| PC OPTIMIZATION(Current for Windows98 Second Edition) from http://www.opusaudioprojects.net/ These tips and tricks have been tested out and have proved successful in many occasions. If you follow this document to the "T" you will have your system in true optimum performance. First: Make sure you dont have ANY IRQ conflicts of any sort. Right click "My Computer" Select "Properties" Select the "Device Manager" tab Double click on the "Computer" icon and you will see a complete list of all the IRQ's in use. If you see more than 2(two) of the same number you might have a conflict. I say might becuase some devices CAN share and wont cause any problems. Things to watch out for: SCSI controllers sharing wth ANYTHING!! Audio cards/devices sharing with USB/SCSI...(428 being the exception here!) Network/Modems sharing with USB/SCSI/Video Etc Etc Etc If you have a conflict and you want to fix it: There is truly only one way that IRQ's can be moved around... Take the card in question and move it to a different PCI slot..There are SOME BIOS manufacturers who allow you to assign a specific IRQ to a PCI slot..but remember this that you should NOT assign IRQ #9 to anything..that is the cascaded IRQ from #2.. One of the best results is to remove ALL cards except for the video card and add one card at a time and playing with the slot configurations Second: Change the "Role" of the computer.. Right click "My Computer" Select "Properties" Select the "Performance" tab Click on the "File System" button Change the role of your PC from a Desktop to a Network Server...this will allow faster streams of audio.(Restart) Third: Make sure nothing is started up when you launch Windows: In your Start Menu you will go to RUN Type in MSCONFIG and press OK Select the "Startup" tab and deselect EVERYTHING BUT YOUR SYSTEM TRAY!!! Press "Apply" ...Press "OK" (Restart) NEW-----It turns out when you disable your startup items from this System Config Utility program it creates a "second" Run category in your registry which "could" lead to a possible issue at some point due to it creating a dash(-) after the word run. In Start Menu you will go to RUN Type in Regedit and press OK Expand Hkey_Local_Machine Expand Software Expand Microsoft Expand Windows Expand Current Version Find the folder labeled Run Highlite each item and delete the key leaving your Systrem Tray alone You will also see a Run Services folder Hhighlite each item and delete each one and remove them all Now...if you have done the MSCONFIG tweak in the startup tab you will see two folders here...Run and Run-.....Delete the Run- folder and then continue as decribed above on the NEW way of tweaking the startup..do the same with the Run Services- folder as well Fourth: Make sure DMA is ON for your Hard Drives and Auto-Insert Notification is OFF for your CDROMS Right click "My Computer" Select "Properties" Select the "Device Manager" tab Expand(Press the + sign) Disk Drives Double click on the Drive you need to change Select the "Settings" tab and make sure DMA has a check next to it. Windows will give you a prompt...hit OK..Do this for the second drive as well(If you dont have a second drive....GET ONE!!) Expand the CDROMS Select the "settings" tab and make sure Auto-Insert Notification is unchecked. Do this for all CDROMS and CDR/RW's(Restart) Fifth: Optimize your Swap File: Right click "My Computer" Select "Properties" Select the "Performance" tab Press the "Virtual Memory" button Depending on how much RAM you have is how you figure out what to set the Virtual Memory to....As apposed to Windows 95 days the rule about making the swap file twice the size of your memory is no longer needed...ever since FAT32 that has all but gone away. Nowadays you will need less...for example-128MB RAM is about 192Min and Max 256MB RAM you should set to 128Min and Max. Obvioulsy it is not going to hurt your system if you allocate more than your memory but it is not needed and will use your hard drive more than you need it to. Explanation of Virtual Memory....Windows allocates your entire hard drive as a means of shuffling data back and forth from Memory as it is needed. When an application is running threads of information are put into memory(RAM) and processed..when that thread is done and the next thread is ready windows uses the hard drive to prepare the thread then swaps it with the thread that has been used allready. Depending on the software and the machine, the size of the threads can get larger and smaller using any available space on your drive....Fragmentation hell and it also can cause your machine to crash/stall when it has to search the entire drive for the next thread. Thus making the swap file the same size for Minimum and Maximum you are telling Windows to use only a certain part of the drive and to use the fastest part of it as well...the outside track. Thus windows has less of an area to find the next thread and continue on as normal **** VERY IMPORTANT*************** YOU MUST DEFRAG YOUR HARD DRIVE AFTER RESTARTING!!! DO NOT USE THE WINDOWS DEFRAGGER..IT DOES NOT OPTIMIZE YOUR SWAP FILE...IT LEAVES THE CURRENT STATE IN TACT....USE NORTON'S TO DEFRAG AND MAKE SURE YOU TELL IT TO OPTIMIZE THE SWAP FILE!!! THIS CAN BE FOUND USUALLY IN THE ADVANCED SECTION OF THE PROGRAM *********************************** Sixth: Lower your Bit Depth rate for your Display settings: Right click on your desktop and select "Properties" This will bring you to your Display Properties window Select the "Settings" tab Change the "Color" settings to 16Bit...32Bit will eat up your performance Screen resolution is of your choice...I prefer 1024x768...larger screen area Not always is it best to go out and get the most "RAM" intensive video card. Staying with a 16MB video(AGP of course) is a fine standard to be at. Try and stay away from PCI video cards..puts a strain on your PCI bus! Seven: Power Schemes: Right click on your desktop and select "Properties" This will bring you to your Display Properties window Select the "Screen Saver" tab Set Screen Saver to NONE Press the "Settings" button in the Energy Saver area For Power Schemes choose Home/Office Desk Set System Standby to NEVER Turn off monitor to NEVER Turn off Hard Disks to NEVER Eight: Multimedia Settings: Make sure windows doesnt use your sound card to "Map" thru it Go to your Start menu>Settings>Control Panel Double click on Multimedia Select the "devices" tab Expand the Audio Devices item Double click on the audio card/device in question Check the box that says "Do not map thru this device" Press Apply(Restart) Nine: Stop the Scheduled Tasks from running Go to your Start menu>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks Double click on "Tune-up Application Start" At the bottom of the screen deselect "Enabled" Ten: Network Settings: If you are connected to the internet via your PC DAW via a modem/DSL but are NOT using File Sharing >remove Client For Microsoft Networks Go to your Start menu>Settings>Control Panel Double click on Network>Highlite "Client for Microsoft Networks Press "Remove" When you close out of the Network box it will tell you your network is not complete and do you want to continue...say YES!!(Restart) Eleven: More System Configuration These steps arent neccessary but reccomended In your Start Menu you will go to RUN Type in MSCONFIG and press OK Select the "Config.sys" tab Deselect everything Select the "Autoexec.bat" tab Deselect everything Press Apply..Press OK(Restart) As far as "tweak" settings are concerned this should do it. Obviously there are system requirements too but this a known issue and all should be aware that a PII 400 is the minumum reccomended processor. 128MB RAM minimum(256 Reccomended) AGP Video card...No internet...Constantly making sure your hard drive(s) are optimized(defragged) and also not installing every software known to man(which can corrupt the registry) As far as "Physical" building of a system one should not put two hard drives on one IDE cable..this will cause bus speeds to be bogged down. Partitioning a single hard drive does not make it two drives...it only "emulates" a second drive..there is still one mechanical arm reading the two parts of one drive...this can cause skips or possible stutters. I reccomend using your main drive for ALL applications and the secondary drive for ALL data...audio files..program information..etc etc.. If you have any questions regarding this document and would like to possibly find out more information regarding PC Optimization issues..feel free to email me : Gary Brenner [email protected] ENJOY!!!! March 3rd, 2001 |