,it'sadequate,butifyouwanttogetfancywith
yourpartitioning,it'seasytogetconfused.Exceptfortheinitialpartitioningofthedrive,you'refarbetteroffusinganothertool.
PartitioningyourdrivewithFIPS
FIPSisanopensourcediskutilitywrittenbyArnoSchaeferandreleasedundertheGNUGPL.FIPSisanacronymforFirstInteractivenondestructivePartition
Splittingprogram.AlthoughlittleknownintheWindowsworld,FIPSiswidelyusedbyLinuxuserstofreeupdiskspaceonaDOSorWindowsPCforLinux
installations,anditalsohasgainedsomeprominenceamongOS/2users.
Asthenamesuggests,FIPScansplitapartitionintotwopartswithoutdestroyingthedatacontainedwithinit.Thisisarealboonitpermitsyoutopartitionan
existingdrivewithoutlosinganydata.However,itisnotacompletereplacementforacommercialproductlikePartitionMagic,norisitintendedtobe.FIPSwill
truncateanexistingpartition,butitwon'tdoclusterresizing.Thenew,reducedpartitionwillusewhateverclustersizeitpreviouslyused,soFIPSwon'tsaveyouany
diskspace.AndwhileFIPSwillsplitaFAT16orFAT32partition,itcannotsplitthelargerFAT32Xpartitions.YoushouldlookintoFIPSifyourprimaryinterestis
inpartitioningadriveinordertoreducefragmentation.Ifyouwanttobeabletochangeadrive'sclustersizetofreediskspaceorincreasespeed,ifyouwantto
convertdrivesbetweenFAT16andFAT32,orifyouhavealargedrivewithFAT32Xpartitions,youneedPartitionMagic.
FIPSisavailableallovertheInternet,butyoucandownloadthecurrentversion2.0(releasedinMay1998)fromtheauthor'swebpageatwww.igd.fhg.de/
aschaefe/fips/.
UnderWindows9x,FIPScan'tcompletelyreplaceFDISKittakesaprimarypartition,truncatesit,thencreatesasecondprimarypartition.DOSandWindows
don'tofficiallysupportmultipleprimarypartitions.Theauthorsayshe'susedmultipleprimarypartitionswithDOSversions5andup,butit'sbettertoplaybytherules
anddeletethesecondprimarypartitionwithFDISK,thencreateanextendedpartitionandcreateaproperlogicaldrivewithintheextendedpartition.You'llprobably
wanttodothisanyway,sincethere'sagoodchanceyou'llwanttomixFAT16andFAT32onthedrive,andFIPSwon'thandlethatforyou.
BeforeyourunFIPS,youneedtoscanyourdiskforerrorsanddefragmentit.RunScanDiskandperformathoroughcheckonthedrive,includingthesurfacescan.
ThisisimportantabadclustermightthrowFIPSoff,andwhenyou'redealingwithalowleveldiskutility,youwanteverythingtoberocksolid.Afterrunning
ScanDisk,runDefrag.Thisisimportant,too.FIPSneedsallofthedrive'sfreespacetobeattheendofthedrivesoitcantruncateit.Ifyouuseautilitiespackagelike
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NortonUtilitiesorMijenixFitIt99,besuretoturnoffthefeaturethatputsseldomusedfilesattheendofthedrive.It'sprobablyeasiestjusttouseMicrosoft's
Defrag.Ifyourswapfileisonthediskyouwanttosplit,disablevirtualmemoryandrestartbeforeyourunDefrag,becauseDefragcan'tmovetheswapfile.
Finally,backupyourdatabeforeyourunFIPS.FIPSwasdesignedtoletyouavoidthetimeconsumingbackupfollowedbypartitioningfollowedbyrestore,but
that'snoexcusefornothavingyourdatabackedup.Alwaysbeawarethatthere'sasmallriskofFIPSmalfunctioningandrenderingthedriveunreadable.FIPSisa
veryparanoidprogramandwon'tdoanythingifitfindssomethingunusualaboutyourdisk.ThousandsofpeoplehaveusedFIPSreliablysince1993buttheriskis
alwayspresent.Backupanywordprocessingfiles,spreadsheets,andotherdatafilesyou'vecreated.Don'tbotherwithyouroperatingsystemandapplication
directories,becauseyoucanreinstallthemfromtheiroriginalCDROMsifneedbe.
Onceyourdiskiserrorfreeanddefragmented,prepareabootdisk.YoumustnotrunFIPSfromwithinWindows!Openacommandprompt,insertadisk,type
sysa:,thencopytheFIPSfilesrestorrb.exe,fips.exe,anderrors.txttothedisk.Nowrestartwiththebootdiskinthedrive.YourPCwillbootoffthisdisk
andpresentyouwithacommandprompt.TypeFIPSatthecommandprompttolaunchtheprogram.FIPSasksalotofquestions,butmanyofthemareofthe
yes/novariety,askingforconfirmationbeforeitdoesanything.Thisisagoodfeature,becauseit'seasytomakeamistakewithlowlevelpartitioningutilities.It'sbetter
toasktoomanyquestionsthannotenough.
Ifyouhavemultipledrives,FIPSwillaskyouwhichdriveyouwanttosplit.Selectone.FIPSwillthendisplaypartitioninformationforthatdrive.Ifyouhavemultiple
partitionsonthedrive,FIPSwillaskwhichpartitionyouwanttosplit.Selectone.FIPSwillthenscanthepartitionforerrorsandanomalies,thenscantodetermine
howmuchfreespaceisinthepartition.
OnceFIPSishappytherearenoerrorsandknowshowmuchfreespaceisinthepartition,itwilloffertomakeabackupcopyofyourcurrentpartitionconfiguration.
Takeitupontheoffer.Thiswillallowrestorrb.exetoundothesplitifsomethinggoeswrong.FIPSwillthenoffertosplityourdrive,basedonhowmuchspaceis
available.Initially,itwillshrinktheoldpartitiontoitssmallestpossiblesizeandallocateallavailablefreespacetothenewpartition.Youcanadjusthowmuchspace
goestowhichpartitionwiththearrowkeys.Whenyougetthespaceallocationyouwant,hitEnter.FIPSwillthenrunatestandaskifyouwanttocontinue.Thenit
willgiveyouthenewpartitioninformation.Ifyouwanttoproceedwithwritingthenewpartitiondata,answeryes.
AfterFIPScompletes,restartyourcomputer,hitF8andselectthecommandpromptonly.WhentheC:\promptappears,runScanDisk.AfterScanDiskcompletes,
it's
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timetohandthegamebackovertoFDISK.TypeFDISKatthecommandprompt,thenselectoption3DeletepartitionorlogicalDOSdrive.Thenselectoption
1DeleteprimaryDOSpartition.CarefullylookatthepartitionmapFDISKprints,andselectthepartitionwhosefilesystemisUNKNOWN.FDISKwillthen
promptforthevolumelabel.Unformattedpartitionsalwayshavenovolumelabel,sohitEnter.FDISKwillaskforconfirmationtypeY.AfterFDISKreportsthe
primaryDOSpartitionisdeleted,hitEscape.FDISKwilltakeyoubacktoitsmainmenu.Selectoption1Createpartition.FDISKwillthenaskwhatkindof
partition.Selectoption2Createextendedpartition.FDISKwillaskforthesize,givingyouadefaultofwhateverfreespaceisavailableonthedrive.Acceptit.
Aftercreatingtheextendedpartition,FDISKwillautomaticallybegincreatinglogicaldrives.Itwillaskforasizeforthelogicaldrive,defaultingtothesizeofthe
extendedpartition.Ifyoujustwantonemoredrive,liketheexamplebefore,hitEntertoacceptthedefault.AfterFDISKfinishesthisprocess,hitEscapetwiceand
reboot,interceptingWindowsagainwiththeF8keytotakeyoutoacommandprompt.
Beforeyoucanuseyourdrive,youhavetoformatit.Butyouwanttobeabsolutelycertainyou'reformattingtherightdrive.TypeDIRD:atthecommandprompt.
Ifyougetaninvalidmediatypeerror,youhavetherightdrive.Ifyoudon'tgetanerrormessage,retypethecommand,proceeddownthealphabet,replacingD:with
thenextletterinsequenceuntilyougetanInvalidmediatypeerror.
Onceyougettheerrormessage,typeFORMATx:,replacingx:withthedriveletteryoujustuncovered.Formattingthedrivemaytakeawhile.Oncethedriveis
formatted,youcanrebootintoWindows.
PartitioningyourdrivewithPartitionMagic
IncomparisontoFDISKorevenFIPS,PartitionMagicisafarmoreelegantandintuitivetool.Ithasaslickgraphicalinterface,andiscapableofnotonlysplitting
partitionsnondestructively,butcompletelyresizingthem.ItcanalsoconvertbetweenFAT16andFAT32withease.It'sacommercialutilitywitharetailpriceofabout
$70,butifyoudomuchworkwithpartitions,itquicklypaysforitself.Experimentingwithdifferentpartitionlayoutsisn'tveryfeasibleifyoujusthaveFDISKand
FIPStoworkwith.PartitionMagicwillletyouchangeyourpartitionlayoutonawhim.PartitionMagicisalsofarmoreautomaticthaneitheroftheothertools.It
formatsthepartitionsforyouasitcreatesthem,andifyoujustwanttosplitapartition,itwillautomaticallycreatetheextendedpartitionandlogicaldriveforyou.
WhenyouinstallPartitionMagic4.0,besuretoinstalltheDOSversionratherthantheWindowsversion.TheDOSversioniscompletelygraphical,youcanrunit
fromtheWindowsStartmenu(itrestartsthecomputerinDOSmode),anditlooksjustliketheWindowsversion(seeFigure34),butIfinditmorereliablethanthe
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Windowsversion.AlsobesuretoinstallMagicMover,whichwillautomaticallymoveapplicationsbetweendrivesforyou.
InFigure34,notethegraphicalrepresentationofthepartitionsandthepartitiontypes.ThefirstthreepartitionsareprimaryDOSpartitions.Thelargeboxthat
surroundsdrivesD:andE:representstheextendedpartition.
Figure34.
ThePartitionMagic4.0screen
RepartitioningwithPartitionMagicisextremelyeasy.PartitionMagicincludesMicrosoftstylewizardstowalkyouthroughtheprocessandmakerecommendations,
butIdon'tbotherwiththem.Youcanjustrightclickonthedriveletteryouwishtoreduce,selectresize,andshrinkthepartitiondown.There'snoneedtodefragment
beforehand.Then,rightclickontheemptyspaceandselectCreate.Bydefault,PartitionMagicwillcreatealogicalpartition.Giveitthesize,andPartitionMagicwill
automaticallycreateanextendedpartitiontoencompassthelogicalpartitionforyou.Whenyoureboot,thedriveswillbereadytouse.Thereisnoimmediately
obviouswaytoselectbetweenFAT16andFAT32ifyouselectaclustersizewithinFAT16'srange,itwillgoFAT16,whileifyouselectsmallerclustersizes,itwill
goFAT32.PartitionMagicwilltellyouwhattypeofpartitionyou'retellingittocreate,anditwon'tletyoucreatepartitionsthatareoutsidetheboundsofFAT's
limitations.
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PartitionMagicwillalsoletyouresizetheclusters.Rightclickonthedrivewhoseclustersyouwanttoresize,thenselectAdvanced Resizeclusters.PartitionMagic
willtellyouhowmuchspaceyouwillsaveorwastebychangingclustersizes.Ifyou'vecreatedapartitionforyourswapfile,Isuggestyouuse32Kclusters,asthis
sizewillspeedaccesstothepartitionslightly.Ifyouhaveapartitionholdingtempfilesandabrowsercache,youmightconsiderdoingthesamewithitaswell.This
willspeedaccessandreducefragmentation,thoughthepartitionwillfillmuchmorequickly.Ifyou'recleaningoutyourtempdirectoryregularly(asyoushouldbe),this
won'tbeaproblem,andspeedismuchmorecriticalthanwastedspacewiththetempdirectory.
OtherDiskPerformanceTools
Windowshastwomoretrickstoimprovetheperformanceofyourharddrive.Bothdealspecificallywiththetimeittakesforapplicationstoload.
AligningYourApplications
Windows98introducedautilitycalledWALIGNthattakesanapplicationandalignsitsprogramcodeon4Kboundaries,whichspeedsuploadtimeduetothe
architectureofIntelandIntelcompatiblex86CPUs.WALIGNisacutdownversionoftheutilityWinAlign,whichshipswiththeWindows98ResourceKit.
Aligninghasnothingtodowithdefragmentingafile:bothwillmakefilesloadfaster,buttheytakecompletelydifferentandunrelatedapproaches,andaligningonly
workswithexecutablefiles.Theresultsofthetwoarecumulative.
Windows98doesn'tautomaticallyalignallofyourapplications,becausetechnically,themodificationsWALIGNmakesviolatetheclauseinmostprograms'license
agreementsagainstmodifyingtheprogram'sexecutable.WALIGNisthereforeintendedtomodifyonlyMicrosoftOffice,anditwillexecuteonlyifitfindsMicrosoft
Officeonyoursystem.
However,thereisnoneedtogobuytheResourceKitwhichcostsasmuchasWindows98itselfinordertoalignyourprogramsandgainthebenefitsoffaster
applicationloading.Evenifyoudon'thaveMicrosoftOffice,youcanaddtheregistrykeysthatWALIGNlooksfor,andthenWALIGNwillfunctionproperly.
LaunchRegedit,thenaddthefollowingemptykey:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Office8.0.Don'taddthis
keyifyoudohaveOfficeinstalled,asthiswillmakeitimpossibletouninstallOfficeshouldyouneedto.Ontheotherhand,ifyouaddthiskeyandlaterwanttoinstall
Office,thiskeywon'tinterferewithit.Officewilljustoverwriteit.
Althoughthecapabilityisn'tadvertised,onceyouaddthiskeytotheregistry,WALIGNwillhappilyalignanyWindowsprogram.Thereistheslightriskthat
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WALIGNwillmakeaprogramceasetooperateproperly.ThesafestandeasiestwaytorunWALIGNisfromapairofbatchfilesstoredin
C:\Windows\Command.Toenteralign.bat,gotoStart Run EDITC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ALIGN.BAT,enterthefollowinglines,thengotoFile
Save,thentoFile Exit:
::ALIGN.BAT
@MD%1\UNALIGN
@COPY%1\ .EXEUNALIGN
@COPY%1\ .DLLUNALIGN
@WALIGN%1\ .EXE
@WALIGN%1\ .DLL
Nowhere'sthecorrespondingunalign.bat.Theentryprocessissimilar:Start Run EDITC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\UNALIGN.BAT,thenenterthe

followinglines,thenFile Save,thenFile Exit:
::UNALIGN.BAT
@COPY/Y%1\UNALIGN\ . .
@DELTREE/Y%1\UNALIGN\ .
Afterenteringandsavingthispairofbatchfiles,youcansafelyalignanyapplicationfromacommandprompt.Simplyfeedthebatchfilethelocationoftheapplication
youwishtoalign.Forinstance,type:
ALIGN"D:\ProgramFiles\Real"
toalignacopyofRealPlayerinstalledinD:\ProgramFiles\Real.
Alignedapplicationsloadmorequicklythanunalignedapplicationsandconsumelessmemoryduringtheloadprocess.Thisispossiblythemostcompellingnew
featureofWindows98.Thereare,however,afewdisadvantagestoalignedprograms.Theyoccupymorediskspacethantheirunalignedcounterpartssodon'tdo
itifdiskspaceistightandprogramupdatesfromthemanufactureralmostcertainlywon'tworkproperly.Soifanupdatetoaprogramyouuseisreleased,unalignit
withunalign.bat(unalign.batdoesn'treallyunalignaprogramitjustreplacesthealignedversionswithbackupcopiescreatedbyalign.bat),runtheprogram
update,thenaligntheprogramagain.
Ifyou'reconcernedaboutthediskspacethesebackupsconsume,it'spossibletomodifyALIGN/UNALIGNtostorethebackupcopiesinaZiparchive.Youmust
haveInfoZIP'sZipandUnZipsomewhereinyourPATH(IsuggestinC:\Windows\Command)inorderforthesebatchfilestooperate.Here'sthemodified
align.bat:
::ALIGN.BAT
@ZIP9A%1\UNALIGN.ZIP%1\ .EXE%1\ .DLL
@WALIGN%1\ .EXE
@WALIGN%1\ .DLL
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Andhere'sthecorrespondingunalign.bat:
::UNALIGN.BAT
@UNZIPo%1\UNALIGN.ZIP
@DEL%1\UNALIGN.ZIP
IuseInfoZIPinsteadofWinZipbecauseWinZipisn'tveryusefulfromabatchfile,andInfoZIPisfree.TheoriginalPKZipwouldworkforthisprocess,butInfo
ZIPdoesaslightlybetterjobofcompressingthanPKZip2.0does,andInfoZIPisfreeforalluses,commercialandnoncommercial.
FastLoaders
Thiscategoryofsoftwarearrivedonthesceneinlate1996andearly1997,gotsomepresscoverage,thendisappearedasquicklyasithadcome.Afastloadermade
itintoSymantec'sNortonUtilities,andHelixSoftwarebundledafastloadertogetherwithamemorycompressionprogramandmarketedthepackageasHurricane,
whichNetworkAssociatesinturnbundledintothefirstversionofMcAfeeOfficeSuite(butnotinMcAfeeOffice2000).Butnobodyreallypromotesthissoftware
categoryanymore.
Althoughtheireffectivenessvaries,theseprogramsworkessentiallythesameway,monitoringthewayWindowsloadsapplicationsandreorderingtheirreadrequests
inamoreefficientmanner.ThistechniqueisverysimilartothewaymodernCPUsormodernSCSIcontrollersgainefficiency,anditwasjustamatteroftimebefore
thishardwaretechniquestartedtobeappliedtosoftware.Unfortunately,someflawsintheseproductshurtsystemstability.Therewasnoquestionthatthecomputer
loadedtheapplicationsmorequicklywithafastloaderinstalled.Buttherewasalsonoquestionthatthecomputercrashedmorefrequently.
TherevisedDefragprogramthatshipswithWindows98,workingintandemwithWALIGNandWindows98'sreviseddiskcache,compromisedtheseprograms'
compatibilitywithWindows98,yetprovidedmostdefragmentationfeatures.SpeedStart,theNortonUtilities'fastloader,isincompatiblewithWindows98.
ThereisonlyoneproductleftinthiscategorythatisbotheasytofindandcompatiblewithWindows98AccelerationSoftwareInternational'sSuperfassst(which
waslicensedtoSyncronyssoftwareandmarketedforatimeunderthenameWindrenalin).Theoriginalproductinthissoftwarecategory,itisstillcommercially
available.Superfassst98canbedownloadedfromwww.accelerationsw.com.It'snowanadvertisingbasedproduct.Theprogramisfree,butinorderforitto
function,yourwebbrowser'shomepagemustpointtoAccelerationSoftware'spage.Ifseveralsoftwarecompaniesstartedtopromotetheirsoftwarethisway,it's
easytoseehowthiscouldcausesomeconflicts.Thisprocedurecanalsobeaproblemifyouwanttorunitonasystemthatisn'tconnectedtotheInternet.Youmay
notliketheideaofhavingtokeepawebbrowserthatyouneveruseonyourcomputer.
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Superfassst98isa1.13MBdownload.Whenyougotoinstallit,itaskspermissiontochangeyourwebbrowser'shomepage.Ifyousayno,itgivesyouseveral
opportunitiestochangeyourmind,thenexitsifyoupersist.Ifyouletitchangeyourhomepage,itasksforaninstallationdirectory,installsitself,thenofferstorun
ScanDiskandDefragonyourharddrives.Superfassstismosteffectiveondefragmenteddrives,butifyouhaveabetterdefragmenterinstalled,you'llwanttodecline
Superfassst'sofferanddefragmentthedriveyourselfusingthebetterutility.Afterdefragmentationfinishes(orafteryoudecline),Superfassstwillrestartyourcomputer
andgiveyouabargraphrepresentingthespeedincreasesyoucanexpectfromyourvariousdrives.OnmyPentium90withanoldnonUDMAQuantumFireball
harddrive,theexpectedspeedincreaserangedfrom104%onitsFAT16bootpartitionto211%onitsbigFAT32applicationspartition.
Superfassstthenputsaniconinthesystemtraytoshowthatit'sloaded.Doubleclickingonitbringsupitsconfigurationsettings.YoucangloballyturnSuperfassst's
accelerationonoroff,oryoucanturnoffindividualaccelerationsettings.YoucanalsosetSuperfasssttoautomaticallydefragmentyourdriveeveryfourhours.Ifyou
choosetodothis,youwilldefinitelywanttopartitionyourdriveasdescribedearlierinthischapterinordertominimizefragmentation.SuperfassstusesDefrag,which
canbepainfullyslow.
Thefirsttimeyouloadanapplication,Superfassstobservesit.Theremightbeadelayrightaftertheapplicationlaunchesduringwhichthecomputerwillappearto
freeze,notevenrespondingtomousemovements.ThisisnormalSuperfassstisstillanalyzing.Yoursystemshouldreturnmomentarily.Fromthesecondlaunchon,
Superfassstwillstepinandaccelerate.ItestedSuperfassstbyloadingMicrosoftWord97.Unaccelerated,Wordtakes11secondstoloadonmyPentium90from
disk,and4secondsfromthediskcache.WithSuperfassstinstalled,ittakes4secondstoloadfromdiskand3secondstoloadfromcache.InternetExplorer4.0
showssimilarimprovements.Ican'tcomplainwe'retalkingaminimumofa25%improvement,andthat'swhenloadingtheapplicationfromRAM.Considering
someofusarewillingtoforkoverhundredsofdollarsforhighendSCSIcontrollersanddrivestogeta25%improvementindiskspeed,that'sprettygood.
TheclaimedimprovementsonmyCyrixMIIPR233werelessdramatic,rangingfrom88%to113%.OnthatPC,Word97loadsin4secondsunaccelerated,3
secondswithNortonSpeedStart,and2secondswithSuperfassst.Thespeedwhenloadingfromthediskcacheunderallthreecircumstancesisabout2seconds.
Interestingly,SuperfassstmakesmyPentium90'svintage1996harddrivequitecomparabletothe7,200rpmMaxtorharddriveinmyCyrix.Muchofthedifference
inloadtimebetweenthetwoPCsnowappearstobeduemoretoCPUspeedandtheslowerPCIbusinthePentium90.Superfassst'smemoryusageisreasonable
itusesabout1.58MB.Youdefinitelydon'twanttoberunningitona4MBsystem,butonasystemwith16MBormore,itwillbeworthwhile.You'll
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haveafastersystem,andyoucanstealanequivalentorlargeramountofmemoryfromthediskcacheand/ortheCDcacheifmemoryusagestartstoconcernyou.
IfSuperfassstturnsouttobeincompatiblewithanysoftwareyouhaveinstalled,openyourStartmenu'sExplorerview,locatetheprogram'sicon,thenrightclickand
selectUnaccelerate.Next,rightclickandselectDon'tAllowAcceleration.Iftheprogramstartsrunningagain,youknowyoucankeepSuperfassstinstalledsoyou
stillhavethebenefitsoffastloadingfortheprogramsSuperfassstiscompatiblewith.
Superfasssthashadinstallationissuesinthepastifitfailstoinstall,tryrestartingyoursystem,disablinganyutilitiespackagesyoumightberunning(NortonUtilities,
FirstAid,etc.),installingagain,thenreenablingthoseutilitiesafterasuccessfulinstallation.
Unfortunately,IfoundthatSuperfassstmademyWindows95systemtoounstable.Itypicallyhavetorebootonceaweek,butwithSuperfassstinstalled,IfoundI
washavingtorebootaboutonceeverytwodays.It'sbeenokayonmyWindows98system.Superfassstdoesn'tyetseemtobestableunderallconditions,however.
IwishIcouldrecommendSuperfassstwithoutanyreservationsbesidesitsmonopolizationofyourhomepage.It'sfasterthanNortonSpeedStart,compatiblewith
Windows98,andimprovesuponthespeedenhancingfeaturesalreadypresentinWindows98.Ifitworksonyoursystem,you'llloveit,butdon'tinstallitona
missioncriticalsystemjustbeforeyougetstartedonabigproject.NortonSpeedStartismorestable,butit'snotcompatiblewithWindows98anditsspeedups
aren'tasdramaticeither.IfIhadtorecommendoneovertheother,I'dgivethenodtothemoreconservativeNortonSpeedStart.
HowMuchDifferenceWillThisMake?
Theresultsofimplementingallthesetipswillvarydependingonwhatprogramsyourunandonyourusagehabits.
BackwhenIwasincollegeandallIhadwasmy66MHz486,aneighborwasintheprocessofupgradinghisPC.Heputa66MHzCPUupgradeandabrandnew
1GBharddriveinhissystem.Hefiguredbecausehiscomputerwasa486DX(withamathcoprocessor)andminewasa486SX(withoutamathcoprocessor),and
sincehehadanewerharddrive,hiscomputerwouldblowmineaway.Imaginehisdisappointmentwhenmysystemwasstillfaster!
WhenIlookedathissystem,itdidn'ttakelongformetofigureoutwhy.Sincehehadahuge(foritsday)1GBdrive,hefiguredhecouldjustinstalleverypieceof
softwarehe'deverboughtordownloaded,andheinstalledeveryprograminasubdirectoryhangingofftheroot.Hisrootdirectoryhadwellover160entries.I
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toldhimthatcleaninguphisrootdirectorywouldmakeadifference.Heactedlikehedidn'tbelieveme,butaweekorsolater,hedroppedinandtoldmethat
cleaninguphisrootdirectorymadeabiggerdifferenceinhissystemperformancethaneithertheCPUupgradeortheharddriveupgradehad.
Laterinmycollegecareer,Itooksomeconsultingjobstomakesomemoneyonthesidetohelppaymyexpenses.Ididalotofworkforaprofessorwhohada66
MHz486similartomine.Windows95wastaxingthelimitsofhismachine:his420MBharddrivewasfillingup,andhis16MBofRAMwasprovingtobe
inadequate.Iaddedanother8MBofRAMtohissystem,andthesystemranbetter.ThenIinstalledNortonUtilitiesandusedittodefragmentandreorderhisdrive.
IttookNortonUtilitieseasilyhalfanhourtorun,butonceitfinished,thesystemshoweddramaticimprovementatleastasmuchimprovementasaddingthememory
haddelivered.
Rearrangingtheharddriveshouldn'tbeseenasacompletesubstituteforahardwareupgrade,butmyexperienceshowsitmakesadifferencesometimesadramatic
difference.
GettingRidofDiskCompression
Intheearly1990s,thediskcompressionbusinessbecameasmallindustry.CompaniessuchasAddStorandStacreleasedproductsthatcompressedand
decompressedthedataonyourharddrivetransparently,claimingyoucoulddoubleyourdiskspacefor$40.Theseprogramsworkedprettywell,butundersome
circumstancestheyhurtsystemperformance.Formanypeopleitwasworthit,however,becausethepricedifferencebetweena50MBdriveanda100MBdrive
wasseveralhundreddollars.
Itdidn'ttakelongforMicrosofttogetintotheact.EarlyarchrivalDigitalResearchwasbundlingdatacompressionwiththeirDRDOSproduct,soMicrosoftreleased
MSDOS6.0withitsowndiskcompressionprogramcalledDoubleSpaceandprintedthewords''Theeasywaytodoubleyourdisk"rightonthefrontoftheproduct
box.Thatwasthebeginningoftheendforthediskcompressionindustry.Whypay$40forStackerwhenausablediskdoublingprogramshipswiththeoperating
system?
Microsoft'sDoubleSpacehadthreeproblems.First,itwasunreliableandcorruptedmanyusers'data.Second,italmostalwayshurtsystemperformance.Third,it
infringedonsomeofStac'spatents.Microsoftquicklyremediedthefirstandthirdproblembutneverdidanythingabouttheperformanceproblem.Aspartofthe
settlementwithStac,DoubleSpaceevolvedintoDriveSpace,whichcontinuestoshipwithWindows9xtothisday.
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Despiterumorstothecontrary,DriveSpaceisn'tparticularlydangeroustoyourdata.Itis,however,adrainonperformance.There'slittlepointinusingDriveSpaceto
compressaharddriveinthisdayandage,however.Harddrivesarethebiggestbottleneckinmodernsystemstoday,buttheygenerallycandeliverdatafasterthana
modernCPUcandecompressit.Datacompressionthereforeisaperformancehindranceonharddrives.
SlowdevicessuchasfloppydrivesandZipdrivescanbenefitfromdatacompression,sincetheydeliverdatamoreslowlythanmostCPUscandecompressit.
However,datacompressionismorecomplicatedonremovablemediayouwon'tbeabletoexchangethemediabetweencomputersrunningdifferentoperating
systems,andyoucan'tnecessarilycountonotherWindows9xcomputerstohaveDriveSpaceinstalled.Therefore,it'shardtorecommenddiskcompressionevenon
removablemedia.(We'lltalkabouttheonecircumstancewherediskcompressionmakessomesenseinChapter11.)
Ifyou'vecompressedanyofthedrivesinyoursystemwithDriveSpace,Irecommendyouuncompressthem.PressStart Programs Accessories System
Tools DriveSpace,thenhighlightyourcompresseddrive,andfromtheDrivemenu,selectUncompress.Theprocessmaytakesometime,butyoushouldfind
performancewillbesignificantlybetterafterward.
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4
Firstimpressionsmatter.It'spurelypsychological,butasystemthatbootsquicklyjustseemsfast.WhenasystemtakesfourminutestoloadWindows,it'sdifficultto
convinceanybodythatthecomputerisfast.Intheearly1990s,thiswasoneoftheargumentsagainstIBM'sOS/2operatingsystem.OS/2ranvirtuallyallWindows
3.1programs,butWindows3.1loadedmuchmorequicklythanOS/2did,andWindows3.1loadedWindowsprogramsmorequicklythanOS/2did.Oncethe
systemswererunning,thespeeddifferencewasusuallynegligible,andsometimesOS/2wasfaster.AndOS/2wasunquestionablymorestable.Butpeoplejust
couldn'tgetpastthoselongloadtimes.
Softwaredeveloperstellmetheyareawareofthisphenomenon,andiftheycan'tmaketheirprogramsloadquickly,theydoeverythingtheycantoatleastmake
programslookliketheyloadquickly.Thisiswhyyouseeanimatedsplashscreensifthecomputerisdoingsomething,anything,itappearsfasterthanjustablank
screen.
Windows9xcertainlytakeslongertoloadthanpreviousversionsdid.I'veseenboggeddownsystemstakeupwardsoffiveminutestoboot.Ofcourse,it'spossible
toreducethistime.Onceitfinishesitspoweronselftest(POST),myCyrixMIIPR233systembootsin26seconds.MyPentium90bootsabout40secondsafter
POSTcompletes.NeitherPCisastateoftheartsystem.
TheBootProcessExplained
ThebootprocessforaPCrunningWindowsislongandcomplex.Whenyoufirstapplypower,theCPUisrunninginreal(8086compatibility)mode.TheCPUloads
andexecutestheROMBIOSbootstrap,locatedataddressFFFF0h.TheBIOSbootstrapdoesanumberofthings.Atminimum,itexecutesitsPOST,whereit
checks
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toensurethatthememory,videocard,keyboard,andotheressentialsystemcomponentsworkproperly.Thenitchecksthefirstbootdevice(usuallyafloppydrive,
butitcanalsobeaCDROMorZip)forthepresenceofabootdisk.Ifitfindsnone,itlooksforaharddisk.Ifaharddiskisfound,thebootstraploaderjumpsto
theoperatingsystemloader,alsolocatedinROM.Thesystemthenreadsthemasterbootrecord(MBR)andpartitiontablefromtheharddisk.Ifyoursystemis
equippedwithaPlugandPlayBIOS(mostsystemsmanufacturedafter1995are),theBIOSscansthesystemforI/Oports,DMAchannels,IRQlines,andother
resourcesneededbysystemperipherals.ThesystemthendisablesallPlugandPlaydevices,createsamapofusedandunusedresources,configuresandreenables
thedevicesoneatatime.ThisdeviceinformationisretainedsotheWindows95ConfigurationManagercanrefertoitlater.
TheMBRcontainsthelocationofthebootpartition.Thisisqueried,andthenthesystemloadsthebootsectorcontainedinthebootpartition.Inadditiontothedisk
bootprogram,thebootsectorcontainsatableofdiskcharacteristics.Thebootsectorlocatestherootdirectory,thenloadsio.sysintomemoryandexecutesit.
io.sysfirstloadsaminimalFATfilesystem,andthenitlooksforafileintherootdirectorycalledwinboot.ini,usedbytheWindows9xsetupprogram.Whenit
doesn'tfindwinboot.ini,itreadsmsdos.sys.The"StartingWindows9x"messagedisplaysfortheamountoftimespecifiedinthemsdos.sysBootDelay=nline
(thedefaultistwoseconds),oruntilyoupressafunctionkey.IfyouenabledmultiplehardwareprofilesinWindows9x(whichyoumayhavedoneifyouhavea
laptop),itpromptsyoutoselectaprofile.Ifthemsdos.sysLogo=nlineissetto1,io.sysloadsanddisplayslogo.sys,theWindowsstartuplogo.Youcanclearthe
logotodisplaythetextithidesbyhittingEscatanytimeduringthebootprocess.
Ifthemsdos.sysDrvSpace=norDblSpace=nlinesaresetto1,io.syslooksfortheappropriate.inifiles,andifitfindsthem,loadsthematchingdriverinto
memory.io.systhencheckstomakesuretheregistryfilescontainvaliddata,andattemptstoloadthem.Ifitdoesn'tfindsystem.dat,itloadsthebackupsystem.da0
file,andifstartupissuccessful,itcopiessystem.da0tosystem.dat.
Ifthemsdos.sysDblBuff=nlineissetto1,oriftheregistrykeyHKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\WinBoot\DoubleBufferisenabled,io.sysloads
dblbuff.sys.Windowsthenloadsthemachine'shardwareprofilebeforeprocessingconfig.sys.
Afterprocessingconfig.sys,io.sysreadsmsdos.sysfortheWinBootDirparameter.Fromthisdirectory,io.sysloadsifshlp.sys(acompleteFATfilesystem,
requiredforrunningWindows),himem.sys(anextendedmemorymanager,necessaryforaccessingmorethan640KBofRAM,andalsorequiredforWindows),
andsetver.exe(ahacktofoolpoorlybehavedDOSprogramsintothinkingthey'rerunningundersomespecificversionofDOS).Youcanspeedupbooting
somewhatbymovingsetver.exefrom\Windowsinto\Windows\Command.Ifsomeofyour
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programsrespondwiththemessage"IncorrectDOSVersion,"movethefilebackorwriteabatchfilethatinvokessetver.exebeforelaunchingtheprogram.
io.systhenreservesalluppermemoryblocks(UMBs),thememorybetween640KBand1MB,foritsownuse,thenloadscommand.com,whichprocessesand
executesthecommandscontainedinautoexec.bat.
Afterautoexec.bat,command.comexecuteswin.com,theWindowsbootstraploader.win.comthensearchesforvmm32.vxd,andifthereisenoughmemory
available,loadsitintoRAM.Otherwise,vmm32.vxdisaccessedfromdisk,greatlyslowingboottime.vmm32.vxdisthecoreoftheWindowssystem.
Thevirtualdevicedriverloaderinvmm32.vxdexamines\Windows\System\Vmm32andcomparesittothedevicedriverscontainedinvmm32.vxditself.If
duplicatesarefound,theversionsin\Windows\System\Vmm32loadinstead.Oncethedrivershavehadachancetoload,vmm32.vxdcheckstomakesuretheyall
loadedsuccessfully.Iftheydidn't,ittriesagain.
Ifmsdos.sysissettoDisableLog=0,thevirtualdevicedriversareloggedto\bootlog.txt.vmm32.vxdthenstartsinitializingdrivers.
Finally,vmm32.vxdswitchestheCPUfromrealmodeintoprotected(32bit)mode,andthedriversfinishloading,inorderofimportance.Oncealldriversare
loadedandinitialized,vmm32.vxdloadskrnl32.dll,gdi.exe,user.exe,andwhatevershellisspecifiedin\Windows\system.ini,usuallyexplorer.exe.
IfthePCisnetworked,Windowspausestoaskforanetworklogon.WindowsthenloadsthedesktopassociatedwiththatuserID,orloadsthedefaultdesktop.
Finally,WindowsexecutesthefilesspecifiedintheStartupfolderandintheHKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunandRunOncekeys.
Mostofthebootprocess'schangeablebehaviorisdeterminedbyparametersinmsdos.sys.Thekeytooptimizingthebootprocess,therefore,isamatterofaltering
msdos.sys.
Tochangemsdos.sys,youfirsthavetogiveyourselfpermission.DoubleclickMyComputer,thenselectC: View Options View Showallfiles.Now,
lookformsdos.sys.SelectContextmenu Properties.CleartheboxeslabeledReadonly,Hidden,andSystem.HitOK.Now,holddowntheShiftkeyandright
click(thisbringsupadifferent,moreoptionladenmenuthanjustrightclicking),thenselectOpenwith Notepad OK.
Alternatively,youcouldopenaDOSwindowandtype:
ATTRIBRSHC:\MSDOS.SYS
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NowhitEnter,thentype:
NOTEPADC:\MSDOS.SYS
or:
EDITC:\MSDOS.SYS
Thankstoatunedmsdos.sys,bothofmyPCscanbootinwellunderaminute,evenwithouthelpfromtheNortonUtilitiesoranothercommercialoptimization
package.Here'saselectionfrommymsdos.sysfile:
SYS
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C
[Options]
BootGUI=1
DrvSpace=0
DblSpace=0
Logo=0
BootDelay=0
DisableLog=1
BootMulti=1
DoubleBuffer=0
AutoScan=2
WinVer=4.10.1998
msdos.syswillnormallycontainseveraldummylinestoensurethatthefileislargerthan1024bytes.Someprogramsassumeanymsdos.sysfilesmallerthanthatsize
mustbeinfectedbyavirus,sotheselineskeepthoseprogramshappy.Ieditedthemoutofthetexthere,butleavetheminyourcopyofthefile.
msdos.sysOptions
Thesettingspresentedearliergenerallygiveexcellentperformanceunderawidevarietyofconfigurations.Here'sacompletemsdos.sysreference.
[Paths]Section
HostWinBootDrv=path
Thisoptionalparameterpointstothebootdisk.Default:HostWinBootDrv=C.
UninstallDir=path
IfWindows9xwasinstalledoverapreviousversionofWindows,thisparameterpointstothedirectoryusedbytheuninstallroutine.(Optional)
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WinDir=path
PointstothemainWindowsdirectory,asspecifiedduringSetup.IfyouwishtohavemultiplecopiesofWindowsonyourPC,youmayswitchbetweenthemby
changingthisparameter.(Required)
WinBootDir=path
PointstothedirectorycontainingfilesrequiredforstartingWindows.Default:WinBootDir=C:\windows.(Optional)
[Options]Section
AutoScan=n
InWindows95OSR2andhigher,andinWindows98,specifieswhetherScanDiskshouldrunautomaticallyafterimpropershutdowns.Youwillnormallywant
thecomputertogoaheadandrunScanDisk,sincetherearefrequentlydiskproblemsinneedofcorrectionafteranimpropershutdown.
Possiblevalues:
0Neverscan.
1Promptuser,scanningautomaticallyifthere'snoresponseafter60seconds.(Default)
2Scanautomatically,noprompting.(Recommended)
BootDelay=n
Setsinitialstartupdelaytothespecifiednumberofseconds.TheonlypurposeoftheBootDelayentryistogiveyoumoretimetobringupthebootmenu.Since
whenyouwantthebootmenu,you'reprobablypoundingontheF8keylongbeforethesystemisreadytorespond,there'slittleneedforthisdelay.Inmost
cases,itspendsmoretimeslowingyoudownthanitspendshelpingyou.
Examples:
Setto2seconddelay(default)
BootDelay=2
Settonodelay(recommended)
BootDelay=0
BootSafe=n
Forcessafemodestartup.ThisparameterisinvokedonlywhentherearemajorproblemsthatkeepWindowsfrombootingproperly.YouwillwantSafeMode
tobeavailableforcorrectingtheseproblemsunlessyouareextremelyparanoidaboutsecurity.
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Examples:
Disable
BootSafe=0
Enable(default)
BootSafe=1
BootGUI=n
Enables/disablesautomaticloadoftheWindowsGUI.IfBootGUI=0,Windows9xbootstotheDOS7prompttypingWINattheC:\promptstartsthe
GUI.Ifyouwishtouseanautoexec.bat/config.sysbootmenutochoosebetweenDOS7andWindows9x,youmustsetthisparameterto0.
Examples:
Disable
BootGUI=0
Enable(default)
BootGUI=1
BootKeys=n
Allows/preventsthefunctionsofF5,F6,andF8keysduringWindowsstartup.ThiskeepsusersfrombootingintoSafemodeorDOSmode,whichisusefulif
youwanttopreventusersfromcircumventingothersecuritymeasures.Normally,youwouldn'twanttodothis,however,ashavingSafemodeandDOSmode
availableareusefuldiagnostictools.IfBootKey=0,thesystemautomaticallysetsBootDelay=0aswell.
Examples:
Disablekeys
BootKeys=0
Enablekeys(default)
BootKeys=1
BootMenu=n
Ifenabled,causesWindowstoalwaysdisplaythebootmenu,whichisnormallyonlydisplayedbypressingF8attheStartingWindows9xprompt.Thisshouldn't
beconfusedwiththebootmenusyoucreatewithstatementsinautoexec.batandconfig.sys.Ifyoufindyourselfbringingupthebootmenuafterjustaboutevery
restart,you'llprobablywanttosetthisparameterto1.
Examples:
Alwaysdisplay
BootMenu=1
DisplayonlywhenF8ispressed(default)
BootMenu=0
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BootMenuDefault=n
SetsthedefaultitemontheWindowsstartupmenu.Thedefaultisusually1,or4ifthelastbootwasunsuccessful.Undernormalcircumstances,youshouldn't
changethisparameteryourself.
Example:
BootMenuDefault=3
BootMenuDelay=n
SpecifiesthenumberofsecondsWindowswillwaitbeforeautomaticallyselectingthedefaultbootmenuitem.Thereisnopointinsettingthisparameterunless
youalsosetBootMenu=1.
Examples:
Threeseconddelay
BootMenuDelay=3
Noautomaticselection(default)
BootMenuDelay=0
BootMulti=n
Enables/disablesdualbootingwitholdversionsofDOS.ThisparameterisnormallyfunctionalonlyunderWindows95andWindows95A,thoughthereare
freewareprograms(oneisavailableatwww.tuchemnitz.de/jwes/win95boot.htmlmoreonthatinChapter7,OptimizingDOS)thatreenablethisunder
newerversionsofWindows9xbyreplacingsomeoftheircodewithWindows95Acode.
Examples:
Disable(default)
BootMulti=0
Enable
BootMulti=1
BootWarn=n
Enables/disablesSafeStartwarningandmenu.
Examples:
Disable
BootWarn=0
Enable(default)
BootWarn=1
BootWin=n
Enables/disablesWindows9xasthedefaultoperatingsystem(seeBootMultiabove).Note:pressingF4willoverrideBootWinifBootMulti=1.
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Examples:
Disabled
BootWin=0
Enabled(default)
BootWin=1
DblSpace=n
Prevents/allowsautomaticloadingofdblspace.bin,ifpresent.Windows9xissupposedtounloadthisdevicedriverifitfindsnocompresseddrivesonthe
system.Sincedatacompressionslowsdownharddrives,youshouldn'tuseittherefore,youshouldhavenoneedforthisdriver.Notloadingthedriverspeedsup
boottimes,andpermitsyoutodeletethefile\dblspace.bin.
Examples:
Prevent(recommended)
DblSpace=0
Allow(default)
DblSpace=1
DisableLog=n
(Undocumented)Enables/disablesautomaticcreationof\bootlog.txt,asometimesusefuldiagnostictool.ThisparameterwouldbeusefulinUnixenvironments,
sinceUnixcomputersfailandrequirerebootingveryrarely,andhardwareproblemsarefrequentlythereasonforit.Windows9xPCsfailandrequirearebootat
leastonceeverytwomonths,sometimesasfrequentlyasonceaday,andhardwareisrarelytheculprit.It'sbettertojustturnofftheloggingandletthereboot
proceedasquicklyaspossible.Iftherebootfails,bootinDOSmode,changethisparameterback,thenrebootagainandlookat\bootlog.txt.
Examples:
Disable(default)
DisableLog=0
Enable(recommended)
DisableLog=1
DoubleBuffer=n
Enables/disablesdoublebuffering.Doublebufferingissometimesnecessarybecause,invirtualmemoryenvironmentslikeWindows,amemoryaddressmaynot
necessarilybeinRAM.Soifadiskcontrollertriestowritedirectlytomemory,asmostdiskcontrollersdoinordertosaveworkfortheCPU,itmaynotbeable
tofindthetrueaddress.Doublebufferingsetsupasortoftranslationzone,wherethedatawillbesenttomemory,thenmovedtotheproper
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address.Thisis,ofcourse,aperformancehindrance.NewerPCIcontrollershavewaysofworkingaroundthisproblem,butolderISASCSIcardsdon't.
Avalueof1enablesdoublebufferingforcontrollersthatneeditavalueof2enablesitforallcontrollers,regardlessofwhethertheyneedit.Ifdeemed
necessary,Windowsloadsa3Kdrivercalleddblbuff.sysintoconventionalmemory.
It'sbesttotellWindowswhetheryouneeddoublebuffering.IfyourunonlyWindowssoftware,youdon't.Ifyoudon'thaveanISASCSIcontroller,youdon't
needdoublebuffering.IfyoudohaveanISASCSIcontrollerandyourunDOSprotectedmodeprograms(usuallyDOSgames,andtheyusuallydisplaya
messageatstartupthatreadssomethinglike''DOS/4GWProtectedModeRunTime")fromwithintheWindowsGUI,youprobablyneeddoublebuffering.If
youonlyrunDOSprotectedmodeprogramsinMSDOSmode,youdon'tneeddoublebuffering.
Yoursystemwillbootmorequicklyandpossiblyrunabitmorequicklyifyoudisabledoublebuffering.Yoursystemalsowillbootmorequicklyifyouspecify
either0or2forthisparameter,sinceWindowscanskipthestepoftryingtofigureoutwhetheracontrollerneedsit.
Examples:
Disable(recommended)
DoubleBuffer=0
Enablewhenneeded(default)
DoubleBuffer=1
Enablealways(recommendedifyourunDOSgameswithintheWindowsGUIandhaveanISAbasedSCSIcard)
DoubleBuffer=2
DrvSpace=n
Prevents/allowsautomaticloadingofdrvspace.bin,ifpresent.Windows9xissupposedtounloadthisdevicedriverifitfindsnocompresseddrivesonthe
system.Sincedatacompressionslowsdownharddrives,youshouldn'tuseittherefore,youshouldhavenoneedforthisdriver.Notloadingthedriverspeedsup
boottimesandpermitsyoutodeletethefile\drvspace.bin.
Examples:
Prevent(recommended)
DrvSpace=0
Allow(default)
DrvSpace=1
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LoadTop=n
Enables/disablesloadingofcommand.comand/ordrvspace.binand/ordblspace.binatthetopofconventionalmemory.Ifyouhaveproblemswithsoftware
thatmakescertainassumptionsaboutmemoryavailability,trysettingthisto0.TheonlyplaceIknowofwherethisfeatureisnecessaryisinNovellNetWare
networkenvironments.
Examples:
Disable
LoadTop=0
Enable(default)
LoadTop=1
Logo=n
Hides/showstheanimatedWindowslogothatdisplaysatboottime.SomeofthefilesWindowsusestodisplaythelogocancausecompatibilityproblemsunder
rarecircumstancessettingthisparameterto0preventstheseproblems.Onallmachines,settingthisparameterto0speedsupboottime:ifyouwantyour
computertobootinunderaminute,dothis.
Examples:
Disable(recommended)
Logo=0
Enable(default)
Logo=1
Network=n
SpecifieswhetherWindows95networkingcomponentsareloaded,enablingthe"Safemodewithnetworksupport"optiononthebootmenu.Thisparameter
maybesetto1ifyouhaveadialupInternetaccount,evenifyouaren'tonaLAN.Iusuallyleavethissettingalone.
Examples:
Off(defaultfornonnetwork)
Network=0
On(defaultfornetworkedstation)
Network=1
SystemReg=n
(Undocumented)Enables/disablesscanningtheregistryforhardwareprofiles.Thedescription"Don'tloadRegistry"foundinmostEnglishlanguageWindows
textssuggeststhissettingcreatesasortofpseudosafemode,wheretheregistryisignored.Thisappearsnottobethecase.AnumberofGermanwebpagessay
settingSystemReg=0disablesthesearchforhardwareprofilesat
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bootup.Ona200MHzCyrixMIIPR233,Imeasureaslightdecreaseinsystemboottimeandnolossofsystemfunctionalitybychangingthissetting.Ifindthat
settingthisparameterto0cancausesomesystemstohangatbootup.Reboot,hitF8,selectCommandPromptOnlyandchangethissettingbackto1ifthis
happenstoyou.
Examples:
ScanRegistry(default)
SystemReg=1
Don'tscanRegistry
SystemReg=0
WinVer=s
SetsWindowsversion(Windows98).ThiskeydetermineswhatversionWindowswillreportitselfas.
Example:
WinVer=4.10.1998
WringingThatLastOunceofSpeedfrommsdos.sys
winboot.iniisasurrogateformsdos.sys,intendedtobeusedasatemporarystandinthefirsttimeWindows9xbootsafterinstallation.Thebootprocesslooksfor
winboot.inibeforeitlooksformsdos.sys.IsupposethemostobvioususeofthiswouldbetomoreeasilytogglebetweentwocopiesofWindows9xonthesame
system,atechniquedescribedinChapters9and10.However,sincewinboot.iniisscannedearlierinthebootprocess,yoursystembootsfasterifyoucopy
msdos.systowinboot.ini.Theotheradvantageofwinboot.iniisthatitneednotbe1024bytesinlengthorlonger.The16linemsdos.sysfileshownearlierinthis
chapter,standingalone,isaperfectlyvalidwinboot.inifile.Eliminatingthedummylinesalsoeliminatestheneedtoprocessthem.
Onceyoumoveyourconfigurationdataintowinboot.ini,youmaybetemptedtodeletemsdos.sysafterall,itseemstobeoccupyingapreciousrootdirectoryentry
needlessly.Don'tdoit!Evenifit'snotused,a1Korlargermsdos.sysisrequiredinorderforthesystemtobebootable.
However,unlessyouhaveavery,veryslowsystem,you'renotlikelytonoticeanydifferenceafterdoingthis.OnmyCyrixMIIPR233,Iobservednodifferencewith
astopwatchtest.
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SpeedingUpautoexec.bat
There'sverylittleyoucandotospeedupautoexec.batprocessing,especiallyifyoursystemhasnoautoexec.batfile.Mineisminimalitredirectstempdirectories
andlittleelse.Thelessyouhaveautoexec.batdo,ofcourse,thefasteritprocesses.
Ifyoudon'tneedtowatchthecommandsscrollby,youcanturnoffechoing.Frequentlythefirstcommandinautoexec.batiseitherechooffor@echooff,
whichturnsofftheprintingofthecommandstothescreenastheyareprocessed.The@signatthefrontofthelattercommandpreventsechooffitselffrom
beingechoedtothescreen.
Ratherthanusingtheechooffcommand,however,youcansimplyprecedeeachcommandwiththe@sign.Thisisslightlyfaster.So,ifyouhaveaminimalist
autoexec.batthatlookslikethis:
echooff
settemp=f:\temp
settmp=f:\temp
Youcanspeeditupbyreplacingitwiththis:
@settemp=f:\temp
@settmp=f:\temp
Theechooffcommandwon'tturnoffaprogram'sscreenoutput,however.Todothis,youhavetoredirecttheprogram'soutput.Forinstance,let'ssayyourun
doskeyinautoexec.bat.Toturnoffthe"DOSKeyinstalled"message,add>nultotheendofthecommand,likethis:
@doskey>nul
Thesloweryourcomputer,themorenoticeablethespeedgainfromturningoffoutputwillbe.Don'texpectanymiraclesthetimesavedwillbeminimalalongthe
linesoftheamountoftimesavedbycreatingwinboot.ini.
GettingBywithLessinYourStartupGroup
ItseemsasifeveryprogramwantstoputsomethinginyourStartupgroup.Sometimesthesetoolsarenecessaryfortheprogramtorun,butsometimesthey'rejustin
theway,consumingmemoryandslowingdownyourboottime.Whynotmakethemslowdownthatprogram'sboottime,ratherthanyoursystem'sboottime?After
all,ifyoudon'tusethatapplicationeverytimeyouturnonthecomputer,there'snopointinhavingpiecesofitsittingthereinmemoryunused,right?Andifyou'reusing
theprogram,whatdifferencedoesitmakewhetherthedelayfromloadingsomestartupmoduleisduringboot,orduringthelaunchoftheprogram?
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Thepracticeofoneprogramalteringthesystemconfigurationtomakeitselfrunwellattheexpenseofeveryotherprogramisn'tnewatall.DOSandOS/2programs
wouldfrequentlyrewritethePATHstatementinautoexec.bat(orconfig.sysinOS/2'scase),puttingtheirowndirectoriesupfronttomaketheexecutablefilesthey
wantedtocallrunfast,butslowingdowneverythingelse.Aprogrammightevenputaterminateandstayresidentmodule(TSR)intomemory,helpingitselfwhenit
wasrunning,butsittingthereidletherestofthetime.Thispracticewasn'tlimitedjusttoPCs.
DOSandOS/2poweruserswouldoutsmarttheseprogramsbywritingbatchfilesthey'dtakethestatementstheseprogramswantedinautoexec.batandaddthem
toabatchfilethatcontainedthesestatements,executedtheprogram,thenchangedthestatementsback.
Noteveryoneseemstoknowit,butWindows9x(andWindowsNT,forthatmatter)stillsupportsbatchfiles.AndthisoldtrickstillworksunderWindows9x.For
instance,MicrosoftOfficeaddsanitemcalledOfficeStartuptotheStartupgroup.Officeloadsalittlebitbetterwiththisinplace,butwhenyou'renotrunningOffice
applications,itjustsitsthere,takingupmemory.SinceOfficerunsproperlywithoutOfficeStartup,Ijustleaveitout.ButifIwantOfficeStartuptolaunchwhenIrun
Word,Icandoitwithabatchfile.
First,Ineedtoknowthenamesofmysuspects.RightclicktheStartmenu,thenselectExplore Startup OfficeStartup.RightclickOfficeStartup,thenselect
Properties Shortcut.FromthefieldlabeledTarget,IlearnthatOfficeStartup'sComponentisD:\ProgramFiles\msoffice\msoffice.exe.IclosetheProperties
windowandreturntotheExplorerwindow,whereInavigatebackuntilIfindWord'sicon.Then,IrightclickWordandselectProperties Shortcut.Fromits
Targetfield,IlearnthatWord'sexecutableiscalledD:\ProgramFiles\msoffice\winword\winword.exe.
OnceImakenoteofthis,Icancreatemybatchfile.ClickStart Run notepadandtypethefollowinglines:
"d:\programfiles\msoffice\msoffice.exe"
"d:\programfiles\msoffice\winword\winword.exe"
Remember,whenyouuselongComponentsinabatchfile,youhavetoenclosetheminquotationmarks.Now,selectFile SaveAs
Files\msoffice\winword\winword.bat.Substituteyourapplication'spathforD:\ProgramFiles\msoffice,ofcourse.
D:\Program
NowallIneedtodoispointWord'sicontothebatchfile,ratherthantoitsexecutable.RightclickStartandselectExplore.IpunchthroughtoWord'sicon,bringup
itsPropertiesmenu,andproceedtoitsTargettab.IreplacethelineD:\ProgramFiles\msoffice\winword\winword.exewiththenameofmybatchfilein
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thiscase,D:\ProgramFiles\msoffice\winword\winword.bat.Atfirst,itwilllooklikenothinghaschanged.ClickApply,thenOK,andstillitwilllooklikenothing
haschanged.Bringupitscontextmenuagain,andallthepropertiesassociatedwithaDOSprogramwillappear.Now,selectProgram Run Minimized
Closeonexit.Thispreventsthebatchfile'swindowfromlingeringwhereyoudon'twantit.Now,hittheChangeIconbutton.Typeinthenameoftheexecutable.
Everyiconcontainedintheexecutablefile(theremaybemorethanone,toyoursurprise)willappear.Picktheoneyouwanttouse,thenhitOK.
Wordwillnowtakejustslightlylongertoload,butI'vereducedmyboottimebynothavingtoloadOfficeStartupatboot.I'vesavedalittlebitofmemory,too,
thoughthememorysavingsgoesawaythefirsttimeIrunWord.
MicrosoftOfficecertainlyisn'ttheonlypartyguiltyofaddingtoyourStartupgroup.WordPerfect7putsomethingcalledPerfectPrintinmyStartupfolderaswell.
Usingabatchfile,Icangetridofthat,too.
SpeedingUpPOST
MyCyrixMIIPR233actuallyspendsmoretimeexecutingitsPowerOnSelfTest(POST)routinethanitspendsbootingWindows.Partofthisisbecauseofits
highlyoptimizedmsdos.sys,partofitisduetothefastharddrive,andpartofitisbecausePOSTtakesaninordinatelengthoftime.Still,Ican'tcomplainwhenI
turnonthepower,IseetheWindowsdesktopinlessthanaminute.
Dependingonyoursystem,theremaynotbemuchyoucandotospeedupPOST.TheCMOSsetupprograminmanybrandnamesystems,notablyIBMand
CompaqPCs,doesn'tleavemuchroomforconfiguration.
IfyoursystemhasanAMI,Award,orPhoenixBIOS,theremaybesomethingsyoucandotospeedthingsupparticularlyifyouhaveaPentiumclasssystem.I
can'twalkyouthrougheverytypeofsystem,sincecomputermanufacturerstendtomakechangestotheBIOSsintheirsystems.ButIcanwalkyouthroughthe
changesImadetospeedupPOSTonmyPentium90,whichhasanAMIBIOS,andonmyCyrixMIIPR233,whichhasanAwardBIOS.Thiswillatleastgiveyou
anindicationofwhattolookfor.
ThewayyouenteryourthesetupprograminyourBIOSvaries,socheckyourmanual.Frequently,youenterbyhittingDEL,F1,F8,F10,orF12attheBIOS
startupscreen.
ThereareseveraltimeconsumingprocessesthattakeplaceduringPOST:thememorytest,theinitialfloppydriveseek,theattempttobootoffthefloppydrive,the
autodetectionofIDEharddrives,andifyourPChasaSCSIcard,thescanfor
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SCSIdevices.Themoreoftheseprocessesyoucandisable,thefasteryoursystemwillboot.
Turningoffthememorytestdoeslittleharmusually,memorywillbesobadthatitpreventsthesystemfromevenbooting,orgoodenoughtoslippastthememorytest
butstillfail.PassingthisminimalPOSTmemorytestisnomoreofanindicationofgoodmemorythanpassingmoststates'drivingtestisanindicationofagooddriver.
Somesystemsdon'tgiveyouaprovisiontodisablethememorytest,whileothersgiveyoutheoptiontotestonlythefirst640K,andothersgiveyoutheoptionto
eithertestorcountthememory.
TheinitialfloppydriveseekisuselesstheoriginalIBMPCdidthisinordertodeterminewhatdriveswerepresent.ModernPCssetthepresenceoffloppydrivesin
theCMOS,sothisonceusefulfeatureisnowjustmeaninglesstradition.ManyBIOSswillhavea"floppyseekatboot"or"initialfloppyseek"orsimilarlyworded
functionintheirsetupprogram.SomeBIOSsjustdon'tdothisanymorethankfullyanddon'tevengiveyoutheoptiontoturniton.
Theoptiontoeliminatethefloppydrivefromthebootorderspeedsupthebootprocessthesystemjustlookstotheharddrive,whichshouldalwaysbebootable
alongwithotherbenefits.Igetphonecallsallthetimefrompeoplepanickingthattheyreceivedthedreaded"Nonsystemdiskordiskerror"messagewhenthey
rebooted.Thisisalmostalwaysduetohavinganonbootablefloppydiskinthedrive.Takingthefloppydriveoutofthebootordereliminatesthiserror,andalso
protectsyoufromthespreadofbootsectorviruses.Sometimesyoudoneedtobootoffafloppydrive,butyoucanalwaysenterCMOSSetupagain,changeit,
restart,andbootfromthefloppy.
Bydefault,modernsystemsusuallydetectonlywhatIDEdevicesareconnectedtothesystem,ratherthanforcingyoutomanuallyenterthenumberofheads,
cylinders,andsectorsofeachdriveastheydidinthebadolddays.ModernIDEdriveswillgivetheirvitalstatisticsuponrequest,andmoderncomputerstake
advantageofthisfeature.However,ittakestimetoissuethecommandtogetadrive'sparameters.Mostsystemsaresettoautodetectthedrivesatboottime,but
mostmodernsystemsalsohaveanIDEautodetectfeatureintheirCMOSSetupprogram.Selectingthisoptionentersyourdrives'parametersinyourCMOSsothat
yoursystemdoesn'thavetodetectthematbootup,speedingupyourboottimes.
SCSIcontrollers,bydefault,waittensecondsforallSCSIdevicestocomeonline.Thisisanindustrystandard,andonmanysystemsitisn'tchangeable.Consultyour
SCSIcontroller'sdocumentation.
AsIsaidbefore,systemsvary,buttheytendtobesimilar.Notethesimilaritiesbelowonmytwoprimarysystems.Yoursystemprobablywon'tbeidenticalto
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eitherofthese,butitwillmostlikelybesimilarenoughthatthetwoprocesseswillgiveyousomeguidance.
HerearethechangesImadeonmyAMIbasedsystem:
1.Turnoffmemorytest:Advanced Above1MBmemorytest Disabled
2.Turnofffloppyseek:Advanced
Floppydriveseekatboot Disabled
3.Makeharddrivethefirstbootdevice:Advanced
Systembootupsequence
C:\,A:\
4.AutomaticallyenterharddriveparametersinCMOS:Utility IDESetup
HerearethechangesonmyAwardbasedsystem:
1.Turnoffmemorytest:BIOSfeaturessetup QuickPowerOnSelfTest
Enabled
2.Makeharddrivethefirstbootdevice:BIOSfeaturessetup BootSequence C,A,SCSI

