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Windows
| The appearance and performance of the Windows OS can be modified, improved and adjusted to the needs of the user. This can be done to some extent also through the Windows user interface. Here are some examples:
Increase cache for files
Memory for file access and memory of recently accessed files in Windows 98 is defined by the "role" of your computer. When your PC is defined as a desktop computer, it sets aside memory for the 32 most recently accessed folders, and 677 recently accessed files. This takes up about 10K of memory. You can tell your PC to remember more files and folders by telling your PC that it's a network server. When set up as a network server, the memory will retain 64 recently opened folders, and 2,729 recent files. The only downside is that this setting uses an additional 30K of memory, but it only makes the total about 40K. To convince your desktop computer that it's a network server do the following: Right-click on My Computer, choose Properties, click the Performance tab, now choose the File System button and then select Network Server in the dropdown menu under Typical role of this computer. Close and reboot.
If you have less than 64 Mb of memory, then you shouldn't apply this tip.
Effects (All versions)
Your system's performance may be slower because of excessive visual effects. To get a perkier Windows 98, 2000, or Me, right-click the desktop, choose Properties, and click the Effects tab. Begin unchecking items in the Visual Effects box at the bottom of the dialog box until you find the right balance of speed and attractiveness for you.
Use less colors (All versions)
The more colors your system displays, the more memory and processing power it spends to manage those colors. If you use an older computer system, you may get the performance boost you're looking for by setting your graphics system to 16-bit 'high color' rather than 32-bit 'true color' (in Windows XP these settings are labeled 'Medium' and 'Highest', respectively). Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and click the Settings tab. If your system is currently set to display 32-bit color, choose the option for 16-bit color and click OK; then follow any on-screen instructions that appear (these vary depending on the graphics system).
Diskkeeping (All versions)
A clean hard disk is a happy hard disk. Running Windows' Disk Defragmenter periodically can speed up your PC's performance, especially if you use programs that frequently access the hard disk. Disk Defragmenter is usually activated by opening My Computer, right-clicking the drive, choosing Properties, selecting the Tools tab, and then clicking Defragment now.
Another good method of minimizing disk clutter is to remove files that you no longer need and uninstall old software that you no longer use. Your first choice for handling this task should be the uninstall program that comes with the software. For those programs that lack an uninstall utility, use the Add/Remove applet in 'Control Panel'. Deleting old programs any other way may leave unwanted, hard-to-find files or Registry settings that could cause your PC to have trouble later on. | | At the end, you could/should also check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall | | After you've done that, press F3 and type the name of the program to see if some components are still in the registry.
Hiding confidential data
The best way to protect confidential data is to save them onto removable media (floppy, CD-R). If you leave it on the hard drive, then you should at least save it as subfolder of a bigger folder. You should check the attribute Hidden for this folder (right-click the folder, choose Properties and then check the attribute \'Hidden\'). In Explorer go to Tools>Folder Options, select the View tab and check the option Do not show hidden files.
Much more secure would be to use a CLSID folder or an ASCII-protected folder.
These files contain all your web surfing history since they were (re)created, and large index.dat files can cause performance issues with browsing. They are never resized, and only get bigger. Because of all this, it's advisable do delete them from time to time (some people delete them every day). Windows will immediately recreate them, but the size will shrink from several Mb to just 32 KB. The problem is, that Index.dat files cannot be deleted if Explorer is running (at least not the biggest and most important one in the TIF folder). To delete them, you have to get a tool for that purpose, or do it yourself in MS-DOS.
Here are a few more examples and tips (they change every month):
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