Tweaking Optimizing Windows.pdf - GEGeek

If you have Windows 95/NT you can edit the registry to get at the items that start up from there.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce'
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Also in the startmenu\startup folder are programs designated to run on bootup.
Startup items in detail
At the very minimum, Windows will quite happily run with no startup options whatsoever. However, depending on your configuration
there may be one or two programs which are necessary for certain hardware and software to function correctly.
Power Management - you'll find two entries for LoadPowerProfiles in the registry. These should not be removed if you want to use
power management. The reason for having two entries is simple: one is run prior to logon, the other after logon. This makes sense
if you bear in mind that with a manual logon it's possible that a user may logoff, leaving the logon prompt on the screen indefinitely.
If no power profile is present, this could lead to burn-in.
(Over an extended period it is best to allow the hard-drives to power-down. Likewise with the CPU, if Standby is available). I
always remove these entries from startup because I don't need them.
System Tray (systray.exe) - is a program which provides three very specific services that run from the System Tray itself. Note that
it doesn't actually provide the System Tray (sometimes referred to - correctly - as the Status Area) since that is fundamentally builtin
to the Taskbar provided by the Explorer shell. The three services are: Battery Meter, PC Card Status and Volume Control.
Other items - in the System Tray (next to the clock on the Taskbar) can be removed by simply selecting and opening the System
Tray icon (either by a right- or left-click). Usually there are options to disable the item at startup on the icon's pop-up menu. The
RealPlayer SmartStart is one such example. If you right-click the System Tray icon, you should find an option to Disable
SmartStart. If no option exists on the icon menu, open up the main application itself and look for startup options there.
Task Scheduler - seems to cause many people problems. Selecting Stop using... from the Advanced menu doesn't seem to be
sufficient to stop it loading at the next boot. The cause has nothing at all to do with Task Scheduler itself, but to do with the Critical
Update Notification that Microsoft "insists" you install. A quick manual check of the Corporate Update site, every week or so, will
soon tell you if there are any updates you need - you can even subscribe to one of the many Microsoft bulletins to be alerted of
updates as they become available. Use the Add/Remove Programs applet to remove the offending Critical Update Notification and
Task Scheduler will remain disabled forever more. You can also if you have it disable Windows Update by using the Update control
panel. When you synchronise manually, Task Scheduler is launched automatically. However, it will be disabled at the next boot.
QucikRes - if you need to change resolutions regularly, you may have a QuickRes style icon in the System Tray. If you don't need it,
it can normally be removed with Control Panel > Display Properties (or by right-clicking the desktop and selecting Properties).
Examine the Settings tab and select the Advanced button. The new General tab normally has the option to disable the System Tray
icon. On some systems, right-clicking the desktop has no effect. The cause is generally the QuickRes utility. It loads via rundll and
the only way to gain access to the display properties is by using CTRL+ALT+DEL to end all RUNDLL tasks. By disabling the icon from
loading in the first place, RUNDLL won't be loaded.
ATI - you may notice another icon in the System Tray. This can be enabled/disabled via the ATI Displays tab of the same dialogue.
You may have something similar but the option should appear in the Display Properties dialogue somewhere.
Here are some of the programs I run from here :-
'ScanRegistry'
- Takes a backup of the registry at the first boot of the day and stores
it in 'Windows\SysBckup' as a compressed file. By default Windows
will keep the last five backups. (Part of operating system)
'RegTest'
- Registry RunGuard program that informs you of anything that has
put itself into Windows Startup. Very handy.
'Tweak UI'
- A Microsoft 'powertoy'. Very handy control panel that tweaks many
Windows settings. Only use TweakUI 2000 by Microsoft - the one
that came on the cd with the first version of Windows was plagued
by bugs.
'SchedulingAgent' - I have routine maintenance and housekeeping chores automated.
The only main programs I have running all the time is a good virus checker which is always kept up to date with the latest
definitions and a good firewall. Go to control panels, system and then performance tab - you should aim to have your system
resources at around 95%+ once your system has booted up. A useful site that lists a lot of programs and their descriptions on
startup is:- www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
7. Disable "Automatic check for Windows Explorer updates
From the IE "Tools" menu click on "Internet Options" then go to "Advanced" and uncheck the 4th box.
8. Backup your computer using imaging/ghosting software
I back mine up using 'imaging' software called 'DriveImage Pro'. This software will do an identical backup, including all the hard
drive sizes etc and create a set of boot disks. You can backup onto various devices. I personally back up onto multiple cd's or even
better dvd's If needs be I could have my computer restored back to how it was in less than 15 minutes ! Other good imaging
software is 'Norton Ghost' from Symantec.
Image/Ghosting to computer with different hardware
- Using disk image floppies, install your disk image to the new machine. On a new machine, with Windows pre-installed, you could
also install to a second partition. That would provide the option of testing the success of the operation before erasing the preinstalled
version. You'll need to then set that partition active in order to boot it.