3.AutomaticallyenterharddriveparametersinCMOS:IDEHDDautodetection
CompactingtheRegistry
TheWindowsregistrygrowsasdataisaddedtoit,butitnevershrinkswhendataisremoved.Abloatedregistrywithalotofemptyspaceinitcanslowdownboot
timeaswellasWindowsperformanceasawhole.AllthreemajorWindowsutilitiessuitesMijenix'sFixit99,Symantec'sNortonUtilities4.0,andNetwork
Associates'McAfeeNuts&Bolts98haveregistrycompactiontools.NotethatMicrosoft'spopularRegCleantooldoesnoteliminateemptyspacefromthe
registryitjustremovesinvalidkeys.This,too,canspeedupthebootprocessslightly,butthoseinvalidkeysbecomeemptyspaceafterRegCleanremovesthem.To
reapthefullbenefitsofRegClean,youhavetocompacttheregistryaswell.
Ifyoudon'thaveanyofthemajorutilitiessuites,youcanstillcompactyourregistrywithafewcommandsfromMSDOSmode.Notethatthesecommandsmustbe
enteredfromMSDOSmodetheywillnotworkproperlyfromwithinWindows.Beforeyouenterthesecommands,besuretoStart Shutdown Restartthe
computerinMSDOSmode.Youcaneitherenterthesecommandsbyhand,orenterthemintoabatchfileandexecutethebatchfile:
mdc:\windows\backups.xyz
delc:\windows\backups.xyz\registry.reg
delc:\windows\backups.xyz\system.dat
delc:\windows\backups.xyz\user.dat
regedit/ec:\windows\backups.xyz\registry.reg
attribrshc:\windows\system.dat
attribrshc:\windows\user.dat
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movec:\windows\system.datc:\windows\backups.xyz
movec:\windows\user.datc:\windows\backups.xyz
regedit/cc:\windows\backups.xyz\registry.reg
ThesecommandsmakeabackupcopyofyourregistryinC:\Windows\Backups.xyzbeforetheypackit.Ifanoldbackupexists,itisdeleted.Ifthedirectory
C:\Windows\Backups.xyzdoesn'texist,itiscreated.Bepatient,asthesecommandstakesometimetoexecute.
ShouldtheprocessfailandyoursystemloseitsabilitytostartWindows,bootintoDOSmodeandissuethesecommands,whichwillbackupthebadregistryand
replaceitwiththebackupcopythatthepreviouscommandsjustmade:
attribrshc:\windows\system.dat
attribrshc:\windows\user.dat
renc:\windows\system.datc:\windows\system.bad
renc:\windows\user.datc:\windows\user.bad
movec:\windows\system.badc:\windows\backups.xyz
movec:\windows\user.badc:\windows\backups.xyz
movec:\windows\backups.xyz\system.datc:\windows
movec:\windows\backups.xyz\user.datc:\windows
attrib+r+s+hc:\windows\system.dat
attrib+r+s+hc:\windows\user.dat
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5
Utilities
EachnewMicrosoftoperatingsystemincorporatesmoreutilitiesthanthepreviousrelease,buttheutilitiesMicrosoftincludeswiththeoperatingsystemaren'talways
asgoodasthoseavailableseparatelyfromothervendors.Thisisanextremeexample,buttherearenumerousreportsonUsenetofWindows98'sDefragutilitytaking
16hourstodefragment20GBdrives.Athirdpartydefragmentationtoolshoulddothejobin45minutesorless.
Therearealotofgoodfreeutilitiesouttheretohelpimproveasystem,andWindows'utilitiesarecertainlybetterandmorenumerousthantheutilitiesthatcomewith
MacOS,butifyouwantapristinesystem,you'llneedatleastoneutilitiespackage.
WhatToolsYouNeedandHowtoUseThem
Thetoolsavailabletodayare,unfortunately,imperfect.Overthecourseofthenextfewyears,theywillhopefullyimprove.Whiledetaileddescriptionsofhowtouse
thisyear'smodelisvaluableinformation,there'salwaysthepossibilitythatnextyear'smodelwillbeclosertoideal,oractsodifferentlythatthisyear'sinstructionsjust
won'tapply.SoIwanttostartwithathumbnailsketchofhowyoushouldusetheutilitiesavailabletoyoutoimproveyoursystem'sperformanceandkeepitrunning
likeahighperformancemachine.
DiskUtilities
Sincediskdrivesremainthebiggestbottleneckinthecomputer,diskoptimizationiscrucial.Chapter3,DiskOptimization,discusseshowharddrivesworkandhow
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Windowsrelatestothem.Ideally,yourdiskutilityshouldpermityoutoarrangeyourdatastrategically,asinTable51.
Table51.IdealDiskOptimizationLayout
Frequentlyusedapplications
Frequentlymodifiedfiles
Freespace
Rarelyusedfiles
Thislayoutplacesimportantfilesatthefrontofthedisk,whereaccessisfastest,whileplacingfrequentlymodifiedfilesnexttothefreespace,whichhelpsreduce
fragmentation.Placingrarelyusedfilesattheendofthediskhelpsconservethedrive'sspeedfordiskwrites.
AnothernicefeatureistheabilitytointerleaveexecutablefilesandtheDLLstheyloadsothatthecodetheprogramisloadingisinorder,evenifit'scontainedin
differentfiles.ThisishowWindows98'sDefragworks,anditcanimproveloadtimes.BothMijenixFixIt99(www.mijenix.com)andNortonUtilities4and2000
(www.symantec.com)includethisfeature,aswell.
Ideally,yourdiskutilityshouldalsosortdirectoryentries,sortingfilesbysomemeasureofimportance(accessdatewouldbebest,butnoneofthecurrentutilitiesdo
thisfrequentlywehavetosettleforsortingbysize)andeliminatingtheentriesfordeletedfiles.
RegistryUtilities
Youshouldcleanyourregistryonceamonth.Allthreeutilitiessuitesonthemarkettodayhavetoolsforcleaningandoptimizingtheregistry,andbothmajor
uninstallationprogramshavetoolsforcleaningtheregistryaswell.Youshouldrunyourutilitiessuite'sregistrycleaner,thenrunyouruninstallationprogram'sregistry
cleanerifithasone(sinceonewillfrequentlypickuponthingstheothermissed),thenrunyourutilitiessuite'sregistryoptimizer.
ShouldIUpgradetoWindows98?
Thisisthebigquestion.Windows98addsfivesignificantfeaturesthattheAugust24,1995releaseofWindows95lacked:somebugfixes,FAT32,InternetExplorer
4.0integration,improveddiskcaching,andanimproveddefragmentationutility.InternetExplorer4.0isobsolete,canbedownloadedseparatelyfreeofcharge,and
itsshellintegrationslowsdownthesystemtremendously.WhilesomepeoplereportWindows98ismorestablethanWindows95,othersreportitislessstable.
Windows98fixedsomebugsbutaddedsomenewones,unfortunately.
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Windows98SecondEdition,inadditiontofixingsomebugs,addsaproxyserverforsharingadialupInternetconnectionamongnetworkedPCs.It'snotafree
upgradeforWindows98users,thoughWindows98userscangettheupgradefor$19,ratherthanpaying$99or$109likeWindows95users.
ThetrendinWindows9xoperatingsystemseversinceWindows95'sinitialreleasehasbeentoreleaseanewversioneveryyearandahalforso,includeabout$25
worthofnewfeatures,throwinahandfulofbugfixes,andchargeanywherefrom$25to$120forit.
Theseincrementalimprovementsaren'treallyworthpayingfor.Ifyoubuyanewsystem,getthecurrentversionbecauseit'sfarmorelikelytohavesupportfor
whatevernewhardwarethesystemmighthave,butit'srarelyworththecostandhassletomakesureanoldsystemhasthelatestandgreatestincarnationofWindows
9x.Ifyouneedaproxyserver,WinGatecosts$40,orifyou'retechnicallyinclined,youcaninstallLinuxonacastoff386or486,andconfigureitsfreeproxyserver.
Youcangetanimproveddiskdefragmenterbybuyingoneofthebigthreeutilitiessuites,whichcost$50orlessanddomoretoimproveyoursystemspeed.
TheBigThreeUtilitiesSuites
Formanyyears,thebiggestnamesinutilitiessuiteswereNortonUtilitiesandPCTools.SymantecboughtoutCentralPointSoftware,makersofPCTools,right
aroundthetimeWindows3.1reallycaughtfire,andtheNortonUtilitieshadastrangleholdonthissoftwarecategoryuntil1996,whenHelixSoftware(nowpartof
NetworkAssociates)releaseditsNuts&Boltsutilitysuite.In1999,Mijenixreleaseditsownoffering,MijenixFixIt99.FixIt99isreceivingtremendousreviews
andquicklymovedpastNuts&Boltsinretailsales.Buteachofthesepackageshascertainstrengthsandweaknesses,andifyou'reinterestedinsystemoptimization,
therearepiecesofeachthatyoudon'treallyneedtoconcernyourselfwith.
AlthoughmanyreviewershavebeensayingMijenixFixIt99isasgoodasorbetterthanNortonUtilities,Itendtodisagree.TheNortonUtilities'diskoptimization
programisfarmoreconfigurable.Thismakesithardertouse,soIcanseewhyareviewerwho'slookingforeaseofusewouldpreferFixIt.Butifyou'reinto
performance,FixIt'sautomatictransmissionapproachwillaggravateyou.FixItisfarmoreintegratedthanNortonUtilities,whichlooksnicefromauser's
perspective,butagain,thiscausesaproblemforperformancemindedusers.Withoutseparatemodulesthatacceptcommandlinearguments,youcan'tschedule
systemevents.FixIt99includesitsownscheduler,buttheschedulerunfortunatelycan'tschedulediskscanning,whichisamajoroversight.It'snotabsolutely
necessarytoscan
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adiskforerrorsbeforedefragmentingit,butifthedefragmenterfindserrors,itwillhaltandthediskwon'tgetoptimizedthatnight.
Bythesametoken,NortonUtilitiesdoesn'tcomewithascheduleratall,anditsregistryoptimizationtoolsarefarinferiortoFixIt99's.However,diskperformanceis
morecrucialtosystemperformancethanregistryoptimization,soIhavetogiveNortonUtilitiesthenod.Ifyoucanaffordtobuyboth,however,useNortonUtilities
tooptimizeyourdiskandFixIt99tooptimizeyourregistry.
Nuts&Bolts98isthedarkhorse.Itsdiskoptimizeristhemostcomplicatedandslowestofthethree,butifyoucandealwiththecomplexity,itwillgiveyouthemost
optimaldisklayout.Unfortunately,thelackofdocumentedcommandlineswitchesmakesitdifficulttouseNuts&Bolts'disktoolswithaprogramscheduler,andit's
byfartheslowestofthethree.ItsregistrytoolsaremorecompletethanthoseinNortonUtilitiesandverysimilartothoseinFixIt99.Sincetheothertwotoolsare
easiertoautomate,Ipreferthem,thoughifyoualreadyhaveNuts&Boltsthere'snopointinthrowingitaway.
Table52showscomparisonsoftheseutilitiessuites,witheachfeatureranked13,besttoworst.
Table52.AComparisonoftheBigThreeUtilitiesSuites
NortonUtilities
Nuts&Bolts
FixIt99
Easeofdisk
optimization
2.Respectable.
2.Respectable.
1.Mydogcoulduseit
Speedofdisk
optimizationprocess
1.Excellent.
2.Optimizebeforeyou 1.Excellent.
gotobed,becauseyou
won'tgetanymore
gamingdonethat
night.
Effectivenessofdisk
optimization
2.Good
1.Outstanding.
3.Respectable.
Registrytools
2.Anemic.
1.Excellent.
1.Excellent.
Easeofautomation
2.Decentno
schedulerisbuiltin,
buttheutilitieswill
workfromanother
scheduler.
3.Extremelydifficult.
1.Builtinscheduleris
easytouse,butlowon
options.
Applicationlaunch
speedup
1.Good.
3.Primitiveand
unstable.
2.Noneoutsideof
featuresin
defragmenter.
Cleannessof
installation
2.Okay.
3.Terriblepieceswill 1.Good.
lingerifyouever
uninstallit.
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Table52.AComparisonoftheBigThreeUtilitiesSuites(continued)
NortonUtilities
Nuts&Bolts
Userinterface
2.Goodpretty
consistent,butmore
closelyresemblesa
collectionofseparate
utilitiesthanasingle
package.
3.FairlikeNorton
1.Excellentcleanand
Utilities,resemblesa
consistent.
collectionratherthana
single,unifiedsuite.
Overall
1.Inessence,Norton
Utilitiescompromises
itswaytothetop.It
worksinpolitics,and
alltoooftenin
computersaswell.
3.Slowdiskoptimizer 2.IfMijenixaddsa
andlackofautomation configurationtabtoits
arebigholes.
diskoptimizerandlets
youautomatedisk
repair,FixItwillbeat
NortonUtilities
senseless.
FixIt99
Allsuiteshaveshortcomings,someofthemaggravating,butit'shardtogowrongwithanyofthem.Anyoneofthemwillgiveyoutoolsthatsignificantlyimprove
performanceoverasystemthatlacksautilitiessuite.
OptimizingYourSystemwithNortonUtilities4.0orNortonUtilities2000
ThevenerableNortonUtilitiesremainsavaluabletoolinthePCspeedshop.Ofthethreemajorutilitiessuites,NortonUtilitiesistheoldest.Manyofitsfeaturesare
dubious,butNortonDiskDoctorisfarsuperiortoWindows'builtinScanDisk,andNortonSpeedDiskisatremendousimprovementoverWindows'Defrag.
(MicrosoftlicensedtechnologyfromSymantec,themakersofNortonUtilities,forDefrag.)
YouneverwanttoacceptNortonUtilities'defaultinstallation.Runtheinstallationsoftware,then,whenasked,tellityouwantacustominstallation.Unfortunately,
utilitysuitesarebeginningtosufferfromthesamekindofbloatwarementalitythatkilledtheofficesuites.Ifonesuiteaddsacertainfeature,youcanexpectthatthe
nextversionoftheotherutilitiessuiteswillalsohavethatfeature,whetherthefeatureistrulyusefulornot.
DeselectNortonCrashGuard.CrashGuardtakesupexcessiveamountsofmemoryandcausesaboutasmanysystemandapplicationcrashesasitprevents.Norton
SystemDoctorwillwarnyouwhenitthinksit'stimetomaintainyoursystem,butitwillslowitdownintheprocess.Leaveitout,too.TheNortonUtilitiesIntegratoris
superfluousintegrationseemstobeinvoguerightnow,butit'sfinefortoolstobestandaloneprograms.You'rebetteroffjustrunningthetoolyouneeddirectly,so
leaveIntegratoroutaswell.
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NortonFileCompareissmall,butrarelyuseful.NortonRegistryEditorisabiteasiertousethanWindows'builtinregistryeditor,buttheexamplesinthisbookuse
thestandardMicrosofttool.Ifyouspendalotoftimeintheregistry(youprobablyshouldn't),goaheadandinstallit.TheNortonUtilitiesDemosaren'tallthatuseful.
NortonSpaceWizardwilltrytodigupextraneousfilesforyoutofreesomediskspace,butitsadviceisn'talwaysallthatgood.Iprefertodeletemytempfilesmyself
andsavediskspacebyleavingsuperfluouscomponentslikeSpaceWizardout.IalsoliketoleaveoutExplorerShellExtensionsIdon'tneedtorunNortonUtilities
fromExplorer'scontextmenu.
IfyouwanttodoanabsolutelyminimalistNortonUtilitiesinstallation,herearethebareessentials:DiskDoctor,OptimizationWizard,Basefiles,WinDoctor,and
SpeedDisk.
Afteryouselectyourcomponents,NortonUtilitieswillaskyouhowtightlyyouwanttointegratewithWindows.Personally,IchoosetoreplaceScanDiskwithDisk
Doctor,butIdon'tenabletheNortonProtectedRecycleBinorWipelnfoonthedesktop.NortonUtilitieswillthenaskwhatcomponentstorunatstartup.Idon'trun
anyofthem.And,ofcourse,wheninstallationcompletes,youwanttoletNortonUtilitiesrunLiveUpdatetoseeifthereareanypatchestothesuitetherefrequently
willbeminorbugfixesandenhancements.
OncethecomponentsofNortonUtilitiesfinishinstallingandupdating,youwanttoputthemtoworkimmediately.Besuretocloseanyrunningapplicationsbeforeyou
optimizeyoursystemwithNortonUtilities.Itwilldoitsbesttostayoutofyourapplications'way,butarunningapplicationaccessingyourdrivesorthesystemregistry
cangetinthewayofNortonUtilities,makingitcompletethejobmoreslowly,or,evenworse,lesseffectively.
Youalsowanttoturnoffyourscreensaverandyourpowermanagement.BothofthesefeaturescandramaticallyinterruptDiskDoctorandSpeedDisk,forcingthem
tostarttheirworkoverfromthebeginning.Ajobthatshouldhavetaken15minutescanstretchoutoveranhourwithtoomanyinterruptions.DiskDoctorcanrunin
thebackground,butIcan'timaginewantingtodothisifyou'rerunningDiskDoctor,yoususpectthere'ssomethingwrongwithyourharddrive.Ifthere'ssomething
wrongwithyourharddrive,yourisklosingworkorcrashingyourgameprematurely.Sickharddrivesaren'tverygoodforgamingperformanceeither.
Beforeoptimizingthedisk,makesureitdoesn'thaveanymajorproblems.Ifthediskhaslostclusters,youcan'toptimizeit,andifthediskhasevenworseproblems,
youwanttofixthembeforeoptimizingthedisk.
BeforeyourunSpeedDiskforthefirsttime,youwanttorunOptimizationWizard.OptimizationWizardbydefaultwilldothreethings:moveyourswapfileto
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yourfastestdriveandsetittothreetimesyourphysicalRAM,installandconfigureSpeedStarttospeedupapplicationloadtimes(ifyou'rerunningWindows95),and
optimizeyourregistry.Savetheregistryoptimizationforlaterjustletitmoveyourswapfile,andifyouhaveWindows95,installSpeedStart.
Nowthatyouhaveagameplan,selectStart Programs NortonUtilities NortonOptimizationWizard.ClickNext.Ifyouhavemultipleharddrivesor
partitions,OptimizationWizardwantstofigureoutwhichoneisfastestsothatitcanrecommendyouputyourswapfilethere.Makesuretheboxlabeled''Testmy
drivesforspeed"ischecked,andclickNext.Checktheboxlabeled"Configureswapfileforoptimalperformance"andclickNext.CheckthetwoNortonSpeedStart
boxesandclickNext.Finally,OptimizationWizardwilloffertooptimizeyourregistry.ClearthatcheckboxandclickNext.Youwanttooptimizeyourregistryafter
youcheckitforerrorsthatstepcomeslater.
OptimizingyourdiskwithSpeedDisk
OfallthetoolsintheNortonUtilities,SpeedDiskisfarandawaythemostvaluable.Yourharddriveisyoursystem'sbiggestbottleneck,andwiththerightsettings,
SpeedDiskcandramaticallyimproveyourharddiskspeed,andtherefore,thespeedofyourentiresystem.TolaunchSpeedDisk,selectStart Programs
NortonUtilities SpeedDisk.
ThefirsttimeyourunSpeedDisk,youmightbeshockedattheamountoffragmentationitreports.Forinstance,whenIinstalledNU4onmyCyrixMIIPR233,
Defragreportedmydriveas1%fragmentedanddidn'twanttorun.SpeedDiskreportedthesamedriveas4%fragmentedandwantedtorunafulloptimization.
SpeedDiskisfarmoreaggressivethanDefrag.That'sfinethelesstolerantyourdiskutilitiesareoffragmentation,thefasteryoursystemwillrun.Don'tjustrunitwith
thedefaultsthough.Cancelthedialogbox,thenselectProperties Options Customize Folders MoveFolderstoFront ByDate SortFilesbyLast
AccessDate Groupfilesby Month SortEntries Sortfolderentries Sortfilesby Size Sortorder Descending.
Thisproceduremovesyourcommonlyusedfilesuptothefrontofyourdrive,whereaccesstimeisgenerallyfaster.Junkfileswillmovetotheveryback,leavingfree
spacenearthemoderatelyfastcenterofthedrive.Italsooptimizesyoursubdirectories,movingthemuptothefront,andsortingthefilesbysize.Thisway,yourmost
importantfileswill(hopefully)befoundfirst.Sizeisn'tnecessarilythebestindicationofimportancelastaccessdatewouldbeidealbutunfortunately,SpeedDisk
won'tsortdirectoryentriesbyaccessdate.Theonlyoptionsarename(worthless),date(worthless),time(worthless),extension(OK),andsize(slightlybetter).Alist
sortedbyextension,alphabetically,won'tnecessarilyputtheDLLandEXEfilesattheverytop,buttheEXEandDLLfilesthatformthecoreof
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theapplicationwillusuallybeamongthelargestfiles.Thelargestfilesarealmostalwaysthemostimportant,thoughthelargestfilemaynotbethemostimportant.
Sortingthefilesthiswayismoreoptimalthanleavingtheminahaphazardorder.
Now,clickOK Save OK Start.ThefirsttimeyourunSpeedDisk,itwilltakeawhile,becauseitwillprobablyenduphavingtomovenearlyeveryfileon
yourdisk.BepatienttheimprovementinsystemperformanceisworththetimeittakesforSpeedDisktosortthingsoutinitially.
AfterrunningSpeedDiskforthefirsttimeonthesystem,myboottimedroppedfrom24secondsto20seconds.Foursecondsisn'tmuchtime,butconsiderthat's
almosta17%improvement.Whilesystemboottimeisn'tthebestmeasureofsystemperformance,itisoneofthemorediskintensivetasksyoucanaskacomputer
todo.Yourmileagewillvary,ofcourse,butthemoremarginalyoursystem,themoreyouwillnoticethedifference.
Optimizingyourregistry
Theregistrytendstogrowwithtime,andevenifyouremoveinformationfromtheregistry,thefiledoesn'tshrink,andWindowsdoesn'tscanitanymorequicklythan
before.BecausetheregistryissocentraltoWindows9x'soperations,astreamlinedregistrywillimproveperformancesystemwide.Theregistryoptimizationtoolsin
theNortonUtilitiescan'tbeaccesseddirectly,andthey'rehiddenintwomodulesNortonWinDoctorandNortonOptimizationWizardthatwouldn'tseemtohave
muchtodowithoneanother.That'sunfortunate,becauseitmakesiteasytoruntheminthewrongorder.Thiswon'tdamageyoursystem,butitwillgiveyouless
thanoptimalresults.Idon'tlikelessthanoptimalresults.Ifthere'sonethingIhate,it'sanunderachievingcomputer.
Beforeoptimizingtheregistry,youwantittobeaserrorfreeaspossible.Frequently,therewillbereferencestoinvalidordeletedfiles,invalidActiveXcomponents,
andotheranomalies.Thesearemostfrequentlytheresultofinstallinganduninstallingapplicationstheuninstallprogramsfrequentlydoasloppyjobandleavethe
registryentriesbehindaftertheydeletethecorrespondingfiles.Theycanalsobetheresultofdeletingfileswithoutproperlyuninstallingthem.Thisisabadpractice,but
thatdoesn'tmakeituncommon.
Tocorrecttheerrorsinyourregistry,selectStart Programs NortonUtilities NortonWinDoctor.Bydefault,WinDoctorwilldomorethanjustscanyour
registry,butthat'sOK.Thedisktestsdon'ttakelong.HitContinuefromtheintroductoryscreen,thenPerformallNortonWinDoctorTests(recommended) Next.
WinDoctorwillscanyourregistryforvariousproblems.Theprocesstakesafewminutes,anditmayfindalargenumberofproblems.Don'tbealarmed.Ifrequently
seesystemswithdozensofproblemsreportedbyWinDoctor.Normaluseofthesystemwillcauseerrors.Theseprobablyaren'tmakingyourcomputerany
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lessreliablethanitcouldbe,buttheyprobablyarecontributingtoregistrybloat.WhenWinDoctorreportsthatit'sfinishedscanning,hitNext.Itwilltellyouhowmany
problemsitfound,andhowmanyroughcategoriesitlumpedthoseproblemsinto.Youcanscrollthroughthegorydetails,oryoucanjusthittheRepairAllbutton.
WinDoctormaynotbeabletosolvealloftheproblems,orthesolutionstosomeproblemsmaydependontheresolutionofsomeotherproblem.Don'tfretifitsays
thereareahandfulofproblemsitcan'tfix.Fixwhatyoucan,thenclosetheprogramandrunitagain.Chancesaretherewillbefewerproblemsthanthenumberof
unfixableproblemsthepreviousrunindicated.Ifnot,letittryonceagaintofixthem.Afewproblems,particularlyoflowormediumseverity,aren'ttheendofthe
world.AsmyDadwasfondofsaying,itwasn'tabigdealanddidn'tcauseanyproblemsuntilyoufoundoutaboutit.
Nowthatyoursystemhasahealthyregistry,youcanslimitdown.Tooptimizeyourregistry,selectStart Programs NortonUtilities NortonOptimization
Wizard.OptimizationWizardwilltellyouthatyoualreadyhaveyourswapfileconfiguredforoptimalperformance,andsuggestyouleaveitthatway.Clearthe
checkboxthatsays"Configureswapfileforoptimalperformance,"andclickNext.IfyouhaveWindows95,OptimizationWizardwillthenaskifyouwant
SpeedStartenabled.Ifyou'relikeme,onceyouhaveSpeedStartenabled,youdon'twanttolivewithoutit.LeavethetwocheckboxesaloneandclickNext.Finally,
OptimizationWizardwilloffertooptimizeyourregistry.ClickNext.
OptimizationWizardwilltellyouitrecommendsclosingallrunningapplications.Takethisprecautionseriously,especiallyinthiscase.Registryoptimizationisdelicate
work.HitReboot,andOptimizationWizardwilloptimizeyourregistrybeforeitrestartsyoursystem.Theamountoftimethistakeswilldependonyoursystem's
complexity.
SpeedingapplicationlauncheswithSpeedStart
SpeedStartisprettystraightforward.IfyouhaveWindows95,runit,anditinstallsitselfandspeedsupapplicationloadtimes.Theimprovementisn'tasdramaticas
Superfassst,mentionedearlierinthebook,butit'smorestable.
OptimizingYourSystemwithMijenixFixIt99
InstallingFixIt99iseasybecausetherearen'tanyoptions.Justinstallandgo.Fortunately,MijenixcangetawaywiththisapproachbecauseFixItisn'tveryinvasive.
Itdoesn'tlaunchanythingatstartupanditdoesn'taskanyquestions.SymantecwoulddowelltolearnfromthattendencyNortonUtilitiesdoesfartoomuchat
systemstartupbydefault.
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OptimizingyourdiskwithDefragPlus
IfinditamusingthatMijenixisclaimingthenameDefragPlus,seeingasMicrosoft'sDefragoriginatedatSymantec.Namingconventionsaside,Icanseewhymost
reviewerslikeDefragPlusbetterthanNortonSpeedDisk,becauseDefragPlus'defaultsgivebetterresultsthanSpeedDisk's.Theonlyoptionsitgiveshavetodo
withfrequentlymodifiedandrarelyaccessedfiles,andthoseoptionsarelesscrypticthanSpeedDisk'syoucanjusttellitthatararelyaccessedfileisafilethat
hasn'tbeentouchedin60days,andafrequentlymodifiedfileisonethat'sbeenmodifiedwithinthelast30days.
However,IgreatlypreferNortonSpeedDisk'smethodofoptimization.DefragPlussortsthediskcontentsinfrequentlyused/rarelyused/frequentlymodified/free
spaceorder,whichislessthanoptimal.Puttingrarelyusedfilesattheveryendofthedrivewillyieldbetterperformance.
ThereisonemorethingtolikeaboutDefragPlus.ItrearrangesfilestospeeduptheirloadtimelikeWindows98'sDefragdoes.Thisfeaturecanhelpyourprograms
loadfaster,andifyouhaveWindows95,thisgivesyouthebiggestbenefitthatWindows98adds,forabouthalfthepriceofWindows98.
TolaunchDefragPlus,justlaunchFixItUtilities99,thenDiskandFiles DefragPlus.Selectthecheckboxesnexttothedrivesyouwanttooptimize,thenhitNext.
Thedefaultswilldothejobforyou.
ThisiswhereFixIt99shines.Allofitsregistrytoolsarecollectedinoneplace,andarrangedonthescreenalmostintheorderyoushouldrunthem.Theexceptionis
theplacementoftheRegistryEditorthispartjustlaunchesMicrosoft'sRegistryEditor,includedwithWindows.
RegistryFixerwillscanyourregistryforproblemsandoffertofixthem.Ifitfindsproblemsthatitcan'tautomaticallyfix(likereferencestofilesthathavebeenmoved),
itwillaskyouforthenewfilelocation.RegistryFixerfound107problemswithmyregistry,eventhoughI'dpreviouslyrunNortonWinDoctor.AfterrunningRegistry
Fixer,haveitfixanyitemslabeledinwhite,thenrunitagain.Frequently,fixingonesetofproblemswillleadtoanothersetofproblemssurfacing.Youshouldrerun
RegistryFixeruntilitnolongerturnsupanyitemslabeledinwhite.
It'sagoodideatorunthroughtheRegistryFixerprocessonceamonth.
WinCustomizercontainsallofthecustomizationsinTweakUI,plusafewmore.Manyofthethingsitchangeslikemenuspeedcanalsobedonewithregistry
hackspresentedinChapter2,FirstSteps,butWinCustomizer'sGUIiseasier.Be
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suretocheckyourmsdos.syssettingsafterrunningWinCustomizer,however,becauseitwillchangesomeofthem.Ifyou'veoptimizedmsdos.sysasdescribedin
Chapter4,SpeedingUptheBootProcess,youwillwanttobackitupbeforeyourunWinCustomizer.
WinCustomizerallowsyoutoeasilymoveeightofWindows'shellfolders(itcallsthemspecialfolders:Fonts,Desktop,StartMenu,Favorites,NetHood,Recent,
SendTo,andShellNew(Templates)),outoftheC:\Windowsdirectory.ThistrickisdescribedinChapter3.Itwon'tdothedirectorycopyingforyou,soyou'llstill
havetocopythedirectoriesintotheirnewlocations,butWinCustomizerwillmaketheregistrychangesforyou.ThisisthemostsignificanttrickupWinCustomizer's
sleeve.YoureallyneedtorunWinCustomizeronlyonce.
RegistryCleanerpullsunnecessaryregistryentriesfromyoursystem.Bydefault,thisjustpullsouttheRecentdocumentslist,FindComputerlist,FindDocumentslist,
Runlist,andTipsoftheDay.IntheAdvancedsection,youcanalsopulloutkeyboardlayoutsandtimezonesyoudon'tuse.Youshouldonlyremovethekeyboard
layoutsandtimezonesifyou'resureyouwon'tusethem.YouonlyneedtoruntheAdvancedportionofRegistryCleaneronce,andyouonlyneedtoruntherestof
RegistryCleanerasapreludetorunningRegistryDefrag.
RegistryDefragisanexcellentutility.Itsearchesyourregistryforemptyspaceandfragmentation,andeliminatesit.This,too,issuperiortotheregistrytoolsinNorton
Utilities.YoushouldrunRegistryDefragonceamonth.
OptimizingYourSystemwithNuts&Bolts98
Nuts&Bolts,likeNortonUtilities,includesalotoffluff.IfyouneedPersonalPGP,theninstallit,butchancesareyoudon't.InserttheCDs,selectInstallNuts
&Bolts.Whenitasksyouwhetheryouwantacustomorexpressinstall,choosecustom.You'llnoticeabouthalfoftheinstallationoptionsaregrayedout.Deselect
everythingthatyoucantheunselectableoptionswillbecomeselectableasthecomponentsthatrequirethemgoaway.Now,chooseDiskMinder,McAfeeImage,
CleanupWizard,DiskTune,RegistryWizard,andwhateverelseyouwant.Ifyoudon'tthinkyouwantorneedit,youprobablydon't.Don'tinstallLaunchRocketon
aWindows98system.
HitNext,andinstallationwillcontinue.Ifyou'relikeme,youdon'twantMcAfeeZipManageronyourdesktopandyoudon'twantMcAfeeImagerunningeverytime
yourestartyoursystem.Deselectthose.HavingZipManagerontheSendTomenumightbeusefulchooseitifyouwantit.I'mnotascomfortablewithDiskManager
aswithWindows'defaultscanner(theoneitusesduringbootupifitdetectsdiskerrors).Microsoft'sminimalistScanDiskdoesthejob.IfyoueveruninstallNuts
&Bolts,DiskManagerwillstaybehind,andthat'soneofmypetpeeves.
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Createarescuediskifyoudon'thaveone,thenfinally,tellNuts&BoltsSetupwhereyouwantNuts&BoltstoappearontheStartmenu.Nowthatyou'vewonat20
Questions,installationwillbegin.
OptimizingyourdiskwithDiskTune
DiskTune'soptionsareevenmorecomplexthanNortonSpeedDisk'soptions.LaunchDiskTunewithStart Programs Nuts&Bolts DiskTune,selecta
drive,andhitNext.ClickAdvanced.Besurethe"Removedeleteddirectory"optionsboxischecked.ClicktheDirectorySorttab.UnderSortCriteria,click"Files
after<DIR>s,"thenclickAdd,thenclickClusternumber,thenclickAdd.Thiswillgiveyouthebestdirectoryorderpossible.ClickontheFilePlacementtab.Nuts&
Boltsbydefaultdoesn'tlookforfilesthatarerarelytouched,sowehavetomakeitdothat.ClickUserSpecified1 Specify.InthefirstboxinLastAccessDate
Range,enter1/1/80.Inthesecondbox,enteradatefromtwomonthsago.Forexample,iftodayhappenstobeDecember8,1999,enter10/8/99.HitOK.Now
clickontheUserSpecified1fieldinthePlacementStrategybox,thenclickonthedownarrowuntilit'smovedtotheverybottom.NowclickonFreeSpace,and
moveitupbetweenUserSpecified1andRecentlyModifiedFiles.IalsouncheckWindowsComponentsthatway,crucialWindowscomponentsgetlumpedinwith
recentlyaccessedprogramsandmovetothetop,whilerarelyusedWindowscomponentsmigratetothebottom.
AlloftheseconfigurationoptionsmakeDiskTunefarandawaythemostversatilediskoptimizeronthemarket.IthasnoequalunderWindows95,andifitwere
revisedforapplicationlaunchspeeduplikethetoolsincompetingsuites,itwouldbethebestoneforWindows98aswell.However,it'salsoconsiderablyslowerthan
anythingotherthanWindowsDefrag.
Nuts&Bolts'RegistryWizardissimilartotheoneinFixIt99.Itofferstoautomatebackupandrestoreoftheregistryafeaturethatcansaveyoualotofhassle,
sincetheonlywaytorecoverfromacorruptedregistryisoftentoreinstallWindowsaswellascleanupunnecessaryentries,repair,andoptimize.Thetwopackages
arealmostinterchangeable.
RuntheRegistryRepairWizard,whichwillscanforproblemsforyou.Youcanrepairthemoneatatime,butit'sbettertoclicktheRepairAllbutton.Afterrunning
thewizardonce,youshouldrerunittoseeifitturnsupanyadditionalproblems.Continuethisprocessuntilitturnsupnoproblems,oruntilitturnsupthesamesetof
problemsrepeatedly.
AfteryouruntheRegistryRepairWizard,youshouldruntheRegistryTuneUpWizard,whichwillcreateanew,optimalcopyofyourregistry.
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Youshouldbackupyourregistryonceamonth,andyoushouldalsodoregistrycleanup,repair,andoptimizationonceamonthtokeepyoursystemrunningatpeak
performance.
SpeedyourapplicationloadtimeswithLaunchRocket
LaunchRocketissimilartoNortonSpeedStart,butit'slessautomatic.Ittrackswhatapplicationsyou'verunsinceinstallation,thenofferstoimproveacceleration.
ThisissimilartothewayearlierversionsofSuperfassstoperated.AlthoughmorestablethanSuperfassst,it'sagenerationbehindSuperfassstandSpeedStartin
usability.Whileitdoesn'tseemtohurtstabilityasmuchasSuperfassstdoes,it'snotasstableasNortonSpeedStart.
GiveLaunchRocketatryifyouarerunningWindows95,butdon'tuseitunderWindows98,asthetwoaren'tcompatible.
UninstallationPrograms
Iprobablydon'thavetotellyouthatWindowsprogramsfrequentlydon'tuninstallcleanly.Theymightjustleaveemptysubdirectorieshangingaround,ortheymight
leaveDLLsinyourWindowsdirectoryandabunchofjunkentriesinyourregistry.InstallationprogramslikeInstallShieldhavemadeitmuchlessimportanttohavean
uninstallationprogramthaninthepasttheywereabsolutelynecessaryinthedaysofWindows3.1butifyouwantacleansystem,it'sbesttohaveanuninstallation
programonyourshelf.
Ifyoudoalotofgaming,there'sadecentchancethatyou'reinstallinganduninstallinggamesprettyfrequently.Anuninstallationprogramwilldothatjobmorecleanly
thanWindows'builtinAdd/RemoveProgramsapplet.There'salsoaverygoodchancethatyouhavealargenumberofDLLsduplicatedthroughoutyourharddrive,
sincemanygames,especially3Dshooters,arebasedononeanother.Bydeletingtheseduplicatefiles,youcansavealargeamountofdiskspaceanddirectory
entries,thusspeedingupyoursystem.
Manyprogramsinstallonlineregistrationprogramsandneverdeletethem,evenafteryou'veregisteredtheprogram.Anuninstallationprogramwillallowyoutosafely
deletethoseregistrationprograms,againsavingpreciousdiskspaceanddirectoryentries.
Ifyou'relookingtomoveexecutablefilesfromyour\Windowsor\Windows\SystemdirectoriesasdescribedinChapter3,anuninstallationprogramprovidesasafer
wayofdoingso,automaticallyupdatingyourStartmenuintheprocess.
Mostimportantly,youcanuseeitherofthemajoruninstallationprogramstoautomatetheprocessofcleaninguptempfilesandotherjunkfilesthataresafeto
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delete.Thiswillfreeupspace,speedingupyourdiskoptimizer(youdohaveonescheduled,don'tyou?)andallowingittodoabetterjob.
Liketheutilitiessuitesbusiness,theuninstallationprogrambusinessisdominatedbytwocompanies,NetworkAssociates(UnInstaller)andSymantec(CleanSweep),
andneitherutilityoriginatedateithercompany.
UnInstaller
Uninstallerwasthefirstpopularprogramofthistype,andremainspopulartoday.Whenyoufirstinstallit,itscansyourharddrivetofindhowthevariousfilesrelateto
oneanother,thenitasksyouwhatkindsoffilesyouwanttoprotectfromdeletion,suchaswordprocessingfilesorMP3files.Itwillthenflagdirectoriesthatcontain
suchfiles,andwillletyouaddorremoveprogramsfromthelist.Uninstallerwillallowyoutoschedulecomputercleaningsforremovingtempfiles,orphanshortcuts,
andorphanregistryentriesautomaticallyonaregularbasis.ThiscanbeanexcellentcompaniontoregularautomaticdiskoptimizationUninstallerclearsoutpoorly
utilizeddiskspace,thenyourutilitiespackagecanoptimizetheuseofthenewlyfreedspace.Uninstalleralsoincludesaprogramthatmonitorsapplicationsandthe
changestheymake,sothatwhenyouuninstallthem,youtrulygetridofthemandreturnyoursystemtoitspreviousstate.Thisoption,calledInstallationMonitor,isn't
enabledbydefault,butyougettheoptiontoenableitatinstallationtime.Isuggestyouenableit.
Ratherthangroupthemintodistinctmodules,Uninstallerofferstwosetsofoptions:QuickClean,whichremovesjunkliketempfiles,andPowerClean,whichdigs
deeper.Youshouldrunbothprogramseverymonth,beforeyoudefragmentyourdriveoroptimizeyourregistrywithyourutilitiespackage.
PowerCleanhassomeespeciallynicefeaturesthatCleanSweeplacks.ThenicestofthesefeaturessearchesoutWindows3.1componentsandofferstodeletethem
foryou.IfyouupgradedyoursystemfromWindows3.1,thisfeaturecandramaticallyimproveyoursystemefficiency.Uninstallerismosteffectiveatuninstalling
programsthatitwasabletowatchinstall,butitcanuninstallpreviouslyinstalledapplicationsaswell.
Uninstalleralsoincludessomeotherusefulfeatures,liketheabilitytomoveanapplicationelsewhereontheharddrive.Thisisusefulifyourepartitionyourdrivewith
FIPSPartitionMagiccontainsitsownapplicationsmoveroraddasecondharddriveandneedtomoveapplicationstoanewlycreatedapplicationsdrive.Butif
youwanttosafelymoveWindowscomponentsoutofC:\WindowsandintoC:\Windows\Command,Uninstaller,likePartitionMagic'sMagicMover,won'tdoit.
Uninstallercanalsoarchiveanapplicationsoyoucanreinstallitlater,and
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packageanapplicationsoyoucanduplicateitssettingsandinstallationonanothercomputer.
CleanSweepiseasiertouse,butUnInstallerislessexpensive.I'veseenitonsaleoccasionallyforaslittleas$19.CleanSweepisbetter,butitisn'tthreetimesbetter.
IfyouseeUnInstallerpricedat$19andCleanSweeppricedat$49,youmightaswellsaveyourmoneyandoptforthelessexpensivechoice.Andifyouupgraded
fromWindows3.1,UnInstalleristhebetterchoiceanyway.
CleanSweep
Ofthetwopackages,CleanSweepiseasiertouse.LikeUnInstaller,itwillmonitorprograminstallationsandmove,archive,andpackageapplicationsforyou,andits
Fast&SafeCleanupmoduleallowsyoutoschedulecleanups.However,CleanSweepdoesabetterjobofsearchingfororphanprograms,DLLs,andregistry
entries.And,importantly,CleanSweepwillmoveWindowscomponentsoutofC:\WindowsandintoC:\Windows\Command,liketheproceduredescribedin
Chapter3,ifyouinstructitto.
LikeUnInstaller,CleanSweepworksbestifyouletitmonitorprograminstalls,althoughitcanalsouninstallapplicationsinstalledpreviously.
ThereareseveralCleanSweepmodulesthatyoushouldrunregularly.RunDuplicateFileFinderonceamonthandfollowitsadvice.RunRedundantDLLFinderand
followitsadviceeverytimeyouinstallanewpieceofsoftware.YouprobablywillneedtorunOrphanFinderonlyonce,immediatelyafterinstallingCleanSweep.
YoushouldrunCookieCleanup,PluginCleanup,andActiveXCleanuponceamonthbeforedefragmentingyourdrives,andrunRegistrySweeponceamonth
beforeoptimizingyourregistry.
LikeUnInstaller,CleanSweepcontainsamodulethatmovesanapplicationprogramfromonedriveordirectorytoanother.Thisismostlyusefulifyou'vepartitioned
yourdrivewithFIPSoraddedasecondharddriveandneedtomoveprogramsintothenewdrive.
AntiVirusSoftware
Virusesareanunfortunatefactoflifethesedays.Viruses,asyoumayknow,aresmallprogramswrittenwithtwoobjectivesinmind:toreplicateasmuchaspossible,
andtocauseasmuchdamageaspossible.Asuccessfulviruswillstrikeabalancebetweentheseobjectives.Iftheviruscausestoomuchdamagetooquickly,itwill
cripplethesystembeforeitcanspreadtoanothersystem.Butifthevirusdoesn'tcauseanydamage,bydefinitionitisn'tavirus,butaworm.(Thedistinctionissubtle,
andwormscanindirectlybedestructivebyconsumingdiskspace
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andCPUcycles.)Adestructiveprogramthatdoesn'tmakeanyefforttoreplicateitselfiscalledaTrojanHorse.BoththeMelissavirus,whichreplicateditselfthrough
MicrosoftOutlook,andtheChernobylvirus,whichwasanespeciallydestructiveexecutableprogram,causedmuchpublicizedoutbreaksin1999.Melissaisnow
infamousforthespeedatwhichitspread,whileChernobylisnotoriousforthesheeramountofdestructionitwrought.
Categorizingtheseprogramsismoreacademicthananythingelseyoudon'twantanyofthemonyoursystem.Theonlytimeyoucangetbywithoutantivirus
softwareiswhenyouoperateyourcomputerintotalisolation,neverinstallingsoftwareofanykindandneverexchangingdocumentswithanybody.Thepeopleatthe
highestriskofvirusinfectionarethosewithMicrosoftOfficeinstalled(thegreatmajorityofnewvirusestodayutilizeoneofthemacrolanguagespresentinOffice)and
softwarepirates.However,evenifyoubuyyoursoftwarelegitimatelyanddon'thaveOffice,you'renotimmune.Virusessometimescreepintosoftwarewhileit'sbeing
developed.MicrosofthasunknowinglyshippedCDscontaininginfectedWorddocumentsmanytimes.
There'snoparticularadvantagetooneantiviruspackageoveranother,aslongasyoudownloadtheprogramupdatesatleastonceamonthsothatyou'reprotected
againstallofthelatestviruses.
Thedefaultsettingsformostantiviruspackagescauseanoticeabledegradationofperformance,however.Antivirussoftwarefrequentlyscanseveryfileasitis
accessed,whichisagreatwaytomakeaPentiumIIfeellikea486andmakea486completelyunusable.Sincethemajorityofvirusesinthewildtodayoperate
withinMicrosoftOffice,youwillwantyourantivirussoftwaretoscanallOfficefiles.Scanningallexecutableprogramsisoverkill,butthatoptioncan'talwaysbe
turnedoff.Inlieuofscanningeachprogramasit'sexecuted,it'sbettertoscanyourharddriveatleastonceaday.Youcanscheduleavirusscanatoffhours,ifyou
wish.Youshouldalsoscanforvirusesimmediatelybeforeandimmediatelyafterinstallingsoftware.
Ifyoucan'tsetyourantivirusprogramtoautomaticallyscanOfficedocumentswithoutautomaticallyscanningexecutablefiles,besuretomanuallyscananyOffice
documentsbeforeyouopenthem.
IlikeNortonAntiVirus'abilitytoplugintoNetscapebrowsersandscanprogramsasyoudownloadthem.Thisisanespeciallyvaluablefeature,sincetheInternetisan
excellentconduitfortransmittingviruses.NortonAntiVirusisavailableinabundlecalledNortonSystemWorks,whichincludesNortonUtilitiesandNorton
CleanSweepatadiscountedprice.Thisgivesyouagoodantiviruspackage,anoutstandinguninstallationprogram,andaserviceableutilitiessuiteforlessthan
NortonUtilitiesalonecostfiveyearsago.Ifyoudon'thaveallthree,SystemWorkswillplugthreebigholesinyoursystematafairprice.
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FreewareandSharewareUtilities
Thecommercialofferingsdon'tdoitall.Somefreewareandsharewarecomponentsdon'tcostmuchmoney,butthey'renearlyasvaluableasthecomponentsinthe
commercialofferings.
MemoryUtilities
Afewyearsagowhenmemorypriceswerestillhigh,RAMdoublingprogramsweretherage.Theseprogramsgenerallydidn'tworkwell,whentheydidanythingat
all.Today'smemoryutilitiesdon'ttrytodoubleyourRAMtheyjustrecoverunderutilizedmemory.Windowsfrequentlyallocatesmorememorytoprogramsthan
theyneedprogramslikethefreewareFreemem(www.meikel.com),byGermanprogrammerMeikelWeber,andthe$20sharewareMemTurbo
(www.memturbo.com),bySiliconPrairieSoftware,reclaimthatmemoryandreturnitbacktotheavailablememorypool.Oneortheotherofthesepackagesshould
beinstalledoneveryWindows9xsystem.
MemTurbohasseveraladvantages.Itrunsautomaticallywhenitsensesmemoryislow,causingthesystemtoslowdownforasecondortwoasitgoestowork,then
returningthesystemtofullspeed.Italsodefragmentsyouravailablememory,whichisanadditionalbenefit.Consolidatingyouravailablememoryintothelargest
possiblechunkscanpreventadditionalswapfileaccessafterall,ifaprogramwantsa6MBchunkbutthebiggestfragmentyoursystemhasis4MB,thesystemhas
nochoicebuttousetheswapfiletojuggle.BesuretodisableMemTurbo'sautomaticmemoryrecovery(it'sonMemTurbo'sOptionstab)duringthoseintensive
games,however.Amemoryrecoveryduringthegamecancauseannoyingpausesingameplay.Instead,defragmentyourmemoryimmediatelybeforeandafterthe
game.
IntheFreememdocumentation,Weberrecommendssettingtheprogramtotrytorecoverhalfofyourphysicalmemory.IfindIgetgoodresults(withbothFreemem
andMemTurbo)bytryingtokeep1/3orofmymemoryavailabletryingtorecoverhalfofittendstoforceheavieruseofvirtualmemorythanIlike.
Youshoulddefinitelyhaveoneortheotheroftheseprogramsinyourtoolkit.HavinglotsofmemoryavailableimprovesboththespeedandthereliabilityofWindows
9xsystems.
ACPUUtility
Softwareutilitiestooverclockcertainmotherboard/CPUcombinationsarerumoredtoexist,buttheyarefarfromuniversal,soit'ssafetosaythatwithfewexceptions,
youcan'tmakeyourCPUrunfasterthroughsoftware.
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WhatyoucandoisjudiciouslyallocatetheCPUcyclesyoualreadyhave,whichiswhatBinaryWorkCPUController(binarywork.hypermart.net/)does.Windows
implementsprioritiesforrunningprocesses,butitdoesn'tmakemuchuseofthem.AprocesssettohighprioritygetsmoreCPUtimethanaprocesswithnormalor
minimumpriority.CPUControllerispopularintheMP3communitybecauseitpermitsyoutoencodeMP3filesmorequickly.However,itisausefulgeneralpurpose
utility,aswell.MicrosoftWord,forinstance,ismuchsnappierathighpriority.
CPUController1.0isavailableforevaluationbutfeaturesaveryclunkyinterface.Inordertocontrolatask'spriority,CPUControlleritselfhastolaunchit.This
makesprogramlaunchingatediousprocessatbestyouhavetolaunchCPUController,thennavigateyourdiskdirectoriesinsearchoftheprogramyouwantto
run,thenlaunchtheprogram,thenswitchbacktoCPUControllerandsetyourprocessorusage.
Version1.2,availabletoregisteredusers,permitsyoutocreateshortcutsthatcallCPUControllerandsetapriority,whichmakestheprogrammucheasiertowork
with.Onceyousetupaprogram,youcanlaunchitjustasyounormallywould.Version1.5,whichshouldbeavailablebythetimeyoureadthisbook,promisesthe
abilitytochangethepriorityofrunningtasks,whichwillincreasetheprogram'susefulnessimmensely.Forexample,somegameslaunchaconfigurationprogram,then
launchthegame'sexecutableitself.CPUControllercan'tcontrolgamesthatdothis.
CPUControllerisaboononmarginalsystems,especiallywhenyou'rerunningaCPUintensivetasklikegameplayingandyoudon'twantthebackgroundtasks
stealingattentionfromwhatyou'redoing.However,CPUControllerwon'tdomuchforyouinmultitaskingsituations.Runtwotasksathighpriority,andyoursystem
tasksandtheothertasksyouhaverunningwon'tgetmuchCPUattention.BinaryWorkalsowarnsagainstusingthemaximumprioritysetting.Withthissetting,the
programgetsallavailableCPUtime.Thiswouldbeatremendousgifttogaming,butiftheprogramcrashes,theoperatingsystemmaynotregaincontroloftheCPU.
Beawareofthepitfallsifyouusethissetting.
CPUControllerissharewarearegistrationfeeof$36.90isrequiredtouseitbeyonda30dayevaluationperiod.
IfyourmotherboardwilltakeaninexpensiveAMDK62orCyrixprocessor(manymodelsofthisCPUsellinthe$35$40range),youwouldprobablybebetter
servedbyalowcostCPUupgrade.However,ifyoualreadyhavethefastestCPUyourmotherboardcantake,orifitwillcostmorethan$40tostepuptothenext
CPUgrade,CPUControllerisagoodwaytosqueezenextlevelperformanceoutofyourexistinghardware.Formostpurposes,a500MHzCeleronrunningCPU
Controllerwillbefasterthana550MHzPentiumIIIandcosthundredsofdollarsless.
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RamDisks
ARAMdiskistheoppositeofvirtualmemory.RatherthanusingdiskspacetoemulateRAM,RAMdisksuseRAMtoemulateadisk.Asaresult,RAMdisksare
lightningfast.Thedisadvantageisthattheircontentsdisappearwhenyoupowerdownorreboot.
Tenyearsago,RAMdiskswerepopularunderDOSbecausetherewasn'tawholelotofotheruseforlargeamountsofmemory.Butit'sbeenalongtimesinceusing
aRAMdiskhasbeenagoodidea,becausememorypriceshavealwaysbeentoohightomakeitaffordabletokeepagoodsizedRAMdiskandstillhaveenough
memoryforWindowstoworkeffectively.Butwithmemorypricescurrentlyhoveringataroundadollarpermegabyte,it'sprudenttoput128MBofmemoryina
system,thencreatea16or32MBRAMdiskforspeedintensivetasks.ThisstillleavesplentyofroomforWindowstooperate.
Windows9xcomeswithaRAMdiskdrivercalledramdrive.sys,butithasproblems.ramdrive.sysallocatesmemoryatthebottomofextendedmemory,butunder
mostcircumstances,Windowsneedsatleast1MBofthefirst16MBofavailablememory,whichlimitsyoutoa15MBRAMdisk.I'vealsohaddifficultyusing
ramdrive.sysonsystemswith128MBofRAM,andI'vehadproblemswithMicrosoftOfficeapplicationslockingupduringautosavewhenIhadmytempfiles
redirectedtoaRAMdiskcreatedwithramdrive.sys.
Xmsdisk
ThefreewareXMSDISK,byFrenchprogrammerFranckUberto(availableatwww.opus.co.tt/dave/index.htm)isasmaller,moreversatile,andmorereliable
substitutethatexhibitsnoneoftheseproblems.Itloadsfromautoexec.batandiscapableofallocatingitsmemoryfromthetopoftheavailablememorypool.This
allowsittoworkwithWindows9xwithoutrestriction,andoncertainmotherboards,makesitbeneficialtoaddmorememory.ManyolderPentiummotherboards,
suchasthosewiththeIntel430TXchipset,canonlycachealimitedamountofmemory.Addingmorememorybeyondthecacheablelimitworks,butaccesstothat
memorywillbemuchslowerthanusual,soitcanactuallyhurtsystemperformance.Butifyouallocatethatslower,noncachedmemorytoaRAMdisk,youforcethe
systemtousecachedmemoryforcriticaloperations.Thenoncachedmemorystillmakesforalightningfastdiskdrive,butsinceprogramsaren'trunningfromit,itno
longerhinderssystemperformance.
ToinstallXMSDISK,copyxmsdsk.exetoC:\Windows\Command,thenaddtoautoexec.battheline:
XMSDSK[sizeinkilobytes][driveletter:]/t/y
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ThebestuseforXMSDISKisasarepositoryfortempfiles.MicrosoftOfficeandotherapplicationsgeneratetonsoftempfiles,andsendingthemtoaRAMdisk
greatlyspeedsoperations.Thesloweryourharddrive,thegreatertheimprovement.Toredirectyourtempfiles,addthefollowinglinestotheendofautoexec.bat,
replacingtheemphasizedtypewiththeletteryouassignedyourRAMdisk:
Mdramdiskletter:\temp
Settemp=ramdiskletter:\temp
Settmp=ramdiskletter:\temp
Tobeatalleffective,aRAMdiskneedstobeatleast1.5MBinsize,andIsometimesfindIhavemorethan4MBoftempfilesatanygiventime.Ifyouhave32MB
ofRAM,I'minclinedtosuggestyoucreateatleasta1.5MBRAMdisk.Evenifyouhaveless,you'llprobablywantoneWindowswastesfarmorememorythan
thatonexcessivediskcachingandCDROMcaching.Ifyou'verecoveredmemoryfromthosefunctions,tryreinvesting1.5MBofyoursavingsinaRAMdiskto
holdyourtempfiles,andseeifitimprovessystemperformance.
IfyouusetheWindowsdesktopasatemporaryworkareaandwouldliketospeeditup,youcanredirectthedesktoptotheRAMdiskaswell.Addthefollowing
linestoautoexec.bat,substitutingyourRAMdisk'sdriveletterfortheitalicizedtext:
mdramdiskletter:\desktop
copyc:\windows\desktop\ . ramdiskletter:\desktop
TomakeWindowsusethenewlightningfastdesktop,openRegedit,navigatetoHKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellFolders,and
changethelocationoftheDesktopentrytothesubdirectoryinyourRAMdisk.Ifthereareshortcutsyouwanttoalwayshaveavailableonthedesktop,copythemto
anotherdirectory,thenaddalinetoautoexec.battocopythemtothedesktopsubdirectoryinyourRAMdisk.
YoucanbyallmeansusetheRAMdiskasatemporaryworkareaaswell.
CompressingyourXMSDISKRAMdiskwithDriveSpace3
Whenharddrivepricesstarteddroppingfromtheskyaround1997,peoplestoppedtalkingaboutdatacompression,andwithgoodreason.Datacompressionhasa
reputationforbeingextremelyriskybroughtaboutbytheextremelybuggyDoubleSpacedatacompressionthatwaspresentinMicrosoft'sMSDOS6.0and
that'snotreallyfair.DatacompressionhasbeenaroundalotlongerthanDoubleSpaceitwassafebeforeDoubleSpacecamearound,andDoubleSpacedidn'tdo
anythingtochangethat.ThebigproblemwithdatacompressionisthatitgivestheCPUyetanothertasktojuggle,andharddrivespeedissocrucialtosystem
performancethatit'snotwisetothrowthatextrafactorintotheequation.
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Becauseofthisextraoverhead,IreallyhatetotalkaboutdatacompressioninregardstoRAMdisks.Suddenlywehavethislightningfastdiskdrive,sowhywould
wewanttoslowitdown?Diskcompressionmadesensebackwhenitallowedyoutodothingsyoucouldn'tdowithoutit.Itwaspainful,butitwasbetterthannot
beingabletoinstallyoursoftware.OnceharddrivesthesizeoftheGrandCanyonbecameavailableforahundredbucks,itstoppedmakingsensetocompresshard
drives.
RAMpricesareathistoriclowsasofthiswriting,butit'sstillgoingtobeawhilebeforesystemswithagigabyteofRAMbecomecommonplace.Inthemeantime,if
youneedtohave24MBofdataathandonyourRAMdiskbutcanonlyspare16MBofRAM,youcanrunDriveSpaceontheRAMdisktogiveyourselfsome
morespace.AcompressedRAMdiskisstillfasterthanaphysicalharddisk.RAMdiskcompressionrequiresDriveSpace3,whichshippedwiththeWindows95
Plus!packandwithWindows98.
TocompressyourRAMdisk,installDriveSpacefromWindows98SetuporfromthePlus!packsetup,ifyouhaven'talready.SincetheRAMdiskhastobecreated
fromscratcheverytimeyoubootyoursystem,youneedtorunDriveSpaceatstartup.RightclickyourStartMenuandselectExplore.DoubleclickPrograms,then
doubleclickStartup,thenrightclickintherightpaneofthewindowandselectNew Shortcut.Whenpromptedforacommandline,type:
DRVSPACE/COMPRESSD:
replacingDwithyourRAMdisk'sdriveletter.ClickNext,thenFinish.
IfyouliketobeabletosaveandrestorethecontentsofyourRAMdisk,DriveSpaceunwittinglyprovidesafastandeasywaytodoit.LookatyourRAMdisk'shost
drive(usuallyH:).Youshouldfindtwofiles:areadmefile,andaverylargefilewithanamelikeDRVSPACE.OOOorDRVSPACE.CVF.Copythatfiletoyourhard
drive(say,toC:\Windows\Command),thenaddthefollowinglinetoautoexec.bat:
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DRVSPACE.CVFD:\
SubstituteyourRAMdisk'sdriveletterforthedriveletterattheendofthefile.Windowsprobablywon'tautomaticallymountthedrive,sorightclickyourStartMenu
andselectExplore.DoubleclickPrograms,thendoubleclickStartup,thenrightclickintherightpaneofthewindowandselectNew Shortcut.Whenprompted
foracommandline,type:
DRVSPACE/MOUNTD:\drvspace.cvf
replacingD:\drvspace.cvfwiththepathandComponentofyourDriveSpacefile.ClickNext,thenFinish.
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ThesetwotechniquesforcompressingaRAMdiskaremutuallyexclusive.Choosethefirsttechniqueifyoudon'tneedtopreserveyourRAMdisk'scontentschoose
thesecondtechniqueifyoudo.
Vramdir
AnalternativeRAMdiskisthecontroversialVRAMDIRbyVirtualSoftware(www.virtusoft.com).ThesourceofthiscontroversyisVirtualSoftware'schoiceof
benchmarkstodemonstratetheir$10sharewareprogram.TheysimplyillustratehowmuchfastertheirRAMdiskisthanaphysicaldisk.Thisisaworthless
benchmarkbecauseitdoesn'tgiveanyindicationoftheprogram'simprovementonrealworldperformance.VRAMDIRmayperformhundredsorthousandsoftimes
fasterthanaharddisk,butasystemwithVRAMDIRwon'tperformhundredsoftimesfaster.ThishascausedsomewranglingonUsenetbetweenrepresentativesof
VirtualSoftwareandendusers.
ThenicethingaboutVRAMDIRisthatitusesacombinationRAMdisk/harddiskapproachthat'scompletelytransparent.Youjusttellitwhatdirectoriestoshadow,
andVRAMDIRredirectsthoserequeststoRAMuntilavailablememoryfillsup,thenitusesdiskspace.Asavailablesystemmemoryincreases,VRAMDIRgrabsup
morememoryforitsRAMdisk.Assystemmemorybecomesscarce,VRAMDIRreleasesmemory.
VRAMDIR'sapproachisnice,butthesharewareversionoftheprogramislimitedto30minutesessions,soitcanbehardtogaugehowmuchitimprovesyour
system.Youcanuseittoshadowyourtempdirectories(there'snoneedtoredirectthemifyoudon'twantto),yourdesktop,C:\Windows\Spooltospeedup
printing,yourStartmenuanydirectorywherespeedismoreimportantthanpermanence.Justbesuretoworkfastifyouwanttodeterminewhatitcandoforyou.
CleanupUtilities
AustralianprogrammerKevinSolwaywroteaprogramthat'sanexcellentcomplementtouninstallationprograms.CleanSystemDirectory,availablefrom
www.ozemail.com.au/~kevsol/sware.htmlscansalloftheexecutableprogramsandDLLsonyoursystemtoseewhatDLLstheycallupon,comparesittothelistof
DLLsinyoursystemdirectory,andmovesanyorphanselsewhere.WindowsinstallsagoodnumberofDLLsontheassumptionthatsomethingyouinstalllatermight
needthemuntilthatdayarrives,they'rejustslowingthesystemdown.CleanSystemDirectorywillmovethemoutoftheway.ProgramsthatneedDLLstheydon't
findinthesystemdirectorywillusuallyinstallthem,butifaprogrammalfunctionsafterinstallation,trymovingalloftheDLLfilesoutofCleanSystemDirectory'shold
directorybackintoC:\Windows\System,thenrunCleanSystemDirectoryagain.ItshoulddetectwhatDLLsyournewlyinstalledprogramisusingandleavethose
alone,whilemovingtheorphansbackoutofthewayagain.
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Undersomebizarrecircumstances,CleanSystemDirectorycanmoveaDLLthat'sinuse.Ifaprogram'scodeiscompressedorencrypted,CleanSystemDirectory
won'tbeabletodeterminewhatDLLsituses.Fortunately,notmanyprogramsdothisanymore,sinceithurtsperformance.IfyourunCleanSystemDirectoryanda
programthatusedtoworksuddenlystartscomplainingaboutamissingDLL,lookforitinCleanSystemDirectory'sdirectoryofjunkDLLsandcopyitbackinto
C:\Windows\System.
Microsoft'sRegCleanisamusthaveifyoudon'thaveFixIt99orNuts&Bolts.Theregistrycleanersintheseprogramsaremorepowerful,butMicrosoft'soffering
isfree.Downloaditfromsupport.microsoft.com/support/downloads/DP3049.ASP.It'scompletelyautomaticrunit,anditscansforinvalidregistryentries,then
askspermissiontocleanthemup.It'sbesttorunRegCleanafterinstallingoruninstallinganynewpieceofsoftware,andyoushouldrunitmultipletimesuntilitsaysit
can'tfindanyentriestocleanup.RegCleanhassomeissueswithcertaindevelopmentpackages(someofthem,ironically,fromMicrosoft),butit'ssafeongaming
systems.
AnothergoodcleanupprogramisEasyCleaner,afreewareofferingfromFinnishprogrammerToniHelenius.EasyCleanerwillscantheregistryforinvalidentriesand
removethemforyou,aswellasscanningforduplicatefilesandjunkfileslikeanuninstallationprogramwould.It'snotautomaticyouhavetoselecttheregistry
entriesorfilesyouwishtodiscardandtheduplicatefilefinderisabitslow,buttheprogramworkswell,thepriceisrightanditdoeshaveaSelectAllbuttonto
quicklyeliminatejunkinlargequantities.EasyCleanerisavailableatwww.saunalahti.fi/tonihele.IsuggestrunningEasyCleaneronceamonthifyoudon'thavean
uninstallationprogramorutilitiessuitetocleanyoursystemup.
LastbutnotleastisBradStowers'StartupManager,availableatwww.delphifreestuff.com.Thisprogramallowsyoutotoggleonoroffanyprogramthatloadsat
systemstartup.Thisisuseful,forexample,forgettingridofAOLInstantMessengerafterNetscapebrowsersinstallit.Youdon'tneedAOLInstantMessengerunless
you'reonline,sowhykeepitloadedallthetime?Andifyoudon'tuseAOLInstantMessenger,whyloaditatall?Youcanalsouseittoquicklyandeffectivelygetrid
oftheinstallationnagssomecommercialprogramsinstall.
AdditionalUtilitiesThatComewithWindows98
Windows98comeswithanumberofadditionalutilitiesthatarefairlysimpleandgenerallyusedonlywhenyoursystemdevelopsproblems.Neitherofthesetoolsis
reasonenoughontheirowntoupgradetoWindows98,butifyouhavethemandneedthem,youmightaswellusethem.
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SystemConfigurationUtility
TheSystemConfigurationUtilityisaslightlyupdatedtoolsimilartotheoldundocumentedSYSEDITutilitythat'sbeenshippingsinceWindows3.1days.Itprovidesa
clumsyGUIinterfaceforchangingsystemconfigurationfiles,makingtheeditingof.inifiles,config.sys,andautoexec.batmorelikeeditingtheregistry.Youcanrun
theSystemConfigurationUtilitybypressingStart Run MSCONFIGandpressingEnter.
ThemostnoteworthyfeaturesintheSystemConfigurationUtility,asusual,areburiedbehindabuttonlabeledAdvanced.Youshouldonlychangethesesettingsif
you'rehavingproblems,andthenonlyafterrunningtheTroubleshootingsectionofWindowsHelp,butthemostimportantsettingistheonelabeled''DisableScanDisk
afterbadshutdown."Onsomesystemswithverylarge(greaterthan8GB)FAT32Xpartitions,thetextmodeversionofScanDiskcancauseseriousdiskcorruption
problems.YoushouldalwaysrunScanDiskorathirdpartydiskrepairtoolafteranimpropershutdown,butdisablethissettingandinsteadrunthetoolafter
Windowsstarts.
Dependingonyoursystem,youmayalsofindyouwanttodisablefastshutdown(ifitturnsouttobeincompatiblewithyourhardware),orthePentiumFO
workaroundifyouhaveanIntelPentiumorPentiumMMXprocessor(thisfixesanobscurebuginthesechipsthatcancrashthesystem).
Mostprogramskeeptheirhandsoffthetextbasedconfigurationfilesthesedays,butnotalldo.Ifyouareabouttoevaluateapieceofsoftwarebutthinkthere'sa
goodchanceyou'llimmediatelywanttouninstallit,youcanbackupyourcurrentconfiguration(runMSCONFIGandpressthebuttonlabeledCreateBackup),then
restoreitafteryouuninstalltheprogram(runMSCONFIGandpressthebuttonlabeledRestoreBackup).Thistrickonlyworksifyouhaven'tinstalledanyother
programssinceinstallinganduninstallingtheprogram,butinapinchthistrioofutilitiescangiveyousomeofthecapabilitiesofafullblownuninstallationprogram.
SystemFileChecker
SystemFileChecker(SFC)examinesthefilesintheC:\Windowshierarchyandtrackschangestothefilesthere.Anumberofthingscancorruptthesefiles,including
errantprograms,impropershutdowns,andviruses.Installinganduninstallingprogramscansometimesalsomakeundesirablechangestothesefiles.SFCisno
substituteforanantivirusprogram(ifsomeotherprogramonyoursystemisinfected,ittheviruswillquicklyspreadbackintoyourWindowsdirectory),butasa
quickfixforasystemthat'spastitsprime,it'sinvaluable,capableoffixingproblemsthatpreviouslycouldonlybefixedbyreinstallingWindows.
TorunSFC,Start Run typeSFCandpressEnter.SFCofferstwooptions:"Scanforalteredfiles"and"Extractonefilefrominstallationdisk."Normallyyou'll
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toruntheformeroption.HitOK,thenhitStart,andSFCwilllookforfiles,replacinganythingitdoesn'tlikeandstoringbackupcopiesofthefilesitreplaces.
Thedefaultsettingsareprettyconservativeandwon'tcatcheveryproblem,soifyourproblempersists,youshouldpresstheSettingsbuttonandcheckthebox
labeled"Checkfordeletedfiles,"thenrunSFCagain.Youshouldonlygobackintosettingsandchecktheboxlabeled"Checkforchangedfiles"ifthefirstand
secondpassesfailtocorrecttheproblem,sincetherearebothlegitimateandillegitimatereasonswhyasystemfilecouldbechanged.Someprogramswilloccasionally
installupdatedversionsoftheWindowssystemfilestheyuse.
IfSFCfailstofixtheproblemormakesitworse,justcopythefilesfromC:\Windows\HelpDesk\SFCbackintotheirappropriatelocations.
RunningSFCthreetimesisabitofapain,butit'sfarbetterthanreinstallingWindowsintheblindhopethatitwillrepairthesystem.Idon'trecommendrunningiton
sucharegularbasisasutilitieslikeDefragoryourregistrytoolsbecauseyoureallyshouldn'tneeditveryoften.Unlessyou'rerunningalotofprereleasesoftwareor
haveaseriousproblemwithexposuretoviruses,youshouldn'tneedtorunitmorethanonceeverythreemonths.
Theexceptiontothis(there'salwaysanexception)isifyoudon'thaveanuninstallationprogram.Ifyouwanttokeepyoursysteminpristinecondition,alwaysrun
SFCbeforeinstallingaprogram.ClickSettings LogFile OverwriteexistingLog OK,hitStarttorunSFC'sanalysis,thenclickSettings ViewLog File
Print.Storethishardcopywiththeprogram'sdocumentation.ExitNotepad(theprogramSFCusestoviewthelog),thenexitSFC.Installtheprogram,thenrun
SFCagainthesameway.Younowhavearecordofeverychangetheprogrammadetothesystem.
Ifyoulaterdecidetouninstalltheprogram,runSFCagainbeforeandaftertheuninstallationandcomparethelogstothesetyoucreatedwhenyouinstalledthe
program.Ifsomeofthefilestheinstallationprogramaddedstillremain,itcouldmeansomeotherprogramisusingthem,oritcouldbeanindicationofasloppy
uninstallationroutine.YoushouldrunKevinSolway'sCleanSystemDirectorytodetermineifthefileisstillneeded.
SFCwon'ttrackthechangestotheregistry,soit'sanincompletesubstituteforanuninstallationprogram,butit'sfarbetterthannotrackingtoolatall.Inconjunction
withagoodsetoftoolslikeanuninstallationprogramandautilitiessuite,SFCshouldmakeitpossibletocompletelyeliminatethephenomenonofOSrotdescribedin
Chapter1,SystemOptimizationTheory.
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WindowsRegistryChecker
Windows98automaticallykeepsfivebackupcopiesoftheregistry,creatinganewbackupeverytimeyousuccessfullyboot.Youcanalsomanuallybackupthe
registry,fixminorproblemswiththeregistry,orrestoreabackupwiththeWindowsRegistryChecker.
TheWindowsRegistryCheckerrunsonlyfromwithinDOSmode.BoottoacommandpromptbyholdingdowntheControlkeyatboot,thentypeSCANREGatthe
C:\prompt.
Tobackupyourregistry,typeSCANREG/BACKUP,restoreapreviousbackupwithSCANREG/RESTORE,andattempttorepairafaultyregistrywith
SCANREG/FIX.
Ifyouareabouttoevaluateapieceofsoftwarebutthinkthere'sagoodchanceyou'llimmediatelywanttouninstallit,youcanbootintoDOSmodeafteruninstalling
theprogramandrestoreyourpreviousbackupwithSCANREG/RESTORE.Thistrickwillonlyworkifyouhaven'tmadeanyotherchangestotheregistrysince
installinganduninstallingtheprogram,butinapinchitcanworkalongwithSFCtogiveyousomeofthecapabilitiesofafullblownuninstallationprogram.
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6
ReplacementWindowsShells
OneofthebiggestreasonsWindows9xrequiressomuchmorememorythanWindows3.1istheExplorershellitself.InWindows95,theExplorershellrequires
nearly4MBofmemoryonitsown.ThankstotheshellintegrationwithrecentversionsofInternetExplorer,thatrequirementballoonstocloserto16MBunder
Windows98.ConsiderthattheunderlyingWindowssubsystemsthemselvesoccupyabout16MBofmemory,andyoustarttoseewhy32MBisthebareminimum
requirementforrunningWindows98.
ThelargesizeofExplorermakessomesoftwaredeveloperswonderjustwhatthey'regettingfortheir4MB,asshouldyou.Inmanyways,ExplorermakesWindows
9xwhatitisExplorerprovidesthefamiliarStartmenu,managesthedesktop,andservesasWindows9x'sfilemanager.Butshouldalloftheseelementsreallybe
integratedintoasingleprogram,alwaysloadedinmemory?Doyoureallyneedafilemanagerinmemoryifyou'rerunningawordprocessorandit'stheonlytask
running?Whataboutafullblown,fourthgenerationwebbrowser?
Ifyourgoaliseaseofuseandyouhavebucketsandbucketsofmemory,thenmaybeyouwantthatstuff.Butifyourgoalisperformanceandyoudon'tmakealotof
changestoyourWindowsenvironmentandmostpeopledon'tthenyou'reprobablybettersuitedwithsomethingelse.Thereareasurprisingnumberofalternatives
tousingExplorerasyourshell,andtheycanbeconfiguredtouseconsiderablylessmemorythanExploreruses.
ReplacingExplorerisprettyeasytodo:Start Run sysedit System.ini.Scrolldowntothesectionlabeled[boot],whichisusuallythefirstsectioninthe
file,thenlookforalinethatreadsshell=Explorer.exe(it'susuallyabouthalfwaythroughthesection).YoucanreplaceExplorerwithjustaboutanythingyou
like,asIdescribelaterinChapter12,HardwareUpgrades,whereIpresenttheideaofusinga486asadedicatedkiosk.Undermostcircumstances,however,you
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willprobablywanttoreplaceExplorerwithsomethingdesignedtolaunchotherprograms.
OnepotentialfearwithusinganythingthatreplacesExploreriswhathappenstoExplorerelementslikethedesktopandStartmenu.Theseprogramsdon'ttamperwith
eitherofthoseelementsifyoudecidetotryanothershellanddecidetorevertbacktoExplorer,Explorerwillfinditsdataundisturbedandwillneverrealizeitwas
replaced.
ProgramManager
Yes,ProgramManagerthevenerableWindows3.xshellstillrunsunderWindows9x.It'sevenincluded.DuringtheWindows95setup,itasksyouifyouwantto
usetheWindows95userinterface(Explorer)ortheoldWindows3.1interface(ProgramManager).Mostpeoplenevernoticethatoptionorchangeit.Butifyou
selecttheWindows3.1interface,you'representedwithaProgramManagerscreenattheendoftheinstallation.ItlooksalittledifferenttheProgramManagertitle
isofftotheleftthewindowgadgetonthelefthandsideistheprogram'siconratherthanagenericboxandtheminimize,maximize,andclosegadgetsareonthe
righthandside.PictureaslightlymodernizedWindows3.1,andthat'swhatyouget(seeFigure61).Butasidefromthelookofthetitlebar,itlooksandactsjustlike
Windows3.1.Windows98doesn'tgiveyoutheoptiontouseProgramManagerasyouruserinterface,buttheexecutableisstillincluded,soyoucanadditmanually.
Figure61.
ProgramManager,slightlyupdatedfor1999
AdvantagesofProgramManager
ProgramManager'smemoryfootprintisafractionofExplorer'sabout1.6MBmakingitasuitablechoiceforlowmemorysystems.AndalthoughProgram
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Managerdevelopmentceasedin1994,itwasatthetimeaprovenandstableshell,iffrequentlymaligned.Plus,ProgramManagerisstilltightlyhookedinto
Windowswhenyouinstallsoftware,anyprogramknowshowtocreateprogramgroupsforit.Thisfeaturegivesitausabilityedgeoversomeotheralternativeshells,
