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The Open Window #2
Tom Krawcyzck, from the PC Register, ETPCUG
There are several easy things you can do to "optimize" Windows for
your computer configuration. By fine-tuning the way your system
utilizes memory and how you manage your hard disk, you can greatly
increase the speed and efficiency of Windows. This month we'll take a
look at one of these aspects: proper hard disk management.
In Windows, the amount of free disk space can affect your computer's
ability to run multiple applications and store data. Improper hard
disk management can also slow Windows down. You can save space on
your hard disk by getting rid of files you don't need. I realize that
may sound obvious, but there are several things you can do to reduce
the obligatory Windows disk clutter. For example, if Windows (or an
application) crashes, it may very well leave behind temporary files
with the extension .TMP or .SWP , in addition to the requisite "lost
clusters." It helps to regularly scan for these "lost" files, and then
run CHKDSK (before starting Windows) to find and fix the lost
clusters.
In addition, you more than likely have documents or utilities you no
longer use. Keeping around only those files and programs which you
plan on using keeps your hard disk trim and fit. And what about some
of those Windows accessory applications? For example, the Calendar,
Calculator, Cardfile, and Terminal files can all be deleted if you
really don't plan on using them.
Also, most people have a word processor they'd prefer to the Windows
Write accessory. The Reversi and Solitaire games are fun to have
around, but not at the expense of running quicker Windows (or having
room to install your own games). Finally, those bitmap wallpapers can
eat up a lot of space, so delete the larger ones (or all of them) if
you hardly ever see the background in Windows anyway. Regardless of
how much or little you'd like delete, do so only after reading the
section in the Windows User's Guide on freeing up disk space. I
attempted to hack and slash on my own, and fatally crippled Windows.
Using the proper technique, however, yielded much better results the
second time.
Similarly, fragmented files clutter your hard disk. Using a
defragmentation (also called compaction) utility helps improve
Windows' performance, shortens the time to load and save files, and
lengthens the life span of your hard disk. Running one of these
utilities is very important before setting up a permanent swap file.
Of course, one of the best ways to improve performance is to create a
permanent swap file on your hard disk. Windows will create its own
temporary swap file every time you start up, but it just grabs at the
available space at the time, which will vary. Since Windows uses swap
files in low memory situations by using the hard disk as extra memory,
it pays to have a clear space on your disk for Windows to utilize each
time. The advantage of a permanent swap file over a temporary one is
mainly one of speed, since Windows is presented with a contiguous hard
disk space to access. The disadvantage is that the disk space you
designate as your permanent swap file will remain unavailable even
when Windows isn't running.
Finally, Windows installs a disk-caching program called SMARTDrive
during setup. Although there are other, demonstrably better
disk-cache utilities on the market, by all means use SMARTDrive if
that's all you have to work with. To maximize performance, however,
you can adjust the normal and minimum cache sizes SMARTDrive uses. For
systems with 4 MB or more of memory (which you need to run Windows
properly), try using 1,024K and 512K, respectively, by inserting those
figures in the CONFIG.SYS command line detailing SMARTDrive. Also in
your CONFIG.SYS is the BUFFERS command, which you can lower to 15 to
free up a little more conventional memory, thanks to the use of
SMARTDrive.