Tweaking Optimizing Windows.pdf - GEGeek

8. Want Real mode DOS back in Windows ME?
There are two patches - you can use any one. This patch enables DOS mode straight from boot via the F8 key. All instructions are
included in the ZIP file.
Unofficial Windows ME Real DOS-Mode Patch v1.3 http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/
Unofficial Windows ME DOS Fix v2.0 http://www.overclockers.com.au/techstuff/a_dos_me/
CHAPTER [3]
OPTIMIZING WINDOWS NT TIPS
(some of these also apply to 2000 and XP)
God I'm not a great lover of NT, because it has a bloody mind of its own sometimes, but when you are forced to use it you havent
got much of a choice. I would advise anyone to install XP in preference to NT. Anyway here are a few tips that I hope will make
your life a bit easier with this old, outdated piece of crap operating system :-)
As usual I have only listed the tweaks that apply for NT only, because no configuration is perfect for anyone.
Because NT is such a pain in the arse I have listed 8 pointers for you to follow and trust me you will want to heed this advice. If
you do these pointers than you will not have a problem.
a. Never assume an upgrade will go smoothly because all the others have.
b. Do a backup.
c. Create an Emergency Repair Disk.
d. Do not do the upgrade when you are jet-lagged or tired.
e. Make sure the WinNT install disks are around.
f. Have a serial number for NT handy.
g. Have a backup disk configuration, especially if you are using striping or mirroring.
h. Keep a log of server configuration changes
1. Defrag your drive
Microsoft in there infinite wisdom decided not to include a disk defragmenting utility with NT, because they said the NTFS file system
didnt need defragmenting - this is complete and utter crap. Install a third party defrag utility, such as Diskkeeper etc. Free version
of diskkeeper is available at www.execsoft.com/dklite/
2. Cut down on services loading in at bootup
Also see option 2 in Windows 2000 (very detailed list of services) and option 1 in Windows XP as they also apply to NT. Before we
go on one point to remember is that by changing the Startup Type of services to Manual, Windows can still start the service if it's
needed.
Overview of editing services
Automatic: the service starts at Start-up, provided that you have more than 12 MB of RAM.
Manual: the service starts when/if the system starts it, which it will only do in a time of need
Disabled: the service cannot be started, even by the system, without user intervention.
Most services don't need to be disabled. Setting them to manual will give you some safety, since the system is pretty smart about
firing up what it needs. Setting some services to manual will reduce your systems boot time, but it will also extend the amount of
time it takes to fire up anything that needs that service, since the service will then have to be started on the fly.
The defaults here are representative of what you get, as an end user, when you install Windows NT from the media. It doesn't
necessarily represent what you get on an OEM machine with Windows NT pre-installed. So, I've listed all of the standard services
here, even the ones that seem extremely innocuous, just so you can compare the default media config with what you have. You'll
sometimes notice that settings that I claim are default, or enabled on your machine, and vice-versa. That's usually the doing of the
OEM, or perhaps another piece of software you've installed.
THE SERVICES
Alerter
Process Name:
Services.exe
Default Setting:
Manual (Workstation), Automatic (Server)
Description:
Distributes administrative alerts to users specified in Alert box in Server properties, on behalf of a
computer (via the Messenger service). A common example of such an alert is a performance monitor threshold. To function
properly, this service requires the Messenger and Workstation services to be started. Furthermore, this service is used by other
services, like Server and several 3rd-party applications.
Recommendation: For most folks running Workstation, remaining at a manual status is the way to go. In this state, the
service will only run when the OS or a prog requires it. As for the Server edition, if you know that something server-side is using it
go ahead and leave it set on automatic. However, if you're using Server more like a Workstation (which many folks do), setting it
to manual will shave some fat off the size of that services.exe process, which actually governs a few services.
Clipbook Server
Process Name:
Clipsrv.exe
Default Setting:
Manual (Workstation), Manual (Server)
Description:
While some still use this collaboration tool, it is mostly a relic from the NT 3.x days. This service provides
support for the Clipbook Viewer, which allows the clipboard of the source machine to be accessed remotely on target computer's
Clipbook Viewer.