whichrequireatleastoneadditionalsteptoaddprogramstotheirmenusafterinstallation.
ThebiggestadvantageProgramManagerhasoverothershells,however,isitsfamiliarityandubiquity.Thiswas,afterall,theinterfaceforWindows3.x,whichwas
themostcommonoperatingenvironmentintheworldfornearlyhalfadecade.Therearehundredsoffreewareandsharewareprogramsthatextendthecapabilitiesof
ProgramManager,andhundredsofarticlesinbackissuesofcomputermagazinesoffertipsforitseffectiveuse.
DisadvantagesofProgramManager
ThebadnewsisthatProgramManagerwastheshellthatspawnedathousandreplacements.IntheWindows3.1days,itseemedlikeeveryutilitycompanyonthe
planetwasmakingandsellingaWindows3.1shell.ProgramManagerdoesn'tuseafolder/subfolderstructurelikeExplorerdoesitstoresitsiconsinprogram
groups,andyoucan'tnestgroups.Easyaccesstoyourdrivesandnetworkresourcesishistory.There'sjustnotawholelottolikeaboutProgramManager,besides
itsreducedmemoryfootprint.IsuspecttheProgramManagerinterfacesoldmorethanafewMacintoshesthefirsthalfofthisdecade.
AnotherdisadvantagetoProgramManageristhatitwon'timportExplorer'sStartmenu.Ifyou'veaddedsoftware,you'llhavetoadditbackinyourself.Youcanget
thedetailsforanyprogramwithStart ContextMenu Explore Programs.Next,opentheprogram'sgroup,thenselectPropertiesfromtheprogram'scontext
menu.Now,gotoStart Run progman,thenFile New ProgramItem Description <description>> CommandLine <pathandComponent>>.
Perhapsmostimportantly,ProgramManagerisstilla16bitapplication.While16bitprogramstendtobesmallerthantheir32bitcounterparts,theyalsotendtobe
lessstable,andtheextraoverheadofswitchingintoandoutofprotectedmodehurtsperformanceslightly.ThelesstimeyourWindows9xsystemspendsinreal
mode,thefasterandmorestableitwillbe,and,chancesare,thehappieryou'llbe.
TipsforImprovingProgramManager
Thatsaid,youcandressuptheProgramManagerinterfaceandmakeittolerable.TogetaMyComputerlikeview,selectFile New ProgramGroup My
Computer OK.Now,toaddyourCdrivetothegroup,selectFile New ProgramItem Description DriveC CommandLine C:\.Repeatthis
foreverydrive
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you'dliketobeabletoaccess.ToaddaControlPaneltoit,selectFile New
control.exe.
ProgramItem
Description
ControlPanel CommandLine
Now,openalloftheprogramgroupsyouusemostfrequently.ExpandtheProgramManagerwindowsothatitfillsthescreen.ThenselectWindow Tile.Now
yourmostfrequentlyusedprogramsarejustadoubleclickaway,andyourrarelyusedprogramsareaclickandadoubleclickaway.YourProgramManagerscreen
willsomewhatresembleFigure61.ThisconfigurationmimicstheconvenienceofhavingallofyourmostcommonprogramiconsoutontheExplorerdesktop,but
withoutcausingtheperformancehit.
It'sfinetouseprogramgroupstosortyourprogramsintologicalcategories.However,youshouldtrytoavoidhavingalargenumberofgroups.ThemoreProgram
Managergroupsyouhave,theslowerProgramManagerruns,becauseithastokeeptrackofallofthem.Thiswasamuchmoreseriousconsiderationbackin1992,
whenpeopleweretryingtorunWindows3.1on25MHzPCsthatdidn'thaveanymemoryorCPUcyclestospare.However,ProgramManagerdoesstoreits
groupsinfilesinthe\Windowsdirectory,soalargenumberofgroupscancontributesignificantlytosystemoverhead,evenonmodernPCs.
Recommendations
ProgramManagerusesmorememorythaneitherEVWMorLiteStep,butitiseasiertocustomize.IfyouhavetooptimizealowmemoryPCthatdoesn'thavean
Internetconnection(andthusnoeasymeanstodownloadanothershell),ProgramManagermaybeyouronlychoice.Insituationswhereyou'vereplacedWindows
3.xwithWindows9x,ProgramManagerisalsoagoodchoice,sinceit'salreadyfamiliar.Ofalltheoptionscurrentlyavailable,ProgramManagerstrikesthebest
balancebetweenmemoryusageandeaseofcustomization.
I'veusedProgramManagerundertwocircumstances.WhenI'vesetupanewWindows9xbasedcomputerforsomeonewho'sbeenusingaWindows3.1based
computerforthepastseveralyears,andhehasnointerestinlearninghowtouseanewinterface,I'vesetupProgramManager.Thismakesthecomputerlessalien,
andhastheadvantageofmakingitrunalittlebitfaster.
ProgramManagerisalsogoodforspecialpurposecomputers.Manypeoplewantacomputerforwordprocessing,email,andwebbrowsing,butnothingelse.Ihave
anumberofrelativesinthiscategory.Whenthishappens,I'lltakeanoldPC,installWindows,theninstallasuitablewordprocessingpackage,theninstallaNetscape
browserandafriendlyemailclientlikeQualcomm'sEudoraLight,setuptheISP,andtheninstallProgramManager,createanewprogramgroup,andsetupicons
forthewordprocessor,webbrowser,andemailclient.There'slittleneedforFileManagerorExplorer,sincemodernwordprocessorscontainadequatefile
managementcapabilitieslikecreatingfoldersandmovingfiles.I'llgoaheadand
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puttoolslikeDefragandScanDiskinanothergroupincaseIneedthem.ThenIopenthegroupthatcontainsthewordprocessor,browser,andemailclientand
restartWindowstomakesurethegroupstaysopenthenexttimethecomputergetsstarted.WhileExplorer'sStartmenuisprettyintuitive,it'shardtogetanymore
intuitivethanthis.Afterall,whenyouwanttoemail,youjustdoubleclickthaticon.Whenyouwantawordprocessor,doubleclickthaticon.Whatcouldbebetter?
Youmadethecomputereasiertouse,andyoureducedtheamountofhorsepowernecessarytorunit.
EVWM
EVWM,byEliotGillum,isafreewarereplacementshellthatresemblestheFVWMwindowmanagerthatwasoncethemostpopularGUIfortheXFree86X
WindowsystemforLinuxandFreeBSD.(WindowmanagersunderLinuxareroughlyequivalenttoprogramshellsunderWindows9x.)IfyouwereusingLinux
beforeitbecametrendy,you'llprobablyberightathomewithEVWM.
Ifyou'renotacquaintedwithEVWM,itscapabilitiesaresomewherebetweenthatofExplorerandProgramManager.It'sadesignthatsavesalotofscreenspaceby
dispensingwiththeStartbutton,andmakingthesystemtrayatransparent,movableitemthatfloatsoverwhateverapplicationsmightberunningbehindit.This
increaseinusablescreenspacewillbewelcomeatlowresolutions.RatherthanuseaStartmenu,apopupmenuappearsanytimeyouleftclickonthebackdrop.A
contextmenuappearswhenyourightclick,butit,too,isminimal.Itshowstherunningtasksandlittleelse.
LikeProgramManager,therearenoiconsonthebackdrop.Thedesktopisaseparatewindow,accessiblefromthemainmenu.
AdvantagesofEVWM
EVWM'sbiggestadvantageisprobablyitseaseofinstallation.Yousimplydownloadandrunitthere'snoinstallationroutine,andnoneedtomessaroundwith
system.ini.Justrunit,anditwillseethatExplorerisrunningandoffertosetitselfupasthedefaultshell.Ifyouacceptitsoffer,itdiligentlyimportsyourStartmenu,
bringsupaconfigurationscreentoletyoucustomizeit(youcangetbywithjustclosingitfornow).EVWMisalsoverysmall,requiringabout1.2MB.On
lowmemorysystems,EVWMisanexcellentchoice.
AlthoughFVWMneverwasthemostcommonuserinterfaceandprobablyneverwillbe(KDEandGNOMEeclipseditintheLinuxworldsoonafterLinux's
explosivegrowthin1998),itwasmodeledafterWindows9x'sinterface.WhetherthedesignersweresuccessfulinimprovingontheWindowsinterfaceisamatterof
personalopinion,butit'ssimilarenoughthatmostWindows9xusersshouldbe
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abletoadapttoitfairlyeasily.ThemainmenuhasallthefunctionalityofWindows'Startmenuandalittlebitextratoboot.ItprovidesinstantaccesstotheControl
Panel,whichisnice.Thisfeaturecompensatessomewhatforthelackofanykindoffunctionalcontextmenu.
Finally,unlikeProgramManager,EVWMisa32bitprogram.
DisadvantagesofEVWM
Unfortunately,EVWMisamuchlessmatureprogramthaneitherExplorerorProgramManager.Sinceit'sstillverymuchindevelopment,ittendstocrashmore
frequentlythaneitherofMicrosoft'salternatives.Thisconditionshouldimprovewithtime,butbeawarethatversion1.0stillhassomestabilityissues.
IfyouinstallsoftwareafterinstallingEVWM,itwon'tappearinstantlyonyourmainmenuyou'llhavetoreimporttheWindowsStartmenu.Thisisfairlyeasyto
doMainmenu Special ConfigureEVWM Import.Butrememberingtodothisandmakingitahabitmaytakesometime.
EVWM'scontextmenuisprettyvacantaswell.Sinceitputsmostofitsfunctionalityinthemainmenu,youcancertainlyarguethatitdoesn'tmakeanysensetoput
muchinthecontextmenu.SinceExplorerissocontextmenuintensive,experiencedWindows9xusersmaybelostwithoutit.WhenyouopenupExplorerwindows,
however,thestandardcontextmenu,includingthebelovedSendTocommand,isavailable.(EVWMstillusesExplorerwindowstodisplaydrivecontents.)
InstallationandConfigurationofEVWM
YoucanalwaysdownloadthenewestversionofEVWMfromwww.evwm.com.ItsinstallationistheeasiestofanyWindowsshellI'vefoundjustunzipittoan
appropriatetargetdirectory,suchasD:\ProgramFiles\evwm,andrunit.Itwilldotherest.
TheappearanceofEVWM'smenusiscustomizableEVWMcallsitsmenubackdropscloaks.NotalldistributionsofEVWMcomewithcloaks,however.You
maywishtodownloadacoupleofcloaksfromwww.evwm.comatthesametimeyoudownloadEVWM,justtobeonthesafeside.Unzipthemintoasubdirectory
offthemainEVWMdirectoryforexample,D:\ProgramFiles\evwm\cloaks.ThedistributionIdownloadedcamewithnocloaks,butwasconfiguredbydefaultto
usethem.IfyouwanttosavememoryandCPUcyclesbynotusingcloaks,selectMainmenu Special ConfigureEVWM Options uncheckUsecustom
menus(cloaks).IfyouwanttodressupEVWMwithacloak,selectMainmenu Special ConfigureEVWM Options CloakDirectory <locationof
yourcloaks> checkUsecustommenus(cloaks) CloakChooser.
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EVWMwillhonoranywallpaperyouchooseusingtheDisplayControlPanel.
Asstatedbefore,youmustreimportyourWindowsStartmenuanytimeyouaddprograms.
Recommendations
InoticedimprovedperformancewhenusingEVWMevenona32MBmachine,soEVWMisagoodchoiceforlowmemorysystems.Somepeoplemayhave
difficultygettingusedtoEVWM'ssparsedesktopandaccessingtheStartmenufromarightclick.Butifthatchangedoesn'tbotheryou,EVWMhasplentytooffer.
EVWMdefinitelyisn'tasflashyasExplorerorLiteStep,and,arguably,it'snotevenasflashyasProgramManager.It'sthefourdoorfamilysedanofthegroup:
reliable,simple,andeasytosetupanduse.Itlaunchesprogramswithoutgettingintheway,whichiscertainlygoodenough.
IfyouwantasmallermemoryfootprintthanExplorerandasmallerdownloadthanLiteStep,EVWMisyourbestchoice.Ifyoudon'twanttospendawholeSaturday
configuringyournewshellinterface,EVWMisyourbestchoice.Ifyouwantglitz,lookelsewhere.
StarOffice
StarOffice,aproductivitysuitefromSunMicrosystems(thecompanyfounditselfinthenewswhenitboughtStarOffice'soriginalproducer,Germansoftware
manufacturerStarDivision)isanunusualchoiceforareplacementshell.StarOfficeisanextremelyintegratedpackageconsistingofawordprocessor,spreadsheet,
database,drawingprogram,PIM,emailclient,HTMLeditor,andwebbrowser,tiedtogetherbyanExplorerlikeinterfacethatevenimportstheWindowsStart
menu.It'stheonlyprogrammanypeoplewilleverneed(thoughwhetherit'sthebesttoolforanygiventaskmaybeopentoquestion).Ifyoucantoleratea63MB
download,it'savailablefreeofchargefromwww.sun.com.Ifyouprefernottotieupyourphonelineforhoursonend,it'savailableonCDwithaprintedmanualfor
$39.
StarOffice'sdesignsuggestsitmighthavehadambitionsasareplacementshell,buttheimplementationfallsshort.StarOfficedoesn'toffertomakeitselfyourshellit
justmasqueradesasyourshell,coveringupExplorer(whichmeansyouhavetwoshellsloaded,ineffect).IfyouwantStarOfficetotrulybeyourshell,youmust
manuallyspecifyitsexecutable(soffice.exe)insystem.ini.Scrolldowntothesectionlabeled[boot],whichisusuallythefirstsectioninthefile,thenlookforaline
thatreadsshell=Explorer.exe.
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AdvantagesofStarOffice
Ifyouhaveenoughmemoryforit,everythingyouneedisalwaysrightthereinmemory.TheotheradvantageistheautomaticimportingoftheStartmenu.
DisadvantagesofStarOffice
Unfortunately,thosewhohaveenoughmemorytobeabletoaffordtouseStarOfficeasashellarealsomostlikelytobethosewhowon'tbesatisfiedwithitspower
andwillwantafullblownofficesuitefordailyuse.
WhenStarOfficeisusedasashell,there'snoobviouswaytoexitWindowsyoumustbringuptheTaskManagerbyhittingCtrlEsc,thenselectShutdownWindows
fromtheFilemenu.
StarOffice'sbiggestweaknessasashellisitsheftymemoryfootprint.Itoccupiesabout35MBofmemorywhenusedastheshell,whichsuggestsit'skeepinga
sizeablepartofthefullsuiteinmemory.Packingashellandafullsuiteofproductivityapplicationsintoanapplicationthatusesabout35MBofmemoryisa
commendableachievementinthisageofbloatware,butunlessStarOfficereallyistheonlyprogramyoueveruse(besidesafewutilities),Ican'timaginewantingto
haveafullapplicationssuiteloadedinmemoryallthetime.IttakestheMicrosoftideaofatotallyintegratedsystemtoanunnecessaryextreme,andit'shardenough
formetojustifyalwayshavingawebbrowserinmemory.ThemainreasonforusingareplacementshellistogainperformanceStarOfficefailshere.
Recommendations
Asanapplicationssuite,StarOfficefallssomewherebetweenMicrosoftWorksandthefullblownapplicationssuiteslikeMicrosoftOffice,LotusSmartSuite,and
WordPerfectOffice.Since90%ofusersneedanduseonlyabout10%ofthefunctionalitythelargeofficesuitesoffer,StarOfficeismorethanadequatefortypical
homeuseandevenforalargepercentageofbusinessuse,andthepriceisright.Butit'sbesttoletStarOfficesticktowhatitdoesbestandwasdesignedtodointhe
firstplacejugglinghouseholddataandleavegeneralprogramshelldutiestosomethingsmallerandnimbler.
LiteStep
LiteStep,likeEVWM,isbasedonapopularXFree86windowmanager.LiteStep'spredecessor,OpenStep,wasbasedonSteveJobs'NeXTStepenvironment.
NowthatNeXThasbeenabsorbedbyAppleandwhatwasleftofNeXTStepevolvedintothenextgenerationMacOS,NeXTStepisprettymuchanorphan,butits
lookandfeelstillhavearabidfollowing.Inaway,it'sasortofpoeticjusticetoseea
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NeXTStepcloneappearontheWindowsdesktop,sincemanyofthe''innovations"inWindowsExplorerwereliftedstraightfromNeXTStep.
LiteStepisthefruitofmanyprogrammers'labor,asitisreleasedundertheGNUPublicLicense.
AdvantagesofLiteStep
LiteStephasacultfollowing,anditdidn'ttakelongformetoseewhy.Thoughit'snotyetquiteasstableasExplorerunderallcircumstances,ithassomeverydefinite
advantages.
Thefirstadvantageisjustthatitsmodel,NeXTStep,isaverygood,effectiveuserinterface.Ihadn'tusedaNeXTmachinesincecollege,soI'dforgottenthatand,
chancesare,alotofpeopleneverhadachancetoseeaNeXT,letaloneuseone.OneofLiteStep'sfeaturesisvirtualdesktops.Ilikethisfeaturemuchbetterthanthe
virtualscreensmodernvideocardsoffer,whereyourmonitorisjustasectionofamuchlargervirtualscreen.Ifinditdistractingtoscrollaroundandhavethescreen
moveonme,especiallysinceItendtoovershootwhenI'mmovingthemousetowardtheedges.LiteStepcanfunctioninthismanner,orinthemannerIprefergiving
youfourvirtualdesktops,whereyouselectthedesktopyouwantbyrightclickingonit.LaterrevisionsoftheAmigaOSsupportedafeaturelikethisAmigacalled
them"publicscreens"andIcametolikethem,butIlikethisimplementationevenbetter.Linuxuserswillfeelrightathomewiththis.Ifyouwantanapplicationoutof
yourwaybutdon'twanttominimizeit,justclickitslikenessonthevirtualdesktopandshoveitoffintooneoftheotherquadrants.Then,whenyouneedtocheckon
it,youcanjustrightclickonthatquadrant,thenswitchback.NomoreendlessAltTabbingthroughthetasklist,andnomoredesktopclutter!
ThecenteroftheWindowsuserinterface,ofcourse,istheStartmenu.ThecenteroftheNeXTuserinterfacewastheDockwindow.Dockwindowsweresimilarto
theOfficetoolbar,thoughtheycouldcontainpopoutmenuscontainingsetsoficons.LiteStepincludesaDocklikeinterfacecalledtheWharfbar.Besidespopout
menus,theWharfbarcanalsocontainthevirtualdesktopmanager,dateandtime,andcomputerresourcestatistics.AdjustingfromaStartmenucentricinterfacetoa
Dockcentricinterfacecouldtakealittlegettingusedto,butifyouusetheOfficetoolbarmuch,you'llberightathomewithWharfprettyquickly.
LiteStepalsohassupportfortheWindowsStartmenu.Thestandarddistributiondoesn'thaveitbydefaultandthedocumentationdoesn'tcomerightoutandsayhow
toaddit,butthehooksarethere,andatleastoneoftheLiteStepconfigurationprograms(Ice)willadditautomatically.
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AnothernicetyisLiteStep'scustomizability.TherearethemesthatmimicNeXT,MacOS8,BeOS,andAmigaOS.Ifyoucovettheseforeignuserinterfacesbutwant
theabilitytorunWindowssoftware,thesethemesmakeagoodcompromise.Thecustomizationsgobeyondjusttryingtomimicforeigncomputers.Thereare
LiteStepthemesthatinvokeallsortsofdifferentmoodsfromotherworldlyatmospherestotributestopopulargames.LiteStepgoeswaybeyondjustlettingyou
changeyourwallpaperyoucancustomizevirtuallyeveryaspectofyourcomputer.
LiteStep'smemoryrequirementssurprisedmeabout1.5MB.TheserequirementsarehigherthanthatofEVWM,butnotbyawholelot.Beingabletodispense
withtheOfficetoolbarandhavingresourcemetersavailableallthetimemakesitworththeextra300K.LikeEVWM,LiteStepisa32bitenvironment,butitismore
stable.
OfalltheshellsavailableforWindows,LiteStepismypersonalfavorite.
DisadvantagesofLiteStep
Forallofitsadvantages,LiteStepdoeshavesomedisadvantages.ItstremendouscapacityforcustomizationcouldprovetobeaproblemsomeoftheLiteStep
themesavailablegooverboardonmemoryandCPUusage.Thequestionariseswheretodrawthelineonceyouthrowaglitzyuserinterfaceonthescreen,the
temptationarisestoaddmemoryhoggingbackgrounds,systemsounds,screensavers,andotherglitztomatch.Ifyouhaveapowerfulcomputer,youmightbeableto
getawaywiththis,butI'veseenmyshareof350MHzPentiumIIsthatfeltmoresluggishthanmy90MHzPentium.Idownloadedatransparentbackground
commandpromptthey'retherageintheLinuxworldtoseeifIlikedit.Icouldhavegottenusedtoit,butIdidn'tlikehowmyCPUusageshotupfrom30%to
100%whenIhadacommandpromptopen.Makingmattersworse,thisfancycommandpromptwaseatingsomuchCPUtimethatitactuallyfellbehindmytyping
andtransposedcharacters.I'mafairlyquicktypist,buttheideaofa200MHzcomputerbeingunabletokeepupwithanyhumanbeing'stypingisridiculous,
especiallyseeingasthatsamecomputerdoesafinejobwithvoicerecognition.
LiteStep'sbiggestweakness,comparedtoExplorer,iseaseofsetup.LiteStepisnohardertousethanExplorerinaneaseofusecomparison,Imightevengivethe
edgetoLiteStepbutwhenitcomestoconfiguringandcustomizingit,ExplorerhasLiteStepbeat,handsdown.There'snodragginganddroppingiconsontothe
desktop,theWharfbar,orthepopupmenu.Anycustomizationsyouwishtodorequirebreakingoutatexteditorandhackingafilecalledstep.rc.Personally,Idon't
minddoingthisIhaveusedavarietyofDockclonesinthepast,andtheygenerallyrequiredcustomizationthroughtextfilesaswell.Addingdraganddrop
capabilitytoLiteStepwouldmakeitmuchlarger,soI'dratheruseaconfigurationutilityortweakatextconfigurationfile.Ifyou'vespentmuchtimeinLinux,orif
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youhackedtheWindows3.1.inifilestocustomizeWindows,LiteStep'sconfigurationfileprobablywon'tputyouoff.Ifyourelyondraganddrop,youprobably
won'tcaremuchforLiteStep.
TheotherdisadvantageofLiteStepisthewayitusesscreenspace.Itwillforceyoutoworkdifferently.Ifyou'reusedtokeepingallofyourwindowsmaximized,you
maynotlikeLiteStepbecausetheWharftoolbaroccupiesaboutfourtimesthescreenspaceoftheOfficetoolbar.YoucanmakeWharfautohide,butthenyoulose
theCPUmeterandtheclockunlessyoumovethemouseovertoit.Tobefair,thevirtualdesktopsmorethanmakeupfortheextraspace.Ifindmultiplescreensisa
lotlikemultitaskinginthatittakessometimetogetusedtoit,butonceyoudogetusedtohavingtheability,itmakesitreallyhardtogobacktousingcomputersthat
don'thaveit.
Finally,LiteStep'sstabilityisstillaquestion.IfindthatwhileI'mintheprocessofconfiguringit,LiteStepdiesmorefrequentlythanExplorerdoes.Icanrecoverwith
CtrlEsc Run c:\progra~1\litestep\litestep.exeandgetbacktowork,buttheinconvenienceisaggravating.AsLiteStepcontinuesto
develop,thisshouldbecomelessofanissue.Ittendstobeprettystablewhenyou'renotmessingwithitasitshouldbe,seeingasitdoeslittlemorethanlaunch
programsbutifyou'rethetinkeringtype,you'llberebootingalot.
InstallationandConfiguration
YoucanalwaysdownloadthecurrentversionofLiteStepfromwww.litestep.net,alongwithagoodselectionofthemesandutilities.Besuretogetthecurrent
versionandanypatchesthatmayexistforit,asrevisionstoLiteStepseemtooccuralmostasfrequentlyaswithLinux.
AfterunzippingLiteStep,youneedtorunitsinstallationprogram.Itwillpromptyouforadestinationdirectoryforthesakeofcleandirectorystructure,Isuggest
someplaceotherthanthedefaultC:\Litestep.Iuse\Progra~1\Litestep.(IfyouputitinadirectorywithalongComponent,youhavetousetheshortComponent,or
Windowswon'tfinditthenexttimeyouboot.)AfteryouclicktheInstallbutton,itwillaskyouifyouwantittomakeLitestepyourdefaultshell.Isuggestyouanswer
yes.
UnlessyoueverwonderedwhyLinuxdidn'tbecomereallypopularuntil1998andwanttofindoutfirsthand,you'llwanttodownloadaLiteStepconfiguration
programaswell.TheLiteStepdocumentationmentionsaprogramcalledLSCP,butIfoundonecalledICEintheutilitiessectionoflitestep.netthatIliked.Idon't
mindhackingatextfiletocustomizeauserenvironment,butcreatingoneessentiallyfromscratchusingnothingbutatexteditorisn'texactlymygame.I'dmuchrather
useaconfigurationtooltogetmegoing,thenmakeadjustmentsbyhand,ifnecessary.
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ResistthetemptationtorebootimmediatelyafterinstallingLiteSteptogetaquicklookatit.Thedefaultconfigurationfileisunusableandyou'llgetablankscreen.
Instead,runICE.It'llimmediatelydosomenicethingsforyou,likeaddtheStartmenutoLiteStep'spopupmenu.
IfyoupreferaleanerandmoreefficientconfigurationfilethantheoneICEautomaticallygeneratesforyou,here'sonetogetyoustarted:
PixmapPathC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\IMAGES\
AutoHideDelay0
HideApplication
FolderBackPixb24_folderpic.bmp
NoTaskBar
VWMNoAuto
VWMNoGathering
VWMForeColorBABCBA
VWMBackColor707770
VWMSelBackColorA3A5A3
VWMBorderColor707770
UsClock
HotListName"HotList"
PopupTitlePixb24_bartitles.bmp
PopupEntryPixb24_barnorms.bmp
PopupSelEntryPixb24_barsels.bmp
PopupEntryColorD3D3D3
PopupSelEntryColorD3D3D3
PopupFontFace"Verdana"
PopupFontHeight14
NoPopupBevel
PopupSubMenuHeight20
minpopupwidth208
WharfTitlebarPixb24_wcap.bmp
WharfAutoUnpress
WharfNoAnim
AutoHideWharf
WharfBevelWidth0
WharfPressOffset1
LSTimeThemeFileC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\tinclock.thm
LoadModuleC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\desktop.dll
LoadModuleC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\wharf.dll
LoadModuleC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\shortcut.dll
LoadModuleC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\hotkey.dll
LoadModuleC:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\popup.dll
WharfBarconfig
WharfTasksb24_tasks.bmp!WharfTasks
Wharf"Date&Time"b24_lstime.bmp@C:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\lstime.dll
Wharf"VWMTop"b24_vwmtop2.bmp!None
WharfVWMb24_vwmbg.bmp@C:\PROGRA1\LITESTEP\lsvwm.dll
Wharf"VWMBottom"b24_vwmbot.bmp!None
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PopupMenuconfig.
PopupStart17default.bmp"!PopupFolder:C:\WINDOWS\StartMenu\Programs"
PopupStep.rcnotepadc:\PROGRA~1\litestep\step.rc
Popup&Run!Run
PopupShutdown!Shutdown
PopupRecycleLiteStep!Recycle
Thissetupdoesn'tdoawholelot.Itsetsthelookandfeel,givesyouaWharfbarwithaclock,virtualdesktop,andtasklist,andgivesyouaStartmenuwhenyou
rightclickonthedesktop.It'sbeggingforimprovement.Thisexampleaswrittenisdesignedforeasyexperimentation.ItdeliberatelyaddslittlemorethanaStartmenu
tothepopupmenu(whichyougetfromrightclickingonthedesktop).There'sthestep.rcoption,whichgivesyoutheconfigurationfiletheRunmenu,incaseyou
findyourselfinneedofrunningsomethingnotintheStartmenuashutdownmenuandfinally,aRecycleoption,whichreloadsLiteStepsoyoucanseetheresultsof
anyconfigurationchangesyoumake.
Addthelinesyoudesirefromthecollectionintheexamplestofollow,thenseetheireffectsbyselectingRecyclefromthepopupmenu.
Let'sstartbyimprovingthepopupmenu.TheselinesaddmostofthefeaturespresentinbothExplorer'scontextmenuandinExplorer'sStartbutton.Forthesakeof
clarity,addthemafterthelinelabeledWharfBarConfig:
Popup"DisplayProperties"control.exedesk.cpl
PopupSystemFolder
Popup"MyComputer"explorer/root,,::{20D04FE03AEA1069A2D808002B30309D}
Popup"ControlPanel"explorer/root,,::{20D04FE03AEA1069A2D808002B30309D}\::{21EC20203AEA1069A2DD
08002B30309D}
PopupDesktopc:\windows\desktop
Popup~Folder
PopupShutdownFolder
PopupRecycle!Recycle
PopupLogoff!Logoff
Popup"ShutdownMenu"!Shutdown
PopupQuit!Quit
Popup~Folder
ThesyntaxofLiteStep'sconfigurationisfairlysimple,ifnotimmediatelyobvious.Aconfigurationlinebeginswithanasterisk,followedbythetypeofitemitdefines
(popup,Wharf,shortcut,hotkey),followedbyitsname(surroundedbyquotationmarksifitcontainsspaces),thenthecommandlineargumentsortheLiteStep
internalcommand.Toputagroupoficonsintoafolder,framethemwithlinesthatread Popup[foldername]Folderand Popup~folder.The
firstlinecreatesandnamesthefolder,whilethelastindicatestheendofthefolderlist.
Next,let'saddmoretotheWharfbar.InsertthedesiredlinesfromthenextexampleimmediatelyafterthelinelabeledWharfBarConfig.Thefunctionof
eachlineisprettyselfexplanatory.IfthelinemakesreferencetoNetworkNeighborhood,itaddsNetworkNeighborhood.IfyouneverusedNetwork
Neighborhood
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inExplorer,youwon'tuseitinLiteStepeither,soomitit.PickwhatyouwantLiteStepisallabouttakingcontrolofyoursystemandmakingitactasyouwant.
Ifyouhaveotherprogramsyouwanttoadd,simplycopytheNotepadorWordPadlineanduseitasatemplate.Findormakeabitmapfiletoserveasaniconfor
theprogram,thensubstituteitsname,icon,andpathfortheonesprovided.Yourpossibilitiesareonlylimitedbyyourimaginationandyourwillingnesstotype.For
example:
Wharf"SystemFolder"b24_sys.bmpFolder
WharfRecycleb24_recycle.bmp!Recycle
Wharf"ControlPanel"b24_cntrlpanel.bmpexplorer/root,,::{20D04FE03AEA1069A2D808002B30309D}\::{21EC20203AEA
1069A2DD08002B30309D}
WharfMSDOSb24_dos.bmpcommand.com
WharfExplorerb24_explorer.bmpexplorer.exe
WharfLogoffb24_logout3.bmp!Logoff
Wharf"ShutdownWindows"b24_shutdown.bmp!Shutdown
Wharf~Folder
Wharf"AppsFolder"b24_apps.bmpFolder
Wharf"NetworkNeighborhood"b24_netneigh2.bmpexplorer/root,::{208D2C603AEA1069A2D708002B30309D}
WharfNotepadb24_notepad.bmpnotepad.exe
WharfWordPadb24_wordpad.bmp"C:\ProgramFiles\Accessories\WORDPAD.EXE"
Wharf~Folder
LiteStepcandoshortcutstoo.It'snotdraganddroplikeExplorer,butitismorecustomizable.Youcanaddshortcutsatwill,andifMyComputerandNetwork
Neighborhoodannoyyou,don'ttypethemin.Addtheselinestotheendofthefile:
Shortcuts
Shortcut"MyComputer"explorer/root,,::{20D04FE03AEA1069A2D808002B30309D}
Shortcut"NetworkNeighborhood"b24_netneigh2.bmpexplorer/root,::{208D2C603AEA1069A2D708002B30309D}
Shortcut"Explorer"6464b24_sc_filecab1.bmpb24_sc_filecab2.bmp.none
explorer.exe
Shortcut"DOS"12864b24_scdos1.bmpb24_scdos2.bmp.nonecommand.com
LiteStepalsodoeshotkeys.HotkeyshavealwaysbeenmyfavoriteWindowsfeatureintheWindows3.1days,itwastheonlythingIlikedaboutWindowsso
I'mgladthisfeature'spresent.Ifyou'reacommandlinejunkie,youprobablyuseExplorer'sWindowsRhotkeyalottogetinstantaccesstotheRunmenu.Ialsoadd
WindowsDtoopenaDOSprompt,plusafewmorekeycombinationsIfinduseful.Ifyourkeyboardsdon'thaveaWindowskey,youcansubstituteotherkey
combinations.IliketouseCtrlFunctionKeycombinationsforhotkeys,sincetheonlyCtrlFunctionKeycombinationIusethat'simplementedbythesystemisCtrl
F4(closewindow).Forinstance,theline HotkeyCtrlF3command.commakesCtrlF3openaDOSprompt.Addtheselinestotheendofthefile:
Hotkeys
HotkeyWinR!Run
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HotkeyWinC!Recycle
HotkeyWinDcommand.com
HotkeyWinEexplorer
HotkeyWinS!Shutdown
HotkeyWinL!Logoff
Recommendations
OfalltheshellsavailableforWindows9x,ItendtothinkLiteStepisthebestoverall.It'snimble,configurable,andeasytouseonceyoumanagetosetitup.On
systemswithlessthan16MBofmemory,IfavorEVWM.IfLiteStep'sconfigurationfiledoesn'tscareyouoff,IsuggestreplacingExplorerwithLiteStepwhetheryou
have32MBofRAMor512MB.
Ofcourse,ifnoneoftheseshellsworksforyou,there'salwaysMicrosoftBob.Ormaybenot.
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7
OptimizingDOS
Althoughit'ssomewhathidden,DOSisstillverymuchapartofWindows9x,andWindows9xdependsveryheavilyonit,althoughnotquiteinthesamemannerorto
thesamedegreeasinpreviousversions.
WindowshandlesmuchofitsownI/O,suchaskeyboardandmouseinputaswellasoutputtothescreen.WindowsstillonlypartiallyhandlesdiskI/O,however.The
processesoffilehandlingarestillDOSbased.WindowsisalsopartiallydependentonDOSformemorymanagement,soWindowsdoesn'thavecompletereignover
allofyoursystem'smemory.DOSgetsfirstdibsonavailablememoryandalsohandlesthemostfundamentalpiecesofmemorymanagement.Windowsisn't(and
neverhasbeen)atrueoperatingsystem.It'ssafetosaythatWindowsdoesabout90%ofthethingsanoperatingsystemdoes,butfortheremaining10%,Windows
reliesonDOS,whichstillrepresentsthefoundationoftheWindowssystem.Whileastrongfoundationdoesn'tnecessarilyensureastrongbuilding,aweakfoundation
doesensureaweakbuilding.Windows9xrunsbetterwhenitsDOSisconfiguredcorrectly.Themoremarginalyoursystem,themorevitalthiselementbecomes.
Butbythesametoken,WindowsprogramswillprettymuchrunnomatterwhatwedowecantakealiveandletliveattitudetowardsDOSifthat'souronly
concern.It'swhenwetrytorunthosepeskyDOSgamesthattheoldDOSconfigurationnightmarescometobiteus.WhatDOSgames?Comeon.Istillgetakick
outoftheold,originalEGARailroadTycoon,andIhavetheoriginalCivilizationaswell.AfterthecomputermopsuptheplacewithmeinAlphaCentauri,Iliketogo
backtothegamethatstarteditallandrememberhowgoodIwaswhenartificialintelligencewaspredictable.Andjusttrytofindanadventuregameoftodaythat'sas
funnyastheSecretofMonkeyIslandseries.Thosegamesareoldandoutofprint,butIstilllikethem.Givingthoseupmakesasmuchsenseasgivingupmy
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Carsrecordsjustbecausethegroupbrokeupin1987.IlikesomenewerDOSgamestoo.IthinkRedneckRampageandCarmageddonaregoodgames.Iknow
I'mnottheonlyonewhostillplaystheoccasionalDOSgame.Iseethemnexttothevideorentalssectionofmysupermarket,pricedfrom$4.95onup.Somebody's
stillbuyingthem,butIsuspectmorepeoplearebuyingthemthanplayingthem.ThemostchallengingpartofmanyDOSgamesisjustgettingthemtorun.
IcanhelpyougetthoseDOSprogramsrunning,andWindowswillrunbetterintheprocess.Soundlikeagooddeal?Good.Thenlet'sjustdiverightintothethree
majorstrategiesforgettingDOSgamestorun:tryingit,runningtheprograminDOSmode,andrunningtheprogramunderanearlierversionofDOS.(Theprocessis
thesameforotherDOSprogramsaswell,butthemajorityofpeopledon'tcareaboutanyDOSsoftwarebesidesgamesanymore,andgamestendtobethemost
difficultprogramstogetrunning.)
TryIt
Microsoft'splanwasformostDOSprogramstojustrununderWindows9xwithoutanyspecialtricks.Thisworksmoreoftenthanitseemstheoverwhelming
majorityofDOSprogramswillrunwithoutanydifficulties.Theproblemis90%ofthepeoplewanttorunthe10%ofDOSgamesthatpushthesystemandcause
problems,andtheycouldn'tcarelessaboutWordStar1.0(theycareaboutitevenlessthantheycareaboutAtarisoft's1984portofDonkeyKongthatraninCGA),
sothere'saperceptionthatWindows9xdoesn'trunDOSprogramswell.
SothefirststepistoinsertthatcrustyolddiskorCDandinstallthesoftware(ifyouhaven'talready),thenopentheprogram'sdirectoryinExplorer,findthe
executable,doubleclickonit,andseewhathappens.YoumightactuallyfindthatMicrosoft'spromisethatDOSgameswillrunmoresmoothlythaneverbeforeis
true.
"InsufficientMemory?"IHave64Megs!
Therearefewthingsmorefrustratingandperplexingthanhavingsomepunkgamefrom1992tellyouthatyourfirebreathing550MHzPentiumIIIwith256MBof
RAMdoesn'thaveenoughmemoryforittorun.Trytellingthegamethatwhenitwaswritten,yourPCwouldhavebeenclassifiedasupercomputer.Itdoesn'tcare.
Itdoesn'tcarebecausetheonlythingitcaresaboutisthefirst640Kofmemory,andifitwants619Kofthatmemoryandyouonlyhave584Kofitfree,thegame
won'trun.Itdoesn'tcareifyouhaveagrandtotalof192MBfree.That'slikegoingtothecomputerstorewantingtobuya$499eMachinesPC/monitor/printer
bundle,onlytofindoutthey'vesoldoutofthose,butthey'vegot52tangerinecolorediMacsinstock.
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Theprocessofbuildingoptimalautoexec.batandconfig.sysfilesisagradualone.ThefilesmostmanufacturersdeliverwiththeirPCsareworsethannofileatall,
whichiswhyinChapter2,FirstSteps,Isuggestrenamingthetwofilessoyoursystemstopsusingthem.StartingwithChapter3,DiskOptimization,westart
buildingnewreplacementfilesfromscratch,startingwithtwoSETstatementsinautoexec.bat.Inthischapter,weconcludetheprocess.
Anoptimalconfig.sysfilestartswiththreelinesthatformthebasisofDOSmemorymanagement(whetheryouhaveanythingmorethanthatdependsonyoursystem).
So,fireupNotepad,thenenterthefollowinglines:
Device=c:\windows\himem.sys
Device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exenoems
DOS=high,umb
ThesecondlineassumesyoufollowedChapter3'sadviceandmovedvariousWindowsexecutablesintoC:\Windows\Command.Ifyoudidn't,substitutetheline:
Device=c:\windows\emm386.exenoems
forthelineabove.Now,tosavethefile,selectFile SaveAs
c:\config.sys.
You'renotquitedoneoptimizingyet.Inthe[386Enh]sectionofsystem.ini,addthelineLocalLoadHigh=1.ThischangewillmakeWindowsmakemoreuse
ofuppermemory.
AWindows9xPCwithnoautoexec.batorconfig.systypicallyhasalittleover580Kofconventionalmemory(thePC'sfirst640Kofmemory)availableforrunning
programs.AWindows9xPCwiththesettingspresentedinthissectionwillhaveanywherefrom603Kto619Kofconventionalmemoryavailable.
DifferentTypesofMemory
DuetothepeculiaritiesofPCarchitecture,PCsactuallyhaveseventypesofmemory:conventional,expanded(EMS),extended(XMS),upper,high,DOSprotected
(DPMI),andVirtualControlProgramInterface(VCPI)memory.
Conventionalmemory
ThesedifferenttypesofmemoryareadirectresultofthePC'shistoryandtheperceivedneedforbackwardcompatibility.TheIntel8088CPU,usedintheoriginal
IBMPCin1981,wasapseudo16bitprocessor(internally,itwasa16bitCPU,butithadan8bitdatabustocutcosts),capableofaddressingasinglemegabyte
ofmemory.IBMtriedseveraldifferentmemoryconfigurations,buteventuallydecidedtoreservethefirst640KforsystemRAM,andtomapothernecessarythings
suchassystemROM,andtheROMandRAMonexpansioncards,intotheupper384Kofmemory.ThisdecisionisthesourceofBillGates'infamousquote,"640K
oughttobeenoughmemoryforanybody."
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Expandedmemoryspecification(EMS)
Gateswasright,foratime.ButwhenLotusintroduceditsrevolutionaryspreadsheetLotus123,accountantsbegantocreateworksheetsthattaxedthis640Klimit.
SoLotusteamedupwithIntelandMicrosofttoinventaconvolutedschemetoputmorememoryinaPC.Theycouldn'tmovethe640Kboundaryupany,sothey
mappedoffa64Kareainthatupper384Kofmemory.Theythenusedthat64Kareaasawindowintoablockofmemoryupto32MBinsize.Lotusmodified12
3tousethisnewtypeofmemory,whicheventuallycametobeknownasexpandedmemory,orEMS,toholddata.Otherdeveloperssoonfollowedsuit.It'sbeen
nearlyadecadesincePCsshippedwithphysicalexpandedmemoryintheearly1990s,softwaredevelopersstartedtoemulateexpandedmemorybyusingextended
memory,whichisexplainednext.
Extendedmemoryspecification(XMS)
TheadventoftheIntel80286processoraddedsomemoretypesofmemory.The286wasafully16bitprocessor,capableofaddressingupto4MBofRAM.It
introducedanewmodeofoperationcalledprotectedmode,inwhichitcouldaddressitsfullamountofmemory.Intelknewthatbackwardcompatibilitywouldbea
mustiftheyweretosellthischiptoIBM,howevertheylearnedtheirlessonwiththeillfatedIntel80186,whichreallydoesexist,butnevercaughtonbecauseit
wasn'tcompletelycompatiblewithitspredecessor.Sothe286wascapableofrunninginanothermode,whereitwasnothingmorethanafast8088.Thismodecame
tobeknownasrealmode.RealmodewastobeusedtorunDOS,whileprotectedmodewasintendedtoopenthedoortomorepowerfuloperatingsystemslike
Unix.MicrosoftevenproducedandmarketedanoperatingsystemcalledXenix,whichwasaversionofUnixforthe286.Softwaredeveloperseventuallyfounda
waytoswitchthe286betweenrealmodeandprotectedmode,gainingaccesstoafull4MBofmemoryallatonce.Memoryaccessedbyswitchingintoandoutof
protectedmodecametobeknownasextendedmemory,orXMS.
Uppermemoryblocks(UMBs)
TheIntel80386addedsomemoretricks,includingtheabilitytoremapmemory.DOSwasgettingbigger,andDOSprogramsweregettingbigger,anditwasgetting
impossibletokeepeverythingyouneededwithinDOS's640Klimit.Butevenafullyloadedsystemdidn'tcomeclosetousingallofthe384KchunkofmemoryIBM
hadreserved,sosoftwaredevelopersbegantousethe386'sabilitytomapRAMintounusedblocksofthatareaandmovepiecesofDOSintothatarea.The
memorybetween640Kand1MBbecameknownasuppermemory.
Highmemoryarea(HMA)
CaliforniasoftwaredeveloperQuarterdeck(nowpartofSymantec)sooncameupwithanothertrick.Theyfoundabuginthe286chip,alsopresentinthe386,that
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allowedthemtoaddressthefirst64Kofextendedmemoryinthesamefashionasconventionaloruppermemory.This64KareacametobeknownastheHMA,or
highmemoryarea.
DOSProtectedModeInterface(DPMI)memory
AddressinglargeamountsofmemoryviaEMSorXMSprovedcumbersome,however,sogamedevelopersstartedswitchingtheprocessorintoprotectedmodeand
leavingitthere.ThiswasunusualatthetimeprotectedmodehadpreviouslybeentheexclusiverealmofWindowsandoperatingsystemslikeXenixorOS/2.
MemoryaddressedinthisfashioncametobeknownasDOSProtectedModeInterface(DPMI)memory.
VirtualControlProgramInterface(VCPI)memory
VCPIisanothermethod,notascommonlyused,thatallocatesmemoryaseitherEMSorXMSmemory.Windows9xdoesn'tsupportVCPIsoprogramsthatuseit
mustruninDOSmode.
Memoryusage
DOSprogramsgenerallyruninconventionalmemory.However,uppermemoryandhighmemoryoperateinthesamefashionasconventionalmemoryaprogram
intendedforconventionalmemorywillruninoneoftheseothertwotypeswithoutspecialtricks.Windows9xbydefaultloadspartsofitsDOSintohighmemory.
Uppermemoryismostusefulforthingslikedevicedriversandterminateandstayresidentprogramsinotherwords,thestuffyouloadinconfig.sysand
autoexec.bat.(autoexec.batisrelatedtotheautoexecfilesusedbygameslikeQuakeIIandSiNinnamingconventiononlythey'renotinterchangeable.)
WhenaDOSprogramneedsmorethan640Kofmemory,itusesoneoftheotherschemes.Aprogramwilluseonlyoneothertypeofmemory,however.
AnAlternativetoUsingEMM386
Thesecondlineoftheconfig.sysfilespresentedinthischapterloadsafilecalledEMM386,whichmanagesuppermemoryandexpandedmemoryforDOSand
Windowssystems.
EMM386createsamessysituation.Windowsrunsabitbetterwhenithassomeuppermemorytoworkwith,andsomeDOSprogramswon'trunatallwithout
uppermemoryfreeingupsomevaluableconventionalmemory.EMM386hassomedrawbacks,however.Itworksbyturningblocksofextendedmemoryintoupper
memory,soyouloseablockofextendedmemoryintheprocess.EMM386alsohasadecentsizedfootprint.You'llconsumeabout300Kworthofconventionaland
extendedmemoryinordertocreateabout150Kofuppermemory.
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That'snotveryefficient,butweputupwithitsinceDOSgamesonlyneedafractionofthetotalamountofmemoryavailableanyway.ButWindowsneedseverybyte
ofmemoryitcanget.
ModernPCsactuallydohaveRAMinthezonebetween640Kand1MB.SomeBIOSsremapthismemory,butthemajorityofthemjustmarkitasreserved.They
usesomeofittoshadowyourPC'sROMchips(RAMismuchfasterthanROM,sothisspeedsthesystemupwhenit'saccessingROMroutines)andlettherestofit
gotowaste.
Inlate1995,thetechnicallyorientedGermancomputermagazinec'tpublishedamemorymanagercalledUMBPCIthattookadvantageofthiswaste,implementing
UMBsbyswitchingthisunusedmemorybackon.Themagazine'spublishedversionhadproblemsanditsupportedaverylimitednumberofsystems,butGerman
programmerUweSiebertookthesourcecode,cleaneditup,addedsupportformostPentiumcompatiblechipsets,andrereleasedit.Youcandownloadtherevised
version(notsupportedbyc't)fromwww.uwesieber.de/umbpci_e.btml.
IfyoursystemsupportsUMBPCI,ithasseveralsignificantadvantagesoverEMM386.Itusesascant240bytesofmemory,leavesallofyourextendedmemory
alone,anddoesn'thavetoswitchbetweenrealmodeandprotectedmodetoaccessuppermemory.Thisconfigurationmakesyoursystemrunfasterthanitwould
withEMM386,yetgivesyounearlyallofEMM386'sbenefits.
TheeasiestwaytodeterminewhetheryoursystemsupportsUMBPCIistojusttryit.Downloadit,copythefileumbpci.sysintoC:\Windows\Command,then,if
present,pullthelineDevice=c:\windows\command\emm386.exefromconfig.sysandaddthefollowingthreelinestothebeginningofthefile:
DOS=high,umb
Device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys
Thenrestart.IfUMBPCIdoesn'tsupportyourchipset,you'llgetanerrormessagesayingso.IfUMBPCIdoessupportyourchipset(chancesareitwillifyoursystem
isaPentiumclassPCorbetter),you'vejustgainedyourselfsomememory.TheamountwillvaryfromsystemtosystemoneofmyPCsgivesme84Kofadditional
memory,whileanothergivesme160K.Everylittlebitcounts.
IfyouhaveDOSgamesthatuseEMSmemory(checkyourdocumentation),youneedtoenableEMS.UMBPCIdoesn'tprovideEMSservices(that'soneofthe
reasonswhyit'ssmallandfast).That'sfine,becauseWindowsdoes,solongasyouaddalinetoC:\Windows\system.iniandyouexcludetheEMSpageframe
(C800D7FF)fromtheumbpci.syslineinconfig.sys.Forinstance,ifIweretousethislineinconfig.sys.
Device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/i=d800efff
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andthenaddthislinetosystem.iniinthesectionlabeled[386enh]:
EMMPageFrame=c800
WindowswouldthenbeabletoprovideEMSservicestoanyDOSprogramsthatneedit.
WhenDOSProgramsAreSluggish
IfoneormoreofyourDOSprogramsexecutewithouterrormessages,butsoslowlythatyoudon'tfeelit'sappropriatetosaytheprogramis''running,"youneedto
playaroundwiththeirindividualsettings.
Forexample,RedneckRampageplaysdecentlyinWindows95onmyPCs,butitcouldbebetter.IhaveitinstalledinF:\ProgramFiles\Games\Redneck,soIopen
thatdirectory.TheexecutableiscalledRr.exe.IrightclickonRr.exeandselectCreateShortcut.Havingashortcutallowsmetoplayaroundwiththememory
settingsandotherthings.Aftercreatingtheshortcut,rightclickonitandselectProperties.Thiswillbringupatabbedwindowwithsettingsgalore.
ThefirstthingyouwanttodoisselecttheProgramtab.There'sacheckboxlabeled"Closeonexit."Checkthatyoudon'tneedextraemptywindowshangingaround.
Whileyou'rethere,clicktheAdvancedtab.IfthegamecomplainsaboutrunninginsideWindows,checktheboxlabeled"PreventMSDOSbasedprogramsfrom
detectingWindows."
NowselecttheMemorytab.Intheconventionalmemoryfield,you'llwantthetotalsettoAuto.Settheinitialenvironmentlow:256shouldbesufficient.Checkingthe
Protectedboxcanmakethegamemorereliable,isolatingitsomewhatfromtherestofthesystem.Itsometimeshindersperformance,however,soexperimentwiththe
setting.
Theothertypesofmemorywillvaryfromgametogame.AsIsaidbefore,agamewilluseamaximumoftwotypesofmemory:conventionalandsomethingelse.
Checkyourgame'sdocumentationtofigureoutwhatkindsofmemoryituses.InthecaseofRedneckRampage,it'slikemostfirstperson3Dshooters,usingDPMI
memory.SoIsetEMSandXMStoNone,andIsetDPMIto16384.Specifyingthecorrectamountofmemoryconsiderablydecreasestheamountofdiskthrashing
thattakesplaceduringagame.
Finally,proceedtotheScreentab.SomeDOSgamescanruninawindow,butmostrunmorequicklywhenrunfullscreen.RunningDOSgamesinawindowonthe
desktopismoreofanoveltythananythingelseanywaywhowantstorunagameinasmall640480windowoccupyingalittlepieceofthedesktopwhenyoucan
runitfullscreen?You'llalsowanttotakealookatthePerformancesettings.FastROMemulationcanactuallyslowdownsomegamesturnitoffifthe
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gameisstillsluggishafterswitchingittofullscreenmode.ThesamegoesforDynamicmemoryallocation.
Onceyougetsettingsthatwork,youcandragtheshortcuttotheStartmenutofacilitateeasierprogramlaunching.MostDOSprogramswillrunmuchbetterafter
tuningthesesettings.ThedefaultbehaviorofautodetectingmemorymakesWindows9xmoreuserfriendly,butitcomesatthepriceofreducedperformance.
RunningDOSProgramsinDOSMode
SometimesastubbornDOSprogramjustwon'trunrightwithinWindows9x,nomatterhowyoutunethesettings.Someprogramsjustdon'tliketosharememory
spaceandCPUtime,especiallywithabighoglikeWindows.Strangely,IhavemoreproblemswiththiswitholderprogramsthanIdowithnewerones.Redneck
RampagecomplainsaboutrunninginsideWindows,butitwillrun,anditrunsreasonablywell(thoughadmittedly,itisbetterinDOSmode).TheoriginalJeopardy!
fromSharedata,copyrighted1987,isadifferentstory.IcanalwayswinatJeopardy!becausethecountdowntimer,whichissupposedtobe10seconds,iscloserto
30secondswhenIrunitinWindows.SoIgetplentyoftimetodecidewhetherthere'sanychanceatallofmebeingabletocomeupwithananswer.ThenIget
foreverandadaytoenterit.Problemis,astandardgamewithasmanyquestionsasthehalfhourTVgameshowtakesclosertoanhourand15minutestoplow
through.TheonlyexplanationIcanthinkofisthatJeopardy!wasdesignedinthedaywhenthe4.77MHz8088CPUwasthenormandan8MHz80286wasfast
Jeopardy!isseeingmyPC'sfasterprocessorandtryingtocompensateforthespeed,butWindowsistakingupsomeoftheCPUtime,soJeopardy!endsup
overcompensating.
Thetrickistoreturntotheprogram'sshortcut,rightclick,hitProperties,thengototheProgramtabandhitAdvanced.Thistime,wechecktheboxlabeledMS
DOSmode.
Sinceweblewawaythecomputer'soriginalMSDOSconfiguration,youneedtoclicktheradiobuttonlabeled"SpecifyanewMSDOSconfiguration."Ifyour
computerhadconfig.sysandautoexec.batfilesthatworkedwellforDOSprograms,youcanjustcopyandpastethemintotheappropriatetextfields.Ifyoudidn't,
you'llhavetogenerateyourown.Fortunately,thatisn'tverydifficult.
config.sys
Everyconfig.sysfileshouldstartwiththefollowingthreelines:
Device=c:\Windows\himem.sys
Device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exeramhiscan
Dos=high,umb
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ThissetsupuppermemoryandinstructsDOStouseit.Youmaysubstituteumbpci.sysforemm386.exeifyouwish,providedyourgamedoesn'tneedEMS.Ifyour
gameusestheCDROMorDVDROMdrive,youneedtoaddadriverforthat.Followtheinstructionsthatcamewithyourdrive.Here'satypicalline:
Devicehigh=c:\windows\command\atapicd.sys/d:cdrom00
YoumayputtheCDROMdriversanywhereyoulike,solongasyouspecifythepath.ThekeyisgettingtheComponentright,andusingthesame/dparameteron
boththeCDROMdriverinconfig.sysandthemscdex.exeprogramlineinautoexec.bat.
Ifyoursoundcardrequiresadevicedriverinconfig.sys,additaswell.Consultyourdocumentation.
autoexec.bat
Anautoexec.batforgamestendstobeprettysimple.Itjustneedstoloadsounddrivers,setsoundparameters,loadCDROMextensionsandpossiblyamouse
driver.
Thesounddriversvaryconsultyoursoundcard'sdocumentation.Somesoundcardsdon'trequireanythingbesidesaSETparameter,whileothersmayrequireyou
tolaunchanexecutablefile.Checkyourdocumentation.
Mousedriversareusuallyveryeasymostmicecomewithadiskcontaininganexecutablefile,usuallycalledmouse.exe.CopyittoC:\Windows\Commandandadd
ittotheautoexec.batfile.
TheCDROMextensioniscompletelystandardizedatleastinautoexec.bat.Youlaunchaprogramcalledmscdex.exe(whichispartofWindows),andpassitthe
same/dparameteryoupassedthedevicedriverinconfig.sys.
TheonlyotherthingyouhavetorememberistoprecedeeachexecutablefilewithLH,toloaditintouppermemory.
There'sonemorethingyou'llprobablywanttoconsider.InDOS,thereisnodiskcacheunlessyouloadityourself,andperformancewillsuffer.Foroptimal
performance,youneedtoloadsmartdrv.exe,andgiveita2MBdiskcache(themaximumamountitpermits).
Here'satypicalautoexec.bat:
Lhmscdex.exe/d:cdrom00
Lhmouse.exe
Setblaster=a220i7dlt2
Lhsmartdrv.exe2048
Whenyoulaunchaprogramthat'sconfiguredtooperatethisway,Windowsclosesallotherprograms,unloadsitselfexceptfora4Kstub,kicksintoDOS
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modewiththeconfigurationyouspecified,thenlaunchestheprogram.Whentheprogramexits,Windowsreloads
IfYou'veLostYourDriversand/orDocumentation
Don'tdespairifyoucan'tfinddriversordocumentationforyourmouse,soundcard,andCDROMdrive.Anumberofwebsitesprovidelinkstodriversandmanuals
fortheseperipherals,includingthosewhosemanufacturershavegoneoutofbusiness.Checkoutthesesites:
www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4421/drivers.html
CDROMdrivers
www.drivershq.com
CDROM,mouse,andsoundcarddrivers
www.windrivers.com
APseudoDualBoot
Aslongasyou'reusingUMBPCIasanuppermemorymanager,Ican'timaginethatyou'llrunshortofconventionalmemoryforrunningprogramsinDOSmode(on
myPCs,Igetamaximumexecutableprogramsizeof620KandthelargestDOSprogramsuse619K).Thisnumberjumpsto628KifIselectCommandPrompt
OnlyfromtheWindowsbootmenu.Buttheremightbereasonswhyyouwouldn'twantWindowstoload.MaybethereareDOSprogramsyoufindyourselfusing
almostasfrequentlyasyouuseWindowsandyouhavenoneedtoruntheminamultitaskingenvironment.
Whateveryourreasonsmightbe,Windows9xretainsthecapabilityofinsertingbootmenusintoconfig.systhatwasintroducedinMSDOS6.0.SinceMicrosoft
neverdocumentedthetechniqueverywell,thispracticeneverbecameverycommon,andasaresult,DOSgamerstendedtoshuffleaneverendingpileofbootdisks
optimizedforeachgame.RunningthegamesfromiconsintheWindowsGUIisoneeffectivemethodoffreeingyourselffromthatstackofdisksimplementingaboot
menuisanother.
Ifyou'velookedatsystem.iniorwin.ini,you'veprobablynoticedthefilesaredividedintosections,witheachsectionhavingaheader,config.sysalsohasdifferent
sections,thoughmostpeopleneverbothertoputanythingbutthemainsectionintoit.
Here'sthestructureforabootmenuenabledconfig.sys:
[menu]
menuitem=Win95,Windows95
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menuitem=DOS,DOSwithXMS
menuitem=EMS,DOSwithEMS
[common]
device=c:\windows\himem.sys
[Win95]
device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/I=c800efff
dos=high,umb
buffers=13
files=99
[DOS]
device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/I=c800efff
dos=high,umb
devicehigh=c:\windows\command\atapicd.sys/d:cdrom00
files=30
[EMS]
device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exeram
dos=high,umb
devicehigh=c:\windows\command\atapicd.sys/d:cdrom00
files=30
Thesectionnamesarecompletelydeterminedbyyourbootmenuitems.Thefirstmenuitemparameteristhenameoftheitem'ssection,whilethesecond
parameteristhemenutext.Ifyouhaveconfig.syssettingsthatworkforcertaingames,nothingstopsyoufromcreatinggamespecificbootmenus.
The[common]sectionisalwaysexecuted.Sincealloftheseconfigurationsneedhimem.sys,Iputitinthe[common]sectiontoreducerepetition.
Abootmenuenabledautoexec.batisabittrickier,config.syssetsanenvironmentvariablebasedonthebootselection.Thereareanumberofwaystoactuponthat
variable,butbyfartheeasiestistosimplyuseagotostatement.Putanystatementsyouwantpartofalltheconfigurationsatthebeginningbeforethegoto
statement.Then,youcanjustaddsectionnames,precedingthemwithacolon(:)likethis:
@echooff
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Goto%config%
:Win95
win
gotoend
:DOS
lhmscdex.exe/d:cdrom00
lhmouse.exe
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Lhsmartdrv.exe2048
Gotoend
:EMS
lhmscdex.exe/d:cdrom00
lhmouse.exe
Lhsmartdrv.exe2048
Gotoend
:end
Ofcourse,ifyou'recomfortablewiththeconceptsofprogramflow,youcangetfancywithyourgotostatements.Ifyou'renotcomfortable,don'tworryaboutit.
Justplugyourautoexec.batsectionsintothefile,framingthemwithalabelatthebeginningandagotoendstatementattheend.
Sinceautoexec.batisjustabatchfile,ifyoursectionsaregamespecific,theycanevenincludethecommandstolaunchthegame.APCwithseveralDOSgames
installedandawellthoughtoutbootmenucanbeeverybitaseasytouseasagameconsoleandwithalotofthegames,youwon'tevenhavetoworryabout
changingCDs.Justrebootandchooseanothergame.
Thereisonemorethingyou'llhavetodotoenablethebootmenus.Bydefault,Windowswillgoaheadandloadnomatterwhat.You'llhavetoeditmsdos.systo
changethisbehavior.Add(ormodify)thelineBootGUI=0todisabletheautomaticloadingofWindows.Remember,youhavetomakethefileeditablewiththe
command:
attribrshmsdos.sys
beforeediting,andchangeitbackwiththecommand:
attrib+r+s+hmsdos.sys
beforerestarting.
DualBootingWindows9xandTrueDOS
SomeprogramsjustrefusetorunproperlyunderWindows9x,eveninDOSmode.Usuallysuchprogramsrely,forwhateverreason,onquirkslikeundocumented
systemcallsorbugsthathappentobepresentinspecificversionsofDOSbutaren'tpresentinWindows9x'sDOS.Whenthishappens,youhavenochoicebutto
runtheprogramunderanhonesttogoodnessDOS.Youcangoaboutthisacoupleofways.YoucanmakebootableDOSdisksorCDs,butthenyouhavetokeep
trackofthemandremembertousethem.IfyourC:driveisformattedFAT16,youcanactuallyrunDOS.
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DualBootingCalderaDRDOS
DRDOSwasapopularalternativeDOSamongpowerusersduringthelate1980sandearly1990sbecauseitwasfast,stable,andalwaysastepaheadofMicrosoft
whenitcametoincludedfeatures.ItwasalsohighlycompatibleDRDOSwouldrunsomeobscureDOSprogramsthatnewerversionsofMSDOSwouldn'trun.
Withasmallmodification,DRDOSisevencompatiblewithWindows9x.CalderahaswrittenasmallTSRthatallowsWindows9xtorunontopofDRDOSrather
thanatoptheincludedMSDOS7.CalderaclaimsWindows9xisabout10%fasterwhenruninthisfashion.However,thereisnowordonwhenorifthisTSRwill
bereleasedtothepublic.
DRDOSisafascinatingproduct.ItstartedlifeatDigitalResearch(theDRinDRDOS),whichwasthecompanythatproducedthepopular1970soperatingsystem
CP/MandanearlyWindowscompetitorcalledGEMthatwaspopularinthemid1980s.MSDOSitselfstartedoffasacloseCP/Mclone,soitwasn'tmuchofa
stretchforCP/MtoevolveintoanMSDOSclone.It'sbecauseofthisCP/MlegacythatDRDOSbearsa1976copyrightdate.
Intheearly1990s,networkoperatingsystemmakerNovell(ofNetWarefame)waslookingtoexpanditsbusinessintootherareasandchallengeMicrosoftinsize
andprominence,sotheyboughtoutDigitalResearch,continueddevelopmentofDRDOS,andeventuallyreleasedtheireffortsasNovellDOS7.Theofferingwas
revolutionaryitaddedmultitaskingandpeertopeernetworkingtoDOSbutitgainedlittlemarketshare.NovelleventuallydivesteditselfofDRDOSandother
acquisitionsitmadeduringthistimeframeandreturnedbacktoitscorebusiness.LinuxvendorCaldera,withbackingfromNovellfounderRayNoorda,acquiredthe
rightstoDRDOSinlate1996andresumeditsdevelopment.Sincethen,DRDOShasgainedacceptanceinembeddedsystemsandrefurbishedPCs.Youcan
downloaditfromwww.lineo.comtoevaluateitforyourpurposesafter90daysyoumusteitherdeleteitorpayaregistrationof$29fortheversionwithout
networkingor$39fortheversionwithit.
DualbootingDRDOSwithWindows9xisextremelyeasy:simplyinstallit,thenissuethecommandLOADERatthecommandprompt,anditwillimplementaboot
menuthatallowsyoutochoosebetweenDRDOSandWindowsatbootup.
Unfortunately,thoughDRDOSisaneasychoice,itmaynotbethebestone.Manyoftheundocumentedsystemcallsandbugsthataren'tpresentinWindows9x
aren'tlikelytobeinDRDOSeither.DRDOSalwayshadahighdegreeofcompatibilitywithutilitiesandproductivityapplications,butitsgamescompatibilitywasn't
quiteashigh.IfyouwanttobeabletomultitaskDOSapplicationswithoutWindows'overhead,DRDOSisforyou,butifyoujustwanttogetastubborngame
working,DRDOSmaynotdothejobanybetterthanwhatyoualreadyown.
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DualBootingMSDOSorPCDOS5.xor6.x
Windows95,95Aand98willhappilydualbootwithMSDOSversions5andup,aswellaswithPCDOSversions5andup(IBM'sPCDOSisderivedfromMS
DOSandoffersanextremelyhighdegreeofcompatibility).Bydesign,DOSshouldbeinstalledbeforeyouinstallWindows.Butifyoudidn'tknowyouneededDOS
whenyouinstalledWindows9x,thiscouldbeaproblem.Theworkaroundisn'twelldocumented,butit'sprettyeasy.
MakeabackupcopyofyourDOSinstallationdisk,thenopenacommandpromptandenterthefollowinglines:
Attribrsha:\msdos.sys
Attribrsha:\io.sys
Attribrsha:\command.com
Copya:\msdos.sysc:\msdos.dos
Copya:\io.sysc:\io.dos
Copya:\command.comc:\command.dos
Attrib+r+s+ha:\msdos.sys
Attrib+r+s+ha:\io.sys
Attrib+r+sa:\command.com
Attrib+r+s+hc:\msdos.dos
Attrib+r+s+hc:\io.dos
Attrib+r+s+hc:\command.dos
Createausableautoexec.batandconfig.sys(theDOSutilitiesinC:\Windows\CommandwillworkwithearlierversionsofDOS,sothere'snoneedtoinstallthefull
DOS5.xorDOS6.xpackage),andnamethemautoexec.dosandconfig.dos.Finally,add(ormodify)thelineBootMulti=1tomsdos.systoenabledualboot.
Remember,youhavetomakethefileeditablewiththecommand:
attribrshmsdos.sys
beforeediting,andchangeitbackwiththecommand:
attrib+r+s+hmsdos.sys
beforerestarting.
Windows95OSR2(anditsvariants)disableddualbootingbecausetheywereintendedforOEMdistributionIsupposeMicrosoftassumedpeoplewhobought
newPCswouldn'twanttorunanyDOSprogramsthatwereincompatiblewithWindows95soifyouhavethisversionofWindows,you'llhavetoheadtowww.tu
chemnitz.de/~jwes/win95boot.htmltodownloadasmallutilitybyJrgWeskethatreplacestheOSR2.xbootcodewithcodethatiscapableofdualbooting.
Windows9xusesthesamebootmenucommandsasDOS6.x,soifyoudualbootwithoneoftheseversionsofDOS,youcanputabootmenuinconfig.dosand
autoexec.dos.
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TweaksYou'llWantEvenIfYouNeverRunDOSSoftware
EvenifyouneverrunDOSsoftware,you'llwanttodownloadumbpci.sysandaddittoyourconfig.sys.Itwillincreaseyouravailablememoryslightly,because
Windowsbydefaultwantstoloadcertainparametersintouppermemory.UMBPCIallowsittodothiswithouttheslowdownsassociatedwithemm386.exeand
othermemorymanagersthatemulateuppermemoryblocksbyusingXMSmemory.
Therearetwolinesyoucanaddtoconfig.systhattendtomakeWindowsabitmorestable.Theyare:
Files=99
Buffers=13
Windows9x'sdiskcachingmakesthebufferslargelyobsolete.Abuffercountof13tendstosolvesomeobscurememoryconfigurationproblems,soit'sagoodhabit
tousethatcount.Thebuffersservenootherusefulpurpose,andacountof13usesverylittlememory(Windows9x'sdefaultcountis20).
ThelineFiles=99referstothenumberoffilesWindowscanhaveopenatonce.Thedefaultsettingof30isfartoolowforamultitaskingoperatingsystem.
Windowsismorestablewithacountof99ifyouhaveumbpci.sysinstalled,goaheadandcrankthecountupto255.Thisuses14Kofmemoryfromapoolthatyou
wouldn'tnormallyuseanyway.That'sasmallpricetopayforfewercrashes.
Thedefaultof30ismorethanadequateforDOSgames.
WhattoDoWhenDOSGamesRunTooFast
WhatcouldbemorefrustratingthanspendinganhourconfiguringyoursystemtorunsomeDOSgame,onlytofinditrunssofastonyoursystemastobeunplayable?
SomeDOSgames,unfortunately,arewrittenforspecificspeedsystems,andifthegamewasdesignedfora16MHz386SX,it'sjustnotgoingtobeplayableona
newer400MHzsystem.
IrememberwhenagoodfriendboughthisfirstPCinNovember1996.Wespentagoodpartoftheweekendrunningaround,shoppingforthebestdealsonthebest
components,andweendedupbuildingaprettynicesystemforthetime:a100MHzAMDK5processoronaniceAsusmotherboardwitha1.2GBharddriveand
16MBsofRAM.WeinstalledittodualbootWindows95andOS/24.0,andwespentsometimeoptimizingbothoperatingsystems.ForthecostofaPentium75,
hewasgettingtheperformanceofatypicalPentium133.So,whatprogramsdidhewantmetoinstallfirstonthissmokin'newsystem?AdobePhotoshop?No
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Hepulledoutasmallpileofdiskshe'dbeensavingforjustthisoccasion,oncehegotaPCofhisown:theoriginalRailroadTycoon,andanoldDOSshareware
multiplayergamecalledTankWars.
GettingRailroadTycoontorunwasnoproblem,butTankWarswasanotherstory.Itrantoowell.TankWarswasanupdatedversionoftheold,oldgameArtillery,
whereyouenteredanangleandtheamountofpowerbehindyourshotandtriedtoblowupyouropponent.Youadjustedtheangleofyourshotwiththearrowkeys
onthekeyboard.Theproblemwas,at100MHz,asuperbrieftapofthekeycouldadjusttheangleofyourshotby90degreesormore.Inavaliantefforttoslowthe
gamedown,welaunchedeveryprogramonthesystemandtriedtoinvolveeachoftheminsometimeconsumingtasktochewupCPUcycles.Eventhatdidn'thelp
much.It'sfunnyhowit'ssometimeseasiertogetthecomputertorunfasterthanitistogetittorunslower.
Fortunately,thereareavarietyofslowdownprogramsavailablethatallworkprettymuchthesameway.Usuallyyouexecutetheslowdownprogrambeforeyou
executeyourgame,andtheslowdownprogramgrabsoneofyourPC'stimingloopsandexecutesmeaninglesscodedesignedjusttowasteyourCPU'stime.Notall
slowdownprogramsworkequallywellonallsystems,soyoumayneedtotrydifferentprogramstomakeaspecificgameworkcorrectly.Usingoneofthese
programsallowsyoutorunmisbehavinggamesinsomethingmorecloselyresemblingtheenvironmenttheyweredesignedfor,withoutcripplingyoursystemtherestof
thetime:
Slowdown
AfreewareprogrambyU.S.programmerBretJohnsonavailableatoak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/msdos/sysutl/slodn101.zip.
Bremze
A$10sharewareprogrambyLatvianprogrammerAnsisAtaolsBerzinsavailablefromansis.folklora.lv/bremze/or
oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/msdos/sysutl/bremz500.zip.
Mo'Slo
A$15sharewareprogrambyU.S.programmerDavidPerrellavailablefromwww.hpaa.com/moslo/moslotry.asp.
Thecaveattotheseprogramsistheytendtomakeyourentiresystemsluggish.Soifyou'replayinganoldgameinsideaDOSboxwithinWindows,ratherthanin
DOSmode,yourentiresystemwillslowdown.IsuggestyouquitmostorallotherprogramswhilerunningaDOSgamewithaslowdownprogram.
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PuttingItintoPractice
Theoryisnice,butthere'snothingmoreusefulthanarealworldexample.Evenifyoudon'townorhaveanydesiretoownanyofthefivegamesIuseasexamples,it's
mucheasiertoadaptexistingsettingsthanitistocreatenewones.
Withthatinmind,IdugoutfiveDOSgames(ChuckYeager'sAirCombat,SevenCitiesofGold,RedneckRampage,PopulousII,andUltimaVII)andinstalled
them.Thesegamesrepresentawidevarietyofsystemrequirements.Yeagerisaveryoldgamethatusesnothingbutconventionalmemory.SevenCitiesofGolduses
XMS,RedneckRampageusesDPMI,PopulousIIusesEMS,andUltimaVIIusesaproprietarymemorymanagementschemecalledVoodoo(nottobeconfused
with3Dfx'slineof3Daccelerators)thatisn'tcompatiblewithEMM386.
Onmysystem,SevenCitiesofGoldranprettywellwithoutanyspecialhocuspocus.RedneckRampagehasalwaysbeenacceptablefromwithinWindows9xeven
thoughitcomplainsthebiggestannoyancewithRampageisthataccidentallyhittingtheWindowskeyonyourkeyboardinthemiddleofgameplaykillsthegame.
Yeageractedlikeitwasgoingtoplay,butalwayscrashedeventually.PopulousIIcomplainedthatitcouldn'tfindanyEMSmemoryevenafterIenabledEMSin
system.ini.UltimaVIIjustwantedtogostraightintoDOSmode,noquestionsaskeditdidn'teventrytoruninsideWindows.
ThekeytomakingDOSgamesrun,whetherit'sbyspecifyingconfig.sysandautoexec.batsettingsinprogramiconsorbuildingabootmenu,istostudythe
program'ssystemrequirements.
ChuckYeager'sAirCombat(andOtherConventionalMemoryGames)
VeryoldDOSgamesthatjustuseconventionalmemorymaybeamongthemostproblematicunderWindows,buttheydon'ttakemuchworktogetrunningproperly.
Tobeonthesafeside,youwanttousememorymanagementsoftwaretomakeasmuchconventionalmemoryavailableaspossible,andifyoursoundcardusesa
devicedriverorTSRtoprovideSoundBlasteremulationyouwillneedtoloadthat(checkyoursoundcard'sdocumentation).IfthegameusesaCDROMdriver,
loadit,butmostgamesofthisvintagedon't.Ifthegameneedsamouse(Yeagerdoesn't),addyourmousedrivertoautoexec.bat.
Hereareconfig.syssettingsthatworkedformeonthisgame:
Device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/I=c800efff
DOS=high,umb
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Andherearethecorrespondingautoexec.batsettings:
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Setblaster=a220i7d1t2
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
Substitutethefollowingforthesecondlineinconfig.sysifyoursystemisincompatiblewithUMBPCI:
device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exenoems
Adiskcacheprobablyisn'treallynecessarywiththisgame,butIloaditanywaybecauseitisn'tdoinganyharm.
SevenCitiesofGold(andOtherXMSGames)
GamesthatuseXMSmemoryareveryeasytoconfigurenodifferent,really,fromconventionalmemorygames.
Device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/I=c800eff
DOS=high,umb
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
Substitutethefollowingforthesecondlineinconfig.sysifyoursystemisincompatiblewithUMBPCI:
device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exenoems
PopulousII(andOtherEMSGames)
GamesthatuseEMSrequireadifferentbagoftricks.It'spossibletoconfigureUMBPCItoprovideuppermemoryservicesandEMM386toprovideEMSservices,
butit'seasiertojustuseEMM386foreverything.YouwouldtheoreticallygetbetterperformancefromUMBPCI,butmostDOSgameswon'tbenefitfromtheextra
performance.IftheDOSgamerequirementsarelessthana486DX4100,don'tbotherthegamealreadyhastousecompensationtoslowthecomputerdown.
Youdon'tneedtomaketheslowdownengineworkanyharder.(Iknow,normallythisisblasphemy,butrunningsevenyearoldgamesrequiresadifferentmentality
thanrunningtheveryneweststuff.)
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Device=c:\windows\command\emm386.exeram
DOS=high,umb
Andherearethecorrespondingautoexec.bat.settings:
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
RedneckRampage(andOtherDPMIGames)
Ofallthegameshere,RedneckRampageistheonlyonethatevencomesclosetopushingamodernsystem.ThisgameactuallyusesthemouseandCDROMdrive,
unliketheotherslistedhere,butitsconfigurationreallyisn'tverycomplicated.ThisconfigurationassumesyourCDROMandmousedriversarelocatedin
C:\Windows\Command.
Device=c:\windows\command\umbpci.sys/I=c800eff
DOS=high,umb
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhmouse.exe
Lhmscdex.exe/d:cdrom00
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
Ifyouneedtobeabletonetworkyourcomputersforamultiplayergame,addthecommandNETSTARTNWLINKtoautoexec.bat
UltimaVII(andOtherAnomalies)
UltimaVIIisthekindofgamethatfrustratesusers,promptspeopletotakesoftwarebacktothestoredemandingarefund,andsellslotsofbooks.It'spartofan
acclaimedseriesthat'ssoldtruckloadaftertruckloadofcopiessincetheearly1980s,andonceyougetitupandrunningit'sterriblyaddictive,butit'sextremely
difficulttoinstallandrununderWindows95.
DOS=high
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Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Mouse.exe
UltimaVIIhandlesmostthingsonitsown,whichisthereasonfortheminimalistautoexec.batandconfig.sys.Infact,thegamefunctionswithanemptyconfig.sys
andanautoexec.batthatdoesnothingbutloadamousedriver.Thesesettingsareslightlymoreoptimal.Withthesesettings,UltimaVIIwilloperate,butsinceitwas
designedfor386classCPUs,thegraphicsrunfartoofast.TorunUltimaVIIproperlyonamodernPC,youwillhavetouseaslowdownprogramlikeoneofthose
mentionedearlierinthischapter.
Thebestthingtodowhenyoufindagamethatjustdoesn'twanttorunwelloratallistohittheWeb,typethegame'snameintoyourfavoritesearchengine,andsee
whatyoufind.Mostpopulargameshavewebpagesdedicatedtothem,andmostofthemwillincludeinstructionsongettingthemtorunwithWindows9x.
ABootMenuforTheseGames
Youcaneitherenterthesesettingsdirectlyintotheprogramicons'AdvancedProgramSettingswindows,oryoucanusetheknowngoodsettingstocreateaboot
menuforthem.Simplyusethisexampleasapattern,pluggingyourgames'settingsintoeachfileundertheirownheadings.
Here'saconfig.sysbootmenuforthesefivegames:
[menu]
menuitem=yeager,ChuckYeager'sAirCombat
menuitem=7cog,SevenCitiesofGold
menuitem=populous2,PopulousII
menuitem=redneck,RedneckRampage
menuitem=ultima7,UltimaVII
menuitem=Win95,Windows95
[yeager]
DOS=high,umb
[7cog]
DOS=high,umb
[populous2]
DOS=high,umb
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[redneck]
DOS=high,umb
[ultima7]
DOS=high
[Win95]
DOS=high,umb
Files=99
Buffers=13
Andhere'sthecorrespondingautoexec.bat.Notethesequenceofcommandsaftereachcodeblock.Theseloadthegameautomatically.Ifyouwishtomakethe
gamesonyourparticularsystemdothis,substitutethecommandstoswitchtothegame'sdirectoryandrunthegame'sexecutablefortheonesIincluded.These
commandswillbepresentinthegame'sdocumentation.
@echooff
Goto%config%
:yeager
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
F:
Cd\progra~1\games\yeager
Yeager.exe
Gotoend
:7cog
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
F:
Cd\progra~1\games\7cities
7cities.exe
Gotoend
:populous2
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
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Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
F:
Cd\progra~1\games\pop2
Go.bat
Gotoend
:redneck
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
Lhsmartdrv.exe4096
F:
Cd\progra~1\games\redneck
rr.exe
Gotoend
:ultima7
Settemp=f:\temp
Settmp=f:\temp
F:
Cd\progra~1\games\ultima7
Slowdown/350Ultima7
Gotoend
:win95
win
:end
RunningDOSGamesfromaRAMDisk
IfyouhavesufficientRAM,youmightwanttoconsiderusingaRAMdiskratherthanadiskcachetospeeduploading.ARAMdiskistheoppositeofvirtual
memory:ratherthanusingdiskspacetoemulateRAM,RAMdisksuseRAMtoemulatediskspace.Asaresult,RAMdisksarelightningfast.Loadsthattake
secondsfromdiskoccurinstantly.DiskintensivegamesoperatingfromaRAMdiskwillbemuchmorefluid,andwillgiveyourharddrivearest.
WindowscomeswithaRAMdiskdrivercalledramdrive.sys.ThereareproblemswiththisdriverwhenrunningWindows,soyoushouldonlyuseitinDOSmode.
ThefreewareRAMdiskcalledXMSDISK(availablefromftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/ramdisk/fu_rd19i.zip),introducedinChapter5,Utilities,is
moreefficientandmoreversatile,soI'lluseXMSDISKinthisexampleratherthan
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ramdrive.sys.Thisexampleassumesxmsdsk.exeissomewhereinyourpath(IrecommendC:\Windows\Command).
Youhavetobecarefultomakesureyouhaveenoughmemorytoholdtheentiregame,aswellastorunit.Lookattheprogram'srequirements.Iftheprogram's
RAMrequirementsplusitsdiskspacerequirementsarelessthantheamountofmemoryyouhave,youcanrunitfromaRAMdisk.Forinstance,PopulousIIrequires
603Kofconventionalmemoryand1040KofEMSwhenrunat64048016colormodewithSoundBlastersound,anditsdirectoryis10.3MBinsize.Roundthe
diskrequirementsuptothenextmegabytetoaccountforslackspace,thenaddacoupleofmegabytestoholdsavedgamefiles,andthetotalrequirementstodothis
endupbeingabout15MB.
Here'samodifiedconfig.systorunPopulousIIfromaRAMdisk:
DOS=high,umb
AssumingthatPopulousIIisstoredinF:\ProgramFiles\Games\Pop2,here'samodifiedautoexec.batthatcopiesPopulousIIintotheRAMdiskandexecutesit:
@echooff
Xmsdsk13312z:/t
Mdz:\temp
Settemp=z:\temp
Settmp=z:\temp
Mdz:\pop2
Xcopy/sf:\progra~1\games\pop2\ . z:\pop2
z:
CDpop2
Go.bat
Xcopy/s/y/uz:\pop2\ . f:\progra~1\games\pop2
Thefirstcodeblockcreatesa13,312KRAMdiskandassignsitdriveletterZ:.The/tparametertellsittousethetopofmemory.ThisisforWindows9x
compatibilityit'sagoodhabittojustusethisparameterallthetime.Thecodeblockthendoessomefairlystandardhousekeepingchores:redirectingtempfilestothe
RAMdiskandsettingupSoundBlasterparameters.ThesecondblockcopiesPopulousIIfromtheharddrivetotheRAMdisk.Thethirdcodeblockexecutes
PopulousII.ThelastcodeblockcopiesthegamebackfromtheRAMdisktotheharddrive.SincePopulousIIstoresitssavedgamefilesinitsinstallationdirectory,
thisisnecessarytopreservethesavedgamefiles.
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8
ModemsandtheInternet
Thesecondbiggestdeficiencyinmoderncomputers,afterlackofadequateRAM,isthespeedoftheInternetconnection.NothavingenoughRAMissolvableby
reducingyoursystem'smemoryrequirementsand/orbythrowingmoneyattheproblem.Ifyou'rewillingtospend$500notanunreasonableamount,considering
that$500wasagreatdealon16MBofRAMin1996youcankissyourmemoryshortageproblemsgoodbyeforafewyears.I'mnotabouttosay256MBwill
lastyouforever,becauseitwasn'tallthatlongagothatBillGatessaid640Kofmemoryshouldbeenoughforanyone,butIthinkit'sprettysafetosaythatit'llbeat
least2005beforewestartseeingalotofsoftwarelistingaminimumsystemrequirementof256MB.Andthat$500figureisextremist.Mostpeoplewillbehappy
with64or128MBofRAM,whichwillcostroughly$100or$200,respectively.
ThecostofsolvingyourInternetspeedproblemsmakesmemorypricinglookdownrightreasonable.Idon'tsuggestmessingaroundwithISDNorsatelliteuplink.The
installationfeeplusayear'susageofeithermightbuyyouagigabyteofRAM.I'mnottalkingdiskspaceI'mtalkingRAM.Ifyoucangetacablemodem,it'sa
bargain.HereinSt.Louis,alocalcablecompanyoffersservicefor$39monthly.Thatsoundshighatfirst,butconsiderthatadialupISPcosts$20amonthanda
secondphonelinewouldcostabout$10amonth.Theextraspeedwouldbemorethanworththe$9amonthtome.Unfortunately,theonlySt.Louisareacable
companyofferingcablemodemservicedoesn'tservemyarea.ADSL'spriceissimilar,butit'snotavailableinmyareayeteither.
Maybeyou'relikeme,willingandabletopayforcablemodemserviceorADSL,butnoone'swillingtoofferitinyourarea.Ormaybeyoujustcan'tjustifythe
expense.Ineithercase,you'restuckwithamodem:a56K,33.6K,28.8K,or14.4KconnectiontotheInternet.Itmakessensetomakethemostofwhatyouhave.
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Therearethreethingsyoucandotoimproveyourmodem'sperformance.ThefirstthingyouneedtodoistomakesureyourPCisreceivingthedataasfastasthe
modemcansendityoudon'twantyourmodemwaitingonyourPC.Secondly,onceyourPCandyourmodemarecommunicatingefficiently,youwanttomake
sureyourmodemiscommunicatingwiththemodemontheotherendasefficientlyaspossible.Youwantyourmodemtobeusingasmuchofitsbandwidthas
possibleforthetransmissionofrealdata,asopposedtooverhead.Finally,youwantyourmodemtospendaslittletimesittingidleaspossible.Maximizingyour
modemreallyisn'tallthatdifferentfromoptimizingtherestofyoursystemlikeanythingelse,youdoeverythingyoucantoensureitspendsthemajorityofitstime
doingrealwork.
IdealisticGeneralPrinciples
Ideally,you'llfindoutwhattypeofmodemyourISPhasandbuythesamebrand.Modemsoflikebrandtendtoconnectmorequicklyandgivebetterthroughput.Of
course,mismatchedmodemscanstillcommunicatethat'swhywehavestandardsformodems,afterallbuttheirconnectratemaybereduced,oreveniftheydo
connectatfullspeed,theirthroughputratecanbereduced.
Thisapproachisn'talwayspractical,unfortunately.Youprobablyalreadyhaveamodem,andyouprobablyalreadyhaveanISP.However,ifyoudecidetoreplace
yourmodemsomethingyoushouldtrytoavoiddoing,seeingasalternativestomodemsarebecomingfaster,moreaffordable,andmorewidespreadcallyour
ISP'scustomerservicelineandaskwhatbrandofmodemstheyuse,andbuythesamebrand.
FindingYourModemandOptimizingYourPortSpeed
Beforeyoucanoptimizeyourmodem,youneedtoknowwhatCOMportit'son.OpenControlPanel,thenselectSystem DeviceManager Modem
ofyourmodem> Properties Modem.LookatthesectionlabeledPort.
<name
Whileyou'rehere,doublecheckyourmaximumspeed.There'sagoodchancethissettingmaybeincorrect.Virtuallyallmodemmodemstalktothecomputerata
fasterspeedthantheytalktothemodemontheotherend.Forthepastfewyears,modemshavebeenusinghardwaredatacompressiontotrytosqueezemorespeed
outofaphoneline'slimitedbandwidth.Althoughdatacompressionisagoodabadthingwhenyou'redealingwithyourharddrive,datacompressionisagoodthing
withyourmodem.SincetheconnectionbetweenmodemsandPCsisalowbandwidthconnection,datacompressionpermitsmoredatatofitinthatlimited
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space,whichmakeseverythingrunfaster.SomeInternetcontent,likegraphicsfilesandRealAudiosound,isalreadyhighlycompressedanddoesn'tbenefitmuchfrom
this.ButHTMLtext,whichmakesupalargeproportionofonlinecontent,compressesextremelywell.Mostmodemmanufacturerstellyoutosetyourportspeedat
fourtimesyourmodemspeed.Goaheadandsetitatfourtimesyourmodemspeed,unlessyouhavea56K(actuallya53K)modem.Mostsystemsarelimitedto
115Kportspeeds,sosetitashighasyoucango.
OptimizingYourPort
Nowthatyouknowwhatportyourmodemison,goaheadandoptimizeitaswell.Whileyou'reinDeviceManager,gotoPorts <yourmodem'sport>
Properties PortSettings.Yourmodemsettingsshouldoverridethese,butitdoesn'thurttogoaheadandsetthem.Set''Bitspersecond"tothesamespeedasyou
setonyourmodemproperties.ThenselectFlowcontrol Hardware.Now,clickAdvanced.Therewillbeacheckboxlabeled"UseFIFObuffers(requires16550
compatibleUART)."Virtuallyallinternalmodemsusea16550compatibleUART.Ifyouhaveanexternalmodem,virtuallyallCOMportsbuiltintoPentium
motherboardsused16550compatibleUARTs,asdidanawfullotof486s.
TofindoutwhatkindofUARTyouhave,downloadthesharewareCTSSerialPortUtilitiessuitefromwww.troubleshooters.com/ttools.htmorfrom
www.comminfo.com.TheCTSutilitiesincludeaprogramcalledPortMasterthatwillidentifyyourUART.Downloadthem,installthem,closeallprograms,andpress
Start Programs CTSSerialPortUtilities PortMaster(ReboottoDOSmode) Agree TestComPortsandIdentifyModems StartTest.Ifyourun
theprograminDOSmode,thelineonthesummaryscreenlabeled"TypeofPort"willgiveyouthemodelnumberofyourUART.
Ifyouhavea16550orhigherUART,restartWindows,thenopentheControlPanelandgotoSystem DeviceManager Ports <yourmodem'sport>
Properties PortSettings Advanced.Checkthe"UseFIFObuffers"box,thenmovetheReceiveBufferandTransmitBufferslidersallthewaytotheright.Ifyou
havedifficultyconnectingwithyourISPafterwards,youcanmovethembackabit.
SoWhat'sThisUARTBusiness?
AUniversalAsynchronousReceiverTransmitter(UART)isachipthathandlesserialinputandoutput.Thesedaystwoofthemareusuallyintegratedalongwitha
bunchofothercircuitryintoonelargerchip.The8250UARTemployedintheoriginalIBMPCwasn'tcapableofcommunicatingmuchfasterthan2400bps
effectively.The16450usedintheIBMPC/ATwasmoreefficient,butonce9600bpsmodemsstartedusingdatacompression,thechip's19,200bpslimitbecamea
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liability.The16550cameintofavorwhen9600bpsmodemsbecamepopular,becauseitimprovedperformanceofthesethenhighspeedmodems,andwasvirtually
necessaryfor14,400andbeyond.The16550topsoutatabout115,200,soareplacementUARTwouldbeniceforusewitha56Kmodem.Youcanget230,400
bpswitha16650basedserialcardandthusimprovethespeedofyourexternal56Kmodemforcertaintypesofwebbrowsingatacostofabout$50.
The16550improveduponthe16450byaddinga16bytebuffertothechip.Thatway,theCPUdidn'thavetoimmediatelydropeverythingandreadtheportthe
CPUhadalittlebitoftime,andtheportcouldkeepcrankingincharactersuntilthebufferfilledup.Besidesbeingmoreefficient,thenewer16650doublesthesizeof
thebuffer,makingitsuitableforserialdevicesofuptoabout900Kbps.
Ifyouhaveanexternal56Kmodem,youshouldconsidera16650cardifyoudon'thaveone.Itwillallowyoutosetyourportspeedto230,400bpsandgetbetter
throughput.IfyouuseISDNwithanexternalISDNterminaladapter(ISDNdevicesaren'treallymodems),youdefinitelyneeda16650card.
ABitofLowTech:YourPhoneConnection
Averycommonyetoftoverlookedsourceofmodembandwidthproblemsisthephoneconnection.TheU.S.phonesystemismodemenoughthatitcanhandle
communicationsof14.4Kwithoutmuchdifficultyinmostareas.However,speedsof28.8Kandabovecanbeprettysensitive.It'snotterriblyuncommonfor28.8K
modemstoconnectat26.4Kandfor33.6Kmodemstostepdownto31.2Kor28.8Korevenlower,anda56Kmodem'sspeedcanbeunpredictable.
Muchofthishastodowiththequalityofthephonelines.Ifyouliveinaruralarea,you'reluckytoconnectat28.8K,letaloneanyfaster.However,eveninurban
areaswithsupposedlymodernphonesystems,it'spossibletogetstuckwithlowspeeds.
Beforeyoublamethephonecompany,however,makesuretheproblemisn'tthewiringcomingoutofyourmodem.Ifyouhaveaphonepluggedintoyourmodem's
auxiliaryjack,takeitout.Yourconnectionspeedmayimprove.Ifyou'reusingalongtelephonecord,temporarilymoveyourcomputerclosertothephonejackand
connectitwiththeshortestcordyoucanfind,thentryconnecting.Yourconnectspeedmayimprove.
Telephonecordsarelikeanyotherwirethatconductselectricity.Thelongertheyare,themoresusceptibletheyaretosignaldegradationandinterference.Many
computercables,however,areshieldedinordertominimizethiseffect.Thisisusuallynotthecasewithphonecords.Ifyouwereforwardthinkingenoughtoget
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anexternalmodem,youhavetheoptionofusingalongerserialcabletomovethemodemclosertoadistantphonejacksoyoucanuseashortphonecord.Ifyou
needyourphonejacktoshareaphoneandamodem,you'rebetteroffusingaYsplitter,availableforacoupleofdollarsatanydiscountstore.
DownloadtheNewestDriversforYourModem
Havingyourmodem'snewestdriverscanbeimportant.Besuretovisityourmodemmanufacturer'swebsitetoseeaboutnewandupdateddrivers.Ifyoudon'tknow
whomadeyourmodemfrequentlythecaseifyoursystemcamewithaninternalmodemyoucaneithercheckyourcomputermanufacturer'ssite,orregisteryour
copyofPortMaster.PortMastercanquerymodemstogetamanufacturer'sname,andknowingyourmodem'smanufacturerandspeed,youcanprobablylocatea
driver.Or,ifyouopenyoursystem'scase,youcantakealookatthemodem.Frequentlythemanufacturer'snameissilkscreenedontothemodem'sprintedcircuit
board.Ifnot,trytofindthemodem'sFCCID,whichyoucancrossreferencewiththeFCC'swebsiteatwww.fcc.govtofindthemanufacturer.
TuneYourConnectionviaSoftware
Windows95cameoutatatimewhen14.4modemswerethemostcommonspeedoutthereand28.8wasslowlygainingacceptance.ItsTCP/IPsettingsweretuned
forcablemodemsandlocalareanetworks.BythetimeWindows98cameout,itwaspossibletogetcablemodemsandotherhighspeedconnections,andLAN
connectionsintheofficewerefinallycommonplace,butWindows98'sdefaultTCP/IPsettingsaretunedformodems.Figurethatoneout.
TrumpetWinsock'sTCP/IPsettingsareoutintheopen,wheretheycanbeadjusted.There'snoprettycontrolpanelinterfaceonthem,butthey'rewelldocumented,
withagoodnumberofwebsitestalkingabouthowtoadjustthesettings.Manywebpioneersimprovedtheirthroughputbymodifyingthesesettings.Windows95and
98,apparentlytakingacuefromtheMacintosh,buryTCP/IPsettingsinpoorlydocumentedregistrykeysthataren'tevenpresentbydefault.
ThesehiddensettingsareknownasMTU,MSS,RWIN,andTTL.MTUstandsforMaximumTransmissionUnit.Whendataistransferredoverthemodem,it's
brokenintopieces,orpackets.TheMTUdeterminesthesizeofthepacket.Ifthecomputersoneitherendareeachexpectingpacketsofdifferentsizes,theyhaveto
disassembleandreassemblethepackets,whichslowsdownthetransmission.
MSSstandsforMaximumSegmentSize,andisalwayssettoMTU40.MSSistheportionofthepacketthatactuallycontainsusabledata,withoutthe20byte
headersandfooters.
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RWINstandsforReceiveWindow,whichisasmallcollectionofpackets.Thissettingtellstheotherendhowmanypacketscanbuildupwithoutacknowledgment.
Thesmallerthissetting,thefasteryoursystemrecoversfromtransmissionerrors.Ifyouhaverelativelycleanphonelinesifyou'renotconnectingconsistentlyatthe
fullspeedofyourmodem,youdon'tsetthisto8 MSS.Otherwise,setitto4 MSS,thenexperimentwithdifferentsettings.
TTLstandsforTimetoLive,whichdetermineshowlongapacketshouldbekeptbeforeitisdiscarded.TheWindowsdefaultis32mostexpertssuggestasettingof
128.
Youcanadjustthesehiddensettingsyourselfbyaddingregistrykeys,butdeterminingwheretofindthemistediousagoodjobforthecomputertodo.Fortunately,
therearedozensofMTUtuningprogramsoutthere,someshareware,somefreeware,andsomepartofcommercialprograms.TwofreewareMTUadjustment
programsthatIlikeareEasyMTU,byRobVonk(availableatmembers.tripod.com/EasyMTU),andiSpeed,byHighMountainSoftware(availableat
www.hms.com/ispeed.htm).IlikeEasyMTUbecauseit'ssmall,fast,andnonintrusivethere'snoinstallationroutineanditdoesn'tdumpanyfilesintoyour
\Windowshierarchy.Youjustunzipitandrunit.However,thereisoneadvantagetoiSpeed.Itkeepsahistoryofitsbenchmarks,whichisusefulifyouwanttomake
someadjustmentsandmeasuretheimprovement.
Bothprogramsareintuitive,andbotharesmartenoughtofigureouttheMTUsizeyourISPuses.Themostcommonsettingis576,butmanyISPsdeviatefromthat,
soit'snotsafetoassumeanMTUof576.
VeteransoftelecommunicationsmaybedisappointedtoseesuchasmallpacketsizeprivateBBSswereusingprotocolswithmuchlargerpacketsizestotransfer
filesinthelate1980sandearly1990s,eventhoughthemodemsofthattimewerefarslowerthanthemodemsoftoday.It'struethatlargerpacketsizesaremore
efficient.However,youhavetousethesamepacketsizeasthesystemontheotherendforoptimalperformance,andyouhavetorememberthattheInternetwas
designedmoreforreliabilitythanforperformance.
Theotherthingtorememberisthatonanoisyphoneline,asmallerpacketsizeisbetter.TouseanotherexamplefromtheBBSera,Jmodemshouldtheoreticallyhave
beenafasterprotocolthanZmodem,becauseofitslargerpacketsize.ButZmodemwasmoreconsistentonnoisyphonelines,andinthosedays,everyonehada
noisyline.
SinceEasyMTUisthesmallerdownloadandintrudesless(IreallywishmoreprogramswereselfcontainedlikeEasyMTU)I'llwalkthroughrunningEasyMTU.
Afterunzipping,launchEasyMTU.exe.ThefirstthingyouwillwanttodoisclickontheFindMTUtabandclickStart.EasyMTUwilldetermineyourISP'sMTUsize
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byexecutingpingcommandsusingdifferentpacketsizes.Afteritgivesyouaresult,clicktheWindows95tab,thenclicktheSuggestedbutton.Ifthesuggested
settingsdon'tmatchtheMTUsizethatFindMTUdiscovered,correctthem.MakesuretheAutoCalculateboxischeckedtomakelifeeasier.Amultiplierof4will
usuallybeoptimal,butyoucanchangeitto8ifyouhaveafastmodemthatconsistentlyconnectsathighspeeds.TheEasyMTUDefaultTTLof64maybeabitlowI
suggestsettingitto128.MaxMSSandDefaultRcvWindowshouldn'tbechangeddirectly,sincetheyarecalculatedfromothervalues.Onceyouhavesettingsthat
you'resatisfiedwith,pushtheSavebutton.Thechangesdon'ttakeeffectuntilyourestart.
Togetanideaoftheimprovement,gototheBenchmarktabandpressthebuttonlabeledStart.Dothisacoupleoftimes,sincespeedwillvaryabit.Makenoteof
thethroughputandtotaltime.Afteryourestart,launchEasyMTUagainandrepeattheprocess.Youshouldseesomeimprovement.UnderWindows95,the
improvementmaybedramatic.TheimprovementislikelytobelessdramaticunderWindows98,sinceWindows98istunedforanalogmodems,butsinceyourISP
mayvaryfromthedefactostandards,EasyMTUshouldbeabletogiveyousomeimprovementunderWindows98,aswell.
SpeedUpDNSLookups
WhenIfirstsawthedescriptionforGiuseppeCriaco'sFastNet99,atmembers.xoom.com/gcriaco/,Ihungmyhead.Thisprogramissoingenious,yetsoobvious,I
couldn'tfigureoutwhyIdidn'tthinkofitmyself.ThenIwonderedwhysomeoneelsehadn'tthoughtofitwaybackinAugust1995.
Webaddresses,suchaswww.oreilly.com,aremeaninglesstoyourcomputer.Ithastotranslatethatalphanumericnameintoanumericaddressinthiscase,
204.148.40.9.ThecomputerhastogotoaDomainNameSystem(DNS)servertodothetranslation.YourISP'sDNSwon'tlisteveryaddressontheInternet,
however.SoifyourISPdoesn'tknowtheaddress,ithastoreferyourbrowsertoabiggerDNS.Thisprocessmayrepeatseveraltimesforadistantaddress,which
explainsthesometimesexcruciatingdelayswhenyourwebbrowserisjustsittingtherewitha"Lookinguphost"message.
WindowsmaintainsafilecalledHoststhatmatchesnamestoIPaddresses.Ifyouuseawebsitealot,youcanenteritsIPaddress,followedbyitsname,andyour
webbrowserwilllookfortheaddressinHostsbeforeitqueriestheDNS.Sometimesthiscanleadtoadramaticspeedupafterall,sometimesittakeslongertofind
theserverthantodisplaythecontentitholds.HavingyourmostcommonaddressesinHostsalsoimprovesyourreliability,intheeventthatyourISP'sDNSishaving
problems.ThesitesenteredinyourHostsfilewillstillwork,evenwithoutaDNS.
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TheproblemisthatfindingtheIPaddressesforallofyourfavoritesitesisapain.Youhavetopingthename,thenmakenoteoftheaddress,thentypethenameand
addressintoHosts.Itmaynotbeworththetroubleforallofyourfavoritesites.That'swhereFastNetcomesin.FastNetcantakeyourbrowserbookmarks(it
understandsNetscape,InternetExplorer,andOpera),thengettheIPaddressesforeachoneandenterthemintoHostsforyou.
FastNetrequiresMicrosoft'sVisualBasic6.0librariesinordertorun,andisdownloadablefromhttp://members.xoom.com/gcriaco.Onmysystem,FastNetalso
requiredMicrosoft'sVisualBasic5.0librariesaswell,availableatftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/MSVBVM50.EXE.Installbothoftheselibrarysets
beforeyouinstallFastNet.
BeforeyouinstallFastNet,IsuggestthatyoudeleteyourHostsfile.IfFastNetfindsnoHostsfile,itofferstocopyitsownfileintoplace.Thisfilecontainsthe
addressesformorethan17,000websites,whichisprobablyanimprovementoverwhatyouhave.TodeleteHosts,selectStart Find Filesorfolders Hosts.
IfyoufindafilecalledHosts(noextension),rightclickitandselectDelete.Bydefault,Windows9xusuallyhasnoHostsfile,onlyHosts.samanexamplefile.
GoaheadanddeletethatfileWindowsdoesn'tuseit,andittakesupvaluablespaceinyourWindowsdirectory.
NowletFastNetlaunch,thenclickBookmarks Searchtheregistry.Thisisanicefeature,whenitworks:itsearchestheregistryforthelocationsofallyour
bookmarks.Verifythatthelocationsarecorrecttheyaren'talwaysandcorrectthemifnecessary.Onceyou'resurethey'recorrect,goonlineifyouaren'talready
andhitScan.FastNetwillstartexaminingtheURLsandcollectIPaddressesforthemtoaddtoHosts.Whenitfinishes(anditwillprobablytakeawhile),hitSave.
Ifyouwantafasteroverallbrowsingexperience,youneedtocatchthesitesthataren'tnecessarilyinyourbookmarks.Fortunately,allthreebrowsersmaintainalistof
everyURLyou'vevisitedonline,andFastNetcantakeadvantageofthis.SelectHistory Searchtheregistry.Onceagain,verifythelocationsofthefiles,thenwhen
you'resurethey'recorrect,hitScan.FastNetwillthenscanyourbrowserhistoryforURLs.Beawarethatthisoperationwilltakeawhile.I'maprettyheavyweb
user,andFastNetfoundreferencestoabout2,000URLsonaPCI'dbeenusingforaboutfourmonths.IttookaboutanhourforFastNettosortthroughthelist,
identifytheuniquenames,filteroutthecorruptednames,andgetIPaddressesforthe100orsothatwereinmyhistorybutnotinCriaco'sHostsfile.Whenitfinishes,
hitSave.
Afterdoingthis,everysiteyou'vevisitedfrequently,andperhapseverysiteyou'veevervisited,willhaveitsIPaddressstoredinHostsforfastervisitsinthefuture.As
longasyoukeepFastNetrunning,itwilladdsitesasyouvisitthem.
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IPaddresseshaveawayofchangingwithtime(suchaswhenawebsitegetsnewservers),soyouneedtoverifyyourIPaddressesoccasionally.Youcandothisby
launchingFastNet99,thenclickingontheEdittabandclickingtheVerifyAllbutton.Dothisonceamonthorwhenawebsitethatusedtoloadnolongerloads,
whicheverismorefrequent.
TheimprovementFastNetyieldswillvary.Ifyouvisitadheavysites,itcanbeverysignificant,becauseeveryadcouldpotentiallybecausingthesystemtolooktothe
DNS.Ifyouvisitalotoftextheavysites,thespeedupwillalsobesignificant,becausetextsitestendtoloadveryquickly,sotheDNSlookupcouldwelltakenearly
aslongasloadingthepage.Whateverthenatureofyourwebbrowsinghabits,however,FastNetisworththeeffort.Thedifferencewillalmostcertainlybenoticeable.
KeepinmindthatFastNetandtoolslikeiSpeedorEasyMTUaren'tmutuallyexclusiveinfact,they'reperfectcomplementstooneanother.
FastNetischarityware.Ifyouliketheprogram,theauthorasksyoutomakeadonationtoanorganizationthatpreservesnature.
LosetheAdsAltogether
Personally,Idon'ttakeissuewithads.Iknowsomepeoplewhotakeanextremelystrongantiadvertisingstance,andIalsoknowsomepeoplewhowoulduseads
onthebackofathleticjerseysinsteadofnumberstoidentifyplayers.ButIadmitthatInternetadvertisingsometimesbordersontheobnoxious.Thebrightestblinking
elementonanygivenwebpageisusuallyanad.Andthepartthattakesthelongesttodownloadcouldwellbeanadafterall,adsareusuallyheldonanexternal
server,andadsarefrequentlyanimatedGIFs.Ittakestimetolookupthatserver,andittakestimetoloadthead.So,whileadvertisingcanbeinformative,and
advertisingkeepsalivesomewebsitesthatIfrequent,theycanalsogetinmyway.Blinkinganimatedadsaredistractingit'shumannaturetopaymoreattentionto
thingsthatmovethantothingsthatstandstill.Andwhenawebpagedoesn'tdisplaybecausethere'saproblemwiththeserverthattheadresideson,andmybrowser
hangs,it'saggravating.
Forthesereasons,Iunderstandthedesiretoblockadvertisingatleastundersomecircumstances.Icanseewhythereareanumberof$30adblockingprogramsout
thereandwhypeoplebuythem.ButIcantellyouthatyoumaynotneedone.Youcanprobablyblockthemajorityofadvertisingonyourown.
AFastNetgeneratedHostsfileprovidesabruteforcemethodofblockingthatsometimesworks.IloadedmyHostsfileintoawordprocessor(Notepadcan't
handleitifyouhave17,000+entriesinit,andforafilethatlarge,IwantaprogramwithbetterperformancethanWordPad).ThenIscrolledthroughthefile.I
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foundentrieswithnameslikead.doubleclick.netandads1.zdnet.com.Gee,Iwonderwhatthoseserversmightcontain?Toblockthoseservers,justchangetheIP
addressinfrontoftheirnamesto127.0.0.1.That'salwaystheIPaddressofthePCyou'reusing.So,ifyoumakethatchangeandthenvisitawebpagethatmakes
referencetoafilecalledobnoxious_halfmeg_ad.gifstoredatad.doubleclick.net,yourwebbrowserwilllookuptheaddressforad.doubleclick.net,say,"Hey,
that'sme!"andgolookforthatfile.Itwillquicklyrealizethefiledoesn'texistandjustdisplayabrokenlinkwheretheadwouldhavebeen.
Theproblemis,manyserverswith"ad"intheirnamearejustadcountersanddon'tactuallystoretheads.Atleastwhenit'sservingthewebsitesIvisitmost,
ad.doubleclick.netappearstobemoreofacounterthanastoragehouse.Adsarefrequentlystoredonthesameserverastherestofthesite'scontent.Theymaybe
storedinasubdirectorycalled/ads,butyoucan'tuseyourHostsfiletoblockjustpartsofaserver.That'sanallornothingdeal.Intelligentblockingrequiresalittle
bitmoreworkwithaproxyserver.
Althoughthenamesoundsintimidating,settingupaproxyserverisprettyeasy,anditdoesn'trequireanyadditionalhardware.Aserverisn'talwaysacomputerora
pieceofhardwareinthiscase,it'sjustaprocessrunningonyourPC.Agoodsourceofasmallproxyserveriswww.junkbusters.com.Theirfreeproduct,Internet
Junkbuster,isasimplecrossplatformproxyserver.TheWindowsversionisjustover200Ktodownload.It'snotareadytogoproductthere'snoprettygraphical
installationroutine,andbydefaultitdoesn'tdomuchmorethanblockcookies.Butinstallationandconfigurationisn'tdifficult.
ThefirstthingyouneedtodoisdownloadInternetJunkbusterandunzipit.Goaheadandunzipitintoyour\ProgramFilesdirectory.Theprogramcomeswith
sourcecode,soifyou'renotaCprogrammer,youcansafelydeleteallbutthe.ini,.exe,andHTMLfiles.Thisprocesscutstheinitialfootprintdowntoafairlysvelte
294K.
Next,youneedtoexecuteJunkbusterandconfigureyourwebbrowser(s)touseit.Doubleclickonjunkbustr.exetolaunchityoucanaddashortcuttothefileto
yourStartupgroup,or,laterinthechapter,I'llshowyouhowtosetJunkbustertorunonlywhileyou'reonline.Nowlaunchyourwebbrowser.
Theconfigurationmethodvariesbetweenbrowsers,andevenfromversiontoversionofthesamebrowser:
ForNetscapeNavigator2.xand3.x
Options NetworkPreferences ManualProxyConfiguration View
8000 OK OK
HTTPProxy
localhost
Port
8000
SecurityProxy
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Port
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ForNetscapeNavigator/Communicator4.x
Edit Preferences Advanced Cache,Proxies,andDiskSpace Proxies ConfigureproxiestoaccesstheInternet Manualproxyconfiguration
View HTTPProxy localhost Port 8000 SecurityProxy localhost Port 8000 OK OK
ForInternetExplorer3.xor4.x
View InternetOptions Connections Connectthroughproxyserver
8000 OK
Settings
HTTP
localhost
Port
8000
Secure localhost
Port
ForInternetExplorer5.x
Tools InternetOptions Connections Settings Useproxyserver Settings
8000 OK
HTTP
localhost
Port
8000
Secure localhost
Port
ForOpera
Preferences Proxyservers HTTP
localhost
Port 8000
OK
Next,visitinternet.junkbuster.com/cgibin/showproxyargstoverifythatJunkbusterisworking.TotesttomakesureJunkbustercanindeedtalktotherestofthe
world,visitwww.junkbusters.com/ht/en/ijbwin.html#connect,thenreloadtomakesurethepageisnotcomingfromyourbrowsercache.
Ifyouvisitanadheavysitenow,youwon'tseeanydifferenceyet.YouneedtodownloadablockfilealistofpatternsforJunkbustertolookforandfilteroutof
webcontentinordertoseeanydifference.Anumberofwebsiteshaveblockfiles.IdownloadedonefromCharlesCoffing'swebsiteatwww.home.unix
ag.org/sfx/junkbuster/blockfilethatworkedreasonablywellforme,butyou'llprobablyfindseveralbyvisitingyourfavoritesearchengineandenteringthewords
junkbusterandblockfile.Sizematters:thebiggertheblockfileis,themorecomprehensiveitislikelytobe.Lookforthebiggestand/ormostrecentlink,thenvisitit.
You'relikelytobepresentedwithaplaintextfile.SelectFile SaveAs,andsaveitintoyourJunkbusterdirectory.Junkbuster'sdefaultblockfileiscalledsblock.ini.
Youmightwishtorenameyouroldsblock.iniratherthanoverwritingit,thoughyoucanalwaysextractitfromtheJunkbusterZipfileifyoufindyouneeditagain.
AfterpointingmywebbrowsertotheJunkbusterproxyanddownloadingCoffing'sblockfile,Ivisitedafewofmyfavoriteadheavysites.Theyloadedmorequickly,
andmost,thoughnotall,oftheadswereblocked.Someoftheadswerestilllingeringinmybrowsercacheanddisappearedintimeaverysmallnumberhadclever
enoughnamesthattheymanagedtoslippastJunkbuster.
Therearecommercialadblockingprogramsavailable,butJunkbusterdoesagoodjobfreeofcharge.Thecommercialofferingswillbemoreautomatic,but
Junkbusterinstallationandconfigurationiseasierthanmanyoftheothertasks
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describedinthisbook.AdblockingisjustoneofJunkbuster'smanycapabilities.Youcanalsoconfigureittolieaboutwhatkindofwebbrowseryouareusing,to
blockcookies,tomanipulatecookies,andotherthings.ThesetricksandothersaredescribedinJunkbuster'sonlinedocumentationatwww.junkbusters.com.
Ifyoudon'tmindalargerinstallationfootprinttogetaneasiertouseGUIinterface,downloadProxomitronfrommembers.tripod.com/Proxomitron.Comparedto
Junkbuster,Proxomitronisprettyautomaticjustdownloadit,installit,launchit,andpointyourwebbrowser'sproxyservicestoit.Configuringawebbrowserto
useProxomitronisjustlikeconfiguringittouseJunkbuster,withtheexceptionthatProxomitronusesport8080insteadofport8000.
Proxomitronhassomeothernicefeaturesaswell,suchastheabilitytodetectanimatedGIFsandjustloadanddisplaythefirstframe.Thisisgoodforpreservingthe
designer'sintendedpagelayoutwhilemakingthepageloadfasterandmakingitlessdistracting.
PreloadingandCachingUtilities
Althoughyouspendalotoftimewaitingonthemodem,oncethepageisfinallyloaded,yourmodemspendsalotoftimewaitingforyoutoclickalinkwhileyouread
thepage.Preloadingutilitiesmakeuseofthisdowntimebyprefetchingthelinksonthepageandstoringtheminacache.Frequentlytheyalsoreplaceyourweb
browser'scachingwiththeirmoreaggressivecaching.Loadingwebpagesfromdiskismuchfasterthanretrievingthemoverthephoneline,sotheseutilitiescan
dramaticallyspeedupyourwebbrowsingexperience.
Thereareanumberofpreloading/cachingutilitiesavailable,butIlikeWeb3000'sfreeNetSonic.NetSonicworksbycachingmoreaggressivelythanNetscapeor
InternetExplorerwhenyouvisitapreviouslyvisitedpage,NetSonicdisplaysthepage'spreviouscontentsimmediatelywhileitwaitsforthepage'scurrentcontentto
load.Ifitdetectschangesincontent,itpromptsyoubybeepingatyouandchangingtheshapeofyourmousecursor.Youcanthenhityourbrowser'sreloadbuttonto
displaythechangedcontent.
YoucandownloadNetSonicfromwww.web3000.com.Afteryouinstall,aniconresemblingajetwillappearinyoursystemtray.Clickthisicontobringup
NetSonic'sconfigurationscreen.
Forbestresults,gotoSonicCacheandselectMaximumAccelerationandgotoSonicFetchandselectPreloadAllLinks.MaximumAccelerationreducestheamount
oftimeNetSonicspendscheckinggraphicsfilesforchanges,whichisanicesettingsincemuchofawebsite'sgraphicalcontentnever(orrarely)changes.Preloading
alllinksisaveryusefulfeature.Youmaybemorelikelytofollowlinks
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thatyou'vealreadyvisitedthatdependsmoreonyourpersonalwebbrowsinghabits.NetSoniconlypreloadsthetextfromthoselinks,anditonlyloadslinksstored
onthesameserverasthecurrentpage,sopreloadingalllinksisn'tamajordrain.
UnderGeneralPreferences,IdisabletheHelpTipsbecauseIfindthemannoying.IfyouliketogetfeedbackfromNetSonic,goaheadandleaveHelpTipson.
ByclickingtheAdvancedbutton,youcanconfigurehowmuchdiskspaceNetSonicusesforcache.Thedefaultof30MBshouldbeadequate,thoughyoucangiveit
moreifyoulike.NetSonicdisablesyourNavigatorandInternetExplorercache,soyoudon'thavetoworryaboutfillingyourharddrivewithdoublecacheddata.
ThemoreyouuseprogramslikeNetSonic,thebettertheywork.ISPsdon'tliketheseprogramsbecauseundersomecircumstancestheyprettymuchensurethatyour
Internetconnectionisneveridle,whichincreasestrafficiftoomanypeopleareusingthem.ButIwouldarguethattheirmoreaggressivecachingmeanspagesdon'tget
reloadedfromtheInternetconnectionasoften.Ifthereareonlyahandfulofsitesyouvisitregularly,NetSoniccanactuallyreducetheamountoftrafficyougenerate.
SinceNetSoniconlypreloadstext,leavingthespaceheavymultimediaandgraphicscontentbehinduntilyouactuallyvisitthepage,NetSonicwon'tdramatically
increasetheamountoftrafficyougenerate.
Web3000makesacommercialversionofNetSonic,calledNetSonicPro.NetSonicProaddsMTUoptimizationEasyMTUtakescareofthatforyouand
automaticrefresh,freeingyoufromhavingtohitthereloadbutton,aswellasofflinebrowsingandafewotherfeatures.NetSonicProsellsfor$39.95,though
Web3000oftenputsitonsaleforless.
TakingFullControlofYourInternetConnection
MaybeI'mnitpicky,butIreallydislikeMicrosoft'simplementationofDialUpNetworking.IranWindows3.1forabouttwomonthsafterIboughtmyfirstPC,and
unlikeMicrosoft'soffering,TrumpetWinsockwouldredialthephoneformewhenthelinewasbusy.WhenIupgradedtoOS/2,itsdialerwouldredialformeaswell.
Thismightbeevenmorenitpicky,butIdidn'tliketheideaofhavingaNetSonic572KexecutablelaunchingeverytimeIstartmycomputer,andIdon'tlikehaving
InternetrelatedapplicationsinmemorywhenI'mnotonline.ButonceIstartedusingNetSonic,IfoundIreallydidn'twanttolivewithoutit.Enteryetanother
freewareprogramNetLaunch.
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NetLaunch,byRobertSimpson,isaversatilepublicdomainInternetutility.ItautomatesDialUpNetworkingforyou,redialingifthelineisbusy,anditreconnects
youifyoudisconnect.ThisisusefulifyouhaveanISPthatlikestolivebeyonditsmeans.Ifyougetareallypoorconnection,itwilldisconnectandredial,whichis
usefulifyouhavepoorphonelines.And,optionally,uponconnecting,itwilllaunchasetofprogramsforyou.Itcanalsoshutthoseprogramsdownforyouwhenyou
disconnect.
Byallmeans,gotowww.blackcastlesoft.comanddownloadNetLaunch,theninstallandlaunchit.I'llwalkthroughtheconfiguration/optimizationprocess.
TheNetLaunchwindowhasthreetabs,andwe'lluseallthreeofthem.NetLaunchhasadirectorysimilartotheWindows'\Windows\StartMenudirectory,whereit
storesshortcutstoprogramsthatitlaunchesautomatically.GoaheadandopenthatdirectoryyoucanfinditbygoingtoPrograms LaunchList.Now,rightclick
Windows'Startbutton,thenclickExplore Programs Startup.DragtheNetSoniciconfromyourStartupgroupintotheLaunchListwindow.Now,gobackto
NetLaunchandselectLaunch Configureprogramsindependently NetSonic.Next,selectLaunch Connect OnlyOneInstance NoFocus 0sec.
delay Close Disconnect Closewindow All Destroywindow All Quitprogram.
Thenexttimeyougoonline,verifythatNetSonic'ssettingsarestillthesameasyousetearlier.IhadtoresetthemafterIstartedusingNetLaunchtocontrolit.
Thesameprocessalsoworksjustfineforjunkbstr.exe,toensurethatJunkbusterisrunningwhileyouareonlinebutnotconsuminganymemoryorCPUcycleswhen
you'renot.YoucanusethisfeaturetomakeNetLaunchstartandcloseotherprogramsaswell,suchasAOLInstantMessengerandICQ,whichseemtoliketostay
inmemoryallthetime,andNetLaunchcanevenstartyourwebbrowserandemailclientforyouautomatically.Personally,Iprefertolaunchmybrowserandmail
clientmanually,sinceIrarelyusethesamegroupofprogramsonline,butifautomaticlaunchingofeverythingwouldbeusefulforyou,goahead.
IfyouwantNetLaunchtoensurethatyoualwaysconnectatacertainminimumspeed,selectConnections Minimumconnectspeed <yourminimumacceptable
speed>.Berealisticinyourexpectations:NetLaunchdoesn'tdoanythingtoimprovethequalityofyourphoneline.Ifyouconnectatalowerspeedthantheminimum,
ithangsupandtriesagain.Soifyoufindyourselfconnectingatavarietyofspeeds,decidewhattheminimumspeedyou'rewillingtolivewithis,andenterthatasthe
minimumconnectspeed.NetLaunchwilldoitsbesttogetitforyou.
Bydefault,NetLaunchputsitselfintheStartupfolderandlaunchesitselfwhenthesystemstarts,puttinganiconinthesystemtray.Youcanusethistrayiconto
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launchyourISPortochangeyourNetLaunchpreferences.Youmightlikethisoption,andyou'llprobablyfindthe100KorsothatNetLaunchneedsisn'tabig
dealafterall,it'snowoccupyingjustafractionofthememorythatAOLInstantMessengerandICQandNetSonicwereoccupyingallthetime.
Ifyouwantthat100Kback,however,it'spossibletogetit.PullNetLaunchoutofyourStartupfolder.ThenstartNetLaunch,hittheProgramstab,andclearthebox
labeled''AutomaticallyrunNetLaunchatstartup."Next,hittheConnectionstab.Now,clickStart Run Notepad.Typeinthefollowingbatchfile(notethatthe
quotesarepartofthesyntax):
"C:\programfiles\netlaunch\launch.exe"
"c:\programfiles\netlaunch\launch.exe"<enterthenameofyourISP,exactlyasit
appearsinNetLaunchoptions>
Now,savethebatchfile.FromeitheryourDesktoporyourStartMenu'sExplorerview,rightclickandselectNew Shortcut.Pointtheshortcuttoyourbatchfile.
Punchthroughtheremainingoptions.Now,rightclicktheshortcutandselectProperties Program Run Minimized.Alsocheckthe"Closeonexit"box.If
youlike,assignashortcutkeytoitaswell.Whenyou'resatisfiedwiththesettings,clickOK.
ThisnewiconwillautomaticallystartNetLaunch,whichwillthendoitsthing.Ifyoudefinethehotkey,it'severybitasautomaticasNetLaunchwouldbeifitwerein
memory.Thebatchfileaddsalittlebitoftimetotheconnecttime,butit'snotenoughtoworryabout.Thememoryyousavemaybeworthmoretoyou.
ToexitNetLaunch,simplybringupitscontextmenufromitstrayicon,andselectExit.
TheValueofFreeSoftware
Asyoucansee,therearealargenumberofveryusefulfreeutilitiesoutthereformakingthemostofyourmodem.Therearecommercialprogramsthatwillspeedup
yourInternetconnection,butthey'dbehardpressedtobeatthecombinationofFastNet99,EasyMTU,NetSonic,InternetJunkbusterorProxomitron,and
NetLaunch.Theseprogramsaren'talwaysquiteaspolishedascommercialsoftware,butiftheworkaroundsaredocumented,theyarecertainlytolerable,andyou
can'tbeattheprice.
WhichWebBrowserShouldIUse?
Thisisanincendiaryissueformanypeople,butfrankly,muchofthatisduetonontechnicalissues.
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ThereisnodoubtthatInternetExplorer4.xrenderedpagesmorequicklythanNetscapeNavigatororCommunicator4.0oreven4.5.ThenInternetExplorer5.0
raisedthebar,beforeNetscapefiredbackwithCommunicator4.6,whichclosedthespeedgap.TheearlybuildsofGecko,thebrowserthatwillgiverisetothenext
generationofNetscapebrowsers,alsoshowgreatpromise.
Unlessyou'remakingyoursystemintoawebkiosk,therearemoreissuesatstakethanjustbrowserspeed,however.InternetExplorerhasalwaysbeenmuchmore
invasivethanNetscape'sbrowsers.ThepriceofMicrosoft'shighlypublicizedbrowserOSintegrationismuchhigheroperatingsystemoverhead.Thiswaseventhe
caseyearsagowiththethirdgenerationbrowsersinstallingInternetExplorer3.0causedaslightbutnoticeableslowdownsystemwide.InternetExplorer5hasless
effectthanIE4did,butitisstilllikelytobenoticeable.Undersomecircumstances,IEwillgiveyouslightlyfasterwebbrowsing(it'sveryhardtotellmuchdifference
betweenCommunicator4.6andIE5.0),butNetscapewillgiveyouafasteroverallsystemassumingthatyouuninstallInternetExplorer,ofcourse.
Ifyouneedalowoverhead,noninvasivebrowserthatrendersfasterthanNetscapeonlowendsystemsandtakeslessdiskspace,takealookatOpera
(www.operasoftware.com).Operadoesn'tsupporteveryfeaturethatIEandNetscapedo,althoughSun'sJavapluginworkswithOperaandaddsJavasupport.
TuneYourWebBrowser
Justasyoucantuneyouroperatingsystemforspeed,youcanalsotuneyourwebbrowserforspeed.Fortunately,webbrowsersarefarsimplertotunethan
operatingsystems.
Peoplefrequentlyaskmehowtheycanautomaticallydeletetheirwebbrowsercache.Whileit'struethatneitherbrowserhandlescachingaswellasitshould,browser
cacheisn'tabadthing.Ifyourbrowserisloadingpages(orpartsofthepages)fromcache,it'snotloadingthemfromthemodem,andthereforeyourbrowsingis
faster.Ifyourwebbrowserseemsslowerrightafteryouemptyitscache,it'snotyourimagination.
Thatsaid,IsuggestyoudownloadandinstallNetSonictohandleyourbrowsercacheduties,becauseNetSonicdoesafarbetterjobthaneitherofthetwobigname
browsers.Ifyoufindyourselfrunningshortofdiskspace,yourbrowsercacheshouldbethesecondthingtogoafterthecontentsofyour\Tempor
\Windows\Tempdirectorybutyoushouldn'troutinelydeleteyourcache.
Theotherthingsyoucandototuneyourbrowserarebothmoreroutineandfareasiertoundo.YoumightwishtodisableJava,JavaScript,andActiveX.These
featuresaddoverhead,andhavingthemturnedoffwillmakeyourbrowserrender
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thepagesthatdon'tneedthemmorequickly.Thepagesthatneedthemoninordertoworkrightwillcomplain,butyoucanalwaysturnthesefeaturesbackonfor
them.
ToturnoffJavaandJavaScriptinNetscapeNavigator3.x,selectOptions Preferences Languages,andcleartheappropriatecheckboxes.InNetscape
Navigator/Communicator4.x,selectEdit Preferences Advanced EnableJavaandEnableJavaScript.InInternetExplorer3.x,selectView Options
Security,andclearallcheckboxesunderActiveContent.InInternetExplorer4,selectView InternetOptions Security High.
Youcansignificantlyspeedupyourbrowsingbyturningofftheautomaticloadingofgraphics.Junkbuster'sadblockinghelpsconsiderably,butsometimesitisn't
enough.Graphicstendtobeverylarge,and,asstatedbefore,theydon'tcompresswell.It'snotuncommonforthetextofawebpagetocomeinatspeedsof115K
onyour56Kmodem,butthegraphicswillbemuchslower.Welldesignedwebpageswillhavetexttagsthatdisplaywhenimagesareturnedoff(primarilytofacilitate
screenreadingprogramsemployedbythevisuallyimpaired,butthere'snoreasonwhythesightedcan'tmakeuseofthemaswell)soatextonlyWebshouldn'tbe
unusable.WithNetscapebrowsers,youcanbrowsewithimagesturnedoff,thenclicktheImagesbuttononthenavigationtoolbarifitturnsoutthepageneedsthem.
OndayswhentheInternetisparticularlycongested,Iturnimagesofftoimprovemybrowsingspeed.Duringlowtraffictimes,Iturnthembackon.
InNavigator3.x,youcantoggletheloadingofimagesbygoingtoOptions Autoloadimages.InNavigatororCommunicator4.x,selectEdit Preferences
Advanced Automaticallyloadpictures.InInternetExplorer,selectView Options General Multimedia Showpictures.
Sometimesthistuningmaynotbeenough:nothingwillgivea14.4KmodemthespeedofacablemodemorISDNconnection.Buttheprogramsdescribedinthis
sectionwilldefinitelyspeedupanymodem.NetSpeedandJunkbusterevenmadeanoticeableimprovementontheT1connectionIhaveattheoffice.MaxMTUand
NetLauncharen'tterriblyusefulifyouhaveaperpetualconnectiontotheInternet,buttherestoftheseutilitieswillspeedupanyInternetconnection.Soevenifyou're
seriouslyconsideringreplacingyourmodem,trytheseutilitiesfirst.Youmayfindyoudon'tneedtoupgrade.Ifthespeedstillisn'tgoodenoughandyoudecideto
upgradeyourmodem,theoptimizationswillimprovethespeedofyourupgradedconnection.
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9
HomeNetworking
IfyourhouseholdhasmorethanonePC,orifyourlivingquartersputsyouincloseproximitytootherpeoplewhoownPCsforinstance,inacollegedormitoryI
suggestyounetworkthem.PoolingsomeofyourPCs'resourceswillmakeallofthemmorecapable.Itwillfacilitatefilesharingwithoutendlessswappingoffloppy
disksandotherremovablemedia,easediskspacerequirements,andallowPCstosharevaluableresourcessuchasprintersandCDROMdrives.Itcanalsomakea
computerthat'snolongerusefulforrunninglargeapplicationsusefulagaina386or486,evenwithasmallharddrive,canstoredataandserveituptomorecapable
PCs.APCinthisroleisgreatforquickanddirtybackups.Oryoucanconnectyourprintertoitandletitspoolyourprintjobstotheprinter,freeingyourmore
capablePCmorequicklytodolessmundanework.
Requirements
Networkingapair(ormore)ofPCsisnolongerdifficultnorexpensive.Windows95includedforthefirsttimethecapabilitytoconnecttwoPCsviaaserialor
parallelcable.Previously,suchcapabilitywasonlyavailablebypurchasingthirdpartytoolssuchasLapLink.Windows95alsoincludednetworkingcapabilitiesvia
dedicatednetworkinterfacecards(NICs).
ThephysicalconnectionoftwoPCsviaaserialorparallelcableiseasyandfairlycheap.Ifyou'reinterestedinmultiplayergaming,aseriallinkisthemostuseful.
MultiplayergamescanuseaserialconnectionwithoutanyspecialsupportfromtheunderlyingOS,somethingthey'vebeendoingformorethan20yearstheprePC
CommodorePETandAppleIIcomputersfeaturedmulticomputer,multiplayergamesviaseriallink.PCarchitectureisbettersuitedforseriallinksaswell,seeingas
theyusuallyhaveaspareserialportbutonlyasingleparallelportthat'susuallyoverburdenedbyprinters,externalhighcapacityremovabledrives,scanners,and
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otherperipherals.Aserialconnectionisalsomoreappropriatefornetworking,sinceaserialcablecanbe50feetlongorlongerparallelconnectionsshouldbeno
morethan15feetlong,and10footconnectionsaremorereliable.
Unfortunately,serialconnectionsarepainfullyslow.Theirmaximumspeedis115Kbps,orabout10KBpersecondjustovertwiceasfastasyour56Kmodem,
and100timesslowerthanacheapEthernetconnection.Undersomecircumstances,a56Kmodemwillbejustasfastasthedirectserialconnection,sincethemodem
hasthebenefitofdatacompression.Aserialconnectionisthereforeonlygoodforgaming(sincethegamesdon'ttransmitlargeamountsofdata),barelyadequatefor
sharingaprinter,andintolerableforsharinganythingbutthesmallestoffiles.Tobeperfectlyhonest,theonlytimeIresorttodoingfiletransferoveraserialconnection
isinanemergency.It'salmostalwaysfastertofindsomeotherwaytotransferthefile.
AparallelconnectionbetweentwoPCsisfarfasterthanaserialconnection,typicallyfourtoeighttimesfaster.ThetheoreticalmaximumspeedofthePCparallelport
ismuchhigherthanthis,butyouwon'treachthesespeedsviadirectcableconnection.ThesespeedsarefineforsharingaprinterbetweentwoPCsandOKevenfor
lightdutyfilesharing.ThedrawbacktothisapproachisthatmostPCsonlyhaveasingleparallelport,whichisusuallyoccupiedbyfartoomanyperipheralsalready.
Plus,thePCshavetobeveryclosetooneanother.
IfyouhappentohavetwoPCsandaspareparallelportcard,youcanuseaparalleldirectconnectcabletoallowthePCstoshareaprinterandsmallfiles.Orifyou
havebothadesktopandalaptopPC,youcanuseaparallelconnectiontodumpfilestothelaptoptotakeontheroad,thencopythechangedfilesbacktothehost
PC.Butwithqualityparalleldirectconnectcablessellingforabout$20apiece,andgoodqualityparallelcardsalsosellingforabout$20apiece,theparallelportis
notacosteffectivewaytonetworktwoPCs,andifyoufindyourselfhavingtopopthehoodandinstallparallelcards,it'snoeasiereither.
AnotherdisadvantagetobothparallelandserialconnectionsisthattheylimityoutoconnectingtootherWindows9xPCs.IfyouhaveaPCrunningWindowsNT
andanotherPCrunningWindows9x,it'spossible(butdifficult)toconnectthemviaserialcable.Soifyouwanttoconnectdissimilarcomputersorthinkyoumight
somedaywantto,NICsaretheonlygameintown.
Youcanwalkintovirtuallyanycomputerstoreandbuyakitforunder$100thatcontainsallyouneedtonetworktwoPCs,andmostkitsallowyoutoeasilyadd
moreitems.IrecentlypurchasedakitthatincludedtwoPCIEthernetNICs,afiveporthub,andtwo50footcablesfor$80.Youcanaddmorecomputersbybuying
additionalcardsandcablingexpecttopay$15$30percardandabout$10percable.
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TwotypesofEthernetcablingarecommonlyavailablenewtoday.Theolder10Base2standardusescoaxcable,whichbearsaslightresemblancetothatusedfor
cabletelevision,andmustbeterminatedoneachend.Thecomputersareconnectedinseries,withnohub.Thenewer10BaseT(10megabit)and100BaseT
(100megabit)standardsusesCategory5(CAT5)cable,whichresemblestelephonewireandrunsfromeachPCintoacentralhub.Noterminationisrequired.This
newerstandardismorerobust,inthataproblemwithonemachine'sconnectionwon'ttakedowntheentirenetwork.Aproblemwithonecomputeron10Base2
canseverthenetworkconnectionforeveryPCbehindit.Inmostcases,CAT5basednetworksarealsofaster,sincethesignalonlyhastogothroughonesetof
wirestothehub,thenthroughanothersettothedestination,ratherthanallthewayupanddownachain.
While10Base2usedtoenjoyasignificantcostadvantageover10BaseT,that'snolongerthecase.CoaxcableissignificantlymoreexpensivethanCAT5,andthe
Tconnectorsthatmustrunbetweenthecomputersandtheterminatorsthatmustgooneachendaddsomemoreexpense.Andfrequently,cardsthatuseCAT5
cablingcostlessthan10Base2capablecards.Ifyou'renetworkingmorethanfourcomputers,10BaseTdefinitelycomesoutahead.Evenifyou'reonly
networkingtwocomputers,10BaseT'saddedrobustnessandeaseofexpansionisworththesmalladditionalcost.Theshoppinglistisalsosimpler:aNICforeach
PC,acableforeachPC,andahub,asopposedtoaNICforeachPC,acableforeachPC,aTconnectorforeachPC,andtwoterminators.
Theeasiestwaytogetstartedissimplytobuyakitthathaseverything(oralmosteverything)youneed.Akitwithtwocards,cables,andahubwillalmostalways
costlessthantheelementswouldseparately.Ifyouneedtoaddmorecomputers,buyadditionalcardsandcablesjustbesurenottobuymorethanthehubinyour
kitsupports.It'snotnecessarytobuytheadditionalcardsfromthesamemanufacturerwhomadethekit,butithelpsforsimplicity'ssaketobeabletousethesame
networkcarddriveronallofyourPCs.
Ifyou'reonlyconnectingtwocomputers,youcansavesomemoneybygettingtwoNICswithCAT5connectorsandwhat'sknownasacrossovercable.A
crossovercablelookslikearegularCAT5cable,butitcrossesthesendandreceivelines,eliminatingtheneedforahub.Acrossovercableismuchlessexpensive
thanahubandtworegularcables,butmoreexpensivethanregularCAT5cable.You'realsolikelytohavefarlessselectionasfarassizesgoyoucanordera
crossovercableofwhateverlengthyouwant,butyourlocalcomputerstoreprobablywon'tstocka100footerasaregularitem.Ifthecomputersareinthesame
room,youcangetbywithacrossovercable,butifthere'smuchdistancebetweenthem,youmayneedtojustbitethebulletandgetahubandregularcables.
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WhattoLookforinYourKit
MostnetworkkitstodaycomewithPCIcards,soyouneedtomakesureallofthePCsyouwanttonetworkhaveavailablePCIslots.ISAcardswillwork,butPCI
cardsrequirelessattentionfromtheCPU.Ifyou'rewantingtonetworkanISAcomputertoaPCIcomputer(suchaswhennetworkinga486toaPentium),you
mightwanttoconsiderjustgettingaPCIkit,addinganISAcard,andholdingtheextraPCIcardinreserveincaseyoureplacetheISAcomputerwithonecapableof
usingthePCIcard.
YoumightalsowanttomakesureyourNICscanrunateither10or100megabitspersecond.ThiscapabilityaddsverylittlecosttotheNICsit'sthehighspeed
hubthattendstobetheexpensivecomponent.As100megabitEthernetbecomesmoreandmorecommon,priceswillcomedowntheabilitytoupgradeyour
networktothefasterstandardjustbyreplacingthehubandnothavingtobotherwiththetimeorexpenseofreplacingNICsisaniceluxury.
Whetheryoushouldgoaheadandbuya100megabitkitnowisanotherquestion.Alarge10megabitnetworkisquicklysaturated,but10megabitspersecondis
enoughspeedformosthomenetworking.Pricescanvarysometimesthepricedifferencebetweena10megabitkitanda100megabitkitisverysmall.Inthatcase,
youshouldgoaheadandgettheextraspeed.Ifyou'reinterestedinsharingprogramsbetweentwocomputersinordertosavediskspace,geta100megabitkit.
Remember,though,thatifyou'reputting486sonyournetwork,you'llprobablybelimitedto10megabits,because100megabitcardscomeonlyinPCIvarieties.
Youalsowanttomakesurethehubinyourkitwillleaveyouenoughroomforfutureexpansion.Willyouhaveaportortwofree?Canthehubbechainedtoanother
hubsometimeinthefuturetoaddmorePCs?Youshouldalsotakealookatthekit'swarranty.Manynetworkcardscomewithlifetimewarranties.Thepeaceof
mindisworththeextracost.I'veseensomecardssellforaslittleas$6,buttheyusuallysellforcloserto$15.I'veseenKingstoncardswithlifetimewarrantiessellfor
$19.
Manybusinessesstickwith3ComorIntelcardsandhubs.Ifyouwanttobereallysafe,stickingwithbignamecomponentsprovidesanaddedmeasureofinsurance.
Whetherthatextrasecurityisworththeextracostisuptoyou.SometimesanIntelor3Comcardsellsfor$70alonethecostofanentirekitfromalesserknown
manufacturer.Personally,IprefersecondtiermanufacturerslikeBayNetworksorKingston.TheirpriceismuchlowerthanIntelor3Com,andjustslightlyhigher
thanthebargainbasementkits.Igotburnedbyaconsumerorientedkitfromalesserknownmanufacturer,ironically,whileinthecourseofwritingthischapter.Iwas
usingmynetworkoneSaturdayafternoon,andallseemedfine.Iwentoutthatnight,andwhenIcamehome,Inoticedthelightsonthehubwere
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alldim.Icheckedtheconnectionstothecards.Theywerefine.Icheckedthehub'spowerconnectiononbothends.Itwasfine.Icheckedtheoutlet.Itwasfine.I
triedadifferentoutletanyway.Nojoy.Icouldn'tgetthehubtomaintainpowerformorethanahalfsecond.Thehubwastwomonthsold,andhadbeenincontinuous
serviceforaboutsixweeks.Ofcourseit'sunderwarrantyithasalifetimewarrantybutthatlifetimewarrantydoesn'tspeedupthedelivery.That'llbethelasttimeI
dropdowntothethirdtier.
SoftwareRequirements
Fromasoftwarestandpoint,allofthesetypesofnetworkslookthesame.Whetheryouuseaserialorparallelconnection,andwhatevertypeofnetworkcardyou
use,thecomputersusethesamekindoftopologytocommunicate.ANICrequiresadriverjustlikeanyotherperipheral,ofcourse,buttheserialandparallelcards
requireanextralayerofsoftwaretomakethemselveslooklikeNICstothenetworkingsoftware,sothere'slittledifferenceinthememoryrequirementsofthevarious
approaches.
IfyouwanttouseDirectCableConnectionviaaserialorparallelport,youmustfirstinstallitssoftwarecomponents.PushStart Settings ControlPanel
Add/RemovePrograms Windowssetup Communications Details <checkDialUpNetworkingandDirectCableConnection> OK OK.Ifyou're
promptedfortheWindows9xsetupdisksorCD,providethem.You'llthenhavetosetupclientsandprotocols,whichisdescribedinthenextsection.
BuildingYourNetwork
Theinstallationofnetworkcardsisprettysimple:PowerdownyourPC,openthecase,locateafreeslotoftheappropriatetype(PCIforaPCIcard,ISAforanISA
card),removethebracket,andinstallthecard.Yourkitwillalmostassuredlycomewithinstructionsanddiagrams.Findacentrallocationwithanearbypoweroutlet
topluginthehub,thenrunyourCAT5cablesfromthecardstothehub.Poweryourcomputerson.Windows9xshouldseethenewnetworkcardsandaskyoufora
driverdisk.ProvidethediskorCDthatcamewiththekit.WindowsmayalsoaskforthesetupdisksorCDs.Dowhateveritasks.Windowswillthenaskfor
networksettings.YourNetworkcontrolpanelwillnowprobablyresembleFigure91.
IftheClientforNetWareNetworksispresent,removeit.ClickClientforNetwareNetworks Remove.Ifthere'sanextraDialUpAdapterinyoursetup,itwas
probablyinstalledbyyourISP.Leaveit.OfthethreeprotocolsthatremainTCP/IP,IPX/SPX,NetBEUIwhatyouwanttokeepdependsonyourenvironment.
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Figure91.
AtypicalNetworkcontrolpanel
TCP/IP
IrecommendusingTCP/IPasyournetworkprotocol,sinceit'sprobablyalreadyinstalledonyourmachinesforInternetaccess.TheTCP/IPsubnet168.192.0.xis
alwayslocal,soyoucanassignyourmachines'IPaddresseswithinthatsubnetwithoutfearofcollidingwithInternetTCP/IPaddresses.ClickTCP/IP <nameof
yournetworkcardifyou'reusingDCC,theDialUpAdapterisyournetworkcard> Properties.ClickIPAddress SpecifyanIPAddress
192.168.0.<uniquenumberbetween1and254> SubnetMask 255.255.255.0.Ifyou'rerunningasmallLAN,leavetherestofthesettingsalone.Ifyou're
interestedinlargeLANs,refertoWindowsNTTCP/IPNetworkAdministration,byCraigHuntandRobertBruceThompson(O'Reilly&Associates),formore
guidance.TheirbookdealsspecificallywithWindowsNT,butWindows9xnetworkingareverysimilarWindows9xwasdesignedtointegrateintoWindowsNT
networks.
OfalltheprotocolsthatcomewithWindows9x,TCP/IPisthemostcleanlyimplemented.
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IPX/SPX
Thisprotocol(moreproperlycalledasuiteofprotocols)iscommonlyusedinNovellNetWareenvironments.Manymultiplayergamesusethisprotocolto
communicatebetweencomputers,soifyou'reinterestedinmultiplayergamingandyourgamescan'tcommunicateviaTCP/IP,youhavenochoicebuttouse
IPX/SPX.Removeitotherwise,asit'sjustconsumingmemoryunnecessarily.IfyouseeIPX/SPXboundtoyourDialUpAdapter,asshownabove,removeit.Ifyou
wanttowasteatonofmemoryandCPUcycles,installingextranetworkcomponentsisagreatwaytodoit.Ifyou'relikemeandwanttoconservememoryandCPU
cyclesandkeepyourcomputersandnetworkrunningasquicklyandsmoothlyaspossible,you'llremoveextraneouscomponents.Eachinstalledcomponentchewsup
memory,andwheneveryouhavemorethanoneprotocolinstalled,Windowshastotrytodecidewhichprotocoltousewheneveryouhitthenetwork.Thisprocess
canresultinexcessnetworktraffic(whichis,admittedly,amoresignificantproblemonlargenetworksthanonasmallhomenetwork),andmoreimportantly,wasted
CPUcycles.
NetBEUI
Thisprotocolisinstalledbydefault,butitnormallyshouldn'tbeused.It'sniceforsmallnetworksinthatit'seasytoimplement:noneedtobotherwithIPaddressesor
anythingelse,justinstallNetBEUI,tellthecomputertogoonthenetwork,andyou'redone.ButMicrosoft'simplementationoftheprotocolisn'tveryefficient,soit
causescongestiononlargenetworks.Theoretically,it'sthefastestprotocolonsmallnetworks,butyou'renotlikelytonoticeanydifferencebetweenNetBEUI,
IPX/SPX,andTCP/IP.AnyincreaseyouseeinnetworkperformancewillbenegatedbythememoryandCPUcyclesNetBEUIconsumes,soyou'rebetteroff
removingit.Onceagain,havingunusednetworkcomponentsinstalledisagreatwaytowastememory.
NetBEUIisanotherexampleofaoncepromisingtechnologythatfellbythewaysideinthiscase,overtakenbythelessproprietaryandmoreversatileTCP/IP
juggernaut.
ThereisoneconditionunderwhichIwouldchooseNetBEUI.IwoulduseitifIhadasmallnetworkwhosecomputersweren'tconnectedtotheInternetnoteven
throughadialupconnectionandneverwouldbe,andIwasinterestedinusingthenetworksolelyforsharingfilesbetweencomputers.Inotherwords,noInternet
andnomultiplayergaming.Thatprettymuchrulesoutmosthomenetworks,Isuspect.Underthosecircumstances,NetBEUIwouldbethefastestwaytoconnectthe
computers.ButassoonasIneededtointroduceanotherprotocol,I'dbebetteroffdumpingNetBEUI.I'minclinedtosavemyselfthetroubleanduselocalTCP/IP,
evenifInternetaccessisn'tplannedordesired.Planshaveafunnywayofchanging,especiallywhencomputersareinvolved.
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Whattoadd
ChancesareyouwillwanttoaddFileandPrinterSharingforMicrosoftNetworks,sothatyourcomputerscanaccessoneanother'sharddrives,CDROMdrives,
andprinters.GotoAdd Service Microsoft FileandPrinterSharingforMicrosoftNetworks.NowclickFileandPrinterSharingandchecktheappropriate
boxes.Chancesareyouwanttosharefiles:checkthatbox.Ifyouhaveaprinterandwanttoshareit,checkthatboxaswell.
SettingUptheLAN
Nowweneedtoturnthetwowiredcomputersintoanetwork.ClicktheIdentificationtab.MyIdentificationsettingsareshowninFigure92yourswillbesimilar.
Figure92.
Networkidentification
YoucanusemorecreativenamesthanI'vechosenforthecomputernameandtheworkgroup,ofcourse.Justavoidusingspaces,slashes,quotes,andthe@signin
names.
Thecomputernamemustbeunique,asitidentifiesthecomputeronthenetwork.Theworkgroupdefinesgroupsofcomputers.Inahomenetwork,youwanttoputall
ofthecomputersinthesameworkgroup.
Thecomputerdescriptionisn'tveryimportantonasmallnetwork.Ikeyoneinmostlyoutofhabit.
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Beforethecomputerscandoanythingonthenetwork,however,theyhavetohavesomeothermeansofidentifyingthemselvessomesecurity.ClickAccessControl
SharelevelAccessControl.Thisallowsyoutoassignpasswordstoeachshareddriveandprinter.Thiswouldbetediousonlargenetworks,butonasmall
Windows9xnetwork,it'sthequickestandeasiestoption.MostofushavenointerestinrunningaWindowsNTdomainathome.
Fromhere,clickOK,andWindowswillwanttorestartyourcomputer.Allowittorestart.Thenexttimeyourestart,Windowswillpromptyouforausernameanda
password.Yournetworkconnectionsareboundtoyourusernameandpassword,sotypeinausername,andtypeinthepasswordyouwanttouse.Whenyouuse
thisname,Windowswillretrieveallofyournetworkdrivesandprintersforyouautomaticallyyouwon'thavetoremapthemeachtime.
Athome,whereI'mnotworriedaboutsecurity,IjustusethesameusernameandpasswordonallmyPCs.Youwon'tgettopnotchsecurityonPCsanywayunless
yourunsomeflavorofUnix,andifsomeoneforsomeunimaginablereasonwantsmydata,theycanjuststealthemachinesandhireanyteenagertorecoverwhatthey
want.SoImakenopretensionofsecurity:thesecurityonmyhomePCsstopsatthelockonmydoor.Ijustuseasingleusernameandaquicklyenteredpassword,
andIusethesameoneoneachmachine.Inanetworklikethis,thereisnocentralauthorityonusernamesandpasswords.Ifyoumistypeyourpassword,Windows
9xwillsetupanewprofileforyouanditwon'trememberanyofyournetworkconnections.Soit'sbestjusttomakesureyourpasswordiseasytotypeandeasyto
remember,inordertoavoidhavingtoaskyourselfquestionslikewhyyousuddenlycannotprintanymore.
Youwillneedtoperformthesestepsoneachcomputerinyournetwork.
Settingupnetworkdrivesandprinters
IfyouweretodoubleclickonNetworkNeighborhoodrightnow,itwouldbeempty.That'sbecausenoneofyourcomputersaresharinganyfilesorprintersyet.
Sharingfilesiseasy.GotoMyComputer <driveletterofyourCDROMdrive> ContextMenu Sharing Sharing SharedAs <enteranamethat
makessense>.ThisbringsupawindowthatwillresembleFigure93.Onsmallnetworks,Iusuallymakeallofmysharesfullaccess,eventhoughyoucan'twritetoa
CDROM.Itmakeslifesimpler.Enterapasswordforfullaccess,thenclickOK.Windowswillaskyoutoconfirmyourpassword.Enteritagain,thenclickOK.
NowgotoyourotherPC.DoubleclickonNetworkNeighborhood.ThePCwhosedriveyoujustsharedshouldappearinthewindow.Doubleclickitsname.Alist
ofitsshareddriveswillcomeup.Doubleclickontheshareyoujustcreated.Windowswillpromptyouforapassword.Enterthepasswordyoujusttypedonthe
otherPC,andbesuretochecktheboxlabeled''Savethispassword"inyour
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Figure93.
Sharingadrive
passwordlist.WhenyouclickOK,awindowdisplayingthecontentsoftheothercomputer'sdrivewillcomeup.
Thestandardpracticeforusingdrivesonanothercomputeristomapthemtodriveletters,justlikelocaldrives.Thisworkswhenyouleaveallofyourcomputerson
allthetime,butWindowshastodoublechecktomakesurethedrivesarestillouttherewhenyoubootandeverytimeyouopenMyComputerfromthedesktopor
anapplication.Thisdelaycansometimesbesignificant.MostapplicationswillpermityoutosaveandopenfilesfromNetworkNeighborhood,soit'sbesttoaccess
thedrivesthatway.
Ifyoudecideyoudowanttomapthosedrives,doubleclickNetworkNeighborhood <computername> <sharename>,thenrightclickandselectMap
NetworkDrive.Selectadriveletter,thencheckthe"Reconnectatlogonbox"ifyouwanttoalwayshavethedriveavailable.ClickOK,andyou'llbeabletoaccess
thatdrivebyitsdriveletter,justlikeanyotherdrive.
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Settingupanetworkprinterissimilar.GotoMyComputer Printers <printername> Contextmenu

somethingidentifiable> Password <enterapassword> OK <reenterpassword> OK.
Sharing SharedAs:
Sharename
<type
ConnectingtothenetworkprinterfromyourotherPCisalittlebitmorecomplicatedthanconnectingtoanetworkeddrive,becauseWindowshastosetupaprinter
driver.GotoNetworkNeighborhood <computername> <printername>.Windowswillaskifyouwanttosetupthatprinterforoperation.Answeryes.
WindowswillaskifyouprintfromMSDOSprograms.Answeraccordingly,thenhitNext.Windowswillaskwhattypeofprinteritis.Setupisnowjustlikesetting
upalocalprinterfeedWindowsthediskorCDROMthatcamewiththeprinter,oriftheWindows9xCDhadadriverfortheprinter,pickitfromthelist.Once
thedriverisselected,Windowswillaskyouifyouwouldliketoprintatestpage.Irecommenddoingso.
It'salsopossibletomapdrivesandprintersfromthecommandline.Justtypethecommand:
NETUSEx:\\machine_name\share_name
Forinstance:
NETUSEg:\\node2\c
Youcanmapaprinterinthismanneraswell,butWindowsapplicationswon'tbeabletoprinttoit,sinceWindowswon'tassociateaprinterdriveroraprintqueue
withit.Todisconnectfromthenetworkdriveorprinterfromthecommandline,justtypeNETUSE<letter>/d(e.g.,NETUSEg:/d).
Normally,Igoaheadandshareallofacomputer'sdrivesandprinters.Thatwayitdoesn'tmatterwhereI'vestoredafileIcangettoitfromanycomputeronmy
network.
UsingNetworkstoSaveDistSpace
Nothingstopsyoufrompointingyourwordprocessorsoneverycomputeronyournetworktothesamenetworkdrive,sotheyuseonecentralplaceasarepository
fordatafiles.Thispracticesavesdiskspaceandkeepsyoufromwonderingwhichcomputeryousavedyourfileson.Italsoensuresthatyoucangettoyourwork,no
matterwhichcomputeryouhappentobeusing.
Youcanalsoinstallprogramstonetworkdrivestosavespacetwocomputerscanshareasinglecopyofanygivenprogram.Youwillneedtodoublecheckthe
program'slicenseagreementtomakesurethisislegal,butifyourprogrampermitsyoutoinstallitonmultiplecomputerssolongasyou'reonlyrunningiton
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onecomputeratatime,andiftheprogramisn'tdiskintensive,youcansavequiteabitofdiskspacewiththismethod.Rememberthatnetworkdrivesaren'tasfastas
localdrivesafastnetworkdriveona10megabitEthernetnetworkwillserveupdataaboutasfastasan8XCDROMdrivesoyouneedtokeepinmindthat
you'resacrificingsomespeedtosavesomediskspace.Theconvenienceandbeingfreefromtheneedtoupgradeasystem'sharddrivemaybeworththespeed
penalty.
Allyouhavetodoisinstalltheprogramtwiceinstallitonthehostmachine,referringtothedrivebyitslocalname.Besuretoinstallittoadrivethat'sbeingshared,
andthattheothercomputerhasthedrivemapped.Nowgototheothercomputerandinstallittothatdrive.Beawarethatitwillhaveadifferentdriveletteronthe
secondPC.Youcanrepeatthisforeverycomputeronyournetworkifyouwish.
Someprogramsmayobjecttothisparticularlyiftheykeepconfigurationdatain.inifilesintheirlocaldirectory.Mostprogramskeeptheirconfigurationdatain.ini
filesinthe\Windowsdirectoryorintheregistry,however,sothistrickworkswellformanyprograms.IusethistricktosharefreewareutilitiesthatIuseonly
occasionallybetweenmyPCs.
SomeNetworkingTips
Youcanaccessnetworkdrivesbymappingthemtolocaldriveletters,butyoucanalsoaccessthemviatheirUniversalNamingConvention(UNC)names.Thefirst
elementofaUNCisthemachinename,andthesecondelementisthesharename.Forinstance,ifIhaveasharenamedConacomputernamedNode2,Ican
accessitas\\Node2\C.IcanalsotackondirectoryandComponentsifIwishWord97accepts\\Node2\C\MyDocuments\Books\EssentialWindows9x
Optimization\Chapter8.docasaperfectlyvalidComponent.
Ifyouwanttolaunchasharetoseeitscontents,thefastestwaymightbetopressStart Run \\<PCname>\<sharename>\<path>.
IfyouwanttoquicklybringuptheNetworkcontrolpanel,eitherpressStart Run controlnetcpl.cpl,orrightclickNetworkNeighborhood
Properties.
And,ofcourse,there'sonemorethingtosayaboutnetworkspeed.IfyouinstallFileandPrinterSharingforMicrosoftNetworks,Windows9xgainstheabilityto
serveasaBrowseMaster.TheBrowseMasterisasortofreferee,keepingtrackofwhatcomputerswithnetworksharesareavailable.WhenyouopenNetwork
Neighborhood,yourcomputerfirstlookstotheBrowseMasterforalistofavailablecomputersratherthangatheringthelistitself.
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Dependingonthenatureofyournetwork,youmightwanttocontrolwhichcomputeractsastheBrowseMaster.I'llgiveyouanexamplebydescribingmypersonal
networkasitstandsatthemoment.IownfourPCs:aPentium90,aCyrixMII233,a486SX2/66,anda486SX/25.Asayoungsingleguylivingalone,theonly
legitimateuseIhaveforfourPCsistoallowmetohaveallfourmajorversionsofWindows9x(Windows95,Windows95A,Windows95B,andWindows98)
runningsidebysidesoIcancomparethebehaviorofvariousversionsasIwritethisbook.Whenthey'renotdisplayingscreens,the486sactasfileandprintservers.
I'mnotgoingtouseoneofthemtowritethisbookwhenIhavetheCyrixavailable.ButIcaneffortlesslydumpimportantfilestoboth486s'harddrivestoensurethat
Iinstantlyhavetwomorebackupcopiesofanimportantfile.TheCyrixcancertainlyhandlespoolingachaptertotheprinterasIworkonwritingthenext,butit'snice
toletthe486handlethatduty.Butforthemostpart,those486ssittherenotdoingmuch.WhenWindowschoosesaBrowseMaster,itusuallytriestochoosethe
mostpowerfulmachinethere,basedontheCPUtypeandamountofmemory.Thechoicesdon'talwaysmakemuchsenseIknowsomeWindowsNT
administratorswhogetalaughbywatchingtheirsystemlogswhenevertheyhavetoreboottheirserversandwatchingwhowinstheBrowseMasterelections.
Butinmycase,I'dratherhavemytworarelyused486shandleBrowseMasterchores.SoIgotothePentiumandtotheCyrixandrightclickNetwork
Neighborhood Properties Configuration FileandprintersharingforMicrosoftnetworks Properties BrowseMaster Disable.Isetthe486sto
automatic.
Butmaybeyou'renotlikeme.Takemychurch'ssistercongregation.Theyhaveasmallcomputerlabwiththree486DX2/66s,twoPentiums,andsomejunkerskept
strictlyforparts.Atanygiventime,anyofthesecomputerscanbeatworkdoingwordprocessingorsomeothertask.Iwantthose486sgivingthetaskathandtheir
fullattention,soIdon'twantthe486stoevenbeconsideredinBrowseMasterelections.SoIdisableBrowseMasteronthe486s,andleavethePentiumssetto
automatic.
Ifyouhaveonlytwocomputersonyournetwork,disableBrowseMasterononeofthem.Maybeyouwantyourmorepowerfulmachinetosaveitspowerfor
importantwork,ormaybeyouwantittocoveryourweakerPC.Makeyourdecisionandsetitup.Onathreecomputernetwork,youneedtwosettoautomaticin
ordertohavefailover,butinatwocomputernetwork,youdon'tneedanyfailover,sincethereisnonetworkwhenoneofthecomputersispowereddownor
restarting.
IexpecthomenetworkingtobecomemoreandmorecommonasmultiPChouseholdsbecomecommon.WhilefirsttimebuyersconsumealotofthelowcostPCs
onthemarkettoday,IexpecttheeverlowerpriceswillalsoluremoreandmorepowerusersneedingextraPCsformenialtaskswhiletheirmainPCsdothehard
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work.PCpriceshavefallentoanalltimelowacoupleoftimesthisyear,vendorshaveoffered$249PCsincludingamodemornetworkcardandamonitor,which
afteradjustingforinflationisfarlessthanthekingofinexpensivecomputers,theCommodore64,costinitsheyday.WhiletheseinexpensivePCswon'tgivea$2500
PentiumIIIarunforthemoney,aftersomeoptimizationtheywillbeadequateperformers,andanetworkwillpermitthemtoshareessentialperipheralsmanysub
$300PCsgettothatpricepointbysacrificingtheCDROMdrive,andofcourse,atthatpriceyouwon'tgetabundledprinter.Ifyouhaveacomputerlovingfamily,
anetworkallowsyoutoaddalotoffunctionalitytotheseminimalistlowcostsystems,makingthemviablecomputersfornotmuchmoney.Andifyouhavemultiple
computersconnectedtotheInternet,anetworkwillpayforitselfinlessthanayearbyallowingallofyourcomputerstoshareadialupInternetconnectionwitha
programlikeWinGate(www.wingate.com)orwithWindows98SE'sInternetConnectionSharing.Ifyou'renotnetworkingnow,youprobablysoonwillbe.
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10
CleanWindowsInstallation
IfyouinstalledWindows95asanupgradetoWindows3.1,orWindows98asanupgradetoanyearlierversionofWindows,yourWindowssetupiscarryinglotsof
extrabaggage.Ifyou'veupgradedmanyofyourperipheralssincefirstinstallingWindows95,yourWindowssetupisprobablycarryingextrabaggage.Unlessyour
PChasbeenspendingitsdayssince1995or1996inthecloset,chancesarethere'splentyofextrastuffhangingaroundthatdoesn'tneedtobethere.Youcanwhip
yoursystemintobettershapewithaheavydoseofutilities,butthebestwaytogetyoursystemrunningitsbestisprobablytodoacleaninstallation.
FirstStepswithWindows95
ReinstallingWindows9xdoesn'thavetobe(andshouldn'tbe)asdifficultasinstallingitthefirsttime.Theharddriveisformattedandmakesafinerepositoryfordata,
sowemightaswellmakeuseofit.
ThefirstthingtodoiscopytheWin95directoryofyourWindows95CDtotheharddrive.We'llbemakingmodificationstothefilesinthatdirectory,soyoudon't
wanttoskipthisstep.It'smuchfastertoinstallfromtheharddrivethanfromCDanyway.ObviouslocationstocopytoareC:\Win95orC:\Win98(keepingwiththe
structureoftheCD)andC:\Windows\Options\Cabs(whichisthestandardlocationOEMsuse).C:\Win95orC:\Win98isbetter,sincewe'llbemovingtheexisting
Windowsinstallationlaterintheprocess.
You'llalsowanttocopythedevicedriversforyourvariousperipherals(soundcard,modem,videocard,motherboard)intothatdirectory.Itypicallyjustmakea
directorycalleddriversinsidethedirectorytowhichIcopytheWindowsfiles,thencopythecontentsofthediskorCDthatcamewitheachperipheralinto
appropriatelynameddirectories(soundforthesoundcard,videoforthevideo
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card,networkforthenetworkcard,andsoon).Betteryet,getthenewestdriversforyourequipment.Ifyoudon'tknowwhomadeallofyourperipherals,
download,install,andrunSiSoftSandra,fromwww.sisoftware.demon.co.uk,togetadetailedlistofthehardwareinyourPC.Visitthehardwaremanufacturers'
websitestogetthemostrecentdrivers,thendownloadandextractthemintoappropriatedirectories.
Ican'tstressenoughtheimportanceofgettingallofthedevicedrivers.Remember,Windows95isoldtechnology.It'soldertodaythanWindows3.1waswhen
Windows95cameout.RememberthatthemostadvancedPCavailablewhenWindows95cameoutwasa120MHzPentium.PCIwassomethingnewandnovel.
Arguably,thePCindustryhaschangedmoreinthefiveyearssinceWindows95'sreleasethanitdidinthefiveyearsbeforeit.
APCisonlyasfastandstableasthedevicedriversinstalledonit.Soforoptimalperformanceandstability,gettheneweststuff,anddon'tforgetyourmotherboard.
ChancesareyourmotherboardhasdriversthatenableDMAmodeforyourharddrive.(DMAisdirectmemoryaccess,wherethediskcontrollercanbypassthe
CPUanddumpdatadirectlyintomemory,enhancingperformance.)Andifit'sarecentmotherboardwithanonIntelchipset,itprobablyhasAGPdriversaswell.
(AGPisadvancedgraphicsport,whichenhancesthespeedandstabilityofvideocards.)AcquireandinstalltheAGPdrivers!Yoursystemwillappeartoworkjust
finewithoutthem,butitwon'tbenearlyasstableasitwouldbewiththem.ManyofthereportsofSocket7instabilityfloatingaroundontheWebareduetopeople
neglectingtoinstallAGPdrivers.
Ifyouplaymanygames,chancesareyouneedDirectXandotherpostreleaseWindows95enhancementsthathavecomefromMicrosoftovertheyears.Ifyour
gamesmentionanyoftheseenhancementsduringtheirinstallation,aborttheinstallandgotowww.microsoft.comtolookfornewerversionsofanyofthose
enhancements.Ifitturnsoutyourgamehasthecurrentrelease,goaheadandinstallwhatyouhave,butotherwise,downloadthenewestreleaseandinstallitinstead.
Finally,ifyoudon'talreadyhaveone,makeabootdisk.Youdon'twanttobootoffthesameharddriveyouinstallWindowsto,becausewe'regoingtorenamethe
Windowsdirectorybeforeinstallingandthat'llmessthingsup.Tomakeabootdisk,insertadisk,openacommandprompt,andtypesysa:.Nowcopythecrucial
DOSutilitiesformat.com,extract.exe,sys.com,fdisk.exe,andedit.comtothatdisk.Here'sthesequenceofcommands,incaseyouneedit:
Copyc:\windows\command\format. a:\
Copyc:\windows\extract. a:\
Copyc:\windows\command\sys. a:\
Copyc:\windows\command\fdisk. a:\
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Copyc:\windows\command\format. a:\
Copyc:\windows\command\edit. a:\
Itdoesn'thurttoaddScanDisktothelisteither.YoumayhavemovedScanDiskaspermyrecommendationsbackinChapter3,DiskOptimization.Tofindit,goto
Start Find scandisk.exe,thenrightclickonscandisk.exe,selectSendTo,thenselect3.5"floppy.
Youwon'tusethemajorityofthesetoolsforinstallation(you'llneedEditandpossiblyExtract),buttherestofthesetoolsareinvaluableforrepairingaharddrivethat
won'tboot.ThecommandsequenceSCANDISKC:followedbyFDISK/MBRfollowedbySYSC:willrepairthevastmajorityofharddriveproblemsand
getmostsystemsbootingagain.
HackingOutMSNandtheExchangeClient
Howdoesaminimuminstallationfootprintof18MBfortheAugust24,1995releaseofWindows95sound?It'spossible.TheoriginalWindows95wasjoinedatthe
hiptoExchangeandMSN,butbothoftheseproductsarehopelesslyobsoletetoday,andchancesareyoudon'tuseeitheroneofthem.EvenifyouareanMSN
subscriber,youprobablyhaveaCDwiththenewestversionofMSNonit,whichyoushouldinstallinstead.Windowsisfasterandmoresveltewithoutthisold
software.
Microsoftdidn'tintendforthesecomponentstoberemoved.It'seasierthanremovingInternetExplorerfromWindows98,butyou'llhavetojumpthroughafew
hoops.ThistrickrequiresaworkinginstallationofWindows95,sodon'tbootoffthatfloppyyet.
Thebiggesthurdlewefaceisthesetupprogram'scompressionroutine.TosavespaceonfloppiesandCDROMs,theWindowsinstallationroutinestoresthe
installationfilesincompressedarchivescalledcabinets,alsoknownascabsforshort,becausetheyhavetheextension.cab.Cabfilesaresimilarinconceptto(butof
courseincompatiblewith)theZipfileswe'reusedtoseeingonline.
OpenacommandlineanduseCDcommandstonavigatetoyourinstallationdirectory.Nowissuethefollowingseriesofcommands:
MDPRECOPY
CDPRECOPY
EXTRACT..\PRECOPY1.CAB
EXTRACT..\PRECOPY2.CAB
DEL..\PRECOPY1.CAB
DEL..\PRECOPY2.CAB
EDITSETUPP.INF
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NowuseEdit'sFindfunction(it'sintheSearchmenu)tofindthelinesreferringtomos.infandmsmail.inf.Removethelinemos.inftoremoveMSN,andremovethe
linemsmail.inftoremovetheExchangeclient.Savethefileandexit.
MostversionsofWindows95and95Aseemtoleavesetuppp.infaloneiftheyfinditduringsetup.Ifyouwanttobereallysafe,youcanputthefilebackinits
cabinet.Unfortunately,theonlyutilityIcouldfindthat'scapableofcreatingthe.cabarchivesusedbyWindows95'ssetuproutinerunswithinWindows.Youcan
downloadCabPack,byLarsHederer,fromftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/win95/compress/cabpack14.zip.
Ifyouwanttobeabsolutely,positivelycertainthatyou'reridofthebaggage,launchCabPack.CabPack'sdefaultsdon'tworkwiththeoriginalversionofthe
Windows95setupprogram,sochangethecompressiontypetoMSZIP.YoushouldsetCabPack'ssourcedirectorytothelocationofyourextractedfiles.The
destinationdirectorydoesn'tmatter,sinceyou'llhavetomovethefilesanyway.UseacabinetnametemplateofPrecopy*.cab,andamaximumsizeof1.44MB.Hit
OK,andCabPackwillcreatetwodirectories,onecalledDisk1andasecondcalledDisk2.Disk1willcontainPrecopy1.cabDisk2,predictably,willcontain
Precopy2.cab.CopythesetwofilesintoyourWindowsinstallationdirectory,andskipthenextsection,whichisspecifictolaterversionsofWindows95.
OSR2.x'sExcessBaggage
TheOEMServiceReleaseversionsofWindows95containevenmorestufftohackoutaddingInternetExplorer3.0or4.0,theICWInternetConnectionWizard,
andcompetingonlineservicestoanalreadycrowdedlineup.Fortunately,theseversionsofWindows95makecleanupeasierthere'snoneedtocreate.cabfiles.
Thissoftware,too,isallobsolete,soyouwanttoremoveit.There'snoneedtohavepotentialorphanDLLsinstalled,slowingdownthesystem.
First,extractsetuppp.inffromPrecopy2.cabusingthecommand:
EXTRACTPRECOPY2.CABSETUPPP.INF
Nowopenlayout.infinEdit,Notepad,oryourpreferredtexteditor.SearchforalinethatreadsSETUPPP.INF=2,,4550.Changethe2toa0.Thiskeepsus
fromhavingtogeneratenew.cabfilestheoriginalWindows95requires.Savethefile,thenopensetupp.infinyourtexteditor.ToremoveMSN,takeouttheline
mos.inf.ToremoveExchangeandInternetMail,takeoutthelineinetmail.inf.ToremoveInternetExplorer,takeoutthelineohare.inf.Toremove
thecompetingonlineservicesandtheICWInternetConnectionWizard,takeoutthelinesathena.infandmsinfo.inf.TogetridofActiveMovie(made
obsoletebythenewversionofWindoesMediaPlayer),removethelineQUARTZ.INF.
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IfyouuseWindows95OSR2.5orlater,you'llalsohavetodeletethefollowingfilesfromyourinstallationdirectory:
\Contents
ch* .*
ie* .*
aol* .*
pro* .*
icw* .*
jav* .*
actsetup.cab
amov4ie.cab
axa.cab
cs3kit.exe
mailnews.cab
mos.inf
mschat2.cab
msinfo.inf
msn251.exe
nm21.cab
nsie4.cab
ohare.inf
pcukit.exe
swinst4.exe
udolive.exe
InstallingWindows98
Inmostregards,installingWindows98isalesscomplexaffairthaninstallingWindows95.Attheveryleast,itrequireslesspreparationtime.Sincemanymoreofthe
peripheralsonthemarkettodayexistedwhenWindows98wasreleasedthanatthetimeofWindows95'srelease,Windows98installationdoesn'trequirenearlyas
muchtimeandeffortdiggingupdevicedriversandproductupdates.
Windows98alsoasksfarfewerquestions.Thisisanadvantagewheneverythingworksthewayit'ssupposedto.Whenthingsdon'tworkastheyshould,Windows
98presentssomechallenges.
Inaddition,Windows98presentsthemotherofallinstallationchallenges:removaloftheInternetExplorer4.0browser.Browseragnosticpeoplemaynotmindthe
InternetExplorerintegration,butseeingWindows98'sperformancewithInternet
*FromSeanErwin'sWindows95OSR2FAQatwww.compuclinic.com/osr2faq.
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ExplorerremovedcouldbeenoughtoconvincesomeonetoswitchtoaNetscapeorOperabrowser.
ThetrickspresentedattheendofthepreviouschapterforinstallingmultiplecopiesofWindowsandinstallingWindowstoaRAMdiskworkforWindows98as
well.
WhyNotInstalloverMyExistingInstallation?
I'mprettyfreeaboutdispensingtheadvicetoreinstallWindows.Therearesomepeople
whosuggestreinstallingeverythreemonths.Ithinkthisisextreme,butIexpectalotof
peoplewouldbenefitfromreinstallingonceayear.Itdoesn'ttakelongforWindowsto
pickupalotofbaggage,andevenifyou'rereligiousaboutrunningutilityprogramsto
keepyourregistryandsystemdirectoriesclean,there'sonlysomuchthiscandoto
preventthemuchpublicized''OSrot"thatcharacterizesmicrocomputeroperatingsystems
likeWindows9x,WindowsNT,andMacOS.
Unfortunately,whenyouinstalloveranoldinstallation,youinheritmostoftheproblems
thepreviousinstallationhad,andsometimesyoumakethemworse.Thenewinstallation
willrepaircertainkindsofregistrydamage,butitisbynomeansafoolproofwaytofix
anailingsystem.
Ifit'sanyconsolation,acleaninstallfollowedbyanuninstallationprogram'sconstant
monitoringandregularuseofautilitiessuiteshouldreduce,ifnottotallyeliminate,the
needforreinstallationsonaregularbasis.
DisasterPrevention
I'veinstalledWindows95and98somanytimesI'velostcountbynow,andI'veinstalleditonalotofstrangeequipment,includingcomputersthatreallyhadno
businessrunningWindows9x.I'veseenalotofthingsgowrong.ButMicrosoftdeservesverylittleoftheblame,becausemostoftheseproblemsaren'tbugrelated.
TherearethousandsuponthousandsofsocalledIBMcompatibleorPCcompatibleperipheralsoutthere,mostofwhichhaveneverbeentestedforcompatibility
withoneanother.Theyshouldwork,butthat'smostlytheory.In1991,IheardanIBMengineerquip,"EvenIBMcomputersaren't100%IBMcompatible."Hewas
rightit'simpossibletomakeacomputerthatwillworkwitheveryperipheralandeverypieceofsoftwaremanufacturedforIBMandIBMcompatiblePCs.Ihope
thatengineerdidn'tthinkthesituationwouldgetanybetter.Themarketismanytimeslargertodaythanitwasthen.
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YouwouldhavetobeabsolutelycrazytositdownataworkingPC,reformattheharddrive,popintheWindows98CD,andinstallfromscratch.Thisapproach
usuallyworkseventuallybuttherearecircumstanceswhereacleanWindowsinstallation,especiallywhenveryoldorobscurehardwareisinvolved,justwon't
work,andthere'snothingyoucandoaboutit.Ifyouhaveaninstallationthatworks,nomatterhowbadly,youshouldpreserveit.I'dventuretosaythisisunnecessary
99timesoutof100,butifyourcomputerturnsouttobethatrarecasethatwon'tinstall,youdon'twanttobestrandedwithoutaworkingbackupinstallation.
Beforeyoudoanythingelse,youwanttohaveabootfloppysoyoucanrestorethecurrentbootableoperatingsystemtothePC.Thisisextremelyimportantif
you'reupgradinganoldPCtoWindows98anditfails,youwon'tbeabletorevertbacktotheworkingsystemwithoutthebootfloppy.Openacommandprompt,
insertthedisk,thentypethefollowingcommands:
FORMATA:/Q/S
Thisformatsthediskandmakesitbootable.
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SYS. A:\
ThiscopiestheSYSutilitytothefloppyifyourharddrivesuddenlystopsbooting,thecommandSYSC:willmakeitbootableagain.
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DELTREE. A:\
ThiscopiestheDELTREEutilitytothefloppy.DeltreedeletesfilesanddirectoriesthestandardDOSDELcommandwon't.
Now,ifyoualreadyhaveWindowsinstalledonyourcomputerandhaveacouplehundredMBoffreediskspace,youcansavesometimeandeffortbycopyingthe
\WIN98subdirectoryoftheWindows98installationdisktoyourharddrive,thencopyinganydevicedriverCDsyoumighthaveintosubdirectoriesonyourhard
driveaswell.Thisischeapinsurance:Windows98willsometimesinstallcomponentsthatrequireaccesstotheCDROMdrivebeforeitinstallsthedevicedrivers
thatgiveitaccesstotheCDROM,andthischickenandeggscenariocanhangaWindowsinstallation.Thiswasn'tabigdealwithWindows95,sinceWindows95
willinstallonafastsystemin15minutes.Windows98usuallytakesmuchlonger,however,andifyou'relikeme,youdon'twantthe45minuteinstallationtohang30
minutesintotheprocess.
ThetraditionallocationtocopythesefilestoisC:\Windows\Options\Cabs.Wedon'twanttodothat,becausethecurrentWindowsdirectoryisabouttoceaseto
exist(thisisacleaninstallation,afterall).Soinstead,copythemintoC:\Win98,orifyouwantthemtobeinthetraditionallocation,C:\Cabs.
Onceyou'vecopiedtheWindowsCDandhaveaworkingbootdisk,restartyourcomputerinMSDOSmode.Oncethere,we'regoingtorenametheWindows
directory.Ifsomethinggoeshorriblywrong,wecanveryeasilyrevertbacktotheoldWindowsinstallationwiththebootdisk,solongaswerenametheold
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Windowsdirectoryratherthanoverwritingit.Sotypethefollowingcommandtodothedeed:
RENC:\WINDOWSC:\WINOLD
Now,ifyouwantyourWindows98installationfilestobeinthetraditionallocation,typethefollowinglines:
MDC:\WINDOWS
MDC:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS
C:\WINOLD\COMMAND\MOVECABSC:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS
Finally,tocommenceWindows98setup,typethefollowinglines:
CD\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
SETUP
Windows98setupwillbegin.AswithWindows95installation,Isuggestdoingacustominstallation,removingalloftheoptionalcomponents,gettingWindowsup
andrunning,installinganuninstallationprogramlikeUnInstallerorCleanSweep,thengoingbackintoControlPanel Add/RemovePrograms WindowsSetupto
addanyoptionalcomponentsyouwantorneed.Youcanthenreinstalltherestofyoursoftware.
InstallingWindows98WithoutInternetExplorer
ThepossibilityofinstallingWindows98withoutInternetExplorerwasoneofthemainargumentsintheMicrosoftU.S.DepartmentofJusticeantitrusttrial.
DepartmentofJusticewitnessEdwardFelten,acomputerscienceprofessorfromPrincetonUniversity,saidhehadwrittenaprogramtodoit,thoughMicrosofttried
todemonstratethattheprogramdidn'talwaysdowhatitsauthorsaiditdid.
Inthemeantime,anAustralianbiologistnamedShaneBrooks,workingonhisown,figuredouthowtoremoveInternetExplorer4.ByreplacingtheWindows98shell
withtheolderWindows95shell,hewasabletoachievespeedimprovementsofupto35%.Brooks'program,whichhecalls98lite,isavailablefrom
www.98lite.net.
Torun98lite,youneedtocopythe\Win98directoryfromyourWindows98CDtoyourharddrive,thencopythefilesexplorer.exe,shell32.dll,comdlg32.dll,
wordpad.exe,andnotepad.exefromeitheraWindows95CDoranexistingWindows95installationinto\Win98\98lite.Thencopythe98litefiles98lite.exe,
98option.exe,and98logo.sysintothedirectory.Toinstall,run98lite.exe.
98litegivesyoufarmoreinstallationoptionsthanMicrosoft'sinstallationprogram.IfyouhavetheNortonUtilities,youhavenoneedforMSInfo,soyoucanoptnot
toinstallit.ActiveMovieisobsoleteandhasbeenreplacedbythenewversionof
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MicrosoftMediaPlayer,soyoushouldoptnottoinstallit.Ifyoudon'tshareyourcomputerwithanyoneelse,youcanleavetheMultipleUsersoptiondeselected.
Yoursystemwillrunfasterifyoudon'tinstalltheWindowsbitmaps(theyconsumepreciousdirectoryentriesinC:\Windows,afterall).Bydefault,98litemovesallof
theInternetExplorerrelateddirectoriestoyoursystem'stempdirectory.98litegivesyoutheoptiontoturnthisoff,butIrecommendleavingtheoptionon,becauseit
reducestheamountofclutterinthedirectory,whichspeedsupyoursystem.
After98litefinishesgeneratingsetupfiles(aprocessthattakesafewminutes,sobepatient),itrunsthestandardMicrosoftprovidedSetupprogram.WhenSetup
asksforadirectorytoinstallto,itwilldefaulttoyouroldWindowsdirectory.Typeinanewdirectoryname,becausewedon'twanttoupgrade.Freshinstallationsrun
muchmorequicklyandtendtobemorestable.
AlwaysselecttheCustominstallationandremoveanycomponentsyoudon'tuse.Iprefertodeselectallofthecomponents,getWindowsupandrunning,installan
uninstallationprogramlikeUnInstallerorCleanSweep,thengobackintoControlPanel Add/RemovePrograms WindowsSetuptoaddanyoptional
componentsIwantorneed.OnceWindowsanditsoptionalcomponentsareinstalled,installtherestofyoursoftware.
Besidesrunningfaster,aWindows98installationusing98litealsohasmorelenientsystemrequirements.Withoutthecomponents98literemoves,Windows98
requiresabout70MBofdiskspace,areductionofabout30MB.
Issueswith98lite
Therearesomeminorcompatibilityissueswith98lite.Thebestwaytokeepabreastofthemistovisitthe98litewebsiteatwww.98lite.net.Problemstendtobe
dealtwithquicklyastheyarediscovered.
UsingtheRegisteredVersionof98lite
Theinstallationprocessismucheasierwiththeregisteredversionof98litethanwiththefreewareversion.Yousimplydownloadtheregisteredversion,extractthe
archive,thenrun98lite.exe.TheprogramwillaskforyourWindows98CDifitcan'tfindtheinstallationcabfilesonyourharddrive,thencopytheinstallationfiles
intoadirectoryyouspecify.Itaskswhattypeofinstallationyouwant(thedifferencebeingvaryingdegreesofInternetExplorerpresence,rangingfromnoneatallto
fullpresencewithoutintegration),anditwillaskforyourWindows95CDiftheinstallationtypeyouchoserequiresit.ItwillthencopytheWindows95versionsof
explorer.exe,shell32.dll,andcomdlg32.dlltotheinstallationdirectory.Toinstallanew,clean,andslimmeddownversionofWindows98,exittoDOSmode,
changetothedirectoryintowhich98litecopieditsfiles,thenrun98lite.exe.You
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willthenbepresentedwithahackedversionofWindowsSetupthathasconsiderablymoreoptionsthanMicrosoft'sversion.
Themostaggressivesettingfor98liteProfessional2.0,whichShaneBrookscalls98micro,cutstheminimumspacerequiredbyWindows98and98SEdownto
about50MB.Healsoclaimsthat98microrunsapproximately15%fasterthantheunalteredWindows98.Thisisaveryreasonableclaim,as98microhasamuch
smallerinstallationfootprint,amuchsmallerregistry,andabout20%fewerfilesinits\Windowshierarchy.Onsomesystems,thespeeddifferencewillbeevengreater.
InstallingWindows98SEWithoutInternetExplorer
Theoriginalfreeware98litedoesn'tfullysupportWindows98SE,whichshipswithInternetExplorer5.However,98liteProfessional2.0worksequallywellwith
Windows98andWindows98SE.
RemovingInternetExplorerfromanExistingWindows98Installation
ShaneBrookshasalsowrittenascripttoremoveInternetExplorerfromexistinginstallations.Thisscript,calledIERemove,isalsoavailablefromwww.98lite.net.
Thescriptworkswell,andifyouwanttoquicklygiveaWindows98PCaspeedboost,thisisagoodwaytodoit.It'sbettertoreinstall,butthat'sjustnotalways
practical.
AlthoughWindows98SEusesInternetExplorer5.0insteadofversion4.0,theIERemovescriptappearstoworkwithWindows98SEaswell.
InstallingDeviceDrivers
Ifyoucopiedyourdevicedriverssomewheretoyourharddrivebeforeinstalling(apracticeI'mhesitanttorecommendunlessallofyourperipheralshaveWindows
98specificdrivers),Windowsmayhavefoundthemandgoneaheadandinstalledthem.Butifitdidn'tfindthem,chancesareitdidn'taskforthemeither.For
example,afterIinstallWindows98,mynetworkcardjustdoesn'twork.Windows98knowsIhaveanetworkcard,itknowsitdoesn'thaveadevicedriverforthe
card,butitdidn'taskforone.
YoucaninstallmostdevicedriverswiththeAddNewHardwareWizardafterWindowsisinstalled.Torunthewizard,gotoControlPanel AddNewHardware.
Windowswillpresentalistofdevicesitcanseebutlacksproperdriverstouse.Highlightthedevice,clickNext,thenfollowthespecialinstructions(ifany)inthe
documentationthatcamewiththeperipheral.
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Iftheperipheraldoesn'tshowup,consultthedocumentationforinstructionsonhowtoinstallit.Ifyoursystemdoesn'tuseanIntelchipset,there'salsothepossibility
thatWindows98won'taddyourmotherboard'sAGPandbusmastersupport.Ifyourmotherboardsupportsthesefunctions,itwillcomewithadiskorCDcontaining
theappropriatedevicedrivers.Besuretoinstallthesedrivers.Yoursystemwillbefarfasterandmorestablewiththeminstalled.
DoWindows95DriversWorkwithWindows98?
Generallyspeaking,Windows95driverswillworkwithWindows98.Thismakessense,
becauseWindows95andWindows98arebothderivedfromthesamekernel.
Windows98isn'ttheevolutionaryleapfromitspredecessorsthatWindows95wasit's
veryeasytotracetheimprovementsfromWindows95toWindows95AtoWindows
95BtoWindows95CtoWindows98.However,that'snottosaythereareno
differences.ThedifferencesbetweenWindows95andWindows95Bweresignificant
enoughthatsomeperipheralshadtoshipwithdifferentdriversetsforthetwoversions.
ThejumpfromWindows95BtoWindows98isbiggerthanthejumpfromWindows95
to95B.It'salwaysbesttolookforWindows98specificdriversonyourperipherals'
installationdisksandCDs,andifyoufindnonethere,checkthemanufacturer'swebsite.
BackwardcompatibilityhasalwaysbeenoneofWindows'goals,butsometimesit'sjust
notpossible.Youshouldn'tjustblindlyassumethattheWindows95driverswillwork
perfectlywithWindows98.
PerformingtheInstallation
Nowthatthesetupfilesareappropriatelymodifiedtocutoutsomeofthebloat,we'rereadytoproceed.Beforeyoubootoffthefloppyyoucreatedearlier,run
ScanDiskorathirdpartydiskrepairtoolfromwithinWindows.Youwantyourdrivetobeerrorfreewhenyouinstall,andthesetoolsdoabetterjobthantheDOS
basedScanDiskthatWindowssetupruns.Afteryoufinishcheckingyourharddiskforerrors,bootfromthebootablefloppyyoucreatedearlier.Now,issuethe
command:
RENC:\WINDOWSC:\WINOLD
IneverdeleteaworkingWindowsinstallationuntilImanagetoproduceaninstallationthatworksbetter.Ifsomethinggoeshorriblywrongandyoujustcan'tgetthe
newinstallationtoworkright,youcanalwaysrevertbacktotheoldinstallationbydeletingorrenamingthefailedinstallationandrenamingtheoriginalinstallationback
toitsoriginalstate.
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Thatsaid,I'veonlyhadaWindows9xreinstallationgobadtwice.Bothtimes,itworked,butthemachinewasawholelotmoresluggishthanithadbeenpreviously.
I'veinstalledWindows95hundredsoftimes,soit'sprettysafetosayitinstallscleanlyandrelativelyeasilymostofthetime.Butoneofmyrulesistoalwayshaveat
leastonemorebackupthanIthinkIneed.Thatway,ifyouturnouttobethatoneintwohundredthatdoesn'tworkright,youhaveasafewayout.
YoumightaskwhywerenametheWindowsdirectoryratherthaninstallingontopoftheexistinginstallation.Therearetworeasons.First,ifyouinstallontopof
what'sthere,you'velostyourbackupcopy.It'smuchhardertorevertbacktoyourpreviousstateifyouinstalloveranexistinginstallation.Second,aninstallationover
anexistinginstallationinheritsmostofthecharacteristics,goodandbad,oftheexistinginstallation.IfMSNwasinstalledontheexistinginstallation(chancesareit
was),itwillbeinthenewone.Theonlywaytogetacleanstartistostartfresh.
StarttheWindows95installationprocessbychangingintoyourinstallationdirectory(IsuggestC:\Win95)andtypingSETUP.IusuallyfeedSetupsomecommand
switches:SETUP/is/id/iq/dgivesthekindofbehaviorIlike(don'trunScanDisk,don'tcheckfreespace,don'tcheckforcrosslinkedfiles,andignore
whateverexistingconfigurationfilesSetuporitsspieshappentofind).Thisgivesmethefastest,cleanestinstallpossible,assumingyouranadiskrepairtoolpreviously.
Windowswillaskifyouacceptthelicenseagreement.Hopeithasn'tchangedsincethelasttimeyouinstalled,sayyes,thenclickNext.
SetupwilldefaulttoupgradingtheexistinginstallationinC:\Winold.ClickOtherDirectory,specifyadifferentpath(probablyC:\Windows)andclickNext.Setupwill
complain,sayingthatyou'lllosewhateverprogramsareinstalledinthatconfigurationandyou'llhavetoreinstallthem.Tellityoudon'tcare.Thisis,afterall,precisely
whatwewant.Sometimesitseemsasiftheeasiestwaytogetacleanhouseistobuilditfromscratch,andthat'sdefinitelythecasewithcomputers(andthat'strueof
Windows9xPCs,WindowsNTPCs,Macintoshes,andseveralothertypesofcomputers).
Setupwillnowpresentyouwithsetupoptions:Ialwayschoosecustom.AndasforMicrosoft'swarningwiththisoption,asfarasI'mconcerned,ifyou'vegottenthis
farinthisbook,youqualifyasanadvanceduserorsystemadministrator.Setupwillthenaskifyouwanttolookforallhardwaredevices.Usuallyyouwillwanttosay
yes.Ifyouhaveaveryslowcomputerandknowwhat'sinit,saynoanduncheckanyequipmentyouknowyoudon'thave.IfyouhaveanIDEorSCSICDROM
drive(ifyourdriveisfasterthan2Xitprobablyis),youcanuncheckCDROMdrive.Ifyoudon'thavealaptop,uncheckPCMCIA.Ifyou'renotonanetwork,
uncheckNetworkAdapter.Ifyoudon'thaveaSCSIcard,uncheckSCSIcontrollers.Ifyoufeellikedrillingdeeperintothelist,youcannarrowitdownevenmore.
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WhattoDoifSetupAppearstoHang
OnsomeWindows95systems,Windowswillhangoninstallationnomatterwhatyou
do.Ifthishappensonyoursystem,it'sprobablythehardwaredetectionthat'scausing
theproblem.Ifthishappens,uncheckanyhardwaredevicesyouknowyoudon'thave.If
thatfails,youneedextrememeasures.Restarttheinstallationanduncheckeverythingyou
don'thave,aswellaseverythingyouthinkyoumightnothave.AllWindows95really
needsinordertogetthroughinstallationistherightkeyboardandmousedrivers,along
withgenericVGAvideo.Therightdiskcontrollerisnicetohave(itsignificantlyincreases
performance)butnotabsolutelyessential.GoaheadandsearchforastandardIDE
controller,becausethat'swhatmostsystemshave.Onceinstallationfinishessuccessfully,
youshouldbeabletogetthehardwareconfigurationrightbyrunningtheAddNew
HardwarewizardfromControlPanel.
HangsseemtobemorecommonwithWindows98.Onsomesystems,Setupwill
appeartohangasitpreparestheWindows98SetupWizard.Itwillreach100%and
justsitthere.Forexample,Windows98tendstohesitateforaboutfivetosevenminutes
onsystemswithoutfloppydrivesit'swaitingforthenonexistentfloppydriveto
respond.Otherunusualconfigurationscancausesimilardelays.Iftheinstallationseems
tobejustsittingthere,letitbe.Runsomeerrandsorsomethingwhileitsits.
Agoodtesttoseewhetheryoursystemistrulyhungorjusttakingareallylongtimeisto
hittheCapsLockkey.IftheCapsLocklightonthekeyboardwon'tlightup,thesystem
ishung.IftheCapsLockkeywilllightup,there'shope.Giveitsometime.
IfSetupdoeshangatthispoint(oratanyotherpointintheinstallationforthatmatter),it
couldbethatSetupdoesn'tlikesomethingaboutyourhardwarecombination.Youcan
stillrecover.Powerdownyourcomputer,thenopenyourcase,removeanycards
exceptforthevideocard,andtryagain,runninginstallationwithabaresystem.More
thanlikelyitwillinstall.AfterWindowsfinishesinstalling,shutdown,turnyourcomputer
off,putthecardsbackin,andturnyourcomputerbackon.Windowsshoulddetectthe
cardsoneatatimeandeitheraddthedevicedriversorpromptyoufortheappropriate
disks.
Aftersearchingforhardware,Windowswillaskwhatcomponentsyouwanttoinstall.Ialwaysclearalloftheboxes.No,Idon'tactuallyuseWindowsin
superstrippeddowneconomodeconfiguration.Butit'smucheasiertooptimizeaminimalistconfiguration(therewillbefilesyou'llwanttomovetoC:\Windows\
Command).Plus,Windowswillneverrunanyfasterthanitdoesinthisminimalistconfiguration.It'sgoodtoseethesysteminthisstateinordertokeepyour
performancegoalsrealistic.
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IfWindowssensesanetworkcardoramodem,orifithasreasontobelieveyouhaveone,itwillaskyouforanetworkconfiguration.Windows95isobsessedwith
networks.Resistthetemptationtoconfigurethenetworkatthisstage.RemoveallofthecomponentsandsetyourPrimaryNetworkLogontoWindowsLogon.
Addingnetworkcomponentsaddsoverhead,andatthisstagewewantthelowestoverheadpossible.
ClickNext,andWindowswillgiveyouaconfigurationscreen.Themostinterestingoptionhereisburiedattheveryend.YoucanchangefromtheExplorerbased
Windows95interfacetotheProgramManagerbasedWindows3.1interface.Ifyoursystemisshortonmemory,youmightwanttodothis(andthushave
readymadeProgramManagergroupsfromtheverystart).Makewhateverchanges,ifany,youmightwant,thenhitNext.WindowswillaskifyouwantaStartup
disk.Youprobablydon'tthediskyoumadeearlierinthischapterwillsufficeforemergencyuse.HitNexttwice,andWindowswillinstallfiles,thenrestartacouple
oftimes,andyou'llhaveanice,minimalist,closetooptimalWindowsinstallationtoworkwith.
PostInstallationMagic
OnceWindowsfinishesitsmarathonofreboots,IclosetheWelcomescreen(clearingtheboxthatsaysShowonStartup),changethebackgroundcolortoblack,and
installanuninstallationprogram,followedbyautilitiessuite(ortwo).ThenIruntheuninstallationprogram,followedbytheutilitiessuite.Themoretheseprograms
knowaboutmysystem,thebettertheywork,andthisistheearlieststagepossibletointroducethem.ThefirsttwothingsIdoareoptional.Technically,the
uninstallationprogramandutilitiessuiteareaswell,butyoursystemwillrunbetterifyougoaheadandusethem.
AfteroptimizingthesystembymovingthingsaroundandinstallinganydevicedriversthatSetupmayhavemissed,Igoaheadandconfigurethenetwork(ifneedbe)
andinstalltheoptionalcomponentsIwantbygoingintoControlPanel Add/RemovePrograms WindowsComponents.
Oncetheoptionalcomponentsareinplace,Igoaheadanddoanotherroundofoptimization(movingwhatIcanfromC:\WindowsandC:\Windows\Systeminto
C:\Windows\Command,asdescribedinChapter3).
Atthisstage,IsuggestmakingabackupcopyofyourentireWindowsconfiguration.TheGPLedInfoZIPisexcellentforthis.DownloadyourcopyoftheDOS
versionofInfoZIP'sZipandUnZipcommandlineutilitiesfromwww.cdrom.com/pub/infozip.YouwanttheDOSversionbecauseyou'llhavetocreateyour
archivesfromDOSmodeWindowswon'tletZiptouchtheregistrywhileit'srunning.Copythe
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ZipandUnzipexecutablestoC:\Windows\Command,thenissuethefollowingcommand:
Zip9RS[c:\windows.zip]c:\windows\ .
Youwanttospecifyyourownpath,outsideoftheWindowsdirectory,foryourarchive.Youdon'twantsomethinglikethathangingoutinyourrootdirectory.Once
youhaveabackup,ifyouevergetintotrouble,youcanatleastgetbacktothisstagewithinafewminuteswiththefollowingcommands:
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\UNZIP.EXEC:\
CD\
DELTREEWINDOWS
MDWINDOWS
CDWINDOWS
UNZIP[C:\WINDOWS.ZIP]
Substitutethelocationofyourarchiveinthelastline.
OnceI'msatisfiedthatIhaveagoodbackup,IinstalltherestoftheprogramsIuse.
StupidInstallationTricks
Windowshasmoretricksupitssleeve.Althoughit'snotexactlypretty,it'spossibletohavemultiplecopiesofWindowsinstalledononePCforinstance,one
tweakedoutforgamesandanothertweakedoutforpersonalproductivityandifyoudon'tmindoccasionallyshufflingapairoffloppies,youcanrunWindows95
and98onthesamesystem.
InstallingMultipleCopiesofWindows
Thefewerprogramsyouinstall,thefasterWindowsruns.Butwhataboutthoseprogramsthatonlygetruneveryonceinawhile?Maybeyouhaveaprogramyou
havetorunonceeverymonthortwo.Constantlyinstallinganduninstallingitisawasteoftime,buttheprogramiswastingyourtimebyoccupyingvaluabledirectory
spaceinyourWindowsdirectories.
Thesolution:installmultiplecopiesofWindows.Microsoftdidn'tmakeiteasytheymayhaveintendedtomakeitimpossiblebutwithabatchfileforevery
configuration,youcandoit.Ifmorethanonepersonusesyourcomputer,youcansetupaconfigurationforeachperson.Oryoumighthaveaconfigurationfortypical
everydayuseandastrippeddownconfiguration(youknow,noOffice97,noscannerstuff,notevenaprinter)fordowninthetrenchesgamingwhereeverycycle
counts.
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TomultibootWindows,createadirectorysomewhere(say,C:\Windows\Command\Multiboot),thenopenacommandpromptandtypethesecommands:
Thismakesmsdos.sysvisiblesowecanmanipulateit.
COPYC:\MSDOS.SYSC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1.SYS
Thismakesacopyofmsdos.systhatwecanswapinlater.
COPYC:\AUTOEXEC.BATC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1.BAT
Thismakesacopyofautoexec.batforfutureswapping.
COPYC:\CONFIG.SYSC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1C.SYS
Thismakesacopyofconfig.sysforfutureswapping.
ATTRIB+R+S+HC:\MSDOS.SYS
Thismakesmsdos.sysinvisibleagaintomakeitmoredifficulttoaccidentallydamageit.
EXIT
ThisreturnsyoutoWindows.
NowinstallWindows.Whenitasksforatargetdirectory,pointittoadirectoryotherthanC:\Windows.Don'tbotherconfiguringityetlet'sjustprovetheconcept
beforedoinganythingserious.Don'tworryaboutlosingyourpreviousconfiguration,becausewe'vearchivedit.
OnceWindowsisinstalled,openacommandpromptandtypethesecommands:
Thismakesmsdos.sysvisiblesowecanmanipulateit.
COPYC:\MSDOS.SYSC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2.SYS
Thismakesasecondmsdos.syswecanswapwiththeoldone.
COPYC:\AUTOEXEC.BATC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2.BAT
Thisdoesthesameforautoexec.bat.
COPYC:\CONFIG.SYSC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2C.SYS
andthisthesameforconfig.sys.
Thismakesmsdos.sysinvisibleagaintomakeitmoredifficulttoaccidentallydamageit.
EXIT
ThisreturnsyoutoWindows.
Now,openyourfavoritetexteditorandtypeinthetwobatchfilesshowninExample101andExample102,savingthefirstoneasC:\Windows\Command\
Boot1.batandthesecondoneasC:\Windows\Command\Boot2.bat.Thesebatchfilesautomatetheswappingprocess.
Example101.Boot1.bat
DELTREE/YC:\MSDOS.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1.SYSC:\MSDOS.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1C.SYSC:\CONFIG.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\1.BATC:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
Example102.Boot2.bat
DELTREE/YC:\MSDOS.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2.SYSC:\MSDOS.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2C.SYSC:\CONFIG.SYS
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MULTIBOOT\2.BATC:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
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TobootthefirstcopyofWindows,justgotoStart Run BOOT1,thenStart Shutdown Restartthecomputer.Similarly,tobootthesecondcopy,goto

Start Run BOOT2,thenStart Shutdown Restartthecomputer.
Ifyoulookcloselyatthesequenceofcommandsaboveandatthecodeinthebatchfiles,you'llseethattheonlythingthatchangesisthenumbers.Youcanhaveas
manyinstallationsasyouwant(atleastuntilyourunoutofdiskspace)byincrementingthenumbers.Whenyousavethebatchfiles,youcangivethemmore
meaningfulnamesaswell,likeProductivity.batandGames.bat.Thenamesdon'tmatter.
Chancesaretherearesomepiecesofsoftwareyou'llwanttosharebetweenWindowsinstallations.That'snoproblem.Justinstallthepieceofsoftware,thenbootinto
anothercopyofWindowsandinstallthepieceofsoftwareinthesamedirectory.Repeatasnecessary.Theapplicationwillthenbeavailabletomultipleinstallations.
Thistechniquewouldbeespeciallyusefulinfamilieswithsmallchildren,sincealargenumberofeducationaltitlesforchildrenareveryfinicky.Manyofthoseprograms
justdon'tworkrightunlessyougointotheSystemcontrolpanel,clickonthePerformancetab,hittheGraphicsbutton,andslowdownthesystem'shardware
acceleration.Thisletsyoureducationaltitlesrun,butitkillstheperformanceofyourotherapplications.Ifyoucreateadedicatedinstallationforeducationaltitles,
however,youcanturnthehardwareaccelerationdowninthatinstallation,butleaveitatmaximumperformanceonyourproductivityinstallation.
YoucanalsousethistechniquetosolveDLLconflicts.SometimesprogramswillinstalldifferingversionsofDLLsthesubjectofmanyaBrianLivingstoncolumnin
InfoWorldoverthepastfewyearsandtheapplicationmaycrashthesystemifitfindsaDLLitdoesn'tlike.Ifyou'rehavingmajorproblemswithoneortwo
programsonyoursystem,tryisolatingoneoftheminitsowncopyofWindowstoseeifthatclearsuptheproblem.
Therewasatimewhenthistechniquewashopelesslywasteful,butwithmainstreamharddisksizesdoublingeveryyear,wedon'thavetoworryaboutthatproblem
anymore.Thediskspaceoccupiedbya100MBWindowsdirectorycurrentlycostsabout$1.20,andheavenknowswhatitwillcostbythetimeyoureadthis.Since
it'seasiertodropabiggerharddriveintoaPCthanitistodropanew,moreefficientfilesystemintoWindows,thispresentsawaytokeepalargenumberof
applicationsloadedonaPCwithouthopelesslyslowingdownthesystem.
MultiBootingWindows95and98
ItwouldbeniceifWindows98couldusetheabovemethodtomultibootwithWindows95forthepurposeofrunninggamesthataren'tcompatiblewith
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Windows98.(Windows98hascompatibilityproblemswithWinG,usedbysomeolderWindows95gamessuchasCivilizationIIorThisMeansWar.)
Unfortunately,ifyoubackupWindows95asdescribedinthepreviouschapter,theninstallWindows98andthenpointmsdos.systothepreviousinstallation,
Windows95hangswiththeinfamousIncorrectDOSVersionerror.Somehocuspocuswithsetver.execangetyoupastthat,butthentheevenmoreinfamousOut
ofMemoryerrorgetsyou.
TheeasiestwaytorunWindows95and98onthesamePCwithoutautilitylikeSystemCommanderistokeepasetofbootfloppies.BootWindows95,theninsert
ablankfloppydiskandopenacommandprompt.Enterthefollowinglines(commentsinitalicfolloweachcodeline):
FORMATA:/s
Thisformatsthefloppydiskandinstallssystemfiles.
Thismakesmsdos.sysvisible.
COPYC:\MSDOS.SYSA:\
Thiscopiesmsdos.systothefloppy.
Thismakesmsdos.sysinvisibleagain.
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SYS.COMA:\
ThiscopiestheSYScommandtothefloppy.
COPYC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DELTREE.EXEA:\
ThiscopiestheDELTREEcommandtothefloppy.
SubstitutethepathtoyourWindows95directoryinthelasttwolines.
Next,enterthebatchfileinExample103,andsaveittothediskaswell.
Example103.autoexec.bat
SYSC:
DELTREEC:\MSDOS.SYS
COPYA:\MSDOS.SYSC:\
ECHORemovediskandrestarttobootWindows95.
AfterinstallingWindows98(toadifferentdirectory,ofcourse),insertthesecondfloppydisk,andrepeattheprocessabove,substitutingthewords''Windows98"
forthereferencetoWindows95inthelastlineofthebatchfile.
KeepthetwodisksinasafeplacenearyourPC,andyoucanswitchbetweenWindows95and98bybootingofftheappropriatefloppydisk.
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11
RamDisks
DuringthePersianGulfWarof1990,IraqileaderSaddamHusseinthreatenedtheUnitedStatesanditsallieswiththemotherofallbattles.Hewashoping,Iassume,
toconjureupimagesofanapocalypticbattle.Foratimeafterthewar,thephrase"Motherofall"circulatedinthevernacular,usedwheneverthespeakerwanted
toconjureupimagesofgreatmagnitude.
Somehow,callingRAMdisksthemotherofallperformancetuningtricksseemslikeanunderstatement.Iput256MBofRAMinanold266MHzcomputer,coaxed
WindowsintorunningentirelyfromtheRAMdisk,andthecomputerblewawayanyandallexpectationsIwouldhaveofa700MHzscreamer.Typicalprograms
loadedinstantly.AdobePhotoshop5,whichusuallytakeslongertoloadthanWindowsitselfdoes,loadedinnineseconds.
Notonlydidtheseprogramsexhibitloadtimesthatmademyheadspin,buttheyalsoranfaster.Thespeedimprovementdependedonhowmuchtheyaccessedthe
disk,rangingfromnoticeabletomindblowing.ApplicationsgenerallyshowedthegreatestimprovementgamesimprovedabitlesssincemanyofthemareCPU
intensiveratherthandiskintensive.Evenstill,mostofuswouldbebetterservedbya$499CeleronorK6systemwith256or384megsofRAM(cost:anadditional
$200or$300)thanbythetypical$2,500PentiumIIIsystem.
AdvantagesofRAMDisks
RAMdiskshaveanumberofadvantagesoverharddrives.Firstofall,theyarelightningfasthundredsoftimesfasterthaneventhefastestharddrive.Sincethehard
driveisfarandawaythebiggestbottleneckinyoursystem,aRAMdiskwillusuallyhaveadramaticeffectonsystemperformance.Finally,there'sastoragemedium
thatcanalmostkeepupwithyourCPU'sinsatiableappetitefordata.
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AlthoughaRAMdiskcangetfragmented,it'slesspronethanaharddrivetotheadverseeffectsoffragmentation.Sinceitscontentsdisappearatreboot,theRAM
diskhastoberebuilteverytimeyouboot.Thiseliminatesfragmentation.Ifyoudon'thavetorebootyoursystemveryoften,ofcourse,youcandefragmentyourRAM
disk,andtheprocessislightningfast.AbadlyfragmentedRAMdiskshoulddefragmentinlessthanaminutethoughRAMdisksaremuchlesssusceptibletothe
detrimentaleffectsoffragmentation.
Finally,sinceyouroperatingsystemiscontainedwithinRAMandgetsrebuilteverytimeyoureboot,youinessencearereinstallingWindowsfreshwitheveryreboot.
Ifyouinstallaprogramanddecideyoudon'tlikeitanddon'twanttokeepit,rebootwithoutupdatingyourconfiguration.It'sgone.AndthephenomenonofOSrot
whereWindowsperformancedeterioratesovertimeisgreatlyreduced.
SomeBackgroundandSystemRequirementsforRAMDisks
RAMdisksaretheoppositeofvirtualmemorytheytakeachunkofmemoryfromthesystemanduseittoemulatealightningfastdiskdrive.RAMdisksarea
throwbacktoanearlierera,atimewhenmemorysuddenlybecamecheapandtherewasn'tmuchbetteruseforitatimethatsoundsanawfullotliketoday.The
memorypricesof1999areaboutaquarterthatof1998,so256megsofRAMsellsforaboutwhat64megssoldforayearago,yetWindows9xdoesn'treally
knowwhattodowithmorethan64megsofRAM.
WecanexpectRAMpricestofluctuatefrommonthtomonthorevenfromweektoweekfortheforeseeablefuture,butpricesaren'tlikelytorisebackto1997or
1998levels.Today'spricesmakeRAMdisksextremelypractical.
Microsoftdidn'tmakeitnearlythateasy,butifyouhavealotofRAMandevenmoredetermination,youcanrunWindows95fromaRAMdisk.ByalotofRAM,I
meanalotattheveryleast,192MB.Ona64or128MBsystem,availablememorylimitsyoutoRAMdisksofmeaninglesssizes,becauseyouwant4064MB
ofRAMleftoverforWindowsitself.(Youdon'twantyoursystemusingmuchharddrivespaceformemorywhenit'susingRAMfordiskspace,afterallittotally
defeatsthepurpose.)A256MBsystemwillpermitaRAMdiskof192MB,enoughtoholdWindowsandacoupleofapplications.
Memorypricestendtofluctuatewildlylikegasolineprices,butRAMdisksmakesensewhenmemoryischeap.Inthelatespringof1999,128MBDIMMssoldfor
aslittleas$80,andsmallercapacityDIMMswerepricedlikepartyfavorssoitmakessensetotakeadvantageofthispricing.Buttheoptimalamountofmemory
forWindows9xissomewherebetween40and64MB.ARAMdiskisthebestuse
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formemorybeyond64megs,andthebestuseforalargeRAMdiskisholdingthemostspeedintensivepieceofsoftwareonyourPC:theoperatingsystem.
TheWindowsinstallationroutinerestartsthecomputerseveraltimes,whichofcourseerasesthecontentsofyourRAMdisk.GettingWindowsintoaRAMdisktakes
alotofcraftiness.
BeforeyoutrytheRAMdisktrick,youneedtodownloadInfoZIP'sZipandUnZipfromwww.cdrom.com/pub/infozip,andXMSDISK,introducedinChapter5,
Utilities,fromwww.opus.co.tt/dave/index.htm.DownloadboththeDOSversionandthe32bitWindowsversionofXMSDISK.Copythe32bitversionsof
Zip.exeandUnzip.exetoC:\Windows\Command.YoualsoneedtobackupyourcurrentsetofconfigurationfilesasdescribedinChapter10,CleanWindows
Installation.Youwanttobesureyousaveyourworkinginstallation,sincetheRAMdiskrequiressignificantchangestobothconfig.sysandautoexec.bat.
Settingupasurrogatedrive
SincetherebooterasestheRAMdiskandthere'snowaytopreventWindowsfromrebootingduringinstallation,wehavetocreateasurrogate.
ThisiseasierunderWindows95BorCorWindows98.ThereisanoldDOScommandcalledsubstthatallowsyoutotreatadiskdirectoryasaseparatedrive.
EarlyversionsofWindows95wereincompatiblewithsubst(theinstallationprogramcanhangifsubstisrunning),butnewerversionsofWindowswill
grudginglycoexistwithit.Createadirectory(forinstance,C:\W),thenaddthefollowinglinetoautoexec.bat:
C:\windows\command\substr:c:\w
SubstitutethedriveletteryouwanttouseforyourRAMdiskandthensubstitutethepathtothedirectoryyoucreated.WindowsSetupwillcomplainthatsubstis
running,butitwillallowyoutocontinue.
Ifyou'reusingeithertheoriginalAugust24,1995releaseofWindows95,oreventhenewerWindows95A,theeasiestwaytosetupasurrogateistocreateasmall
diskpartition.UsingPartitionMagic,createasmallpartitionthesizeofyourdesiredRAMdisk(agoodruleofthumbisavailablememoryminus64),theninstalla
minimalWindows95tothatpartition.Theninstallyourcrucialapplicationstothesamepartition.Onlyinstallabsolutelycriticalstuffheremodernapplicationsfillup
halfagigabytefasterthanyoucansay"bloatware,"andchancesareyouhaveatmostacouplehundredmegabytestoworkwith.Leaveatleast8MBfreeinthe
drive,becauseWindowsfrequentlyneedstowritefilesintoitsdirectorytemporarilywhileyouwork.Ifthedrivefillsup,thesystemwon'tcrash,butwhateverprogram
isrunningwillprobablymalfunction.
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Onceyouhaveyoursurrogatedrivesetup,youneedtodoonelastthingbeforeinstallingWindowstothesurrogatedrive.GointoC:\Windowsandrenameyour
system.datanduser.datfilestosystem.xyzanduser.xyz,respectively.Windowshasatendencywhilebootingtogolookingforaregistryifitcan'tfindonewhereit
expects,andWindowsSetuphasatendencytodothesame.YourRAMdiskcanmalfunctionifWindowsfindstheseregistries.
BesuretorenamethetworegistryfilesifyoudecidetobootyourdiskbasedcopyofWindows.
WhatDoesPartitionMagicHavetoDo
withRAMDisks?
PartitionMagicisusefulforcreatingthesurrogatepartitionthattemporarilytakesthe
placeoftheRAMdisk.Youcouldalsoaccomplishthetaskusingthefreewarepartition
splittingutilityFIPS,butsincediskpartitionsgetfirstdibsondriveletters,theonlyway
tohandthedriveletterovertotheRAMdiskistodestroythepartition.Withouthaving
PartitionMagictoreassignthepartition'sspacetoanadjacentpartition,youloseuseof
thatdiskspace.
Admittedly,withdiskpricescurrentlyatabout2.3centspermegabyte,thelossofa
couplehundredmegabytesisn'tatragedy,eventhoughitleavesabadtasteinthemouth
ofthoseofuswhorememberlikeitwasyesterdayatimewhenacouplehundred
megabytesofdiskspacecost$600ormore.
Themostobviousalternativetousingapartitionasasurrogateisanexternalstorage
device,suchasaJazorZipdrive.LoaditsDOSdriverinautoexec.bat,theninstall
Windowstothedrive.Youcanthenarchivetheinstallation,unplugthedrivefromthe
systemwhenyou'rereadytobootfromtheRAMdiskforthefirsttime,thenaddthe
drivebacktothesystemoncetheRAMbasedinstallationisworking.Thestorage
capacityandspeed(orlackofboth)inherentinparallelportZipdriveswillmakethisa
painfulproposition,however,andnotonethatI'minclinedtorecommend.
NotethatinternalIDEZipdriveslackDOScompatibledevicedrivers,whichmakes
themuselessforthisexercise,althoughaninternalSCSIZiporJazdrivewillwork.
ThelayoutofyourRAMdisk
SinceRAMisnonpermanent,youprobablydon'twanttostoreabsolutelyeverythinginRAM.Windowsstoresthelocationofitscriticaldirectoriesintheregistryat
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellFolders,soyoucanopenRegeditandnavigatethere.Forinstance,theNetHoodfolderisn't
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terriblyspeedintensivebecausesofewpeopleusetheNetworkNeighborhoodicon,soyoucanredirectittoC:\ramdisk\nethoodifyoulike.IfyouwantyourStart
menutoremainconstant,moveittoC:\ramdisk\startmenu.You'llprobablywanttheStartupfoldertoremainRAMbasedtospeedboottime.TheFavoritesand
Recentdirectoriesarealsogoodcandidatesformoving.
Youalsodon'thavetoinstallallofyourapplicationstotheRAMdisk.Ifyoucanonlyafforda128MBRAMdisk,installWindowstoitandinstallyourapplications
totheharddrive.Theapplicationswillstillbenefit,sincetheyfrequentlyuseWindowsDLLsandotherDLLsintheWindowsdirectory.IfoundthathavingWindows
entirelyinRAMshavedatleastacoupleofsecondsofftheloadtimeofeveryapplication,eventhoseIhadinstalledtotheharddisk.
YoudefinitelywanttomakesureyouoptimizeyourRAMdisk'sdirectorystructure.Withtheharddriveoutoftheway,theCPUisnowthebiggestbottleneckinyour
system.Youwanttomakelifeaseasyonitaspossible.
Onceyou'veinstalledWindows,besuretocopythe32bitUnzip.exeto\Windows\Command.WindowswillneeditwhenitconstructstheRAMdiskatbootup.
YoualsoneedtorightclicktheStartmenu Programs Startup,thenrightclickanemptypartoftherightpaneandselectNew Shortcut.Type:
e:\windows\command\unzipc:\ramdisk\programs.zipde:\,
substitutingyourRAMdisk'sdriveletterfore:\.
There'sonelastthingyouhavetodo.Bydefault,Windowsputstheswapfileonthesamedriveitbootsfrom.Butunlessithas64MBormorefree,puttingtheswap
fileonaRAMdiskispointlessyou'reemulatingmemorywithadiskdrivethat'sinturnbeingemulatedbymemory.WhenWindowsrunsoutofspaceforvirtual
memory,systemperformanceslowstoacrawl,soundermostcircumstances,youdon'twanttouseyourRAMdiskforvirtualmemory.GointoControlPanel
System Performance VirtualMemory "Letmespecifymyownvirtualmemorysettings,"andspecifytheharddriveyouuseinyourotherWindowssetup.If
you'veleftmorethan40MBofmemoryavailableforthesystem,youwon'tbeusingvirtualmemoryverymuch(unlessyou'reusingyoursystemforsoftwareor
multimediadevelopment),soyoudon'thavetoworryabouttheperformancehit.
Onceyouhaveasatisfactoryconfiguration,saveyournewconfigurationusingthesetofbatchfilesdescribedinthe"InstallingMultipleCopiesofWindows"sectionof
Chapter10,thenbootintoyourpreviousWindowsconfiguration.Thisiswherethingsstarttogettricky.WehavetosetupadirectoryondriveC:thatcanholdthe
contentsoftheRAMdiskandenoughsystemsoftwaretocreatetheRAMdiskinthefirstplace.MakeadirectorycalledC:\ramdisk,thenmovethefileshimem.sys,
setver.exe,andifshlp.sysfromyoursurrogatedrive'sWindowsdirectoryinto
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C:\ramdisk.Alsoaddxmsdsk.exe(theRAMdiskdriver),the16bitDOSversionofInfoZIP'sunzip.exe,and,ifyouusethem,eitheremm386.exeorumbpci.sys
toC:\ramdisk.
Windows'defaultbehavioristotrytoloadhimem.sys,setver.exe,andifshlp.sysfromyourWindowsdirectoryatboottime.Itcan'tdothis,sincetheydon'texist
yet,sowehavetoloadthemmanuallyinconfig.sys.Addthefollowingthreelines:
Device=c:\ramdisk\himem.sys
Device=c:\ramdisk\umbpci.syssubstituteDevice=c:\ramdisk\emm386.exeifneeded
Devicehigh=c:\ramdisk\ifshlp.sys
Devicehigh=c:\ramdisk\setver.exe
It'snecessarytoarchivetheWindowsconfigurationyoujustcreated,becauseasimplecopyorxcopycommandwon'tpreservethefileattributesnecessaryforavalid
bootableWindowsdirectory.The16bitversionofInfoZIPislikelytobeoverwhelmedbyyourconfiguration,soyouneedtousethe32bitcommandlineversion,
whichiscapableofcreatinglargerarchives.CopyInfoZIP's32bitZip.exetoyourC:\Windows\Commanddirectory,thenissuethefollowingcommands:
ZipRSc:\ramdisk\windows.zipd:\windows\ .
ZipRSc:\ramdisk\programs.zipd:\progra1\ .
ZipRSc:\ramdisk\windows.zipd:\windows\startm1\ .
Replaceyoursurrogatedrive'sletterford.WeneedtwoarchivesinordertopreserveWindows9x'slongComponents.
You'llprobablywanttocreateabatchfilesimilartotheoneabove,whichyoucanthenrunanytimeyoumakechangestoyourRAMdiskconfiguration(suchasafter
installingsoftware).Icallmineupdate.bat(seeExample111),andIstoreitinthe\Windows\commanddirectoryinmyRAMdisk.
Example111.update.bat
Delc:\ramdisk\windows2.zip
Delc:\ramdisk\programs2.zip
Renc:\ramdisk\windows1.zipc:\ramdisk\windows2.zip
Renc:\ramdisk\windows.zipc:\ramdisk\windows1.zip
Renc:\ramdisk\programs1.zipc:\ramdisk\programs2.zip
Renc:\ramdisk\programs.zipc:\ramdisk\programs1.zip
ZipRSC:\ramdisk\windows.zipd:\windows\ .
ZipRSC:\ramdisk\programs.zipd:\progra1\ .
ZipRSC:\ramdisk\programs.zipd:\windows\startm1\ .
Thisfilemaintainsbackupsofmylasttwoconfigurations.Ifmyconfigurationdoesn'tworkright,Icanreverttoapreviousconfigurationbydeleting
c:\ramdisk\windows.zipandrenamingoneoftheotherarchives.
MakingthesystembootfromtheRAMdiskrequiressubstantialchangestomsdos.sysandautoexec.bat.Assumingyouareusingthebatchfilesfromthelastsection
ofChapter10,yourRAMdiskconfiguration'smsdos.sysisstoredinC:\Windows\
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Command\Multiboot\2.sysandyourRAMdiskconfiguration'sautoexec.batisstoredinC:\Windows\Command\Multiboot\2.bat.Load
C:\Windows\Command\Multiboot\2.sysintoatexteditor.Nearthetopofthefile,you'llfindasectionlabeled[Paths].Onmysystem,myRAMdiskisdriveE:.
SubstituteyourRAMdisk'sletterformineinthesecondlineofthefile.Here'sthe[Paths]sectionofmymsdos.sys:
[Paths]
WinDir=E:\Windows
WinBootDir=C:\ramdisk
HostWinBootDrv=C
Ialsosuggestyouscrolldownto[Options]andsetLogo=0soyoucanmonitortheprogressofthebootprocess.Whenboottimeismeasuredinminutes,it's
goodtohavesomereassurancethatthesystemisactuallydoingsomething.Savethefile,thenloadC:\Windows\Command\Multiboot\3.bat.Here'swhatmyfile
lookslike:
@echooff
REMSetupRAMdisk.Syntax:xmsdsk.exe[size][driveletter:]/t/y
REM/tspecifiesusetopofmemory(requiredwithWin9x)
REM/yconfirmsthe"areyousure?"prompt.
Xmsdsk.exe196605e:/t/y
REMSetpathrequiredbecauseweswitcheroosomuchontheOS.
Pathe:\Windowse:\Windows\Commande:\Windows\SystemC:\ramdisk
REMExtractcontentsofRAMdisk.
REMSyntax:unzip[archive]d[destination]
REMsubinyourRAMdisk'sdriveletterfor[destination],ofcourse.
Unzipc:\ramdisk\windows.zipde:\
TobootfromtheRAMdisk,youmustdestroythesurrogatedrive.UnderWindows95B/C/98,thisprocessiseasyjustremovethesubstcommandfrom
autoexec.bat.UnderWindows95/95A,youmustdestroythesurrogatepartition.IfyouhavePartitionMagic,youcandeletethepartitionandlettheadjacent
partitionabsorbitotherwise,useFDISKtodeletethepartition,butyouwillthenloseuseofthatdiskspace.Ifyouthensetthesefilesastheactivesystemusingthe
batchfilefromthelastsectionofChapter10,WindowswillbootfromtheRAMdisk.
LoadingupasystemwithatonofRAMandrunningWindowsfromaRAMdiskonceseemedlikeawasteofmoney,butwithmemorypricesathistoriclowsnow,it
makessense.Youcanspend$800ona10,000rpmSCSIharddriveand$250onadiskcontrollerthatwilldoitjustice,oryoucanspend$300togetenough
memorytoholdyouroperatingsystemandyourmostoftenusedapplications.NoharddrivecanevendreamofapproachingthespeedofRAM.Oryoucanlookat
itanotherway.Intel'sfastestCPUfrequentlycosts$300morethanamoremainstreamCPU,butprobablyatbestimprovessystemperformancebyonly15%.But
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StrategiesforRAMDiskPreparation
RememberthatawellthoughtoutRAMdiskmakesdiskcachingalmostamootpoint.
You'llprobablystillsaveyourdatatodisk,butthemajorityofyourapplicationswillrun
straightfromRAMandnevertouchyourdiskexceptwhensavingdata.Soyoucan
significantlyloweryourdiskcachesettings.WithaRAMdisk,youshouldeasilybeable
togetbywithadiskcacheof1MBorpossiblyevenless.There'snoreasontofeelbad
aboutallocatingallbut40MBofsystemRAMtoaRAMdisk.
It'sentirelypossiblethatyouhavefarmorememoryavailabletothesystemthanyou
thought.ThetrickspresentedinChapter2,FirstSteps,canrecoveraconsiderable
amountofmemoryforsystemuse.
SinceRAMdisksareextremelypunycomparedtothecavernoussizesofmodernhard
drives,youneedtobeprudentaboutwhatfilesyoukeepinyourRAMdisk.Inorderto
fitWindowsandyourimportantapplicationsintotheRAMdisk,youmighthavetoget
ridofafewthings.Herearesomecandidatesfordeletiontosavespace:
\Sysbckup
Thishiddendirectorycontainsbackupcopiesofcriticalsystemfiles.Bytheirverynature,
RAMdisksforcebackupsofcriticalsystemfiles.SinceyourRAMdiskbasedsystem
effectivelyrebuildsitselfeverytimeyoudoahardreboot,thisdirectoryisredundant.
Loseit.
\Inf
ThishiddendirectorycontainsdevicedriverinformationforWindows'AddNew
HardwareWizard.It'shugeononeofmysystems,thisdirectoryoccupies6.5MB.
Shoveitoffintoc:\ramdiskandcopyitbackintoplaceifandwhenyouaddhardware
tothesystemorhavetochangeyourconfiguration.About99%ofthetime,this
directoryisjusteatingupmegabytesofspacethatwouldbebetterusedfortemporary
storageorrunningprograms.
\Media
Windows.wavfilesconsumebucketsofdiskspace.Whenforcedtodealwithlimited
diskspace,you'llprobablywanttolosethem.
\Cursors
Customcursorsareprettymuchthesamestoryas\Media.
\Help
Admittedly,thisdirectory'scontentscanbeuseful,butfewofususeitonaregularbasis.
Isuggestshovingitofftoc:\ramdiskandcopyingitintoplaceonlywhenyouneedit,
sinceit'sanotheroneofthosethingsyouprobablyonlyneedonceeverytwotothree
monthsatthemost.
Continued
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\Command
Mostofthesefilesshouldstay,butrarelyusedDOScommandslikefc.exeand
diskcopy.comfromthisdirectory,aswellasfrom\Windowsand\Windows\System,
canmovetoc:\ramdiskwithoutharmingthesystemandsaveyourvaluableRAMdisk
spaceforotherpurposes.
Welcome.exe
UnlessyoulikeWindows'tipsonstartup,getridofthisandsaveacouplehundred
kilobytes.
Don'tforgettooptimizeyourRAMdiskbasedsystemusingthetipsthroughouttherest
ofthisbook.AbigRAMdiskeliminatesthebiggestbottleneckinyoursystem,making
molehillsizedwastestarttolookmountainous.
$300worthofRAMdiskwilldomuchmoretoimprovesystemperformancebecauseprogramsloadalmostinstantlyandrununencumberedbydiskbottlenecks.
Theadditionalpreptimemakessetupmoredifficultthanusual,andtheboottimeforasystemwithaRAMdiskwillbemeasuredinminutesasopposedtoseconds,
buttheperformanceboostcanbeunbelievable.TryaminimalistinstallationwiththememoryyouhavebeforeyouloaduponmemoryIstuffedtheminimal
installationsofWindows95andWord97intoa38MBRAMdisktotestRAMdisksona64MBsystemtheresultwasn'tsuitableforgeneralusebutitwasfinefor
experimentation.Chancesareifyoustartwithaminimalistinstall,you'lllikewhatyouseeandyou'llsoonbeinlineformorememory.
I'dlovetoseesomeonedesignandreleaseabatterybackedhardwareRAMdiskforPCs,asthiswouldeliminatethelimitationsinherentinXMSDISK.Such
devicesexistedintheearly1990sfortheCommodore64/128andtheAppleIIGSandpermittedthesesystemstoboottheirgraphicaloperatingsystemsbeforethe
PCsoftheirdayhadmanagedtobringupaC:\prompt.Asimilardevicefortoday'sPCswoulddomoretoboostsystemperformancethananyotherinnovationIsee
comingdownthepipelineanytimesoon.
SpecialConsiderationsforWindows98andRAMDisks
Windows98'sonlyissuewithrunninginaRAMdiskasdescribedintheprevioussectionisitssize.WhereastheoriginalWindows95canshrinkdownbelow17MB
insize,aminimalWindows98install,evenaftertheeffortsof98lite,iscloserto70MB.53MBofdiskspacecostslessthanahamburger,sothedifferenceinsizeis
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DaytoDayWorkwithRAMDisks
SincesystemssetuptobootfromaRAMdisktakeafewminutestostart,you're
probablynotlookingforwardtohavingtorestartthecomputerorstartthecomputer
everyday.IfyouuseaRAMdisk,leavethesystemonallthetime.Computersuse
aboutasmuchpoweraslightbulbs,andlikenightlights,theylastlongerifyouleave
themonallthetime.
ARAMdiskprobablywon'tmakeWindowsanymorereliable,butyoudon'talways
havetodoacompletereboottoclearupproblems.IfyoupressStart Shutdown
Restartthecomputer,thenholddowntheShiftkeywhileyoupressOK,Windows
simplyexitstoDOSmode,thenreloads.FromaRAMdisk,thewholeprocesstakes
aboutfourseconds.
hardlyworthworryingaboutonamodernsystemunlessyou'retryingtouseaRAMdisk.RAMpricesarefalling,but53MBofRAMisstillasignificantexpense.
IfyouwanttorunyouroperatingsystemfromaRAMdisk,Windows95isthebetterchoiceitallowsyoutoeithergetbywithasmallerRAMdiskorinstallan
additionalapplicationortwobut,unfortunately,somesystemsjustwon'trunwellunderWindows95.SomenewerperipheralslackWindows95drivers,andsome
hardware,suchasUSB,justisn'tcompatiblewithearlyrevisionsofWindows95.
TheINFandHELPdirectoriesinmyinstallationofWindows98are6.5and11MB,respectively.Offloadingthosetodiskandpullingthembackinonanasneeded
basisisanoption.
CreatingaCompressedRAMDisk
AsfarasIcanfigureout,youcan'tcreateacompressedRAMdiskandthenbootfromit,becauseDriveSpacerefusestocompressadrivethatcontainsfilesthatare
inuse.(Iwon'tsayit'simpossible,becausepeopletoldmethatbootingfromevenaregularRAMdiskisimpossible.)Youcan,however,createanapplicationsRAM
diskandcompressitifneedbetogetmoreusablespace.AcompressedRAMdiskwillbeconsiderablyslowerthananuncompressedRAMdiskandwillconsume
moreCPUcycles,butitwillstillbemuchfasterthanaphysicalharddrive.(OnaPentium90,itseemstobeabouthalfasfastasanuncompressedRAMdiskwould
be,whichisstillmuchfasterthananyharddrivecurrentlyavailable.)
CreatingacompressedRAMdiskismucheasierthancreatingabootRAMdisk.Copyxmsdsk.exetoC:\Windows\Command,thenaddanappropriatelineto
autoexec.battocreatetheRAMdisk.Forinstance:
xmsdsk.exe65535z:/t/y
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Restartyourcomputer,thenonceWindowsloads,pressStart Run drvspace/compressz:.DriveSpacewillcompressyourRAMdisk.Now,either

useamoverapplicationlikethoseincludedwithPowerQuestPartitionMagic,NortonCleanSweep,orMcAfeeUnInstallertomoveapplicationstoyournewlycreated
drivez:,orinstallfreshcopiesofyourapplicationstothenewdrive.
Afteryouinstalltheprogramsyouwantonyourcompresseddrive,openacommandpromptandtypethefollowingcommands:
H:
ThischangesyoutoDriveSpace'shiddendrive.
Attribrshdrvspace.000
Makethefilethatmakesupthecompressedvolumevisible
Copydrvspace.000c:\windows\command
andbackitupforlateruse.
ToactivatethecompressedRAMdisk,enterthefollowingbatchfile,saveittoC:\Windows\Command,thenrightclickStart Explore Programs
thenrightclickablankareaintherightpaneandselectNew Shortcut.IntheCommandLinefield,enterramdisk.bat(seeExample112).
Startup,
Example112.ramdisk.bat
Copyc:\windows\command\drvspace.000z:\
Attrib+r+s+hz:\drvspace.000
Drvspace/mountz:
ThenexttimeyourestartWindows,yourcompressedRAMdiskwillbeavailableforuse.Ifyouhavemorethan64MBofRAMbutnotenoughforabootRAM
disk,considermakingacompressedRAMdisktoholdoneormorecrucialapplications.You'llimprovethatapplication'sperformancedramatically,withlittleorno
impactonthespeedoftherestofyoursystem.
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12
HardwareUpgrades
Thisbookfocusesprimarilyonsoftwareoptimization,mostlybecauseWindowsleavessomuchroomopenforincreasingsystemperformancestrictlythrough
softwareoptimization.However,noamountofsoftwareoptimizationwillturnanold386or486intoaPentiumII,andthereisnosubstituteforgoodhardware.The
onlythingsoftwareoptimizationcandoismakethedefinitionofgoodhardwareabitmorelenient.
ThestatedminimumsystemrequirementsforWindows9xvarywidely.Fewpeopletooktheoriginalclaimsofa16MHz386SXprocessorand4MBofmemory
seriouslythiswasthetechnicalminimum,butsystemsofthiscaliberwereinadequateforrunningWindows3.1,letaloneWindows95.WhenWindows95wasfirst
released,thegeneralconsensuswasthattheminimalusablesystemwouldhavea33MHz486SXorDXprocessorand8MBofRAM,withmoreofeachbeing
better.Serioususersgenerallybought16MBofRAManddreamedof24or32unfortunately,memorycostabout$50amegabytein1995,so32MBofRAM
wasn'texactlyrealistic.
Thoseminimumsrosewiththepassageoftime.Soonyouwantedatleasta66MHz486,thenyouwanteda100MHz486today,peoplegenerallywon'tconsider
installingWindows98onanythinglessthana166MHzPentiumwith32MBofRAM.
Thetrueminimumrequirementstrulydependonyourexpectations.IfasystemwillrunWindows3.1adequately,itcanprobablyrunacutdownWindows95
adequatelyanditmayevenseeaslightimprovement.Attheveryleast,thesystemwillbemorestable.Therearepeoplewhohaveinstalledandused(I'llrefrainfrom
sayingrun)Windows95ona25MHz486SXwith4MBofRAM.
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Ifyou'reinthatsituation,allIcansayisfollowabsolutelyeverysinglepieceofsoftwareadviceinthisbook,thenstartscavengingforsomememoryandasecondhard
drivewhilesavingsomemoneytogetsomethingbetter.
Themajorityofpeopleareinasomewhatbettersituation:Windows95doesoperateontheirmachine,tovaryingdegreesofspeedandsatisfaction.IcantalkuntilI'm
blueinthefaceaboutsoftwarerequirements,buttherearelimits.Thequestionis,whendoesitbecomefutiletomessaroundwithsoftwarefixesandnecessarytobuy
somehardware?
PrudenceinHardwareUpgrades
Commonsensedictatesthatitshouldbelessexpensivetoupgradeanexistingcomputerthanitistobuyanewone.Thisistrueattheveryleast,akeyboard,
mouse,andfloppydrivepurchasedwithacomputerfromthelate1980scouldstillbeperfectlyusabletoday.SoyoucanupgradeaclunkerATclonefrom1987and
saveabout$40fromthecostofanewcomputer.Ofcourse,thisupgradescenarioisextreme.
Ifacomputerisonlyayearortwoold,itmakesgoodsensetoupgradeitbyaddingwhateveryouneedtoit:ifit'sshortonmemory,addsomememoryifit'sshorton
diskspace,addasecondharddrive.Therecomesatime,however,whenupgradinggetscomplicated,andacostliersoundingupgraderoutemayactuallyendup
costingless.Forinstance,it'ssometimeslessexpensivetobuyanewmotherboardandnewmemory(butreuseyouroldCPU)thanitistobuyantiquatedmemoryfor
anagingsystem.Newercomponentsaremanufacturedinlargequantitiesandpricedlikecommodities.Oldercomponentsthatarenolongerproducedinquantityare
rarelycosteffectivetobuy.
Peoplefrequentlyforgetoneotherthingwhenbuyingnewhardware.Theyrarelytakeintoconsiderationtheeffectstheperipheralmighthaveontherestofthesystem.
WillthatmodemorprinterusesomeofmyCPUcyclestooperate?Howmuchmemorydoesthatsoundcardneed,andhowmuchCPUtimedoesitconsume?
Thesefactorsarerarelymeasured,buttheycanhaveadramaticeffectonoverallsystemperformance,forthesamereasonthatoptimizingyourWindowssettings
does.
RealisticMemoryRequirements
Firstandforemost,Windows9xcravesRAM,andlotsofit.Realistically,youwantaminimumof32MBofRAMifyou'regoingtodoseriousworkwithWindows
95.Youcangetbywithless,butitwillbeaseriousproductivitydrain.Intel'sadvertisingcampaignsprettymuchhavepeopleconvincedthatonlyhavingthefastest
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newCPUmatters.ButgiventhechoicebetweenaPentiumwith8MBofRAManda486with32MB,I'dchoosetoworkwiththehighermemory486.
Troubleis,memoryupgradesarenotalwayspractical.Mostolder486sused8bit30pinSIMMs,installedinbanksoffour(the486wasa32bitprocessor).The
majorityofthese486shadeightSIMMslots(twobanks),andtheywereusuallyoccupiedbyfouroreight1MBSIMMs.Unlessyou'reoneoftheluckypeoplewho
have4MBSIMMsinoneofthosetwobanks,you'llbelookingatdiscardingallofyourmemorytoupgradeto32MBofRAM.Since30pinSIMMsarenolonger
producedinanykindofsubstantialquantity(andthechipstheyusearen'tproducedingreatquantitiesanymoreeither),theytendtobeveryexpensive.Youcan
expecttopay$25fora4MB30pinSIMM.
Youmaystillbeabletofindsocalled''SIMMtrees,"whichallowyoutoputmorethanoneSIMMinaslot.WithaSIMMtree,youcanturnfour1MBSIMMsinto
a4MBSIMM.So,ifyour486has8MBofRAM,youcouldbuysix4MBSIMMsandtwotrees.SIMMtreescancauseunreliableoperation,however.Ifyou
choosetobuysome,besuretocheckthatthey'rebuffered.Theeasywaytotellistolookatthetree'scircuitboard.IfitjustcontainsfourSIMMslotsandnoother
electronics,it'sunbufferedandlikelytocausetimingproblems.Ifyouseeasmallnumberofchipsontheboard,chancesareit'sbufferedandwillworksatisfactorily.
Latemodel486s,especiallybrandnamemodels,used32bit72pinSIMMs.EarlyPentiumsalsousedthisformofmemory,thoughPentiumsrequired72pin
SIMMstobeinstalledinpairsbecausePentiumshavea64bitdatabus.Thesecameinawiderrangeofsizesthan30pinSIMMsdid,andwereeasiertoinstall.
However,there'splentyofroomforconfusionwith72pinSIMMs.Theycameinparityandnonparityflavors,andtheyusedeitherfastpagemode(FPM)memory
orfasterEDOmemory.Generallyspeaking,486sandPentiumsbelow75MHzcan'tuseEDOmemory.Ifyouwanttobesafe,buyyourmemoryfromaspecialist
likeCrucialTechnology(www.crucial.com),whocanguaranteetheirmemorywillworkwithyoursystem,andrememberasageneralrulethatveryfewPentiums
below100MHzcanuseEDOmemory.
Thesedays,72pinmemoryisonthevergeofgoingthewayofits30pinbrethren.A72pinSIMMgenerallycosts50100%morethanitsmoderncounterpart.
Newsystemsuse168pinDIMMs,whicharetheeasiesttoinstallandcomeinthewidestvarietyofsizes.They'realsothemosteconomicalformfactortobuy.AsI
write,brandnameDIMMscostabout$1.50amegabyte,andifyoushopreallycarefully,youcangetthemforunder$1.00amegabytethoughIdon'trecommend
cheapmemory.Today'sfastsystemsrequiremuchmoreprecisetimingthanpastsystemsdid,andthismakesmemorymoreexpensivetomanufacture.Cheapmemory
canharmsystemstability.
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ThereasonIbringupmemorypricingisthatsometimesit'smoreeconomicaltoupgradeyoursystem'smotherboardinordertobuycheaper,modernmemorythanit
istobuymemoryforanexistingsystem.Youcanpay$200for32MBworthof30pinSIMMs,butadecentPentiumclassmotherboardusuallycostsabout$65.
AnIDTWinChiporaCyrixMIIprocessorfortheboardcanbehadforaslittleas$30.A32MBDIMMfortheboardwillcostanother$50.
Ifyouhaveanamebrandsystem,itmaynottakeastandardATorATXmotherboard.Inthosecases,themosteconomicalwaytoupgradeistopurchaseamicro
ATXcaseandmotherboard.They'rehardertofind,butamicroATXboardwithbuiltinvideocancostaslittleas$55,andthecasesusuallycost$50orless.They
usethesameCPUandmemoryastheirfullsizedcounterparts.
ItmayseemwastefultodiscardastillfunctioningmotherboardandCPU,butwhenyoucangetthesameamountofmemoryalongwithafastermotherboardand
CPU,itmakessensetodoso.Fewpeoplewillmistakea$30IDTorCyrixCPUforaPentiumIII,buttheseCPUswilloutperformany486,andanewmotherboard
willgiveyouamorefutureproofsystemyoucanalwaysdropinanotherDIMMortwosomewheredowntheroad.Mostmodernmotherboardswillaccommodate
384MBofRAM,andmanycantakeupto768MB.
Ofcourse,allofthischangeswithtime.It'simpossibletostaycompletelyuptodate,duetobookproductionschedules.Asofthiswriting,themosteconomical
memorytobuyisPC100SDRAM.PC133SDRAMcostsjustslightlymoremanufacturersarestillputtingasmallpricepremiumonenhancedperformance.I
expectthepricedifferencetoeventuallyreverseitself,asithasinthepast.PC66SDRAMnowcostsslightlymorethanPC100SDRAM.EDOmemorycostsabit
lessthantheolderFPMmemory,eventhoughEDOmemoryisfasterandslightlyhardertomanufacture.There'snowfarmoredemandforEDOmemory,soit's
producedinlargerquantities.Higherdemandforonetypeofmemoryoveranotheronlymeanshigherpricesforaslongassuppliesoftheoldermemorystayhigh.
Oncethesupplyoftheoldermemorydwindles,youcanexpectthepremiumpricingforthenewertechnologytodisappear.
Althoughthespecificschangewithtime,thesamesetofprincipleshasremainedconstantthroughoutthe1990s.Whenbuyingmemory,besuretopricethememory
foryourmachine,butifyourmachineiscapableofusingmorethanonetypeofmemory,priceeverytypeitiscapableofusing.Alsopriceothertypesofmemoryfor
comparison.
Forinstance,inNovember1998,Iwaspricingmemoryupgradesforafriend'sPC.HisPChadbothSIMMandDIMMsockets,andwascapableofusing72pin
EDOandFPMSIMMs,168pinPC66SDRAMDIMMs,and168pinPC100SDRAMDIMMs.Ifoundsome64MBEDOSIMMsoncloseoutfor$59each.
SDRAMwouldhavegivenbetterperformance,butPC100SDRAMcostabout$2permegabyteat
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thetime.Soweoptedforthesoontobeobsolete64MBSIMMs.Benchmarksindicatedaspeeddifferenceofabout15%betweenthisoldermemoryandthe
newertechnology,buthavingdoublethememoryforthemoneymorethanmadeupforthedifference.
ByFebruary1999,thesituationwasdifferent.Iwaspricingmemoryupgradesforanotherfriend'sPC,whichonlyhad72pinSIMMsockets.Itcouldaccepteither
FPMorEDOSIMMs.Iwantedtoadd32MBofRAMtohersystem,butthebestpriceIcouldfindonbrandname16MBSIMMswas$49apiece.Crucial
Technologywasselling32MBDIMMsforabout$59atthetime.ItwasjustbarelyeconomicaltogoaheadandbuytheSIMMs,buthadshewantedtoaddmore
than32MBofmemory,itwouldhavemadesensetoreplacehersystemwithamotherboardthatcouldaccommodatethenewer,moreinexpensivememory.
WiththeexceptionofthePentiumII366,PentiumIIandPentiumIIIsystemsfasterthan350MHzcanonlyusePC100SDRAMatleast,iftheyuseanIntel
chipsetwhileCeleronsandPentiumIIs333MHzandslowerusePC66SDRAM.PC100SDRAMworksinsystemsthatusethePC66varietytheyjustcan'ttake
advantageoftheextraspeed.ManycurrentAMDK6andCyrixbasedsystemshavejumperstoselectbetweenPC66andPC100memory.You'llgetbetter
performancefromPC100,butifyoufindPC66memoryonsaleorhappentoalreadyhaveadecentquantityofitonhand,itworks.Theperformancedifference
betweenthetwoislessthan10percent,adifferenceyoucaneasilyovercomebyaddingmorememory.
Youshouldn'ttrytofutureproofyourcomputerwithyourmemorychoices,becauseit'ssodifficulttodo.Companiesarefightingrightnowoverwhatthenext
memorystandardwillbe:willitbePC133SDRAM,orwillitbetheslightlyfasterbutmoreexpensiveRambus?IntelisbackingRambus,butthemajorityofother
industryplayersareliningupbehindPC133SDRAM.MostexpertsbelievePC133hasmoreshorttermmomentum,butRambushasthelongtermmomentum.
Rambusmaywineventually.Thenagain,somethingevenfasterandlessexpensivecouldcomearound.
Fornow,you'rebestoffbuyinganadequateamountofPC100orPC133memory.Thereisn'tmuchpricepremiumonPC133(between$5and$20permodule),
whichmakesitabetterlongterminvestment.Fornow,there'snopointinwaitingforRambus.
SpeedingUpYourMemory:L2Cache
AlthoughRAMisfarfasterthanaharddisk,modernRAMisstillsoslowastohandicapyourCPU.Today'sPC100SDRAMhasenoughpowertokeepa33MHz
486fromhavingtowaitonit,butourrequirementshavemovedfarbeyondthe
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abilitiesofthatCPU.CPUspeedsarejustadvancingtooquicklyfornewmemorytechnologiestokeepup.
ThisphenomenonhasalwaysbeenpresentinPCs.ThetrickistoputsomeveryhighspeedmemorybetweentheCPUandthesystem'smainRAM.Thisisknownas
cache.CacheiscapableofrunningatspeedsmuchclosertotherateaCPUwantstobefed,andbecauseofthestructureofprograms,CPUstendtolingerforfairly
longperiodsoftimeinthesameareaofmemorybeforemovingon.Sobeginningwith386basedcomputers,manufacturersstartedputtingsmallamountsofcacheon
themotherboard.
CacheisreferredtoasLevel1,2,or3,dependingonhowfarremoveditisfromtheCPUcore.Level1(L1)cacheresidesveryclosetotheCPUcorethebiggest
reasonwhythe486wasfasterthanthe386wasitsadditionof8KofL1cache.ModernCPUshavemuchlargerL1cachesthePentiumIIandPentiumIIIhave
32KL1caches,whilesomeAMDandCyrixCPUshave64KL1cachesandsomeCPUmanufacturershavebeenthrowingaroundtheideaofusinga128KL1
cache.Inyearspast,L2cacheresidedonthemotherboard,butstartingwiththePentiumPro,IntelstartedputtingL2cacheintheCPUitself.AMDfollowedsuitwith
itsK6IIIandAthlonCPUs.
L3cacheisrelativelyrareinPCsAMDexperimentedwithL3cachewithitsK6IIICPU,butthereislittleindicationthatfutureCPUsfromAMD,Intel,oranyother
manufacturerwillincorporatethistrickanytimesoon.
ThepresenceofL2cachesignificantlyspeedsupthesystemasystemwithL2cachecaneasilyoutperformanotherwiseidenticalsystemwithoutcacheby2030%.
Intelcausedamajorbrouhahain1998whenitreleaseditsmuchmaligned266MHzCeleronprocessor.IntelhadmovedtheL2cacheontotheprocessoritselfwith
thePentiumProandPentiumIIprocessors,buttheL2cachewasbyfarthemostexpensiveaspectofthoseprocessors.SoIntelcreatedthelowcostCeleronby
eliminatingthecostlyL2cache.Peoplequicklyfiguredoutthata233MHzPentiumwithL2cacheanyamountofL2cachesignificantlyoutperformedthe266
MHzCeleron,eventhoughtheCeleroncontainednumerousinternalenhancementsandhadahigherclockrate.
ManyPentiummotherboardsespeciallythoseinconsumerlevelsystemsdidn'thaveL2cachepresentonthemfromthefactory.AddingsomeL2cachetothe
systemwillsignificantlyimprovetheperformanceofthesesystems,butunfortunately,L2cachecanbedifficulttocomeby.
IntelhasmadetheL2cacheequationabitmoreconfusing,sincethePentiumPro,PentiumII,andCeleronprocessorshaveL2cacheaspartoftheCPU,ratherthan
partofthemotherboard.ThisimprovesperformancebutmakesL2cacheimpossibletoupgradewithoutreplacingtheCPU.
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TheamountofL2cacheisn'tahugefactorinperformance.Thespeedjumpfromnocacheto128KofL2cacheissignificantthejumpfrom128KofL2cacheto
256Kissmallerthejumpfrom256Kto512Kissmallerstill,andthejumpfrom512Kto1MBisstillsmaller.IntelillustratedthiswiththeCeleronandthePentium
II.TheCeleronhas128KofL2cachethatrunsatthefullspeedoftheprocessor.PentiumIIshavealarger512Kcachethatrunsathalftheprocessorspeed.For
typicalhomeandsmallbusinessuses,whenrunningatcomparablespeeds,thesmallerandfasterCeleroncachegivesequivalentorbetterperformance.
IfyoursystemhasL2cache,increasingitssizeisn'taverycosteffectiveupgrade,especiallyunderWindows9x.However,ifyourboardlacksL2cache,addingit
orreplacingthemotherboardwithonethatdoeshavecachewillgiveyouasignificantimprovement.
HardDriveSizeandSpeed
Harddrivesaresecondbehindmemoryinimportancewhenitcomestosystemspeed.HighspeedCPUsspendagreatdealofidletimewaitingonharddrivesto
deliverdatatothem.Harddrivespeedshavemadetremendousstridesinthepasttwoyearseventheslowestharddrivesoftodayareatremendousimprovement
overthedrivesthatshippedin486sfromthefactory.Ifyoursystemhas32MBofmemoryormoreandstillfeelssluggish,beforeyouplunkdown$200foran
overpricedCPUupgrade,pickupaninexpensiveharddrive.Priceskeepdropping,butasofthiswriting,a4.3GBharddrivecostslessthan$90,while12GBhard
drivessellfor$140orless.Mainstreamharddrivesshouldbeatorbelow$10perGBbythetimeyoureadthis.
Todeterminewhetheryourharddriveisagoodcandidateforupgrading,openyoursystemandtakealookatthedrive.Thetoplabelwillprobablycontainadateof
manufacture.Ifitdoesn't,takealookatthebottomofthedrive.Onthechipsonthedrive'sprintedcircuitboard,youshouldbeabletofindsomesilkscreened
numbers.Lookforsomefourdigitnumbersthatstartwiththenumber9(ifthedrivewasmanufacturedinthetwentyfirstcentury,thenumberswillstartwith0).Many
chipsarelabeledwithadateofmanufactureintheformYYWW,wherethelasttwodigitsmakeupaweekoftheyear.Somostsuccessfulcandidateswillstartwitha
9,andthelasttwodigitswillbenolargerthan52.Ifyoufindtwoormorechipsonthedrivewithnumbersthatindicatetheyweremadewithinafewweeksofone
another,youcangetadecentideawhenthedriveitselfwasmanufactured.Ifthedrivewasmanufacturedbefore1996,oneoftoday'sdriveswillbeatremendous
upgrade.Ifitwasmanufacturedbefore1998,amoderndrivewillgiveyoursystemasmaller,butstillnoticeable,boost.
Manypre1997systems,however,cannotidentifyadrivelargerthan4.3GB,andalargepercentageofpre1995systemscannotidentifyadrivelargerthan528
MB.
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Youcangetaroundthislimitationwithsoftware,whichisusuallyincludedwiththedriveifpurchasedatretail.Thissoftwarewillreducetheamountofconventional
memoryyouhaveavailablebyasmallamount,however,anditputsanextralayerbetweenyouandthesystemifyoueverhavetoattemptdatarecoveryonit.
Totakefulladvantageoffast,moderndriveswithanoldermotherboard,youneedacontrollercardthatcontainsitsownBIOS.PromiseTechnology
(www.promise.com)isagoodsourceofinexpensivecontrollerssimilarcardsareoftenavailableinretailsuperstoresaswell.
Beaware,however,thatthesecontrollerswillnotfitinmost486sbecausethey'rePCIcards,andifthecardcostsmorethan$50,it'scomingdangerouslyclosetothe
costofareplacementmotherboard.IfyouhaveaPentiumsystemandcansalvageyourCPUandmemory,you'rebetteroffbuyinganewmotherboardthanoneof
thesecards.GoodSocket7motherboardsstartatabout$65andwillgiveyouthebenefitsofamoderndiskcontroller,plus,inalllikelihood,abiggercache,anewer,
fasterchipset,anAGPslot,andothersystemwidebenefits.
WhattoLookforinaHardDrive
It'sveryeasytogetcaughtupinharddrivespecs,tryingtobuythedrivethatlooksbestonpaper,andendupmakingthewrongpurchase.MarkTwaindidn'thave
harddrivesinmindwhenheutteredhisfamouswords,"Therearelies,damnedlies,andstatistics."Isuspectifhewerealivetodayandawareofthesituationin
modernharddrives,he'dsaysomethingmuchmoreharsh.
Inreality,thereareanumberoffactorsthatgointomakingaharddrivefast,andmanyofthemaren'tprintedonthebox.It'seasytofallintothetrapofbuyinga7200
rpmdrivebecauseitsoundsfast,butthebest5400rpmdrivesoutperformmany7200rpmdrives.It'seasytolookattwoidenticallysizeddrives,onewitha10ms
seektimeandonewitha9msseektime,buythesecondbecauseitsoundsbetterit's10%lower,afterall,andlowerseektimesaretheoreticallybetterandend
upbuyingtheslowerdrive.
PCmanufacturersandmagazinessometimesfallforthehype.InitsMarch20,1999issue,PCMagazinereviewedanAMDK6IIIbasedPCmanufacturedby
Cybermax.PCMagazinefoundthatafterreplacingthefactoryinstalled5400rpmdrivewitha7200rpmdrive,performanceactuallywentdown.Yetthe7200rpm
drivescoredhigheroncertainbenchmarksthanthe5400rpmdrive."AMDisflummoxedbythisparadox,aswestillare,"PCMagazinestated.
Thiswasn'tananomalywithAMDprocessors.WhatPCMagazinediscoverediswhatthehardwarewebsiteshadbeenreportingforacoupleofyears:some
benchmarksdoabetterjobofsimulatingrealworldsituationsthanothers,and
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someharddrivespecificationsmattermorethanothers.Rotationspeedisn'teverything.IwasalittlebitdisappointedthatAMDdidn'tpickuponthis,seeingasAMD
andCyrixhavemadecareersofproducingCPUsthatoutperformIntelCPUsundersomecircumstancesbutinallfairness,AMDisinthebusinessofmakingchips,
notanalyzingharddrives.A5400rpmharddrivecanoutperforma7200rpmharddriveforthesamereasonsthatanAMDK5CPUrunningat117MHzblewpast
anIntelPentiumCPUrunningat120MHzandgavethe133MHzPentiumsarunforthemoney.TheK5wasmoreefficient,soitcouldmakemoreuseofitslower
numberofclockcycles.Sometimeslessismore.
It'sdifficulttopredictthespeedofaharddrive,becausesomanyfactorsgointoit.There'stherotationspeedofthedrive,ofcourse,plusseektime.Mostpeople
knowtolookforthose.There'salsothesizeofthedrive'sbufferanondrivediskcachewhichofcoursemakesadifference.IfRAMismuchfasterthanthehard
drive,puttingsomeRAMontheharddrivetocacheitwillspeedthedriveup.Thedensityoftheplattersalsomakesadifference.Whendataispackedmoredensely
ontotheplatters,thedriveheaddoesn'thavetomoveasfartogetthedata.Butplatterdensityisneverprintedonthebox.
Somedrivemanufacturersboastoftheirdrivesbeingabletodeliverthroughputof33MBoreven66MBpersecond.Thisisatrulyworthlessstatisticonlythe
drive'sonboardcacheisabletodeliverthatkindofthroughput.Thisisthespeedofthedrive'sbus,notthedriveitself,andtheonlytimeyou'regoingtogetthose
kindsofspeedsisifyoureadthedrive'scacheoverandover.Thebestsustainedtransferrateinrealworldteststhatanydrivecanmanageasofthiswritingisabout
20MBpersecond.That'sanimpressivefigure,butfarshortoftheadvertised33MB/seclimit,andjustafractionofthe66MB/seclimit.Besides,everymodernhard
drivehasoneofthesetwolimits,whetherthemanufacturerboastsofitornot.
Thedrive'sfirmwarecanalsomakeadifference.SomediskmanufacturersareveryadeptatmakingdrivesthatperformexceptionallywellunderWindowsNT,but
underWindows9x,theirperformanceismiddling.Thereverseisalsotrue.
Whenitcomestogamingandotherhomeuse,thedrive'sinterfaceIDEversusSCSImakesverylittledifference.SCSIhasatheoreticaladvantageinthatSCSI
drives,whenhitwithabarrageofrequests,canreorderthemandexecutethemintheorderthatmakesthemostsense,whereasIDEdrivessimplyperformeach
requestintheorderreceived.UnderUnixbasedsystemsthathavegoodpreemptivemultitasking,thiscanyieldasignificantperformanceincrease.Windows9x
multitaskingisn'tassophisticatedasUnixmultitasking,however,sothedifferencewon'tbetremendous.Thedifferencemaybenoticeable,butwhenaSCSIdrive
costs$100$200morethananequivalentsizedIDEdriveandalsorequiresanexpensivedrivecontroller,it'sjustnotworthdoublingortriplingthecostofthe
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disksubsysteminordertoimprovesystemperformanceby15%.You'dbebetteroffbuyingasecondIDEdriveandsplittingupyourfilesbetweenthemoperating
systemonone,applicationsontheother,asdescribedinChapter3,DiskOptimization.
Theonlywaytoknowthetruecapabilitiesofadrive,unfortunately,istouseit,orattheveryleast,tosimulateusewithbenchmarks.Ineverbuyorrecommenda
harddrivewithoutfirstgoingtoTheStorageReview(www.storagereview.com),anonlinerepositoryofdrivereviewsandbenchmarks.They'vereviewedvirtually
everydrivemanufacturedsincelate1997,andhaveanonlinedatabasethatallowsyoutocomparespeedsbetweenvariousdrives.YoucanevencompareIDEdrives
toSCSIdrives,soyoucanfantasizeabout10,000rpmSCSIdriveswith4.9msseektimes,thenfindoutthatadrivethatcosts20%asmuchwillgiveyou80%of
theperformance.TheStorageReviewbenchmarkswillgiveyoufarmoreusefulinformationthanthespecificationsonthemanufacturer'swebsiteoronthedrive's
packaging.Youstillcan'tbeabsolutelycertainthatyou'rebuyingtheperfectdrive,sincenobenchmarkcanaccuratelysimulatethemixtureofprogramsonyour
systemandhowyouusethem,butyoucanmakeamuchmoreeducateddecision.
VideoCards
Thespeedofthevideocardisacrucialpartofoverallsystemspeed.Thinkaboutit:virtuallyeverythingtheuserdoesrequiressometypeofgraphicalfeedbackfrom
thesystem.ThinkofthevideocardastheCPU'spersonalassistant.Agoodpersonalassistantknowshisorherjob,anddoeswhatisaskedwhenit'sasked,quickly
andwithoutaskingquestions.Thebestvideocardsdojustthat.TheCPUtellsthemtodrawaline,andtheydoit.TheCPUtellsthemtomovethemousecursorto
somepositiononthescreen,andtheydoit.
Abadvideocardisworsethanabadpersonalassistant,becauseabadvideocardneverlearns.TheCPUdecidesalineneedstobedrawnbetweentwopoints.The
videocarddoesn'tknowhowtodothatonitsown,sotheCPUtellsthevideocardtoplotthispoint,andeveryotherpointalongtheline,untiltheentirelineisdrawn.
Whilethisisgoingon,theCPUcan'tgettotheotherpressingdutiesthatarepilingup,becausetheCPUistoobusydoingthevideocard'sjob.
Beforebuyinganyvideocard,checkoutthemanufacturer.Never,everbuyavideocardwithoutknowingwhomadeit.IespeciallylikeDavidA.Karp'sadviceinhis
bookWindows98Annoyances(O'Reilly&Associates).Hesaystolookatthemanufacturer'swebsitetoseeifthemanufacturerstilloffersdriversandtechnical
supportforoldvideocards.Thelogicisthatamanufacturerwho'sstillwillingtosupportavideocardsoldin1994ismorelikelytosupportavideocardsoldtodayin
fiveyears.Thatmakessense.YoushouldalsolooktoseeifthemanufactureroffersWindows3.1and/orOS/2driversforatleastsomeoftheir
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videocards.This,too,isanindicationofacompany'scommitmenttosupportingitsproducts.Ifthecompanycares(oroncecared)aboutthefewhundredthousand
OS/2usersleftoutthere,itwilldefinitelycareaboutthefewhundredmillionWindows9xuserslikeyououtthere.
Thereareanumberoffactorsthatindicateavideocard'sspeed,butnotallthefactorsmatterallthetime.Thiscanmakeshoppingforavideocardconfusing.
VideoMemory
Here'stheskinnyonvideomemory:ifoneofyourprimaryinterestsisgames,getasmuchvideomemoryasyoucanafford.Inadditiontotheimageonyourscreen,
today's3Dacceleratorsstoretexturesinvideomemory,becauseit'smuchfastertoaccessthetexturesfromvideomemorythanfromsystemmemory.Somecards
evenstorethetexturesinmemorytwice(atechniqueknownasparalleltexturemapping),whichimprovesperformanceevenfurtherbutmakestheamountofmemory
onthecardevenmoredeceptive.Cardswilluseadditionalmemoryfordoubleortriplebuffering(displayingoneimagewhiledrawingthenextoneinthesequence).
Becauseofallthesefactors,thatcloseout16MBvideocardisprobablynobargain.
Ifallyou'reinterestedinisbasicproductivitywordprocessing,email,andwebbrowsingvideomemoryhaslittleornoeffectonspeed,andthemostsignificant
advantageofhavingmorevideomemoryishigherresolutiondisplayswithmorecolors.Generallyspeaking,thesamewisdomholdsforstrategygames.A
punysounding4MBvideocardhasenoughmemorytodrivea19inchmonitorat12801024resolutionin24bitcolor.Ifyouwant16001200resolutionwith32
bitcolor,you'llneedan8MBvideocardanda19or21inchmonitorsoyoudon'tgoblind.Sincemostofusstillhave15and17inchmonitorsinthehome,huge
amountsofvideomemoryareoverkill.
TheVideoBus
Thefirstthingtolookatwithvideocardsistheirbus.TheoldISAbusrunsat8MHz,andyoudon'twanttoberunningsomethingascriticalasyourvideocardat8
MHzifyoucanhelpit.TheVESAlocalbus,introducedwiththe486,improvesthesituation.Itranatspeedsofupto40MHz.Ifyouhavea486andithasVESA
slots,youwantyourvideocardtobeinoneofthoseslots.PCIwasn'treallyatechnicalimprovementoverVESA,butPCIcardstendtobefasterthanVESAcards,
ifonlybecauseatsomepointmanufacturersquitputtingtheirlatestandgreatestvideochipsetsonVESAcardsandexclusivelymadePCIcards.PCIgenerallyrunsat
33MHzorhalftheprocessor'sbusspeed,whicheverisslower.(ThenewerrevisionsofPCIallowspeedsof66MHz,butboththecardandthemotherboardhave
tosupportit.)
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ModernvideocardsuseanewbuscalledAGP.AGPisanextensionofPCIbutrunsatmuchhigherspeeds(originally66MHzAGP2Xrunsat133MHzandAGP
4Xrunsat266MHz).AGPalsohastheabilitytoborrowmemoryfromthemainsystemwhentheonboardmemoryfillsup.Thisisfasterthanhandingoffrendering
dutiestotheCPU,butit'sstillfastertoputanadequateamountofmemoryonthecard.
AGPprovidesanumberofbenefitsoverPCInotably,highcolordisplaysrunfasterunderAGPthantheydidunderPCI.AGPisalsofasterthanPCIforthesame
reasonthatPCIeventuallybecamefasterthanVESA.FewmanufacturersarestillproducingPCIvideocardsinquantity,andthosewhoaregenerallyaren'tputting
theirnewestandfastestchipsonthem.However,unlessyoursystemhappenstohaveanemptyAGPslot,upgradingfromPCItoAGPwillrequireamotherboard
replacement.
VideoChipsets
Thevideochipsetisthechip(orsetofchips)thatactuallydoesthejobofrenderingthedisplayonyourscreen.Notallchipsetsarecreatedequal.Someofthemore
commonchipsetmanufacturersare3Dfx,nVidia,ATI,Matrox,S3,SiS,CirrusLogic,Trident,andTseng.Thechipsetsfromthevariousmanufacturersdobasically
thesamething,buttheyvarymorewidelyincapabilitythanCPUsdo,andtheyevolveeverybitasquickly.
You'relikelytoseevideocardsadvertisedas64bitor128bitcards.Thisdoesn'tmeanthosecardsdo128bitcolordepthsthat'soverkill,seeingasthehuman
eyecan'tperceivethe16.8millioncolorsa24bitdisplaycanrender.Thismeasurementreferstothewidthofthebusbetweenthevideomemoryandthechipset.
Generallyspeaking,thewiderthebus,thefasterthecard.
Agoodvideochipsetisakeycomponentinsystemspeed.OneofmyfirstPCswasa40MHz386DX.Whenthetimecametoupgradeit,Iwentoutandpaidan
obscenepriceforaPentiummotherboardanda75MHzCPU.Icouldn'taffordtodomuchmorethanupgradethosetwocomponents,butthepriceofthe
motherboardandCPUwaslessthanonethirdthecostofanewsystem,soitmadesensetodoit.Iputtheharddrivefromthe386inmy66MHz486,andputthe
486'sharddriveinthe386turnedPentium.Thevideointhe486wasintegrated,soIhadtoeitherusethe386'soldParadiseSVGAvideocardorbuyanewone.I
optedtomakeduewiththeoldParadisecard,sincetheleastexpensivevideocardworthhaving(inmymind)costabout$300atthetimeandIreallydidn'thavethe
$300tospend.
TheresultingsystemloadedandexecutedprogramsfarmorequicklythananythingIwasusedto,butthevideowaspathetic.Icouldsetmytwosystemsupsideby
sideandwatchthePentiumblowpastthe486,butonceIhadmyword
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processorloaded,the486wasmuchmorefluid.Iwasprettysuretheproblemwasthevideocard,butitdidn'tcostmeanythingtoputallofthe486'smemoryinthe
Pentiumtoseeifthatmadeadifference,soIdidit.Itdidn'thelp.SoIcalledaroundandfounda32bitTridentbasedvideocardfor$119.Itwasn'twhatIwanted
Ihadmyeyeonablindinglyfast64bitvideocardwithanS3chipsetbutIcouldaffordit.ItwasamediocrecardinallthebenchmarksIranonit,butitblewaway
thatancientParadisecard,itwasatleastcomparabletothe486'svideo,anditwascapableofdisplayingmorecolors.
TheTridentturnedouttobeasmartmove.TwoyearslaterIboughta64bitS3basedcardwith3Daccelerationfor$89itwasfarsuperiorineverywaytothe
cardI'dlustedafter,andin1997itwasamidrangecard.Ireallywanteda128bitcard,butIfiguredIprobablydidn'tneedit,seeingastheinexpensiveTridentcard
hadservedmyneedsfortwoyears,this64bitcardcostlessthanI'dpaidfortheTrident,andthecardIreallywantedcostabout$300.
InOctober1998,IbuiltthesystemI'mwritingthisbookon.IthasanSTBVelocity128cardinit,basedonthenVidiaRiva128chipset.It,too,isfarbetterthanthe
$300cardIwantedinmid1997,andIpaid$79forit.It'sbeenawhilesinceI'veseentheVelocity128advertised,butIrecentlysawaDiamondViper330,which
usesthesamechipset,for$50.It'sanawfullotofvideocardforthemoney.
AnyadviceIgiveonthebestvalueformoneychipsetouttherewillbeobsoletebythetimeyoureadthis,butthegeneralprincipleshouldbeprettyclear.Ifyour
videoperformanceseemsabitsluggish,replacethecard,butdon'tgospending$300onthemostimpressivesoundingcard.Thisyear's$100cardisbetterthanlast
year's$300card,andnextyear's$100cardwillbebetterthanthisyear's$300card.Anythinginthe$75$125pricerangewillbebetterthanwhatyouhavenow,so
you'rebetteroffbuyingamidrangecardandreplacingitinayearifyoufeeltheneed.
Thisprincipledoesn'tworksowellatthelowend.Mostofthe$29cardsavailabletodayareslightlybetterthanthatoldTridentvideocardIboughtafewyears
back,butthosecardswereavailableayearagoandthepricehasn'tchangedmuch.Don'tbuyareallylowendcardunlessyou'rereallyonatightbudgetandare
buildingaminimalistsystem.You'llprobablyhavetomoveuptothe$50markorsotoavoidstagnantyearoldinventory,andyou'llbemuchhappierifyoudo.
OtherFactors
Onhighendvideocards,twootherfactorscancomeintoplay.Sometimestwocardsthatusethesamechipsetmayusememoryofdifferentspeeds.Thecardwith
thefastermemorywillgivebetterperformance.
Thecard'scoolingsystemcanalsoaffectperformance.Highendvideochipsetstendtorunveryhotandrequirecoolingsystemsjustlikethesystem'sCPU.Ifa
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manufacturercan'tdeviseanadequatecoolingsystem,itmighthavetocompensatebyclockingthevideocardatalowerspeed.This,ofcourse,affectsperformance
greatly.Therearesoftwareutilitiesforoverclockingcertaintypesandbrandsofvideocards,butgenerallyamanufacturerhadagoodreasonforclockingthecardata
givenspeed,soIdon'trecommendprolongeduseoftheseutilities.
3DAddOnCards
Withthecurrentgenerationofvideochipsets,theeraofthe3Daddoncard,whichworkedinconjunctionwitharegularvideocardandtookoversome3D
functions,appearstobeover.Today's3Dacceleratedcardspackmorepowerthanthe3Daddoncardsof1998,addregular2Dgraphicsforuseinstandard
productivityapplications,andsellforrightaroundwhatatypicalmidrangevideocardsoldforin1998.
Forinformationonthestateoftheartin3Dacceleration,yourbestbetistocheckoneofthehardwareorientedwebsites.Thestandardbywhichtheothersare
judgedisthevenerableTom'sHardwareGuide(www.tomshardware.com).AnandTech(www.anandtech.com)andArsTechnica(www.arstechnica.com)are
goodsecondarysourcesofinformationthey'renotaswellknownasTom'sHardwarebuttendtoupdatemorefrequently.Forrecommendationsonhowtomake
specificgamesrunwellonyoursystem(you'reinterestedinmorethanQuake,aren'tyou?),checkoutBlue'sNews(www.bluesnews.com),orifyou'reinto
simulationandstrategygames,CombatSim(www.combatsim.com).Thesetechnologiesseemtochangeeveryotherweek,andtherelookstobemorecompetitionin
thisfieldbythetimeyoureadthisthanthereiscurrently.Youcanexpecttopay$150$175foragood3Dacceleratedcardasofthiswriting.Goodgamingcards
typicallycostabitmorethancardsintendedforproductivitywork.
SoundCards
Peoplegenerallydon'tgivemuchthoughttotheeffecttheirsoundcardhasonperformance,becauseforyears,thebestadviceonsoundcardswastobuyaCreative
LabsSoundBlaster,period.Youdidn'tworryaboutspeedyouworriedaboutcompatibility.
Thosedaysarelargelyover.DOSgamesnolongercomprisethemajorityoftitlesweplay,andWindowsdevicedrivershaveconqueredthecompatibilityproblem.
Overcomingthatbarrierallowsustotalkaboutoverheadandefficiency.Thesedays,anISAbasedSoundBlasterorclonedoesn'tdotheCPUanyfavors.Ifyou're
playinggamesandhaveanISAsoundcard,yourCPUisspendinganawfullotoftimepumpingbitsdownabusthat'spokingalongat8MHz.Themanufacturersof
somePCIsoundcardshaveclaimedanISASoundBlastercantakeupto20%ofyourCPUtime.That'smorethanthedifferenceyougetbysteppingupanother
gradeinCPUspeed.
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Thesedays,PCIsoundcardsarecheap.Thebestcardscostbetween$50and$100,butserviceablecardscanbehadfor$35.Trytolookforacardthatprovides
DirectSoundaccelerationinhardware,especiallyifyou'reintogaming.Themoreworkyoursystemperipheralscando,themoretimetheCPUcanspenddoingother
things.
InexpensivePCIsoundcardsfrequentlyloadwavetablesetsintosystemRAM,sothey'llchewupmoresystemmemorythanyouroldISAbasedSoundBlaster
clone.ISAwavetablecardsusuallyhadSIMMslotsforholdingthewavetablesets.Thismadethecardsmoreexpensive,andsincethecardssometimesused
proprietarySIMMs,thememoryforthemwasexpensivetoo.Allotherthingsbeingequal,Iliketheideaofpaying$35foracardthatusessystemmemorybetterthan
paying$99foracardthathasitsownmemory.Icanspendtheother$65onanextra32MBofRAM.Thesoundcardwilluse8MBofthatmemoryatmostthe
other24MBgoestothesystem,increasingoverallperformance.
ThebigconcernwithPCIsoundcardsthatpeoplesometimesmissisthenumberofvoicesthesoundcardproduces.Thisdealswiththenumberofsimultaneous
soundsthecardcanplayatonce.Manycardsthatadvertise64voicesoundareactuallyonlyproducing32voicesinhardware.Theother32voicescomefrom
mixingmultiplesoundsinsoftware.ThatjobfallstotheCPU.
Ifyouwantthefastestpossiblesystem,besuretogetacardthatproducesitsvoicesinhardwareratherthanwithacombinationhardware/softwareapproach,and
provideshardwareDirectSoundandDirectSound3Dacceleration.
Modems
Mostpeopledon'tgiveathoughttothis,butcertainmodemscandrainyourCPUpower.Windowsonlymodems,sometimescalledWinmodems,relyonyourCPU
formostoftheiroperation.Thisusuallymakesthemodemslowerthanahardwaremodemwouldbe,anditdrainssomeofyourCPUpowerwhileyou'reonline.
Unfortunately,Winmodemscanbedeceptive.They'reattractivethepriceisright,andfrequentlythey'rePCI,sotheycanbesoldundertheallureofhavinganall
PCIsystem.ModemshavenoneedforPCI'sextrabandwidth,however.So,ifyouplantoupgradeyourmodem,insistonamodemcapableofworkingfromstraight
DOSorLinux.Iknowyou'llprobablyneverusethemodemfromDOS,andyoumayhavenointerestinLinuxeither.Butit'stheonlywaytoensureyourmodemisin
factahardwaremodemandnotaWinmodem.
Neverbuyamodemyoucan'treturnwithouthassle.IfthesalespersonsaysitwillruninDOS,don'tbelieveit.Takeithomeandtryityourself.Themostfoolproof
waytotestwhetheraprogramcanruninDOSistodownloadaDOSterminal
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program.WalterCox'ssmall,freeterminalprogramcalledWterm,thougharelicfrom1990,ismorethanuptothetask.It'savailableat
www.access2k1.net/users/farquhar/wterm110.zip.Thedownloadisonlyabout180K,soitwillbefairlyquickevenonanold14.4modem.Iwillwalkyouthrough
theprocessoftestingwithWtermifyoualreadyhaveanotherDOSbasedterminalprogram,theprocedurewillbesimilar.GoaheadandunzipWterm,thenrestartin
DOSmode.It'simportanttorunWterminDOSmode,notjustinaDOSboxwithinWindows.
Goaheadandlaunchwterm.exe.WtermwilllookbydefaultforamodemonCOM1.HittingAltSwilltakeyoutoWterm'sconfigurationscreen,whereyoucan
changetheCOMportwhereWtermlooksforamodem.DOSdoesn'talwaysputthemodemonthesameCOMportasWindowsdoes,soifyouputyourmodem
onCOM1andWtermdoesn'tseeit,don'tpanicyet.GoaheadandswitchCOMportswiththeAltSPEsckeysequence.
Nowtotestthemodem,weneedtosenditacommand.TypeATZandhitEnter.IfthemodemrespondswithOK,themodemworksfromDOS.Ifyouwanttobe
reallysure,hitATDandhitEnter.Themodemshouldpickupthephone.HitEnteragaintohangup.
Ifyou'renotseeinganyofthetextasyoutype,chancesareeitherthemodemisn'tDOScompatibleoryouhavethewrongport.Goaheadandtypethewhole
commandandhitEnterbeforeyougiveup.Ifitdoesn'tworkthesecondtime,tryagain.RepeattheAltSPEscsequenceforCOM1,COM2,COM3,andCOM4.
NotgettingaresponsefromyourmodeminWtermisaprettygoodindicationthatthemodemisn'tDOScompatibleandthereforeisrelyingontheCPUbased
Windowsdrivertodomostofthedirtywork.It'snotabsolutelyfoolproofaplugandplayinternalmodemonanoldnonplugandplaysystemcanfailtoshowup
inDOSbutyoucanrestassuredthatifWtermcanseeyourmodem,yourmodemthinksforitselfanddoesn'ttaxtheCPUanymorethannecessary.
Onceyou'vemadeyourconclusionwithWterm,exit.AltXwilltakeyoubacktotheDOSprompt.OrifyouwanttogetbacktoWindowsfast,hitCtrlAltDel.
Ifyouwanttobereallysafe,buyanexternalmodem.They'remoreexpensiveandtheyrequireaseparate$9cabletoconnecttothecomputer,butthey'remore
reliable,virtuallyguaranteedtobehardwaremodems,andwhensomethinggoeswrong,youcanresetthemodemjustbycyclingthepower.That'ssomethingyou
can'tdowithaninternalmodem.
ThethoughtofusingsomeextraCPUcyclestomakeadevicelikeamodemlessexpensivehasacertainappeal,especiallytocostconsciouscomputermanufacturers
facingthinmargins.Don'tbeseduced.ModemchipsetmanufacturerLucentTechnology'swebsitestatesthata56KWinmodemcanuseupto50MHzofyour
CPU'svaluableclockcycles.Ineffect,ifyouputaWinmodeminyourbrand
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spankingnew650MHzPC,you'vejustturneditintoa600MHzPC.ThepricedifferencebetweenaregularmodemandaWinmodemis$20$50.Theprice
differencebetweenspeedgradesofCPUsvaries,butitcanbeseveralhundreddollarsifyou'relivingonthecuttingedge.It'susuallyjustnotworthit.
Remember,nomatterwhatCPUyouowntoday,withinayear,itwon'thaveanyCPUcyclesyou'rewillingtospare.Getamodemthatdoesitsownwork,sothe
CPUcanconcentrateonitswork.
Printers
IftheuseoftheCPUtopoweramodemwasn'tenough,anumberofprintermanufacturersaremakingprintersthatrelyonthehostcomputer'sCPUandmemory.
ThisisanoldpracticepioneeredbycostconsciousAtariinthemid1980swithitsAtariSTlaserprinterbutispointlesstoday.Printersarecheap,sothere'sno
pointinsacrificingyourCPUpowertosaveacoupleofbucks.Paytheextra$10or$20foraprinterthatdoesitsownwork
ThewaytoavoidCPUhoggingWindowsonlyprintersisthesameasformodems:InsistonaprinterthatworksfromDOSorLinux.Testingaprinter'sDOS
compatibilityisveryeasy,andiftheprinterisconnectedtoacomputerinthestore,youcandoitrightthere.RestartthecomputerinDOSmode,thentypethe
followingseriesoflinesfromthecommandprompt:
COPYCON:C:\TEST.TXT
THISISATESTPAGEFROMDOS.
ControlZ+Enter
COPYC:\TEST.TXTLPT1:
DELC:\TEST.TXT
Aslongastheprinterisn'taPostScriptprinterandnoinexpensiveprinteristhisisaquick,foolprooftestofaprinter'sDOScompatibility.
ThePCIBus
MovingasmanyperipheralsofftheISAbusandontothePCIbusisanattractiveidea.Afterall,CPUsgetfasterandfaster,buttheISAbuskeepschuggingalongat
7or8MHz.It'sinterestingthat33MHzisonequarterthespeedofthecurrentstateoftheartCPUbusspeedof133MHz.Intheearly1990swhenhighspeed
busesbecamecommon,ISAwasrunningatonequarterthebusspeedofthefastestx86CPUofthetime8MHzversus33MHz.
AlthoughPCIisstartingtoshowsignsofinadequacy,it'sstillatremendousimprovementoverISA,andthemoreperipheralsyouhaveonthePCIbus,thelesstime
yourCPUwillspendwaitingonit.
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OnetrendamongthedoityourselfcrowdtodayistobuildPCIonlysystems,onthethinkingthateliminatingtheISAbuswillimproveperformance.Howmuch
differencethiscanmakeisuncertain.
ThethingtorememberisthatISApermeatesthesystem.Thekeyboardport,thePS/2mouseport,theserialports,andtheparallelportalloperateontheISAbus,as
domostfloppycontrollers.TogetatrueallPCIsystem,it'snecessarytogetaUSBkeyboard,mouse,printerandmodemalongwithanIDELS120drive.This
makessuchasetupimpracticalunderWindows95,allversionsofwhichhavespottyUSBsupportatbest.
HavingtheselastfewperipheralsontheISAbusisnobigdeal,however.Thekeyboardandmouse,ofcourse,requireverylittlebandwidthsincetheyareuserdriven.
Forthese,8MHzissevereoverkill.Modems,printers,andfloppydrivesaren'tabigdealeither.
Thesedays,theonlyspeedcriticalperipheralscommonlyavailableontheISAbusaresoundcardsandnetworkcards.BuyingPCIversionsofthesecardsmakes
goodsense.GoingtotheexpenseofbuyingaUSBkeyboard,mouse,andmodemjusttogetyourremainingperipheralsoffabusyoucan'tdisableanywayseems
unnecessary.
StraightTalkonCPUUpgrades
ImentionCPUslateinthechapterbecauseCPUpowerreallyismuchlessimportantthanIntelwouldhaveyouthink.AsinexpensivePCsstartedtobecomepopular
inlate1997,Cyrixexecutiveswerewidelyquotedassaying,''Megahertzdoesn'tmatter."Toalargedegree,theywereright,asillustratedbythesystemsreviewsthat
appeareverymonthincomputermagazines.You'llfrequentlyseereviewsofsystemsthatunderperform,andthemagazinemightsaythata450MHzsystem,
"Performsliketheaverage400MHzsystem."It'softenmoreeconomicaltosurroundaweakCPUwithastrongsupportingcasttogetafastsystem.WheneverI
buildasystem,Iliterallypickoutthecase,memory,harddrive(s),videocard,motherboard,andothercomponentsIwant,thenIbuyaCPUwithwhatevermoneyI
haveleftoverinthebudget.
StraightCPUupgrades,withfewexceptions,arerarelyeconomical.Take,forinstance,the133MHzupgradesthatmanycompaniesofferfor486satacostof
around$99.TheseCPUscantakeyour33MHz486andcatapultittoapproximatelythesamelevelofCPUpowerasa75MHzPentium.That'saprettybigjump.
Buttheseupgradessometimesdon'tworkI'vehadcases,usuallyinnamebrandsystems,wheretheseupgradeCPUsrefusedtoperformanybetterthana66MHz
486,nomatterwhatIdid.IalsohadonecasewhereIpluggedoneoftheseCPUupgradesintoa486buthadpin1misaligned.Pentiumshaveakeypin
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soyoucan'tplugtheminthewrongway,but486slackedthisfeature.Iblewthevoltageregulatoronthemotherboard,renderingtheentiresystemuseless.
Inallfairness,whentheseCPUupgradesdowork,theyprovideaverynoticeableboost,especiallywhenupgradinga33MHzsystem.Ifyouconsideroneofthese
upgrades,youdefinitelywanttocheckyourmotherboardforjumperstoselectCPUspeed.Many25MHzand50MHzsystemsalsocontainedajumperfora33
MHzclock.Withtheformerclockrates,yourCPUupgradewillonlyrunat100MHz.Withthelatter,theupgraderunsatafull133MHz.Afew486seven
containedajumperfora40MHzclock.Thechipintheseupgradesisratedfor133MHz,butitiswellknownforbeingabletorunat160MHz.Ifyouhavea40
MHzclock,youcanoverclockthisCPUto160MHzandgive90MHzand100MHzPentiumsarunfortheirmoney.
Youcanget486upgradesfor386systems,butthey'regenerallynotworththehassle.Thesechipsfrequentlyhadsmallonboardcaches,ortheyhada24bitdata
bus,whichlimitedthemto16MBofRAM.Ifyouhaveanold386andsomeonegivesyouaCPUupgradeforit,itmightbefunforexperimentation,butprepareto
bedisappointedandbeawarethatthechancesareprettygoodthatitwillbeawasteoftime.
Pentiumupgradestendtobeverydifficult.UnlesstheyarebasedonIntelCPUs,theyusuallyrequireaBIOSupgrade,whichaddsconsiderableriskfactornotto
mentionexpense.ThepoorperformingIDTWinChipCPUbecamepopularinCPUupgradesbecauseitusesthesamevoltagelevelsasthenonMMXPentiumand
mostBIOSsmistakeitforanoldernonMMXPentiumorforanAMDK5.WinChipsarealsonicebecausetheyrecognizetheold1.5xmultiplierthat75,90,and
100MHzPentiumsusedandclockthemselvesat4XsoaWinChip200isadropinreplacementforaPentium75andaWinChip240isadropinreplacementfor
aPentium90.
TheproblemwithWinChipsistheyprovideadequateintegerperformancebutterriblefloatingpointperformance.Thisfeaturemakesthemexcellentforword
processingapplicationsandotherproductivitysoftware,butaliabilityfor3Dgames.
ThedirtylittlesecretinCPUupgradecirclesistheWinChip'sprice.Whenyoubuyoneoftheseupgrades,youessentiallypay$100ormoreforaCPU,afan,and
techsupport.AhighqualityPCPowerandCoolingCPUfansellsforlessthan$20.Ifyoucanfindacloneshopthathasone,a240MHzWinChipsellsforabout
$35.Soifyou'rewillingtolivewithjustthetechnicalsupportfromthestorewho,admittedly,wouldmuchrathersellyouanentiresystemandyou'relookingfora
waytogetsomeextralifeoutofanagingPentiumbasedsystem,pickupaWinChipifyoucanfindone.Pocketthe$40yousave,orputittowardssomememory.
TherearecompaniesthathavestartedtosellCPUupgradesonpluginPCIcards.TheseupgradesusuallycontainanAMDorIntelCPUonacardwiththe
supporting
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circuitrythey'realmostareplacementmotherboardthatjustusestheoldmotherboard'sslots.Unfortunately,they'reverypricey:$499.Theonlytimethesewould
evenbegintomakesensewouldbeinveryhighqualitybusinessclasssystemsthatarestillunderwarranty.WithMicronsellingnewCeleronbasedPCsat$799,and
CompaqsellingCeleronbasedbusinessPCsforslightlymore,itwouldmakemoresensetobuyalowendPCtoreplacetheupgradecandidate.Theupgrade
candidatecouldsellforacouplehundredbucks,makingupmostofthepricedifferencebetweentheupgradeandanewPCandthenewPCwouldbecoveredby
abrandnewwarranty.
HowtoTellifYouNeedaCPUUpgrade
TheeasiestwaytofigureoutifyouneedaCPUupgradeistoloadawordprocessor.MicrosoftWord97isespeciallygoodforthistestingbecauseofitshigh
demandssystemwide,butCorelWordPerfectorLotusWordProwilldoaswell.Loadadocumentabouttwopageslong.Ifyoudon'thaveadocumentthatlength,
loadashorterone,thencopyandpastetheentiredocumentintoitselfuntilyougenerateadocumentofsufficientlength.Now,scrollupanddownthedocument.Ifthe
scrollingisfastandsmooth,youprobablydon'tneedaCPUupgrade.IfindthatwhenIrunthissimpletestwithWord97,a75MHzPentiumisaboutasslowasI'm
willingtotolerateforproducingadocumentofanysignificantlength,anda100MHzPentiumisn'tmuchofanimprovement.
Whentyping,yourcomputermayhavedifficultykeepingupwithyouthewordsmaylagbehindyourtypingspeed.Thismightbebecauseyourwordprocessoris
checkingyourspellingand/oryourgrammarwhileyoutype.Ifyouwanttorelyonthisfeature,getafasterCPU.Ifthedelayisonlyoccasionalthecomputerkeeps
upmostofthetime,butoccasionallyfallsbehindpayattentiontowhatthecomputerisdoingwhileyoutype.Ifyouseethediskactivitylightorheartheharddisk
trundling,theproblemisn'tyourCPU.Youneedafasterharddrive.Ifyourdiskactivitylightisconstantlygoingasyoutype,youprobablyhavelessthan32MBof
RAM.Upgradeyourmemory.Inthecaseofeitherofthesetwolatterscenarios,aCPUupgradeisn'tgoingtosolvethemajorproblem.
Games:ADifferentStory
It'seasiertotellwhenyouneedahardwareupgradetorunyourfavoritegame.Thegamejustfeelssluggish.Butwhilethediagnosisiseasy,hardwareupgradestoget
gamesrunningfasterandmoresmoothlypresentauniquechallenge.Buildingagoodgamingsystemisverydifferentfrombuildingagoodproductivitysystema
decentamountofmemory,afastharddisk,andamidrangeCPUisallittakestoimproveawordprocessingprogram,forinstance.ButaseriousQuakeplayerwill
beseriouslydisappointed.
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Strategygamesareeasiertospeedupinexpensively.Mostmodernstrategygameshaveapretty3Dfaceupfront,butthebulkoftheircalculationsarebehindthe
scenesandareusuallyintegeroperations.AnymodernCPUcanplowthroughAIalgorithmswithoutmuchtrouble.Youcanputa200MHzWinChipand32MBof
RAMintoanagingPentium75andplayAlphaCentauriorRailroadTycoonIIprettyhappily.
Ifyou'reintoQuakeII,however,you'renotlikelytobesatisfiedwithanyCPUupgradeonthemarket.AnoldPentiumCPUisadeficiencyin3Dgamesitcan't
crankoutenoughclockcyclestofeedtheotherperipheralsyetitsmostimportantcomponent,thefloatingpointunit,isfarsuperiortothefloatingpointunitinany
upgradechip.IfyoucanfindaCPUupgradebasedonanAMDK62oranAMDK6IIIthatwillworkwithyoursystem,itwillimproveyourgamingexperience
especiallyifyourgamesupportstheAMD3DNow!extensions.TheWinChipbasedupgradesjustaren'tverygoodfor3Dgaming.Partsofthegamewillrunfaster
withaWinChip,butthe3Drenderingwillsuffer.UsenetislitteredwithmessagesfromgamerscursingIDTWinChips.
Ifyou'relookingtomakeyourgamesrunfaster,youneedabetterCPU.ThismeansanAMDK6III,anAMDAthlon/K7,anIntelCeleron,anIntelPentiumII,or
anIntelPentiumIII.ChancesareyouhaveaSocket7motherboard,soonlyaK6IIIwouldplugintoyourmotherboard.ButtheK6IIIdoesn'tworkinallSocket7
motherboards,duetoitslowvoltageanditsBIOSrequirements.
So,chancesareyouhavetogetanewmotherboard.Yournewmotherboardmayormaynottakeyouroldmemoryitdependsontheageofyoursystem.Either
way,youwant64MBofmemory,andmoreifyoucanaffordit.
ThelastthingyouwanttodoispairupthatgreatnewCPUandmotherboardwiththatyearoldvideocard.Videocardsimproveinspeedandcomedowninprice
evenmorequicklythanCPUsdo,sothisyear'sentrylevelcardisprobablybetterthanlastyear'sscreamer.
So,nowyou'veboughtamotherboard,aCPU,somememory,andavideocard.Ifyoursoundcard,modem,harddrive,andCDROMdriveareadequate,youcan
recyclethosefromyouroldsystem.Butyou'vecomeveryclosetoreplacingeverythinginyoursystem.Ifyou'reheavilyintogames,Ithinkyou'rebetteroffnottrying
toupgradeyourcomputer.Puttheoptimizationtricksyoulearninthisbooktowork,thenbuyanewcomputerandnetworkittoyouroldone.Ifyou'reusingthe
systemyouhavenow,it'llbegoodenoughformultiplayergames.Haveafriendoverandfightoverwhogetstousethenewcomputer,orswitchoffandfightover
whogetstousethenewcomputerfirst.
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Overclocking
It'simpossibletobringupthesubjectofhardwareinthelate1990swithoutthecontroversialtopicofoverclocking(runningtheprocessoratmorethanitsratedclock
speed)comingup.Overclockingistoutedastheultimateinfreeupgrades,anddozensupondozensofwebsitestalkabouthowtodoit.Motherboardmanufacturers
boastofmanufacturingboardsmoreoverclockablethantheircompetition.ThehysteriahasevenspreadfromtheWebintoprintmedia.Isawamagazinecoveronthe
newsstandrecentlythatshouted,"Add150MHzofpurespeedwithoutspendingapenny!"Soonafterthat,IsawanarticleintheBostonGlobeundertheheadline,
"OverclockingandLovingIt."Atonetime,computermagazineswouldn'ttouchthetopicnowit'sevenhitthemainstreampress.
Overclockingstemsfromthewaychipsareproduced.Asofthiswriting,thefastestPentiumIllsavailableare650MHz.Inteldoesn'tsetouttomanufactureagiven
numberof650MHzPentiumIlls.Theymakeabatchofchips,lookattheorders,anddecidehowmanyofthechipsinagivenbatchwillbe650sandhowmanywill
be600sandnowmanywillbe550s.Theoretically,onceaproductismature,thedifferencebetweenspeedgradeswillbeindistinguishable.
That'stheargumentforoverclocking.Theargumentagainstoverclockingisthattheveryfactitdoesn'tworkallthetimesuggeststhatsome600sarefailed650s.The
chiptestedat650,failed,andbecamea600.Intelhasdonethisinthepastwithearlierproductlinesthe60MHzPentiumcameaboutbecauseIntelcouldn'tget
earlyversionsofthechiptorunreliablyat66MHz.Similarly,the75MHzPentiumcameaboutbecauseIntelhaddifficultyproducingPentiumsthatranreliablyat90
MHz.
Forme,thebiggestargumentagainstoverclockingistheissueofwarranties.Nomanufacturerisgoingtohonorawarrantyiftheyknowthesystemhasbeen
overclocked.Runningthechipathigherspeedsthanitsratedspeedcausesexcessheat,whichcausescomponentstowearoutmorequickly.Overclockersfrequently
gotoextrememeasurestocutdownontheheat,butsometimesthecuresareworsethanthedisease.TakingyourcomputeroutsideintotheOhiowinter,openingthe
case,thenpointingaboxfanatitisn'texactlyagoodsolutionespeciallywhenyouconsiderthattheharddriveandothercomponentsaredesignedtooperateat
roomtemperature.
Generallyspeaking,overclockingmakesmeleery.Idon'thaveextremelystrongfeelingsonthesubject,butIknowI'mnotabouttoadvocateyougoingand
overclockingyourCPU,becauseIcan'tmakeanyguaranteesthatitwillworkandwon'tdamageyoursystem.
IadmitIhaveoverclockedinthepast,andIamoverclockingnow.IhaveanelderlyPentium75overclockedto90MHz.IhadanotherPentium75thatI
overclockedashighas120MHzforawhile.Istoppedoverclockingthatsystem
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becauseitsstabilitydiminishedovertime.TheoverclockedPentium75isnotmyprimarycomputer,however.It'sslightlyoverclocked,andIknowiftheCPUstarts
pouringoutsmokeoneday,IcangobuyaWinChip200for$30,dropitin,I'llstillhaveausablesystem,andI'monlyout30bucks.Andforaslongasitworks,I
have30bucksIcanuseforsomethingelse.And,restassured,thoughpiecesofthisbookwentthroughthatcomputerduringvariousstagesofitsexistence,thebulk
oftheworktookplaceonnonoverclockedsystems.Theoverclockedsystemisn'tmissioncritical.
Themostprudentadviceonoverclockingseemstobenottodoitunlessyou'rewillingtoloseyourCPUinvestment.Ifyou'regoingtoreplaceyourCPUeveryyear
anyway,whynotbuytheslowmodelforhalfprice,clockitattherateofthefastmodel,thenreplaceitwithsomethingfaster(andthus,moreoverclockable)atthe
endofayear?Likewise,ifyouhaveanoldersecondcomputerthatyou'dliketogetmoreoomphfrom,youmightconsideroverclockingit,aslongasit'snot
performingmissioncriticaloperations.
Butconsideronelastthing.Overclockingisoftenjustamatterofchangingjumperssetyourmotherboardforthehigherspeed,powerup,andgo.Butoftenit'snot.
Inthosecases,youplayaroundwiththevoltage,feedingthechipmorevoltagetotrytogetahigherclockratefromit.Onceyougetintoplayingwithvoltages,
overclockingbecomesmoreofablackart.Runningathighervoltagesisabsolutely,positively,110%guaranteedtoshortentheCPU'susefullife.Ifyoufindyourself
havingtodothis,Isuggestbackingoff.
Theoverclockingpartymaycometoanendsoon.BothIntelandAMDknowhowtomakeCPUsoperateonlyatagivenfrequency.Bothcompaniesarelockingthe
multiplierontheirCPUs,whichseverelylimitsthespeedatwhichtheprocessorsrun:tooverclockaCeleron,youhavetorunitatahigherbusfrequency.The
Celeron300useda66MHzbus,sotooverclockit,youranitona100MHzbus,yieldingaCeleron450.Ifthechipwouldn'trunreliablyat450MHzandyour
motherboarddidn'thaveanyfrequenciesbetweenthetwo,youwerestuckat300.
Iwouldn'tbesurprisedtoseeIntelimplementaclocklockingschemewithinthenextyearortwo.AMDisabitlesslikelytofollow,givenitscloserelationshipwith
overclockingspecialistKryotech,buttheminuteAMDdecidesoverclockinghurtstheirbottomline,lookforthemtodolikewise.
Motherboards
IfyoufindyourselfneedingtochangegenerationsofCPU,youneedtobuyamotherboard.Unlessyou'relucky,youcan'tjustgobuyanyoldmotherboardanddrop
itrightintoyoursystemandexpecttobeupandrunningimmediately.Youhavetomakesureyourboardisthesameformfactor(roughlythesamesizeand
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shape)asyouroldboard,aswellasmakingsureyourboardhasenoughslotsandtherighttypeofslotstoaccommodateyourperipherals.Youalsowanttodo
somequalitycontrol.Cheapmotherboardskillsystemstabilityandcompatibility.
AmotherboardswapusedtobeagreatwaytoturnyouroldPCintoanewone.BackwhennewPCscost$2,000andanewmotherboardcostafractionofthat,it
waspracticaltogotothetimeandexpense.Whetheramotherboardswapispracticalnowdependsonyourexpectations.Ifyou'rebuyinganewmotherboardsoyou
canturnanoldcomputerintoanewone,chancesareyou'regoingtoendupreplacingjustaboutallofthecomponentsinside.You'lleventuallybedissatisfiedwiththe
videocard,andwiththeharddrive,andwiththememory,andwiththeCPU.Prettysoon,you'vereplacedeverythingbutthecaseandfloppydrive.Youwon'tsave
anymoneyinthelongrun.Infact,ifyoucanaffordtoreplacethewholesystem,itwillprobablycostless.Butit'smucheasiertospend$100hereandtheretoreplace
componentsonanasneededbasisthanitistospend$1,000onawholenewsystem.
Therearepeoplewhosaythereisneveranyreasontoswapoutamotherboardin1999,thatit'sjustnotcosteffectiveanymore.Idon'tbelievethat'strueyet.Ifyou
haveawellbuiltsystemthathappenstouseindustrystandardcomponents(Dell,Micron,andGatewayquicklycometomind),replacingthemotherboardisprobably
worthwhile.Sure,youcouldbuyawholeneweMachinesPCforalittlebitmorethanyoupayforthemotherboard,buttheupgradedDell/Micron/Gatewaywillgive
youbetterexpandability.Theverdictisn'tinyetonthereliabilityofeMachinesPCs,butDell,Gateway,andMicronallhaveprovenreliability,andaslongasyouputa
qualitymotherboardinyourprovensystem,itsreliabilitywon'tdegradeatall.
FormFactors
Motherboardsindesktopsystemsalmostalwayscomeinoneoffiveformfactors,twoofwhicharecommonlyavailable,makingthemgoodcandidatesforupgrading.
ThetwocommonmotherboardtypesareBabyATandATX,whilethelesscommontypesareMicroATX,LPX,andNLX.
BabyAT
BabyATmotherboardsareanoldstandard.Althoughthepowersupplyspecificationsdifferslightlyandthenumberofexpansionslotshasincreasedfromfiveto
eight,the8.5"10"13"formfactorisessentiallythesameastheoneusedintheoriginalIBMPCin1981.
TheATmotherboard,introducedbyIBMin1985,waslarger12"wideratherthan8.5".Asmotherboardchipsetsbecamemoreintegrated,itbecamepossible
tosqueezethecomponentsthatmakeupaPCbackontothesmallerboard,whichreducedcosts.BabyATmotherboardsusedthesamepower
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supplyasregularATmotherboards,andthecasestandoffswereinthesameposition,soaBabyATmotherboardfitsinafullsizedATcase.BabyAT
motherboardswerethemostcommonandpopularmotherboardsupuntil1997orso.
TherearethreecharacteristicsthatmakeaBabyATmotherboardinstantlyrecognizable.First,theexpansionslotsareperpendiculartothemotherboard.The
onlyportconnectorspresentontheboarditselfwillbethekeyboardportand,inrarecircumstances,aPS/2mouseport.Thekeyboardportisalmostalwaysthe
older,larger5pinDINconnector,ratherthanthesmaller6pinDINconnectorthesamesizeandshapeasaPS/2mouse.YoucanusuallyrecognizetheBaby
ATarchitecturewithoutevenopeningthecaseifthekeyboardplugsintoalargeholenearthecenterofthecaseandtheserialandparallelportsaremounted
eitheronthecaseitselforonthebackplatesofexpansionslots,you'vegotaBabyATarchitecture.
BabyATboardsarebecomingharderandhardertofindbecausetheirpowersuppliesdon'tdirectlysupplythevoltagesmodernCPUsneed.ModernBabyAT
boardsneedextrapowerregulationtomakeupforthis,whichincreasescostsandcomplicatesthedesign,slightlyincreasingthepossibilityoffailuredownthe
road.Theplacementoftheportconnectorsalsomakesthemhardertoworkontheportsareontheboard,buttheportconnectorsgetmountedonthecase
andconnecttothemotherboardviaribboncables.Ifyoureversetheribboncable,theboardportdoesn'twork.Thisincreasesthetimerequiredtobuildor
upgradeasystem,soBabyAThasfallenfromfavoramongsystemmanufacturers.
DuetothedifficultyoffittingaSlot1connector,anAGPcard,andatleasttwofulllengthPCIslotsonasingleBabyATboard,itisverydifficulttofindaBaby
ATPentiumIImotherboard.
IfyoursystemusesaBabyATmotherboard,youcaninexpensivelyupgradeit,butchancesarethiswillbethelastupgradeyoumakewithoutreplacingyour
case.Whetherthemotherboardreplacementispracticaldependsonhowmanyotherperipheralsyouhavetoreplace.
ATX
ATX,introducedbyIntelin1995,isthemostcommonformfactorinusetoday.AnATXboardmeasures12"8.5"10"essentiallythesamesizeandshapeasa
BabyATboard,onlyrotated90degrees.Thisshapeismuchmoreconvenientfortoday'sdesigns.GamersfrequentlywantanAGPslotandtwofulllengthPCIslots
sotheycanputafastvideocardandtwovideoacceleratorsintheirsystems,anditismucheasiertodesignanATXmotherboardtothesespecificationsthanitisa
BabyATboard.
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ATXmotherboardsaremuchmoreconvenienttoupgradeandworkonthanBabyATboardsbecausealloftheI/Oportsaremountedtotheboarditself.
InstallinganATXmotherboardtakesmuchlesstimethaninstallinganequivalentBabyATmotherboard.Italsohassomeotheradvantagessuchasbetterairflow.
YoucantellanATXmotherboardbylookingatthebackofthesystem.ATXdesignspecificationscallforamaximumofsevenslots,soifthecasehaseight
slots,it'sdefinitelynotATX.Therealtelltalesignistheknockoutforthecomputer'sI/Oports.Ifthecomputer'sserial,parallel,keyboardandmouseportsare
allcontainedwithinthesame6"2"area,youhaveeitheranATXorMicroATXmotherboard.Ifyouhavemorethanfourexpansionslots,it'sATX.
ATXsystemsareprobablytheeasiesttoupgradeandhavethewidestvarietyofupgradeoptionsnowandfortheforeseeablefuture.It'shardtogowrong
upgradinganATXsystem.SinceATXwasintroducedin1995,anysystemwiththisarchitecturewillhaveserviceablecomponentsinside.Ifyou'retradingupto
aPentiumII,you'llprobablyhavetoreplaceyourmemoryandCPUalongwiththemotherboard,butyourharddriveandvideocardwillbeadequateforanother
yearortwo.IfyourATXsystemisaPentium,youcangetanewSocket7motherboardanduseyouroldCPUandstillseeasmallperformanceboost,then
eventuallyreplacetheCPUandmemorywithnewertechnologyonanasneededbasis.
MicroATX
MicroATXisalowcostderivativeofATX.MicroATXboardshavefourexpansionslots,whichallowsthemtobeconsiderablynarrowerthanATXboards.Micro
ATXboardsarealsolikelytohavevideocircuitryintegratedontothemotherboard.IfyoursystemlookslikeATXbuthasonlyfourexpansionslots,it'sMicroATX.
MicroATXisfrequentlyusedinlowcostsystems.ThepopulareMachineslineofconsumerorientedPCsuseaMicroATXarchitecture.
MicroATXmotherboardsusuallyhaveverylowwattagepowersupplies,whichseverelylimitstheirexpansioncapabilities.IfyouwantaverybasicPC,Micro
ATXisfine.ButifyouwanttorecordCDsorgetintoheavygaming,you'llbebetteroffwithanATXarchitecturesystem.Theperipheralsmayfitintothecase,
butthatdoesn'tmeanthepowersupplycanfeeditallenoughjuicetokeepitrunningreliably.
YoucanbuynewMicroATXmotherboards,butyou'reprobablybetteroffgettinganATXmotherboardandcaseifyouneedtoupgradeaMicroATXsystem.
MicroATXsystemsusuallyskimponthepowersupply,runningthematnearcapacityandshorteningtheirlifespan.
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LPX
LPXwasinventedbyWesternDigitalyes,theharddrivemanufacturerforuseinspacesavingsystems.WesternDigitalhasbeenoutofthemotherboardbusiness
foryears,buttheLPXstandardremainedcommon.TheLPXarchitecturebecameespeciallypopularintheearly1990s,andvirtuallyeverynamebrandsystemsoldin
consumerelectronicsstoresfrom1992to1997usedthisformfactor.
LPXhasanumberofcharacteristicsthatdistinguishitfromBabyATandATX.Theexpansioncardssitonarisercard,andusuallytheexpansionslotswillsit
paralleltothemotherboard.Theserial,parallel,video,mouse,andkeyboardportsareintegratedontothemotherboardandsitrightnexttoeachotherina
straightlinenearthebottomofthecase.
IfyouhaveanoldLPXbasedsystem,itispossibletobuyanLPXmotherboard.Thecostisusuallyprohibitive,however.Expecttopaytwicethepriceofa
comparableBabyATorATXmotherboard.IfyouwanttoupgradeanLPXsystem,yourbestbetistobuyanewATorATXcaseandamotherboardto
matchit.
NLX
NLX,alsointroducedbyIntelinthemid1990s,wasdesignedtoreplaceLPX.Modernsystemsinlowprofilecasessuchasthosesoldinconsumerelectronics
storestypicallyuseNLXmotherboards.
Fromtheoutside,NLXhasthesamesetofcharacteristicsasLPX.ThemajordifferenceisthatNLXmovedthedriveconnectorsfromthemotherboarditselfto
therisercard.It'simpossibletoknowforcertainwhetheralowprofilesystemisLPXorNLXwithoutopeningthecase,thoughchancesareifit'saPentiumIIor
Celeron,it'sNLX,andifit'sa486,it'sLPX.
ReplacementNLXmotherboardstendtobeeasiertofindandlessexpensivethanLPXboards.Thus,it'smorepracticaltoreplaceanNLXmotherboardthanan
LPXmotherboard,butofcourse,sinceNLXsystemsarenewer,anNLXsystemislesslikelytoneedamotherboardreplacement.
Occasionally,youwillfindanoddmotherboardespeciallyinatowersystemthatdoesn'tmatchthedescriptionofanyofthesetypes.Theseboardsmaywellbe
proprietarydesigns.Inthatcase,youwon'tbereplacingtheboard.Salvagewhatyoucanfromthesystemandbuyanewmotherboardandcase,orbuyanother
computerandnetworkittoyouroldone.
MotherboardBrands
Beforeyouwaltzintothenearestcloneshopandbuyanyoldmotherboardtheyhaveinstock,youwanttomakesureyou'regettingaqualitypart.Unfortunately,not
allmotherboardsarecreatedequal.
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Youbyallmeanswanttoknowwhomakesanymotherboardyoubuy.Youwanttobeabletogotothemotherboardmanufacturer'swebsitetogetanynewdevice
driversandBIOSupdatesthatmightbecomeavailable,andtodownloadthemotherboardmanualifthemanufacturerupdatesit.Youalsowanttoknowyour
motherboardmanufacturerbecausetherearesomemanufacturersthatconsistentlymakehighqualityboardsandhavebeendoingsoformanyyears.I'vehad
outstandingsuccesswithmotherboardsmadebyAbit,AOpen,Asus,EPoX,FIC,andTyan.And,ofcourse,Intelmakesreliableandcompatiblemotherboards,
beingthelargestofthemotherboardmanufacturers,althoughthesixothermanufacturersImentionedcanfrequentlydesignamotherboardwiththesamespecifications
asIntelbutgetbetterperformance.
Resistthetemptationtobuyacheapmotherboard.Rightnow,highqualitymotherboardstendtostartataround$80.Cheapboardscanbehadfor$40$60,but
thosecheapmotherboardsarenobargain.Insomecases,thesecheapboardsarejustobsoleteleftoversmadebyaqualitymanufacturer.Forexample,Irecentlysaw
amailordervendorhawkingATXSocket7motherboardsmadebyFICfor$40apop.Thesearegoodqualityboardstheproblemis,they'rean18monthold
design.That'saneternityinthecomputerfield.Whowants1997'stopperformerwhen1999'sworstperformerisfaster?Paythefewextrabuckstogetamodern
design.
Insomecases,thesecheapboardsaremadebydisreputablemanufacturersandhaveseverereliabilityandcompatibilityproblems.Evenwhentheboardsdowork
reliably,theyfrequentlydon'tperformaswellasagoodnamebrandboard.
Overthecourseofthepastsixyears,I'vebuilthundredsofsystems,usingavarietyofmotherboardmanufacturers.I'veonlyseenfourdefectivemotherboardsinthis
time.Twowerenamebrandboardsbackinmid1998whenAMDK62boardswereinshortsupplywe'dboughtabatchof20andabatchof25andoneboard
fromeachbatchturnedouttobebad.Theothertwoboardswerecheapknockoffs.Iaspiredtobuildsub$300systemsbackin1996whenitwasstilldifficultto
buildasub$1,000system,andthesedirtcheapboardsmademethinkitwouldbepossible.ThenbothofthecheapboardsIorderedturnedouttobedefective
theyworked,buttheycrashedthesystemanytimeItriedtoaccessthefloppydrive.IreplacedtheknockoffswithcostlierFICboards,andthesystemsworkedfine.
Thesafestwaytobuyamotherboardistohitoneofthemanyhardwareorientedwebsites,suchasAnandTech(www.anandtech.com)orTom'sHardwareGuide
(www.tomshardware.com)andreadtheirmotherboardreviewsinsearchofaboardthatwilldoanadequatejobforwhatyouwant.Thesesitesreallypushthelimits
ofamotherboard,soifaboardgetsagoodreviewfromthem,it'sgoingtoholdupundernormaluse.Ifyoucan'tfindareviewoftheboard,don'tbuyit.Itcouldbe
justfine.Butyoualwayswanttoknowwhatyou'regettinginto.
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Theotherwaytobuyistofindoutthemakesandmodelsofboardsavailablelocally,thenlookforreviewsofthoseboards,andiftheyturnoutOK,buy.
IknowsomePCcloneshopswillnottellyouthemakeandmodelofthemotherboardstheysell.Thereasonsforthispolicyvary,butyoudon'thavetoputupwithit.
Iftheshopwon'ttellyouwhatthey'retryingtosellyou,tellthemyou'regoingtoashopthatwill.Shopsthatdon'tgiveyoufulldisclosuredon'tneedyourbusiness,
especiallywhentherearemanyshopsthatwilltellyouexactlywhattheysell,andthey'reevenwillingtotalkaboutwhenit'sbettertobuyanAbitmotherboardoveran
Asusmodelorviceversa.
PowerSupplies
Inaperfectworld,powersupplieswouldhaveabsolutelynothingtodowithsystemperformance.Unfortunately,weliveinaworldwherepeoplenaturallygravitate
towardsthebestprice,andallpowersuppliesprettymuchlookalike.However,manycheappowersuppliesstrainundertheloadaharddriveplacesonthemduring
intensivediskaccess(andunfortunately,somegamescanworktheharddriveprettyhard),andwithoutadequatepower,thedrivecan'treadinanefficientmanner.
Cheappowersupplieshurtsystemperformance.Ifyou'rebuildingaPC,besuretopaytheextrabucksforagoodqualitypowersupply.Thereareanumberof
companiesthatmanufactureand/orsellqualitypowersupplies.ThebiggestnameinpowersuppliesisPCPower&Cooling(www.pcpowercooling.com),butother
goodsourcesofqualitypowersuppliesincludeZippyUSA(www.zippyusa.com),CaliforniaPCProducts(www.calpc.com),andSparklePowerInternational
(www.spi.com.tw).
Thewattageyouneedvaries.IfyouhaveastandardconfigurationwithasingleharddriveandCDROMdrive,235wattsisplenty.Ifyoudecidetoaddmultiplehard
drivesand/oraCDrecorder,considerupgradingtoa300wattpowersupply
CDROMandDVDDrives
Peopleoccasionallyaskmewhenthey'llneedtobuyaDVDROMdriveandthey'reannoyedwhenIrespond,''Whenyouneedone."Thentheyaskhowthey'll
knowwhentheyneedone,whichisaneasyquestion.Oncethere'sasoftwaretitleyouabsolutelyhavetohavethat'sonlyavailableonDVD,getone.Untilthen,
there'snoreasontospend$100togetsomethingthat'sjustgoingtoactlikeaCDROMdrivethatcostshalfasmuch,unlessyouwanttowatchDVDmovieson
yourcomputer's17"monitor.
Theloneexceptiontothisruleiswhenbuyinganewsystem.BackwhenthepricedifferencebetweenCDandDVDwassignificant,itmadesensetojustgeta
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CDROMdriveandwait.Thepricedifferenceisnowlessthan$50.IfpokingaroundinsideaPCisn'tyourideaoffun,itmightbeworthwhiletomakesureyournext
PChasaDVDROMdrive.
AndasforCDROMdrives,IsawanentireshelffullofdrivesthelasttimeIwenttoacomputersuperstore,andIstillhavenoideawhy.Isaw50xdrivessellingfor
upwardsof$100,andIcouldn'tfigureoutwhyanyonewouldwanttobuyone.Toseemylogic,justthinkaboutthethingsyouuseaCDROMdrivefor:
Installingandloadingsoftware
AfasterCDROMdrivedefinitelymakessoftwareinstallmorequickly.A40xCDROMdrivecancopy400MBworthofdatainwellunder10minutes.Butthe
typicalsoftwarepackageisabout100MB.Whetherthatsoftwarepackagetook10minutestoinstallortwowillnothaveanyeffectonyouroverallcomputing
experience.
PlayingaudioCDs
Italwaysamusesmetowatchpeopleplugasetofheadphonesintoa$2,000computeranduseitastheywoulda$40CDplayer.Iliketheirony.Thisisprobably
themostcommonuseofaCDROMdrive,andanancientIXCDROMdrivefrom1990willplayaudioCDseverybitaswellasthatultraoverpriced50XCD
ROMdriveonthecomputerstoreshelf.
Playinggames
ManygamesonCDROMcontainsomefullmotionvideoandtheyplaythevideoofftheCDinordertoconserveharddiskspace,buttheygenerallyinstalltheir
speedintensivecomponentsonthesystem'sharddrive.Ifthevideoclipsarejerky,itprobablymeansyouneedtoadjustyourCDROMdrive'sbuffering.See
Chapter2,FirstSteps.
ExtractingdigitalaudiofromaudioCDs
Thereareseveralpossiblereasonsfordoingthis.Youmightwantanaudiofilein.wavformtouseinapresentation,oryoumightwanttoconverttheCD'scontents
toMP3format.
Unlessoneofyourprimaryinterestsisdigitalaudioextraction,thereislittleneedtoreplaceaCDROMdriveunlessitbreaks.Youjustwon'tseeenoughbenefitfrom
ahighspeedCDROMdrivetojustifytheexpense.There'sajokethatsaysCDROMstandsfor"ConsumerDeviceRenderedObsoleteinMonths."Ifyouwant
yourCDROMdrivetogofaster,you'refarbetteroffspendingthatmoneyonmorememoryandchangingyourCDROMdrivebuffering.Thiswillprobablybring
yourCDROMdriveperformanceuptoanacceptablelevel,plusitwillimproveoverallsystemperformance.
AndsometimesaslowerCDROMdriveispreferable.LowspeedCDROMdrivesaremuchlesssensitivetotheamountofinkonthetopsideofaCD,less
sensitivetothinnerthannormalCDs(IBMhasbeenknowntousethesethinnerCDsat
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times),andmuchlesssensitivetoscratches.I'veseenstoreboughtCDROMtitlesfailona32Xdrivebutworkjustfineonanolder12Xdrive.Andoncomputers
thatlackbusmasteringcontrollers,alowspeedCDROMdriveusesfarlessCPUtimethanahighspeedone.There'samythgoingaroundthatafastCDROM
drivewon'trunanyfasterthan12Xona486.That'snottrueCPUspeedmakesnodifferenceinhowquicklyaCDROMdrive'smotorruns.Butahighspeed
CDROMdrivecertainlywillbogyourCPU'sperformancedownmuchmorethana12Xdrivewould.Iprefernottoputanythingfasterthanan8Xdriveina486,
becauseitstrikesagoodbalancebetweendrivespeedandtheamountofCPUtimeused.
AnotherlittleknownfactaboutCDROMdrivesisthewayspeedismeasured.Mostdrivesratedhigherthan12Xareactuallyspinningthediscatvariablespeeds
slowerontheinsidepartofthedisc,fasterontheoutsideparts.A32Xdriveisonlyspinningat32Xontheoutermostpartofthedisc,whichisusuallyempty.Onthe
innerpartsofthedisc,that32Xdriveisnofasterthana12Xdrivewouldbe.Inaddition,theseratingsassumeasustainedread,whereasmanyCDscontainalarge
numberofsmallfiles.Putsimply,you'llveryrarelygetpeakperformanceoutofanydrive.
AsmallnumberofcompaniesmarketsocalledTrueXdrives,whichemploymultiplelaserstogethigherspeeds,ratherthanjustspinningthediscfaster.A40XTrueX
drivewillgiveyoutrue40Xperformance,butchancesareyoudon'tneedit.Mostreviewershavefoundthesedrivesdon'tgivemuchbetterperformancethan
variablespeeddrives.
IalsogetquestionsaboutCDROMandDVDROMbrands.Qualitydoesvaryslightly,justasqualityvariesamongfloppydrives,butthevarianceisn'tenoughto
worryabout.Thisadvicemightsoundstrangeandsuperficial:getadrivethatlooksgood.Thecheaper,lowerqualitydrivesaregoingtolookcheap.Amanufacturer
whostilltakesthetimetogetthesmallstuffrightandinthisdayandageofhidingCDROMdrivesbehindpanels,appearanceissmallstuffismorelikelytoget
thebigstuffrighttoo.
Theexceptiontothebrandrecommendationruleisdigitalaudioextraction.ThefirstandlastnameindigitalaudioextractionasofthiswritingisPlextor.Plextor'shigh
endSCSICDROMdrivescanextractdigitalaudioatablistering24Xrate.IfyouwanttobeabletoconvertafullCDintofilesonyourharddriveinlessthanfive
minutes,Plextoristhewaytogo.Plextor'sdrivescarryapricepremiumyou'llveryrarelyfindthemforunder$90,whereasabargainbasementdrivecansellforas
littleas$35andtheyalsorequireaseparateSCSIcontroller,whichwillrunanother$30$100dependingonitsfeatureset,butifdigitalaudioisimportanttoyou,
it'sworththeprice.
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ExternalRemovableMediaDrives
Ifyou'rewantingtouseanexternalhighcapacitydrivelikeaZip,Jaz,orCDRdrive,youshouldshyawayfrompluggingitintoyourparallelport.Theparallelportis
tooslowtodoagoodjobwiththesedrives,especiallyCDRdrives.
InthecaseofZipdrives,youcangeteitheraUSBoraSCSIversion.Eitherwillbemuchfasterthanaparallelportdrive.InthecaseofJazorCDR,getaSCSI
card.You'llgetfartoomanybufferunderrunswithaparallelportCDR,whichofcourseruinstheCDyou'rewritingto.TheJazisintendedtobeahighperformance
drive,sogiveitthebusitwasdesignedfor.
Scanners
Peopledon'tnormallythinkofascannerashavinganeffectonPCperformance,anditusuallywon't.Theparallelportwasn'tdesignedforscanners,however,so
giventhechoicebetweenaparallelorUSBscanner,you'rebetteroffgoingwithUSB.USBwillgiveyoubetterperformanceandrequirelessCPUintervention,
allowingyourbackgroundtaskstorunbetter.ASCSIscannerisevenbetter,butSCSIcardsaren'tstandardequipment.IfthescannercomeswithaSCSIcard,the
pricepremiumisn'ttoohigh,andyouhaveanavailableexpansionslot,gothatroute.
Monitors
Amonitorhasnoimpactonsystemspeed,butitcandramaticallyincreaseyourproductivity.Abigmonitorrunningatahighresolutionletsyoureallymultitask.
Consideringmostpeoplestillworkat800600resolution,a21"displayrunningat16001200wouldallowyoutoeasilyhavefourorevenmoretasksrunningside
byside.Ofcourse,thesemonitorsstillcostmorethanmostofusarewillingtospend,butIsuggestgettingamonitorofsufficientsizetoallowyoutorunat1152864
resolutioncomfortably.That'senoughresolutiontohaveawordprocessorandawebbrowseropensidebysideatsomewhatcomfortablewidthsforwritingresearch
papers,ortohaveawebbrowserandanemailclientopensidebysideforonlinecorrespondence.
Don'tbuyacheapmonitor,however.In15yearsofcomputerownership(mostofitveryheavyuse),I'vehadninebreakdowns.Fiveofthoseweremonitors.The
otherswereaprinter,afloppydrive,akeyboard,andaPC/XTmotherboardcomparativelyveryminor,seeingasanewmonitorcostsatleast$150today,whereas
mostofthesecomponentscostcloserto$20.Inmymicrocomputersupportcareer,I'veseenfarmoreproblemswithmonitorsthanwithanyotherpieceofhardware.
I'vealwayssupportedsiteswithabout500clients,andIseemonitorsdieatarateofaboutoneamonth.Aboutonceamonth,Iusuallyseeabout
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oneotherhardwarefailureofsomesortusuallyacomponentwithmovingparts,likeakeyboard,mouse,orCDROMdrive.
Themonitoristheworstplacetoskimp,foracoupleofreasons.Computercomponentscanbereplacedwithmoney,butnoamountofmoneywillmakeyoureyes
whattheyoncewere.Andwhileitmayseemfoolishtospend$400onamonitoryou'regoingtousewithacomputerthatcostsaslittleas$399,rememberthat
computersbecomeobsoletefarmorequicklythanmonitorsdoanddepreciatemorequickly.Whenthat$399computerhasamarketvalueofzero,thatmonitormay
stillbeworthhalfitspurchaseprice.IstilluseanNECMultisyncIIIboughtin1991.It'sonitsfourthsystemtoday.Iknowthe17"liyamamonitorI'mcurrentlyusing
asmymainmonitorisn'ttopoftheline,butitspictureisgood,it'sbeenreliable,andIboughtitfullyexpectingtostillbeusingitinfiveyears.Iboughtitwithasystem
thatIexpectwillreceiveacompleteoverhaulwithinayear.
IwishsomeonewouldstartpublishingserviceandreliabilityratingsformonitorslikethePCserviceandreliabilityratingsPCMagazineandPCWorldpublishevery
year.SinceIhaven'tseensuchathing,Icanonlymakerecommendationsfrommyownexperience.I'veneverhadanyproblemswithanyoftheNECmonitorsI've
ownedoradministered,includingtheveryfirstoneIboughtusedin1991.Itwasmanufacturedin1988andIstilluseitseveraltimesaweek.NECmonitorscost
morethanmostotherbrands,andtheirpicturequality,whilealwaysgood,isneverquitethebestbutI'veneverseenanothermonitorwithasimilarhistorytomy
ancientNECMultisyncIIthat'sinnearlyasgoodshapeasmymonitor.
I'vealsohadgoodluckwithViewsonicandIiyamamonitors,ashaveotherpeopleIknow.
Themerepresenceofathreeyearwarrantyisn'tenoughtoguaranteeamonitor'squality.Ifyoubuya19inchmonitoranditdieswithsixmonthstogoonits
warrantyperiod,areyoulikelytogotothetroubleoffindingaboxbigenoughtoshipit,thenlugaroundandpayonewayshippingforan80poundpackage?When
Isawa19inchmonitorforsalerecentlyfor$299,Iwasreluctanttopassonit.ButseeingaseverynonViewsonic,NEC,orIiyamamonitorI'veeverownedbroke,
Ipassed.
InputDevices
Inputdeviceslikewisehavenoimpactonperformancebesidestheirimpactontheuser.Ifthecomputeriswaitingonyou,it'snotbeingproductive.Soinputdevices
domatter.
IgrewuparoundCommodoreandAmigacomputersandIlovedthem,butitwasdefinitelyinspiteoftheirkeyboards.Thosekeyboardswereterrible.Thefirst
keyboardIlikedwasaWysekeyboardthatcamewithanold286Iboughtand
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intendedtoturnintoaquickanddirtyrefurbishproject.Igotitcheap,planningtoaddsomevaluetoitandturnaroundandsellitforenoughprofittomakeitworth
mywhile.Ineverdidit,becauseitskeyboardwassomuchbetterthananythingelseIowned.WhenIfinallydidpartwiththatsystem,itwasanevenuptradefora
systemwithaNorthgatekeyboard.Ilikedthatkeyboardalot,butNorthgatekeyboardsarevirtuallyimpossibletofindanymore.Acoupleofcompaniesmakeclose
clones,buttheychargeupwardsof$150forthem.IfoundIlikedtheoldfashionedIBMclacketykeyboardsjustaboutasmuch(theoneswiththegrayIBMlogoare
betterthantheoneswiththebluelogo),andIcanstillfindtheminusedcomputerstoresforbetween$10and$20.That'sthesamepriceI'dpayforatypicalnewno
namekeyboardoftoday.
BynowyouprobablythinkI'manutbecauseIharborstrongfeelingsaboutsomethingastrivialasakeyboard.ThatmaybebecauseI'mawriterandasystems
analystmylivelihooddependsonmykeyboards.TheveryfactthatIcantellyoutheworstkeyboardIeverusedandthethreethatIlikedbestsuggeststremendous
variance.Besuretotryoutsomedifferentkeyboardsbeforeyoubuysomething.Likepricedkeyboardscanvarywidelyinfeel.Alsocheckouttheusedcomputer
stores.Manufacturersusedtocarealotmoreaboutkeyboardsthantheydonow.IloveIBM'soldkeyboards,butIhatetheircurrentkeyboardline.Ifyougetlucky
andfindaNorthgateorZeoskeyboard,buyitwithoutevenlookingatthepricetag.You'reinforatreat.
You'reprobablythinkingImusthaveastrongopinionaboutmicetoo.You'reright.IliketheoldfashionedUshapedthreebuttonLogitechmice,whichLogitech
nowmarketsastheLogitechWingmanGamingMouse.(Don'tletthenamefoolyouit'sgreatforeverythingelsetoo.)Pointingdevicesareverypersonal.Don't
settleforthat$5baro'soapmousethatshippedwithyoursystem.Spendsometimeonthemouseaisleatthecomputerstore,lookingforsomethingthatfeelspretty
good,thenifyoufindsomethinggood,getit.Ifyoudon'tlikeit,takeadvantageofthestore'sreturnpolicyandgetsomethingyoudolike.
Inputdevicesaren'tjustlimitedtomice,either.ThepeopleI'vemetwholiketrackballs,touchtablets,andtouchpadsarerabidaboutthem.IfIevergetbackinto
graphicsorpublishingwork,I'llprobablywantatouchtabletwithastylus.Findsomethingthatyoulikeandcanworkwith.Youwouldn'tbuyacarwhoseseat,
steeringwheel,andmirrorsonlyhadoneposition,especiallyifthatpositionwerebestsuitedforsomeonetallerorshorterthanyou.Dependingonyourjob,youmay
spendasmuchtimeinfrontofacomputerasyoudoinacar.Makesureyourcomputerisascomfortableasyourcar.
BuyingNewSystems
Therearetimesthatitmakessensetojustchuckitallandbuyanewsystem.IfyourPCismorethanthreeorfouryearsoldandstillusableforsometasksbut
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makingyouwaitonothers,youmaywellbebetteroffreplacingitinsteadoftryingtoupgradeit.Don'tbothertryingtosellanoldPCnoonewantstogiveyou
anythingforyourPentium90whennew300MHzsystemssellfor$399orless.EithernetworkittoyouroldPCsothatmoreofyourfamilymemberscanget
computertimewhentheywantorneedit,orpassitontoarelative.
Whetheryou'rebuyingaconsumerorientedPCfromasuperstoreoraclonefromasmalllocaldealer,it'shardtoknowexactlywhat'sinsidethecaseandhowwellit
willperform.Youmaynotgetastraightanswerfromthesalespersoneither.IfyoucantalkthesalespersonintolettingyourunSiSoftSandra(coveredindetailin
Chapter5,Utilities),youcanfindoutalotaboutanyPC.YoucanfindouthowtheperformanceoftwosimilarbrandnamePCscompares,andinthecaseofa
genericclone,youcanfindoutwhomadethemotherboard,videoandsoundsubsystems,andotherimportantinformation.YoucanalsofindouthowmanyfreeISA
andPCIslotsthePChas,howmanyfreememoryslotsithas,andgetSiSoft'sprofessionalopiniononthesystem.It'snotliketakingmePCshoppingwithyou,butin
somewaysit'sbetter.
MostcloneshopswillbemorereceptivetolettingyourunSandrathanmostsuperstores.Beforeyoucauseascenedeclaringthattherewon'tbeanycommissions
todayonaccountofapurchasefromyouifyoudon'tgetachancetorunyourbenchmark,rememberthatnobody'sgettingrichbysellingPCsatretailthesedays.The
marginsarerazorthinmostlargestoresstockPCsstrictlybecausetheyknowthatpeoplearemuchmorelikelytobuyhighmarginitemslikeinkcartridgesand
softwarefromthesamestorethatsoldthemtheirPCs.If"Well,maybe[nameofthestore'sarchrival]will,"doesn'tsuffice,thengotothecompetition,andifthedirect
competitionisn'taccommodatingeither,thentryJoe'sClones.
Ifyou'rebuyingaPCviamailorderfromavendorlikeDell,Gateway,orMicron,youdon'thavetheoptionofrunningSandra.Thesalesrepresentativewillbeable
totellyouwhomademostofthecomponentsgoingintothesystemandothercriticalspecificationslikethenumberofavailableexpansionandmemoryslots,butyou
definitelywon'tknowasmuchaboutanyPCyoubuymailorderasyouwouldsomethingyoufoundlocallyandwereabletorunSandraonbeforepurchasing.Onthe
plusside,ifyouaskforanATXarchitecturesystemfrommostdirectvendors,youwon'thaveanytroublegettingone.
Scavenging
Ifyouworkforacompanythathasoldersystems,orifyou'realongtimecomputeruserwithsomeoldsystemssittinginthegarageorattic,orifyouknowofaused
computerstorenearbyoronlinethathasgooddealsonusedhardware,andyouwanttodoalittlesoupingupofanoldsystemwithoutspendingalotofmoney,you
cantakethescavenger'sapproachtoupgrading.
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Onescenarioforscavengerstyleupgradingimmediatelycomestomind.Ifyouhaveanold486thatuses30pinmemoryandyouabsolutelymustget32MBofRAM
intoit,youshouldembarkonasearchfora386or486with16MBofRAMormore.Chancesare,youwon'tpaymuchmorethan$100foritifyoucanfindone,
andyou'llhavesomeextrapartstoscavengeaswell.Ifyoucanfindtwosuchsystems,buyboth,thenpooltheircomponentswiththecomponentsfromyoursystem.
Takethe4MBSIMMs,thenfindthebestmotherboard,CPU,videocard,CDROMdrive,andsoundcardfromthelot.Thenyoucanbuildanothersystembased
aroundthesecomponentsandthetwobiggestharddrives,thenifyou'restrappedforcash,usetheleftoverpartstobuildasecondsystemandsellittohelpfinancethe
upgradethepricedifferencebetweenareallygood486andareallybadoneisabout$25,andthedifferencenarrowstremendouslyinthecaseof386s.You'llstill
haveplentyofleftoverpartstoaddtoyoursparepartsbin.
Obviously,ifyouwanttotakethisapproach,ithelpstohavesomecomputerknowledgealready.Ifyou'recomfortabledisassemblingandreassemblingsystems,thisis
acheapwaytodosomeupgrading.Whenyou'rebottomfishing,anentiresystemfrequentlysellsforjustslightlymorethanoneofthekeycomponentswouldfetch
alone,soyoucandosomeupgradingbybuyingasystemsimilartoyours,swappingwhatevercomponentsarebetter,theneithertrytoresellthenowdowngraded
system,orfindanotheruseforit.
Whenscavenging,therearetwothingstoremember.Firstofall,ifyoucanfindagoodsecondharddrivetoputinthesystemyou'retyingtoupgrade,youwanttodo
it.Twodrivesarefarbetterthanone.
Thesecondandperhapsmoreimportantthingistorememberthatnotallcomponentsarecreatedequal.Theyneverwere,andtheyneverwillbe.Twomotherboards
thatsupportexactlythesameCPUsmaydifferinperformancebyasmuchas10%.Onoldersystems,that'smorethanthedifferenceyougetfromsteppinguptothe
nextgradeofCPU.Theperformanceofvideocardscanvarywidelyaswell.Ifyou'remessingaroundwith386sand486s,yourvideocardsarelikelytobeonthe
oldISAbus,soyoudefinitelywanttokeepthefastestvideocardyoufind.
WhatDoIDowithThisOld486?
While486basedcomputersarefrequentlymalignedthesedays,theycanstillbeuseful.Withsomework,theycanrunOffice97andotherproductivitysoftware,and
manyoldergamesweredesignedfor486s.Anoptimized486canactuallyfeelfasterthanaPentiumif,likemostPentiums,thePentiumisboggeddownwithexcess
sounds,animatedcursors,screensavers,andothernovelties.
Allofthetricksinthisbookappliedtoa486won'tturnitintoaPentiumIIIbasedpowerhouse.Andwhilehardwareupgradesarecertainlypossible,theyaren't
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extremelypractical.Icanturna486intoaPentiumIIIbyaddingorreplacingenoughhardware,butthesamecanbesaidforthetoasterinmykitchen.A486withthe
maximumamountofmemoryitcantakecommonlimitsare32,48,and64MBandanew,fast8.4GBharddrivewillrunprettywell.Butaddingthisstuff,unless
youalreadyhavesomeofitlayingaroundandit'salreadypaidfor,justisn'tverypractical.For$500,youcansoupupa486.Add32MBofRAM,adda133MHz
CPUupgrade,addafastnew8.4GBharddrive,maybeupgradetoWindows98,andbuyPartitionMagicandNortonSystemWorkstooptimizeit.Buttheupgrade
ishardlycosteffective.AsIwrite,anew300MHzeMachinesPCwith32MBofRAManda3.2GBharddrivesellsfor$399.Whileitwon'tcomewith
PartitionMagicandNortonSystemWorks,thetoolsthatshipwithWindows98aregoodenoughthatthisnewPCwilloutrunany486,nomatterhowyouoptimizeit.
Ifthe486isstilltooslowevenafteroptimizingitandaddingsalvagedhardwaretoit,there'sstillsomethingyoucantry.Trydedicatingthemachinetoasingletask.If
you'reonlyinterestedinusingthatPCforwebbrowsingandemail,makeNetscapeNavigator3.04yourdefaultshell.Ifyou'reinterestedinusingthatPCforword
processing,makeyourpreferredwordprocessorthedefaultshell.Thiswillinessenceturnthe486intoasingletaskkiosk,butyoumaybesurprisedhowwella486
candoasingletask.
Theprocessiseasy.InstallthemostbasicWindows95setupyouneedtogetthejobdone.ConfigureitaddingDialupNetworkingifyou'reusingitforweb
browsingandstreamlineit.WhenIsaybasic,Imeanminimalist.It'spossibletorunotherprograms,butnotveryeasily.Nowoptimizeitpartitionthedrives
strategically,andusetheothertricksdescribedinthisbook.
Next,installtheapplicationyou'regoingtowanttouse,thenlaunchitandconfigureit.MicrosoftWord97doesn'trunwelloutoftheboxona486,butitwillrunfine
ifyoudoalittleconfiguration.SelectTools Options SpellingandGrammar.FindtheboxlabeledCheckSpellingAsYouTypeanddeselectit.Findthebox
labeledCheckGrammarAsYouTypeanddeselectitaswell.YoumightalsogotoTools Options ViewandchecktheboxlabeledDraftFont.Thismakes
WordsubstitutetheWindowssystemfontfortheTrueTypefontsonscreen.Theresultwon'tbetrueWYSIWYG,butthespeedwillbemuchbetterandPrintPreview
willgiveyouagoodideaofwhatthefinishedproductwilllooklike.
Ifyou'relookingtoturna486intoawebkiosk,it'sbestnottoexpectittorunafourthgenerationbrowser.Fifthgenerationbrowsersareexpectedtobefasterthan
theirfourthgenerationcounterparts,butit'sbesttostickwithNetscape3orNetscape5,orbetteryet,Opera.Besuretoconfigureittousethetemporarypartition
forbrowsercache.
Onceyourapplicationisinstalledandconfigured,youneedtomodifysystem.ini.GotoStart Run sysedit
you
SYSTEM.INI.Abouttheeighthlinedown,
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willfindalinethatreadsSHELL=EXPLORER.EXE.Almostanyapplicationcanserveastheshellyourbestbetistosimplytryit.Youneedtousetheshort
Componentstospecifyit,however.Forinstance,tomakeWordmydefaultshell,Iusethefollowingline:
SHELL=D:\PROGRA1\MICROS1\OFFICE\WINWORD.EXE
ThisassumesthatWordisinstalledinD:\ProgramFiles\MicrosoftOffice\Office.
TomakeNetscapeNavigatormydefaultshell,Iusethisline:
SHELL=D:\PROGRA1\NETSCAPE\PROGRAM\NETSCAPE.EXE
Youmayoccasionallyneedtorunanotherprogram,suchaswhenyouneedtodefragmentyourdrive.HitCtrlEsc,andtheWindowsTaskManagerwillpopup.Go
toFile RunApplication,andtypeDEFRAG.You'llnowbeabletodefragmentyourdrives.Youcanrunanyotherprogramyoulikethiswayaswell,butthelack
ofaStartmenumakesitabittedious.ThistrickassumesthatthedecreasedoverheadbynotkeepingaseparateWindowsshellinmemorywillmakethesystem's
speedmoreacceptable.Yousaveatleast4MBofRAM,yousavesomeCPUcyclesaswell,andmakingthecomputerloadsomeusefulprogramautomatically
whenit'sturnedonwillmakeiteasierforsomepeopletouse.
Ifyou'veputaschedulingprogramonthePCtoautomatetaskssuchasdefragmentingthedriveorscanningforviruses,addalinetosystem.initorunitputtingitin
theStartupfolderwon'twork,sinceStartupistiedtoExplorer.Forexample:
RUN=C:\PROGR1\PLUS!\SCHEDULE.EXE
Thiswillallowthe486tostilldosomeselfmaintenance.
Thistrickmayallowyoutopulla486offthescrapheapandmakeitusefulagainforanotheryearorso.Or,itmayallowyoutogiveittoafriendorrelativewhoisn't
especiallyinterestedincomputersforanypurposeotherthankeepingintouch.Ifthat'sthecase,a486willbeusefultothemuntilitbreaks.Ifit'sreceivingfairlylight
use,thatcouldbeseveralyearsfromnow.WhyspendafewhundreddollarsonanewPCwhenyourold486oraused486availableforunder$100willdojustfine
forthisjob?
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Appendix:
UsefulWebResources
Thereareliterallydozens,ifnothundreds,ofusefulwebsitesthatprovideinformationand/orutilitiestohelpyougetmoreoutofyourWindowsbasedPC.These
siteswereallinvaluableresourcestomewhenIwaswritingthisbook.
CommercialSoftwareVendors
Thesecompaniesproducecommercialsoftwareproductsthatarementionedinthisbook:
Lineo(formerlyCalderaThinSystems)(http://www.lineo.com)
ProvidersofDRDOS
Mijenix(http://www.mijenix.com)
ProducersoftheFixIt99utilitiessuite
NetworkAssociates'McAfeedivision(http://www.mcafee.com)
ProvidersofNuts&Bolts,UnInstaller,andMcAfeeAntiVirus
OperaSoftware(http://www.operasoftware.com)
Makersofanalternativesmallfootprintwebbrowser
PowerQuest(http://www.powerquest.com)
MakersofPartitionMagicandDriveImage
Symantec(http://www.symantec.com)
ProducersofNortonUtilities,NortonAntiVirus,andNortonCleanSweepWinGate(http://www.wingate.com)
AutilityforsharinganInternetconnectionamongmultipleWindows95/98computers.AnunnecessarytoolwithWindows98SE,whichincludesaWinGateliketool.
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FreeUtilities
Thesesitesprovidefreeutilitiesmentionedinthisbook.By''free,"Imeanyoudon'thavetopayforthesetools.Someofthesetoolsarefreeinthetruestsenseofthe
word,meaningtheirsourcecodeisavailableundertheGNUpubliclicenseoranotheropensourcelicense.Mostofthetoolsaresimplyavailablefreeofcharge,and
someofthemdohavestringsattached.
Disk/File/SystemUtilities
AccelerationSoftware(http://www.accelerationsw.com)
ProvidersoftheWindrenalindiskspeeduptool
FIPS(http://www.igd.fhg.de/schaefe/fips)
Afreenondestructivediskpartitioningtool
InfoZIP(http://www.cdrom.com/pub/infozip)
AfreecommandlineZiputility,whichisinvaluableforbackingupyourWindowsdirectory
SiSoftSandra(http://www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra)
Autilitythatgivesdetailedinformationaboutasystem'sinternals
CleanupUtilities
EasyCleaner(http://www.saunalahti.fi/tonihele)
Afree,thoroughregistrycleaningtool
Freemem(http://www.meikel.com)
Afreememoryrecoverytool
KevinSolway'sCleanSystemDirectory
(http://www.ozemail.com.au/kevsol/sware.html)
AfreeutilitytofindunusedDLLandOCXfilesinyoursystemdirectory
RegClean(http://support.microsoft.com/support/downloads/DP3049.ASP)
AMicrosoftutilitytoremoveunneededentriesfromtheregistry.
StartupManager(http://www.delphifreestuff.com/freeware/files/smsetup.exe)
Autilityforcontrollingwhatyoursystemloadsatstartup
WindowsShells
EVWM(http://www.evwm.com)
AreplacementshellforWindows9x/NT
LiteStep(http://www.litestep.net)
AreplacementshellforWindows9x/NT
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SunMicrosystems(http://www.sun.com)
ProvidersoftheStartOfficeofficesuite/desktop
DosUtilities
JrgWeske(http://www.tuchemnitz.de/jwes/win95hoot.htm)
JrgWeske'stooltopatchWindows95BtoallowdualbootingwithDOS
Slowdown(http://oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/msdos/sysutl/slodn101.zip)
AfreeutilitytoslowyoursystemdownforrunningoldDOSprograms
UMBPCI(http://www.uwesieber.de/umbpci_e.html)
AfreeDOSmemorymanager
XMSDisk(http://www.opus.co.tt/dave/index.htm)
ADOSbasedRAMdiskprogram
InternetUtilities
BlackCastleSoftware(http://www.blackcastlesoft.com)
MakersofNetLaunch,autilitytoautomaticallyloadandclosesetsofutilitiesasyouconnectanddisconnectfromtheInternet
EasyMTU(http://members.tripod.com/EasyMTU)
Afreeutilityforoptimizingyourmodem
FastNet99(http://members.xoom.com/gcriaco)
AtoolbyGiuseppeCriacotospeedupDNSlookups
iSpeedManager(http://www.hms.com/ispeed.htm)
Afreeutilityforoptimizingyourmodem
Junkbuster(http://www.junkbusters.com)
Freeadblockingsoftware
AJunkbusterblockfile(http://www.home.unixag.org/sfx/junkbuster/blockfile)
RequiredforgeneraluseofJunkbusterNetSonic(http://www.web3000.com)
Awebpreloadingandcachingutility
Proxomitron(http://members.tripod.com/Proxomitron)
FreeadblockingsoftwarewithaniceGUIinterface
SharewareUtilities
Thesesitesprovidelinkstosharewareutilitiesmentionedinthisbook.Mostoftheseutilitiesprovideafreetrialperiodduringwhichyoucanevaluatetheirusefulness
foryourpurposes,andafterwhichyouareexpectedeithertopayforthemortodiscontinueusingthem.
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BinaryWorkCPUcontroller(http://binarywork.hypermart.net)
A$37sharewareutilitytosetthepriorityofyourWindowstaskstoadjustperformance
Bremze(http://ansis.folklora.lv/bremze)
A$10sharewareprogramtoslowyoursystemdownforoldDOSprograms,byLatvianprogrammerAnsisAtaolsBerzins
CTSSerialPortutilitiessuite(http://www.troubleshooters.com/ttools.htm)
UtilitiessuitethattellsyouwhatkindofUARTyoursystem'sserialportsareusing
GoldenBow(http://www.goldenbow.com)
ProvidersofthepopularVoptdefragmentationutility
Memturbo(http://www.memturbo.com)
A$20sharewarememoryrecoverytoolfromSiliconPrairieSoftware
Mo'Slo(http://www.hpaa.com/moslo/moslotry.asp)
A$15sharewareprogrambyU.S.programmerDavidPerrell,toslowyoursystemdownforrunningoldDOSprograms
98lite(http://www.98lite.net)
UtilitytoinstallWindows98withvaryingdegreesofInternetExplorerintegration
Virtusoft(http://www.virtusoft.com)
ProducersoftheWindowsbasedVRAMDIRRAMdiskprogram
DeviceDriverArchives
Ifyoucan'tfindthediskthatcontainedtheDOSorWindowsdevicedriversforyourCDROMdrive,mouse,orsoundcard,youcandownloadthemfromthese
sites:
http://www.drivershq.com
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4421/drivers.html
CDROMdrivers
http://www.windrivers.com
HardwareVendors
Mosthardwarevendorsmaintainsomekindofwebpresence.Thefollowingvendorsarespecificallymentionedinthisbook.
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DiskControllers
PromiseTechnology(http://www.promise.com)
MakersofhighspeedPCIIDEcontrollersforupgradingolderPCstotakeadvantageoflarger,fasterharddrives
PowerSupplies
CaliforniaPCProducts(http://www.calpc.com)
ManufacturerofhighqualityPCpowersupplies
PCPower&Cooling,Inc.(http://www.pcpowercooling.com)
SupplierofhighqualityPCcases,powersupplies,andcoolingfans
SPIPowerCo.,Ltd.(http://www.spi.com.tw)
ManufacturerofhighqualityPCpowersupplies)
ZippyShinJiubCorp.(http://www.zippyusa.com)
ManufacturerofhighqualityPCpowersupplies
InformationSites
Thesesitescontainusefulinformationonavarietyofcomputingtopics.
Windows95
ComputerClinic(http://www.compuclinic.com/osr2faq)
SeanErwin'scomprehensiveFAQaboutWindows95OSR2
HardwareReviews
AnandTech(http://www.anandtech.com)
AhardwaresitethatfeaturesmorefrequentreviewsthanTom'sHardwareGuidealsoverypopular.
ArsTechnica(http://www.arstechnica.com)
YetanotherhardwareorientedwebsitethatupdatesmorefrequentlythanTom'sHardwareGuide.
SbarkyExtreme(http://www.sharkyextreme.com)
ThearchrivaltoTom'sHardwareGuide.
StorageReview(http://www.storagereview.com)
Aharddriveorientedhardwaresitethatcomparesandreviewsvirtuallyeverynewharddrivethatcomeonthemarket.
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Tom'sHardwareGuide(http://www.tomshardware.com)
AnextremelypopularwebsiterunbyThomasPabst,M.D.,whichhascausedawaveofhardwareorientedwebsitestospringupsince1996.Notnecessarilythe
oldest,biggest,ormostprolificofhardwaresites,butit'sthestandardbywhichallothersarejudged.
InformationforGamers
Blue'sNews(http://www.bluesnews.com)
Agamingmindedhardware/softwarereviewsite
Combatsim.com(http://www.combatsim.com)
Anothergamingsite,concentratingonsimulationandstrategygames
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Index
Symbols
@echooffcommand,87
Numbers
100BaseTstandard,176
10Base2standard,176
10BaseTstandard,176
32bitdrivers,17
3Com,177
3Daccelerators,227
3Daddoncards,230
486computers,optimizing,252254
98lite,running,195
A
AccelerationSoftware,71
accelerators,3D,227
accessing
BIOSsetupprogram,89
files
movedtofrontofFAT,54
trackinginWindows95,52
networkdrives,185
activatingcompressedRAMdisks,216
ActiveMovie,191,195
ActiveXCleanup,107,172
AddNewHardwareWizard,running,197
AddStor,74
ads,blocking,165168
AGPvideobus,228
align.bat,70
aligningsoftware,6971
AMDK6IIIbasedcomputers,performanceof,224
AmigaOS,publicscreens,127
AnandTech,230,244
animations,disabling,27,3536
antivirussoftware,9,55,107
AntiVirusutility,108
AppEventssubkey,33
applications(seesoftware)
archives
devicedrivers,258
storingfilein,70
ArsTechnica,230
ATXmotherboards,220,241
audio,230
autoexec.bat
bootmenus,81
bootprocess,78
configuringtorunDOSprogramsinDOSmode,142
enablingthroughbootmenu,144
increasingspeedof,87
renaming,17
settingsforrunningDOSgames,151155
autoplay,disabling,23
AutoScan=nsetting,80
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B
BabyATmotherboard,240
backingup
.bak,.dot,.old,and.txtfiles,45
databeforerunningFIPS,66
files,automating,46
registry,34,105,118
Windowsconfigurations,201
Windowsdirectories,9,199
backwardcompatibility
drivers,Windows95and98,198
FAT32toFAT16,58
.bakfiles,45
batchfiles,88
BayNetworks,177
benchmarks,11,226
Berzins,AnsisAtaols,149
binaryvalue,37
BIOS
controllercardswith,224
setupprogram,accessing,89
BlankScreenscreensaver,26
blockingads,165168
Blue'sNews,230
.bmpfilesaswallpaper,25,45
bootdisks,creating,189
bootdrives,includingFAT16on,62
bootmenus
DOSgames,153155
enabling,144
BootDelay=nsetting,80
BootGUI=nsetting,81
booting
dual
Windows95and98,204
Windows9xandtrueDOS,145147
fromRAMdisks,monitoringprogressof,212
pseudodual,143145
BootKeys=nsetting,81
bootlog.txtfile,83
BootMenuDefault=nsetting,82
BootMenuDelay=nsetting,82
BootMenu=nsetting,81
BootMulti=nsetting,82
BootSafe=nsetting,80
BootWarn=nsetting,82
BootWin=nsetting,82
Bremzeutility,149
Brooks,Shane,195,197
BrowseMaster,185
browsercaches
deleting,15,57
resizing,69
browsers
deleting,57
InternetExplorer
deleting,191,197
installingWindows98without,195
tuning,172
whichtouse,171
buffercount,Windows95and98,148
bugs
inNetworkServersetting,20
Windows95filesystem,repairing,38
buildinghomenetworks,178181
buses
PCI,upgrading,233
videocards,227
buying(seepurchasing)
C
Cdrive,59
cabinets,190
cables,homenetworking,176
CabPack,191
CacheSizekey,3638
caching
browsers,172
buffercount,disks,148
tools,168
Caldera,146
CaliforniaPCProducts,245
CapsLockkey,200
cards
controller,withBIOS,224
video,upgrading,226230
CAT5(Category5)cables,176
CDROMdrives
brandsof,247
caches
recoveringwastedmemory,38
tuning,22
disablingautoplay,23
mappingdrivelettersfor,59
tuningWindows95/98to,3638
upgrading,245247
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CentralPointSoftware,95
centralprocessingunit(seeCPU)
charityware,165
Chernobylvirus,108
chipsets,video,228
.chkfiles,14
ChuckYeager'sAirCombat,configuringtoruninWindows,150
CleanSystemDirectory,114,117
CleanSweep,9,106
cleanuptools,114
clickheretobeginanimation,disabling,36
ClientforNetWareNetworks,deleting,178
cloaks,124
clusternumbers,sortingdirectoriesby,52
clusters
FAT16vs.FAT32,57
lost,14
CMOS,presenceoffloppydrivesin,90
coaxialcables,176
code,aligning,6971
coders(codecs),24
COMport,findinglocationofmodemon,158
CombatSim,230
Commanddirectory,214
command.com,85
commands
autoexec.bat,87
forschedulingdiskscans,55
LOADER,146
commonsection,144
compatibility
98lite,issueswith,196
backward
drivers,Windows95and98,198
FAT32toFAT16,58
Superfassstandothersoftware,73
withWindows98
SpeedStartand,71
Superfassstand,71
WinGand,205
compressing
disks,74
RAMdisks,112,215
computers,basicstepsforoptimizing,1340
Configsubkey,33
ConfigFileAllocSizeentry,39
config.sys
addingumbpci.systo,148
bootmenus,81
bootprocess,77
renaming,17
configurationdata,movingtowinboot.ini,86
configuring
config.systorunDOSprogramsinDOSmode,141
DOSgamestoruninWindows,150155
EVWM,124
LiteStep,129133
networks,201
RAMdisks,213
swapfiles,101
Word97torunon486computers,253
connections
DirectCable,installingcomponentsfor,178
Internet,controlling,169171
modems,optimizing,157173
parallel,speedof,175
phone,160
serial,speedof,175
tuningthroughsoftware,161163
ControlPanelsubkey,33
controlpanels,network,185
controllercardswithBIOS,224
controllers,SCSI,90
conventionalmemory,136,138
conventionalmemorygames,configuringtoruninWindows,150
CookieCleanup,107
cookies,deleting,14
coolingsystems,videocards,229
copying
shortcuts,112
Win95directorytoharddrive,188
Cox,Walter,232
CP/Moperatingsystem,146
CPU(centralprocessingunit)
bootprocess,76
purchasing,4
Account: akron
Page264
CPU(centralprocessingunit)(continued)
upgrading,234239
usage,effectsofLiteStepupon,128
CPUController,110
CrashGuard,97
Criaco,Guiseppe,163
crossovercable,176
CrucialTechnology,219
CTSSerialPortUtilitiessuite,159
Customdirectory,213
Cybermax,224
D
Ddrive,59
data
backingupbeforerunningFIPS,66
compressingondrives,75
configuration,movingtowinboot.ini,86
isolating,62
organizingondrives,44
datacompression,RAMdisks,112
dates,sortingdirectoriesby,52
dblbuff.sys,77,84
dblspace.bin,83,85
DblSpace=nsetting,83
decoders(codecs),24
Defrag
abuseof,53
fastloadersand,71
runningafteruninstallingandreinstallingprograms,56
runningbeforeFIPS,66
scanningdrivesinsteadofrunning,51
vs.SpeedDisk,97
DefragPlus,51,102
deleting
ActiveMovie,191
browsercaches,15,57
.chkfiles,14
ClientforNetWareNetworks,178
cookies,14
Exchange,190
files,14,5657,61
floppydrivefrombootorder,90
fonts,16
Hostsfile,164
ICWInternetConnectionWizard,191
InternetExplorer,191,197
Mscreate.dir,45
msdos.sys,86
MSN,190
onlineservices,191
surrogatedrives,212
Demos,NortonUtilities,98
density,platters,225
desktopicons,replacingwithhotkeys,25
desktopschemes,disabling,26
DesktopManagementsubkey,33
desktops
redirectingtoRAMdisks,112
virtual,127
devicedrivers
archivesfor,258
copyingintoWin95directory,188
installing,197
devices
IDE,detecting,90
input,upgrading,249
PlugandPlay,77
DialUpAdapter,IPX/SPXprotocol,180
DialUpNetworking,169
digitalaudio,extractingfromaudioCDs,246
DigitalResearch,74,146
DIMMs,219
DirectCableConnection,installingcomponentsfor,178
directories
Command,214
Custom,213
Help,213
Inf,213
Media,213
optimizing,4250
organizingdataandsoftwareon,44
RAMdisks,deletingtosavespace,213
sortingbyclusternumbervs.accessdate,52
Sysbackup,213
Win95,copyingtoharddrive,188
Windows
backingup,9
renaming,199
DirectXenhancements,189
DisableLog=nsetting,83
disabling
animations,27,3536
Account: akron
Page265
BrowseMaster,186
CDROMautoplay,23
desktopschemes,26
drivemapping,183
Java,JavaScript,andActiveX,172
loadingofgraphics,173
pauseinmenus,35
POSTmemorytest,90
powermanagement,24,98
screensavers,98
sounds,26
tooltips,Windows98,27
disasterrecovery,speedingprocessof,62
diskcaches
buffercount,Windows95and98,148
optimizing,20
tuninghiddensettings,21
DiskDoctor,55,97
diskspace,increasing,1417
DiskTune,optimizingdiskswith,104
disks
boot,creating,189
bootprocess,77
freeingspace,1417
optimizing,4175
compression,74
directories,4250
FAT,5769
fragmentation,5056
resultsfrom,73
toolsfor,6973
withDefragPlus,102
withDiskTune,104
withSpeedDisk,99
workingwithinphysicallimitationsof,56
partitioning,5969
RAM,111114,155,206216
savingspacewithnetworks,184
schedulingscansof,55
usingtoolstoimproveperformanceof,93
(seealsodrives)
DLLs(dynamiclinklibraries),movingwithCleanSystemDirectory,114
DNS(DomainNameSystem)lookups,increasingspeedof,163
.docfiles,45
dockwindows,127
documentation,lost,143
DomainNameSystem(DNS)lookups,163
DOS,88
optimizing,134156
partitiontypes,59
supportformultipleprimarypartitions,65
testingmodemsin,231
DOSgames
configuringtoruninWindows,150155
runningfromRAMdisks,155
DOSProtectedModeInterface(DPMI)memory,138
DoubleBuffer=nsetting,83
DoubleSpaceutility,74,112
doublingRAM,toolsfor,109
downloadingmodemdrivers,161
DPMI(DOSProtectedModeInterface)memory,138
DPMIgames,configuringtoruninDOS,152
DRDOSutility,74,146
DriveImage,10
drivers
32bit,17
archivesfor,258
copyingintoWin95directory,188
dblbuff.sys,84
installing,197
lost,143
modem,downloading,161
network,settingup,182
drives
boot,includingFAT16on,62
CDROM
caches,22,38
disablingautoplay,23
tuningWindows95/98to,3638
upgrading,245247
copyingWin95directoryto,188
datacompression,75
defragmenting,16,5056,254
deletingfrombootorder,90
DVD,upgrading,245247
externalremovablemedia,upgrading,248
featurestolookfor,224226
formatting,64,67
Account: akron
Page266
drives(continued)
mapping,59
network,184
organizingdataandsoftwareon,44
partitioning,7,43
scanningforviruses,108
sizesandspeed,223
surrogate
deleting,212
settingup,208
uncompressing,75
(seealsodisks)
DriveSpaceutility,75,112
DrvSpace=nsetting,84
dualbooting
Windows95and98,204
Windows9xandtrueDOS,145147
DuplicateFileFinder,107
duplicating(seecopying)
DVDdrives,245247
DWORD,36
dynamicdiskcaching,21
dynamiclinklibraries(DLLs),114
E
Edrive,59
EasyCleaner,115
EasyMTU,162
echooffcommand,87
EDOmemory,219
eMachines,242
EMM386,138
emptykeys,addingtorunWALIGNproperly,69
EMS(expandedmemoryspecification),139
EMSgames,configuringtoruninDOS,151
entries
limitinginrootdirectories,4244
MenuShowDelay,36,39
MinAnimate,35
Enumsubkey,34
erasing(seedeleting)
errors
correctinginregistry,100
defragmentingdriveswith,51
scanningdrivesfor,50
Ethernetcables,176
EVWM,123125
Exchange,deleting,190
executablefiles,moving,4749
expandedmemory(seeEMS)
Explorer,replacing,119
ExplorerShellExtensions,98
explorer.exe,78
extendedmemoryspecification(XMS),137
extendedpartitions,59,68
F
fans,CPU,235
fastloaders,7173
fastpagemodememory(FPM),219
FastNet99,163
FAT(fileaccesstable),5769
characterlimitationsofComponents,42
directoriesaslinkedlists,42,58
diskfragmentationand,50
formattingdriveswith,64
movingfilestofrontof,54
FCCID,findingformodems,161
FDISK
creatingpartitionswith,67
FIPSasreplacementfor,65
partitioningdriveswith,6365
Felten,Edward,195
fileaccesstable(seeFAT)
FileandPrinterSharingforMicrosoftNetworks,181,185
FileCompare,98
Components,characterlimitationsof,42
files
accessto,trackinginWindows95,52
align.bat,70
aswallpaper,45
autoexec.bat
bootmenus,81
bootprocess,78
enablingthroughbootmenu,144
renaming,17
backingup,45
batch,88
Account: akron
Page267
.bmpaswallpaper,25,45
bootprocess,77
.cab,190
.chk,14
config.sys
addingumbpci.systo,148
bootmenus,81
bootprocess,77
renaming,17
deleting,14,5657,61
EMM386,138
executable,moving,4749
Hosts,163,165
.ini,77
msdos.sys,77
changing,78
checkingafterrunningWinCustomizer,103
options,7986
sorting,54,94
swap
configuring,101
onRAMdisks,210
optimizing,18
systemconfiguration,backupcopiesof,46
system.dat,30
system.ini,46,253
temporary
isolating,62
resizing,69
umbpci.sys,addingtoconfig.sys,148
unalign.bat,70
Welcome.exe,214
filesswap,isolating,62
filesystems
reducingfragmentation,39
repairingWindows95bugin,38
FindFast,18
finding,28
FIPS(FirstInteractivenondestructivePartitionSplittingprogram),partitioningdriveswith,6567,209
FixIt99,9,91,9497,101103
floppydrives
datacompression,75
deletingfrombootorder,90
folders(seedirectories)
fonts,deleting,16
formfactors,motherboards,240243
formattingdrives,64,67
FPM(fastpagemode)memory,219
fragmentation
amountreportedbySpeedDisk,99
disks,5056
RAMdisks,207
reducinginfilesystems,39
freesoftware,171
freetools,256
FreeBSD,123
freeingdiskspace,1417
Freemem,109
freeware,109118
G
gamers,websiteswithinformationfor,260
games
DOS
slowingspeedof,148
installinganduninstalling,105
multiplayer,IPX/SPXprotocol,180
playingfromCDROMdrives,246
uninstallingunneeded,15
upgradingCPUs,236
Gates,Bill,58
gdi.exe,78
Geckobrowser,172
GEMoperatingsystem,146
GIFimagesaswallpaper,25
Gillum,Eliot,123
GNOME,123
GNUGPL,65
GoodSocket7motherboards,224
gotostatements,145
graphics,disablingloadingof,173
Account: akron
Page268
H
hangs,Setup,200
harddrives
bootprocess,77
copyingWin95directoryto,188
defragmenting,16,5056
featurestolookfor,224226
partitions,dedicatingtosingletasks,7
sizesandspeed,223
hardware
roleofinperformance,112
upgrading,217254
vendorsof,258
websiteswithreviewsof,259
hardwaresubkey,34
Hederer,Lars,191
Helenius,Toni,115
HelixSoftware,71,95
Helpdirectory,213
hexadecimalnumberingsystem,37
hiddendiskcachesettings,tuning,21
highmemoryarea(HMA),137
HighMountainSoftware,162
himem.sys,77,144
HKCC(HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG),31
HKCR(HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT),30
HKCU(HKEY_CURRENT_USER),3132
HKDD(HKEY_DYN_DATA),32
HKLM(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE),31,33
HKU(HKEY_USERS),31
HMA(highmemoryarea),137
homenetworking,174187
Hostsfile,163,165
HostWinBootDrv=pathsetting,79
hotkeys
LiteStep,132
replacingdesktopiconswith,25
hubs,177
Hurricaneprogram,71
Hussein,Saddam,206
I
IBM,240
IBMkeyboards,250
ICEprogram,129
icons,desktop,25
ICWInternetConnectionWizard,deleting,191
IDEdevices,detecting,90
IDEdrives,225
''ideal"operatingsystem,4
IERemovescript,197
ifshelp.sys,77
Iiyamamonitor,249
images,disablingloadingof,173
importingStartmenu,124
Indeo,24
Infdirectory,213
InfoZIP,backingupWindowsconfigurations,201
.inifiles,77
innertracks,disks,56
inputdevices,upgrading,249
installing
98lite,195
devicedrivers,197
EVWM,124
homenetworks,178181
LiteStep,129133
NICs,178
NortonUtilities,97
software
fromCDROMdrives,246
runningSFCbefore,117
tonetworkdrives,184
Superfassst98,72
Windows98,192204
XMSDISK,111
InstallLocationsMRUsubkey,33
InstallShield,105
Integratorutility,97
Intel,177,241
Internet
optimizingconnectionsbymodems,157173
resourcesforoptimizingWindowsbasedcomputers,255260
InternetExplorer,94,172
caches,14
deleting,191,197
diskspaceallocationby,57
installingWindows98without,195
InternetJunkbuster,166,170,173
InternetServiceProviders(ISPs),matchingmodemswith,158
io.sys,77
IPaddresses,164
Account: akron
Page269
IPX/SPX(InternetworkPacketExchange/SequencedPacketExchange)protocol,180
ISAsoundcard,177,230
ISAvideobus,227
isolating
data,62
Windows95/98andapplicationstoseparatepartitions,61
iSpeed,162
ISPs(InternetServiceProviders),matchingmodemswith,158
J
JavaandJavaScript,disabling,172
Jazdrives
upgrading,248
usingassurrogatedrives,209
Jeopardy!,141
Jmodem,162
Johnson,Bret,149
JPEGimagesaswallpaper,25
K
Karp,DavidA.,226
KDE,123
keyboardlayoutsubkey,33
keyboards,upgrading,249
Kingston,177
krnd32.dll,78
L
L2caches,optimizing,221
LANs(localareanetworks),settingup,181184
laptops,powermanagementand,24
laserdiscplayers,23
LaunchRocket,speedingapplicationloadtimes,105
launchingapplications,increasingspeedof,101
libraries,VisualBasic,164
limitationsofWindows,workingwithin,5
limitingentriesinrootdirectories,4244
linkedlists,FATdirectoriesas,42,58
Linux,123
FIPS,65
proxyservers,95
speedofcomparedtoWindows,4
LiteStep,126133
LiveUpdate,98
Livingston,Brian,11
LOADERcommand,146
loading
graphics,disabling,173
software
changesinspeedofafterinstallingSuperfassst,72
fromCDROMdrives,246
LoadTop=nsetting,85
localareanetworks(LANs),settingup,181184
logicalfront,disks,56
logicalpartitions,59
LogitechWingmanGamingMouse,250
Logo=nsetting,85
logons,networks,78
lostclusters,14
lostdriversanddocumentation,143
LPXmotherboards,243
LucentTechnology,232
M
macroviruses,108
MagicMover,43,68
mailordervendors,buyingcomputersystemsfrom,251
mapping
computersandprinters,183
drives,59
masterbootrecord(MBR),77
MaximumSegmentSize(MSS)setting,161
MaximumTransmissionUnit(MTU)setting,161
MaxMTU,173
MBR(masterbootrecord),77
McAfeeOfficeSuite,71
Mediadirectory,213
MediaPlayer,196
media,removable,75
Melissavirus,108
memory(seeRAM)
MemTurbo,109
menus
boot
DOSgames,153155
enabling,144
Account: akron
Page270
menus(continued)
disablingpausein,35
popup,improvinginLiteStep,131
Start
reimporting,124
supportfor,LiteStep,127
MenuShowDelayentry,36
MicroATXmotherboards,242
Microsoft,54,74,97,137,195
MicrosoftExchange,deleting,190
MicrosoftNetwork(MSN),deleting,190
MicrosoftOffice,susceptibilitytoviruseswith,108
Mijenix,95,101
MinAnimateentry,35
Mo'Sloutility,149
modems
external,232
findingmanufacturersof,161
optimizingconnectionstoInternet,157173
speedof,175
upgrading,231233
modes
DOS,141
protected,137
real,137
monitors,upgrading,248
motherboards,189,198
brandsof,243245
replacing,224
upgrading,220,239245
mouse,upgrading,250
moving
DLLs,CleanSystemDirectory,114
executablefiles,4749
filestofrontofFAT,54
ms.dostowinboot.ini,86
shelldirectories,49
Windows95/98andapplicationstoseparatepartitions,61
Mscreate.dir,deleting,45
MSDOS,74
compactingregistrywith,91
dualbootingwithWindows9,147
msdos.sys,77
changing,78
checkingafterrunning
WinCustomizer,103
options,7986
MSInfo,195
MSN(MicrosoftNetwork),deleting,190
MSS(MaximumSegmentSize)setting,161
MTU(MaximumTransmissionUnit)setting,161
multibootingWindows95and98,204
multimedia,optimizingsettings,23
multipleprimarypartitions,DOSandWindowssupportfor,65
N
NECMultisyncIImonitor,249
NetBEUI(NetBIOSEnhancedUserInterface)protocol,180
NetLaunch,170,173
Netscapebrowsers,172
Netscapecache,15
NetSonic,168,172
NetSpeed,173
NetWareenvironments,IPX/SPXprotocol,180
NetworkAssociates,71,95,106
Networkcontrolpanel,opening,185
networkinterfacecards(seeNICs)
NetworkServersetting,bugin,20
Networksubkey
HKCU,33
HKLM,34
Network=nsetting,85
networks
athome,174187
configuring,201
logons,78
naming,181
NeXTStep,126
NICs(networkinterfacecards)
inhomenetworkingkits,177
installing,178
NLXmotherboards,243
NoIDEkey,17
Noorda,Ray,146
Northgatekeyboards,250
NortonGhost,10
NortonUtilities,9,91,94101
defaultandcustominstallations,97
fastloaders,71
filereordering,54
Account: akron
Page271
NoStartBannervalue,36
Novell,146
numbers,cluster,52
Nuts&Bolts,9,52,54,91,9597,103105
O
OEMServiceRelease(OSR2),191
OfficeStartup,18
.oldfiles,45
onlineregistrationprograms,105
onlineservices,deleting,191
OpenStep,126
Operabrowser,172
operatingsystems
DOS,optimizing,134156
"ideal",4
speedof,Linuxvs.Windows,4
toolsforoptimizing,93118
OptimizationWizard,98,100
optimizing
486computers,252254
caches,L2,221
computers,basicstepsfor,1340
dataandsoftwareondrives,44
diskcaches,20
disks,4175
compression,74
directories,4250
FAT,5769
fragmentation,5056
resultsfrom,73
tools,6973
withDefragPlus,102
withDiskTune,104
withSpeedDisk,99
workingwithinphysicallimitationsof,56
DOS,134156
modemconnectionstoInternet,157173
multimediasettings,23
operatingsystems,toolsfor,93118
ports,158
registry
withFixIt99,102
withNuts&Bolts,104
withSpeedDisk,100
swapfiles,18
Windows,theoryof,112
Optionssection,settings,8086
organizingdataandsoftwareondrives,44
OrphanFinder,107
OSrot
RAMdisks,207
Windows,7
OS/2,88
OSR2(OEMServiceRelease),191
outsidetracks,disks,56
overclocking,230,238239
P
packets,sizesof,162
parallelconnections,speedof,175
parameters
/t,156
WinBootDir,77
PartitionIt,60
PartitionMagic,43,60
RAMdisksand,209
partitions/partitioning
disks,5969
drives,7,43
Unix,6
passwords,assigningtonetworks,182
PATHstatement,88
Pathssection,settings,79
pause,disablinginmenus,35
PCDOS,dualbootingwithWindows9,147
PCPower&Cooling,245
PCTools,95
PC100SDRAM,220
PCIbuses,upgrading,233
PCIcards,177
PerfectPrint,89
performancetuning
AMDK6IIIbasedcomputers,224
computers,basicstepsfor,1340
disasterrecoveryprocess,62
toolsfor,93
videocards,effectsofcoolingsystemsupon,229
Perrell,David,149
phoneconnections,160
PKZIP/UNZIPutilities,moving,47
platterdensity,225
Account: akron
Page272
playingaudioCDsandgamesfromCDROMdrives,246
PlugandPlaydevices,77
PluginCleanup,107
Plus!Pack,schedulingprograms,55
PopulousII
popupmenus,improvinginLiteStep,131
PortMaster,159,161
ports,optimizing,158
POST(PowerOnSelfTest),increasingspeedof,8991
postinstallation,Windows,201
PowerClean,106
powermanagement
disabling,24,98
laptops,24
PowerOnSelfTest(POST),increasingspeedof,8991
powersupplies,upgrading,245
PowerToys(Microsoft),35
Prefetchkey,3638
preloadingtools,168
primarypartitions,59
printers
settingup,182
upgrading,233
ProgramManager,120123
programs(seesoftware)
PromiseTechnology,224
protectedmode,137
ProtectedRecycleBin,98
protocols
IPX/SPX,180
NetBEUI,180
TCP/IP
modemsettings,161
usingasnetworkprotocol,179
proxyservers,95,166
pseudodualbooting,143145
publicscreens,127
purchasing
CPUs,4
hardware,218
newcomputersystems,250
Q
QuakeII,237
Quarterdeck,137
QuickClean,106
QuickTime(Apple),24
R
RailroadTycoon,149
RAMdisks,111114,155,206216
RAM(randomaccessmemory)
effectsuponcomputerspeed,3
increasing,38
LiteStep,128
optimizing,DOS,135140
POSTmemorytests,disabling,90
recovering,CDROMdrives,38
requirementsforupgradinghardware,218226
StarOffice,126
toolsfordoubling,109
videocards,227
(seealsovirtualmemory)
ramdrive.sys,111
randomaccessmemory(seeRAM)
realmode,137
ReceiveWindow(RWIN)setting,162
recovery,speedingprocessof,62
redirectingdesktopstoRAMdisks,112
RedneckRampage,140
RedundantDLLFinder,107
RegCleanutility,91,115
Regedit,3035
NoIDEkey,17
registry,3035
backingup,34,118
binaryvalue,37
CacheSizekey,3638
compacting,91
ConfigFileAllocSizeentry,39
DWORD,36
emptykeys,addingtorunWALIGNproperly,69
MenuShowDelayentry,36
MinAnimateentry,35
NoStartBannervalue,36
optimizing
withFixIt99,102
withNuts&Bolts,104
withSpeedDisk,100
Prefetchkey,3638
Account: akron
Page273
RegistryCleaner,103
RegistryDefrag,103
RegistryEditor(Norton),98
RegistryFixer,102
RegistryRepairWizard,104
RegistrySweep,107
RegistryTuneUpWizard,104
RegistryWizard,104
reinstallingWindows,188205
RemoteAccesssubkey,33
removablemedia,datacompression,75
removing(seedeleting)
renaming
files,autoexec.batandconfig.sys,17
Windowsdirectory,199
reordering(seesorting)
repairingWindows95filesystembug,38
repartitioning(seepartitioning)
replacementshells,Windows,119133
rootdirectories,optimizing,4244
RWIN(ReceiveWindow)setting,162
S
saving
diskspace
bydeletingdirectoriesfromRAMdisks,213
withnetworks,184
files,fragmentationand,61
RAMdisks,113
scaling,FAT,57
ScanDisk,14,50,97
abuseof,53
finding,190
runningbeforeFIPS,65
scanners,upgrading,248
scanning
disks,scheduling,55
drives
forerrors,50
forviruses,108
scavengerstyleupgrading,251
Schaefer,Arno,65
schemes,desktop,26
screensavers,26,98
screens,public,127
scripts,IERemove,197
SCSIcontrollers,90
SCSIdrives,225
security,homenetworks,182
Securitysubkey,34
serialconnections,speedof,175
settings
findingappropriate,ConfigFileAllocSizeentry,39
hiddendiskcache,tuning,21
modems,161
msdos.sys,7986
multimedia,optimizing,23
NetworkServer,bugin,20
videocards,findingfastestfor,28
Setup,troubleshootinghangs,200
setver.exe,77
SevenCitiesofGold,configuringtoruninWindows,151
SFC(SystemFileChecker),116
shareware,109118,257
shelldirectories,moving,49
shells
replacement,Windows,119133
settingWord97asdefault,system.ini,253
shortcuts,copying,112
Sieber,Uwe,139
SiliconPrairieSoftware,109
SIMMtrees,219
Simpson,Robert,170
SiSoftSandra,19,251
sizes
clusters,FAT16vs.FAT32,57
diskcaches,21
harddrives,223
packets,162
sizingclusters,69
Slowdownutility,149
smalldrives,partitioning,63
software
aligning,6971
antivirus,9,55,107
benchmarking,11,226
BIOSsetup,accessing,89
compatibilitywithSuperfassst,73
DOS
runninginDOSmode,141
speedof,140
free,171
Account: akron
Page274
software(continued)
installing
fromCDROMdrives,246
tonetworkdrives,184
isolatingtoseparatepartition,61
launching,increasingspeedof,101
loading
changesinspeedofafterinstallingSuperfassst,72
fromCDROMdrives,246
moving,47
organizingondrives,44
requirementsfornetworks,178
scheduling
automatingdefragmentationofdriveswith,55
runningon486computers,254
tuningconnectionsthrough,161163
uninstalling,15,56
toolsfor,105107
upgrading,8
vendorsof,255
wordprocessing,testingwhetherCPUupgradeisneededwith,236
(seealsotools)
Softwaresubkey,33
Solway,Kevin,114
sorting
directoriesbyclusternumbervs.accessdate,52
files,54,94
sound
digital,extractingfromaudioCDs,246
disabling,26
upgradingcards,230
SoundBlaster,230
space,disks
allocationof,InternetExplorer,57
freeing,1417
saving
bydeletingdirectoriesfrom,213
withnetworks,184
SpaceWizard,98
SparklePowerInternational,245
speed
alignedvs.unalignedapplications,70
bootprocess,increasing,7692
CDROMdrives,246
changesinloadingapplicationsafterinstallingSuperfassst,72
computers,3
disasterrecovery,improving,62
DNSlookups,increasing,163
DOSgames,slowing,148
DOSprograms,140
FAT16vs.FAT32,57
harddrives,223
L2caches,improving,221
modems,157173,175
OSrot,effectsupon,7
parallelconnections,175
phoneconnections,160
ports,optimizing,158
RAMdisks,206
serialconnections,175
videobuses,227
videocards,findingfastestsettings,28
SpeedDisk,52,97100
commandsforschedulingdiskscans,56
optimizingdiskswith,99
SpeedStart,71,73,101
stability
LiteStep,129
SuperfassstwithWindows95,73
Windows,improving,148
Stac,74
Stackerutility,74
StarOffice,125
Startmenu
reimporting,124
supportfor,LiteStep,127
Startupgroups,cleaning,17,8789
StartupManager,115
statements
goto,145
PATH,88
step.rc,128
StorageReview,The,226
storingfilesinarchives,70
Stowers,Brad,115
subkeys
HKCU,32
HKLM,33
subtrees,registry,3034
SunMicrosystems,125
Superfassst,71
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surrogatedrives
deleting,212
settingup,208
swapfiles
configuring,101
onRAMdisks,210
optimizing,18
Symantec,95,97,106,137
Sysbackupdirectory,213
systemconfigurationfilesbackupcopiesof,46
SystemConfigurationUtility,116
SystemDoctor,97
SystemFileChecker(SFC),116
Systemsubkey,34
system.datfile,30,46,77
system.inifile,46,253
SystemReg=nsetting,85
SystemWorksbundle,108
T
/tparameter,156
TankWars,149
tasks,automatingon486computers,254
TCP/IP(TransmissionControlProtocol/InternetProtocol)
modemsettings,161
usingasnetworkprotocol,179
telephoneconnections,160
temporaryfiles
deleting,14,57
fragmentationand,61
isolating,62
resizing,69
temporaryswap,isolating,62
terminateandstayresidentmodule,88
testing
modemsinDOS,231
whetherCPUupgradeisneeded,236
withPOST,8991
texturesinvideomemory,227
TimetoLive(TTL)setting,162
.tmpfiles(seetemporaryfiles)
togglingloadingofgraphics,173
Tolstoy,Leo,4
Tom'sHardwareGuide,230,244
toolbars,Wharfbar,127,131
tools
bundledwithWindows98,115118
caching,168
charityware,165
cleanup,114
defragmentation,51
fastloaders,7173
FDISK
creatingpartitionswith,67
FIPSasreplacementfor,65
FIPS,partitioningdriveswith,6567
freeware,109118,256
improvingperformancewith,93
MagicMover,43,68
NortonUtilities,94101
optimizingdiskperformance,6973
optimizingoperatingsystems,93118
PartitionMagic,43,60
RAMdisksand,209
PowerToys(Microsoft),35
preloading,168
RAMdoubling,109
RegClean,91
shareware,109118,257
undelete,54
uninstallingsoftware,105107
UnZipandZip,storingfilesinarchives,70
WALIGN,aligningsoftware,6971
WinAlign,69
XMSDISK,111114
tooltips,Windows98,27
touchtablets,250
touchpads,250
trackballs,250
trackingfileaccess,Windows95,52
tracks,disks,56
TransmissionControlProtocol/InternetProtocol(seeTCP/IP)
Tridentvideocard,229
TrojanHorse,108
troubleshooting
errorsinregistry,100
hungSetups,200
trueDOS,dualbootingWindows9xwith,145147
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TrueXdrives,247
TrumpetWinsock,161,169
TSR(terminateandstayresidentmodule),88
TTL(TimetoLive)setting,162
tuning
browsers,172
CDROMcaches,22
connectionsthroughsoftware,161163
hiddendiskcachesettings,21
Windows95/98toCDROMdrives,3638
turningoff(seedisabling)
TweakUI,102
.txtfiles,45
U
UART(UniversalAsynchronousReceiverTransmitter,159
Uberto,Frank,111
UltimaVII,configuringtoruninWindows,152
UMBPCImemorymanager,139
umbpci.sys,addingtoconfig.sys,148
UMBs(uppermemoryblocks),137
unalign.batfile,70
unalignedapplications,speedof,70
UNC(UniversalNamingConvention),185
uncompressingdrives,75
undeleteutilities,54
undodisks,51
uninstallationprograms,9
UninstallDir=pathsetting,79
UnInstaller,9,106
uninstalling
software,56,105107
unneeded,15
unneededgames,15
uninterruptiblepowersupply(seeUPS)
UniversalAsynchronousReceiverTransmitter(UART),159
UniversalNamingConvention(UNC),185
Unix,6,137
UnZiputility
backingupWindowsdirectories,9
moving,47
upgrading
hardware,217254
software,8
toWindows98,94
uppermemoryblocks(UMBs),137
UPS(uninterruptiblepowersupply),20,38
URLs(uniformresourcelocators)
devicedriverarchives,258
driversanddocumentation,143
findingforfavoritewebsites,164
freetools,256
gamers'information,260
hardwarereviews,259
hardwarevendors,258
user.datfile,30,46
user.exe,78
V
VCACHE,21
VCPI(VirtualControlProgramInterface)memory,138
VCRs,23
vendors
hardware,258
mailorder,buyingcomputersystemsfrom,251
software,255
versionnumbers,findinginWindows95,21
VESAlocalvideobus,227
VFAT
diskfragmentationand,50,53
longComponentsand,42
videocards
fastestsettingsfor,28
upgrading,226230
Viewsonicmonitors,249
VirtualControlProgramInterface(VCPI)memory,138
virtualdesktops,127
virtualmemory
fragmentationand,61
optimizing,18
VirtualSoftware,114
viruses,107
VisualBasiclibraries,164
vmm32.vxd,78
voices,numberofproducedbysoundcards,231
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Vonk,Ron,162
Voodoo,150
Vopt,51
VRAMDIR,114
W
WALIGN,aligningsoftware,6971
wallpaper,25,45
warranties
monitors,249
overclockingand,238
webbrowsers
tuning,172
whichtouse,171
websites(seeURLs)
Web3000,168
Weber,Meikel,109
Welcome.exe,214
WesternDigital,243
Wharfbar,127,131
WIN32Sdirectory,47
WinAlign,69
WinBootDirparameter,77
WinBootDir=pathsetting,80
winboot.inifile,77,86
WinChips,235
win.comfile,78
WinCustomizer,102
WinDir=pathsetting,80
WinDoctor,100
Windows,21
configuringDOSgamestorunin,150155
improvingstabilityof,148
optimizing,theoryof,112
OSrot,7
Regedit,3035
registry(seeregistry)
reimportingStartmenu,124
reinstalling,188205
replacementshells,119133
speedofcomparedtoLinux,4
Startmenu,supportfor,127
supportformultipleprimarypartitions,65
workingwithinlimitationsof,5
Windows95
batchfilesupport,88
buffercount,148
buginNetworkServersetting,20
ComputerClinicwebsite,259
disablingwindowanimations,35
drivers,compatibilitywithWindows98,198
dualbootingtrueDOSwith,145147
Hostsfile,164
Plus!Pack,schedulingprograms,55
ramdrive.sys,111
reinstalling,188190
repairingfilesystembugin,38
runningfromRAMdisks,207,215
stabilityofSuperfassstwith,73
trackingfileaccess,52
tuningtoCDROMdrives,3638
upgradinghardware,217254
WIN32Sdirectory,47
Windows98
aligningsoftware,6971
batchfilesupport,88
buffercount,148
compatibility
SpeedStartand,71
Superfassstand,71
disablinganimations,27
disablingtooltips,27
drivers,backwardcompatibilitywithWindows95,198
dualbootingtrueDOSwith,145147
Hostsfile,164
installing,192204
RAMdisksand,214216
ramdrive.sys,111
schedulingprograms,55
speedofFAT32driveswith,58
toolsbundledwith,115118
tuningtoCDROMdrives,3638
upgradinghardware,217254
upgradingto,94
WIN32Sdirectory,47
Windows98SetupWizard,200
Windows9x(seeWindows95/98)
Windowsdirectory,optimizing,4550
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windows,dock,127
WindowsNT,batchfilesupport,88
WindowsRegistryChecker,118
Windrenalin,71
WinG,compatibilitywithWindows98,205
WinGate,95,187
win.inifile,46
Winmodems,231
WinVer=ssetting,86
WipeInfo,98
wizards
AddNewHardware,running,197
ICWInternetConnection,deleting,191
Optimization,98,100
Registry,104
RegistryRepair,104
RegistryTuneUp,104
Space,98
Windows98Setup,200
Word97,configuringtorunon486computers,253
wordprocessingprograms,testingforCPUupgrade,236
WordPerfect,filesaddedtoStartupgroup,89
writing(seesaving)
Wterm,232
X
Xenix,137
XFree86XWindowsystem,123
XMS(extendedmemoryspecification),137
XMSgames,configuringtoruninDOS,151
XMSDISK,111114,155
Y
Ysplitters,161
Z
ZBR(ZonedBitRecording),56
Zeoskeyboards,250
Zipdrives
datacompression,75
upgrading,248
usingassurrogatedrives,209
Ziputility
backingupWindowsdirectories,9
moving,47
ZippyUSA,245
Zmodem,162
ZonedBitRecording(seeZBR),56
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AbouttheAuthor
DavidL.FarquhargraduatedfromtheUniversityofMissouriwithadegreeinjournalismandhasbeenworkingasasystemsanalysteversince.Hehasalsobeena
weeklycomputercolumnistfortheColumbiaMissouriannewspaper.Whennotworkingonorwritingaboutcomputers,DaveisadiehardKansasCityRoyalsfan,
soundtechnician,Biblestudyteacher,andfictionwriter.
Colophon
Ourlookistheresultofreadercomments,ourownexperimentation,andfeedbackfromdistributionchannels.Distinctivecoverscomplementourdistinctiveapproach
totechnicaltopics,breathingpersonalityandlifeintopotentiallydrysubjects.
TheanimalonthecoverofOptimizingWindowsforGames,Graphics,andMultimediaisaroadrunner(Geococcyxcalifornianus).Theroadrunnerisaground
dwellingtypeofcuckoobirdfoundinthesouthwesternUnitedStates,includingCalifornia,Arizona,Nevada,Utah,andsouthintoMexico.Itstandsabouttwofeet
tall,andcanbe2024incheslong.Theroadrunnerispossiblymostfamousforitslonglegsthatcarryitquicklythroughtheopen,desertenvironmentatspeedsupto
15milesanhour.Thoughithaswings,theroadrunnertypicallyfliesonlywhenindanger.Othercharacteristicsincludealongtailandbill,acrestoffeathersatthetop
ofitshead,andastripedorspottedpattern,typicallyofbrownandwhite,onitsbackandtail.
Roadrunnersnestinbushes,lowtrees,orcactus.Themalebirdsitsonthe48eggsduringincubation,androadrunnersareconsideredtobeexcellentparents.Their
dietconsistsofbirdeggs,insects,lizards,snakes,andsmallrodents.Roadrunnershavethreecalls,themostpopularofwhichsoundsmuchlikeadove'scooing.
MadeleineNewellwastheproductioneditorandNicoleArigowasthecopyeditorforOptimizingWindowsforGames,Graphics,andMultimedia.Clairemarie
FisherO'Learyprovidedqualitycontrol.JeffHolcomb,AbbyMyers,AnnaKimSnow,andMaeveO'Mearaprovidedproductionassistance.MikeSierraprovided
FrameMakertechnicalsupport.CherylLandesofTabbyCatCommunicationswrotetheindex,andBrendaMillereditedtheindex.
EllieVolkenhausendesignedthecoverofthisbook,usinganillustrationcreatedbyLorrieLeJeune.ThecoverlayoutwasproducedbyKathleenWilsonwith
QuarkXPress3.32usingtheITCGaramondfont.Wheneverpossible,ourbooks
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Page280
useReprover ,adurableandflexiblelayflatbinding.IfthepagecountexceedsReprover'slimit,perfectbindingisused.
TheinsidelayoutwasdesignedbyAliciaCzechbasedonaseriesdesignbyNancyPriest,andimplementedinFrameMaker5.5byMikeSierra.Thetextandheading
fontsareITCGaramondLightandGaramondBook.TheillustrationsthatappearinthebookwereproducedbyRobertRomanoandRhonPorterusingMacromedia
FreeHand8andAdobePhotoshop5.ThiscolophonwaswrittenbyNicoleArigo.
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Ifyou'restillshortonspace,tryStart Run c:\Windowsand,whileholdingdowntheControlkey,clickonceonthefolderlabeledTemporaryInternet

Afterrebooting,runStart Run Defrag.Goaheadanddefragmentallofyourharddrives,evenifWindowssaystheyare0%fragmented.Windows'definitionof

TofindoutwhatversionofWindows95youarerunning,gotoControlPanel System General.UnderaheadinglabeledSystem,Windowswilltellyouits

Hardware Next No Next Sound,videoandgamecontrollers

firstselectControlPanel Display Wallpaper Browse Drives <drivethatcontainsMyDocuments> MyDocuments Wallpaper.Thisaddsa

Nowhere'sthecorrespondingunalign.bat.Theentryprocessissimilar:Start Run EDITC:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\UNALIGN.BAT,thenenterthe

2.Makeharddrivethefirstbootdevice:BIOSfeaturessetup BootSequence C,A,SCSI

Settingupanetworkprinterissimilar.GotoMyComputer Printers <printername> Contextmenu

TobootthefirstcopyofWindows,justgotoStart Run BOOT1,thenStart Shutdown Restartthecomputer.Similarly,tobootthesecondcopy,goto

Restartyourcomputer,thenonceWindowsloads,pressStart Run drvspace/compressz:.DriveSpacewillcompressyourRAMdisk.Now,either

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