Configure windows xp after installation. Preparing to install Windows XP

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Windows XP remains one of the most popular operating systems today. Users value it for its reliability and ability to work on weak old hardware. Step-by-step installation of Windows XP is a fairly quick and easy process. Below is a detailed description of it.

Preparing the computer for installing a new OS

The simplest way to install Windows XP is from an installation disk. If, instead of reading data from it, the system starts loading the old OS or a black screen appears that does not respond to button presses, then you just need to go into the BIOS and make the appropriate settings:

Open the Advansed BIOS Features or BIOS/Boot Device Priority section;
Select First Boot Devise;
In the list that opens, select CDROM or the name of your drive;
Save the result by pressing the F10 key and restart your PC.

Note that there are a lot of BIOS versions for laptops today, so the described steps when installing the OS on a laptop may be slightly different.

Let's proceed directly to the installation

First window - blue screen. It is at this stage that step by step installation software for installing Windows XP on a SCSI (high-speed disk) or on a RAID array. To do this, press F6, after which the installation of the appropriate drivers will begin. But in most cases, users install the system on a regular hard drive, for which there is no interference with the installation process on at this stage not required, you just need to wait for the next welcome screen.

Install Windows XP. The standard choice in most cases is to install the system from scratch or restore the old one. A convenient graphical interface is used.
System recovery using the console. This is the choice of professional users and craftsmen - restoration is made from command line using DOS commands. In this case, a complete reinstallation of the system is not performed.

Next, the system proceeds to search for previously installed OS versions. If any were found, the list will be displayed on this screen below, and the menu will offer options for subsequent actions:

restore old Windows XP;
install a new copy of the OS.

In the first case, you will be able to use previously installed applications. Only system files will be replaced, but the installation will be completed completely. The second option involves a complete reshuffle of the system.

No list will appear not only if Windows XP is installed on an “empty” computer, but also if the previously installed system has a different edition or service pack.

The most crucial moment of installation

The next installation point is perhaps the most important, and should be performed thoughtfully and carefully. You will need to identify the system partition and allocate disk space so that the virtual disk allocated for the system has enough space for its operation.

Of course, you can use the same partition equal to the entire hard drive space for both the system and your personal data, but such an organization is guaranteed to create many problems in the future.

We split the disk into partitions

If you install Windows XP on a completely new disk, then you will have to distribute the partitions yourself, since this step-by-step procedure has never been performed before. The window that appears will indicate the size of the unallocated area - it will coincide with the size of the entire hard drive.

Here you need to create a so-called The system partition is the one where the OS will be installed. To do this, you need to indicate its size in megabytes (1 GB is equal to 1024 MB) and press “Enter” on the keyboard. After this, you will again return to the window in which the hard drive is partitioned. The created section will already be displayed in a separate line with the assignment to it Latin letter(usually C).

You should not skimp on the size of the system partition - the stability of the system will depend on it. The minimum space for installing Windows XP is 20 GB, but it is better to allocate not 20, but 40, or even all 60 GB.

Similarly, from the remaining unallocated area, we create other sections for personal data, however, you should not get carried away with the quantity - in this case, large files and folders will be distributed less efficiently, and navigation through the sections will become more confusing.

Format the system partition

Next, you will need to select the partition to install the system (in our case, drive C) and press the “Enter” key. A window will open asking you to format the partition.
Choose quick formatting using the NFTS system (FAT is obsolete). After formatting is completed, the process of installing system files will begin.
The most difficult stage of installation has been completed.

By the way, if the disk that you partitioned is not formatted, then you can carry out this procedure with each of the created partitions for personal data even after completing the installation of Windows XP using standard means.

If you are rearranging the system and the disk is already partitioned, then you should simply select the partition with the system to be reinstalled, format it and start the installation process. If you decide to format the remaining partitions, then all information on them will be lost.

Finishing the installation

Once the system files have been copied, the computer will restart and the installation will continue.

We determine the initial parameters:

Immediately after installation clean system, needs to be optimized and executed easy setup Windows XP. Setting up XP will allow you to feel comfort and ease of use and will also decorate your desktop.

Disable automatic updates

Automatic update Windows can be disabled by clicking START - CONTROL PANEL - SECURITY CENTER - AUTOMATIC UPDATES. It is recommended to refuse these updates altogether. If you need an update, you can always run it manually. Or configure the date and time for automatic updates according to a schedule.

Installing drivers

Methods for installing drivers are described in the special article “Installing drivers on a computer”.

Performance settings

Adjusting performance in Windows XP occurs in several stages:

Stage 1: increase computer speed

Select " options" performance in order to adjust the visual effects. Select " provide best performance " Now check the boxes next to the following 4 functions:

Menu fades out after calling a command
Using Display Styles for Windows and Buttons
Using common folder tasks
Casting shadows on desktop icons.

Stage 2:remove all unnecessary things from startup
This will increase the speed and loading of your computer. Click START - RUN. Enter the command msconfig, find the “” tab.

We remove everything that requires a lot of resources. Leave only the antivirus; other programs can be started manually.

By deleting programs from startup, you DO NOT delete the programs themselves!!!

Remove system alerts

Remove annoying notifications you can do it in 2 simple steps:

Click on the “my computer” icon right click mice. Select SYSTEM PROPERTIES – ADVANCED tab as shown in the figure below

Click disable

Go to START – CONTROL PANEL – SECURITY CENTER. On the left select “ change notification method" We remove the checkmarks from all three positions.

Change desktop picture

Set wallpaper on your desktop Just:
1. Open the picture you like
2. Right-click on the picture
3. Select "set as desktop background"

You can download desktop wallpapers on our website.

Add Quick Launch Toolbar Just:
Right-click on the bottom line (where the "START" button is located), select "TOOLBAR - QUICK LAUNCH"

1. Set up the desktop.

Go to screen properties->Desktop->Desktop settings, enable the desktop icons we need and disable “Cleaning the desktop every 60 days”. Go to the Screensaver->Power tab and select “Turn off the display - Never”. Check to see if Sleep Mode is enabled. Next, go to the “Design->Effects” tab and uncheck the first, third, fourth and fifth checkboxes and select “ClearTy”

2. The next step is to configure the properties of our system.

To do this, go to “Control Panel->System”. Next, go to the “Advanced->Error Reporting” tab and check the box next to “Disable error reporting” and check the “But notify about critical errors” checkbox. Let's move on" Environment Variables", change the path to the variable "TEMP" and "TMP" to the value "C:\Windows\Temp". In the "Boot and Recovery" settings, uncheck the box next to "Display a list of operating systems", "Send an administrative notification" and "Perform automatic reboot." Go to the "Performance" parameters and configure, at our discretion, "Display of visual effects." In the "Remote sessions" tab, allow remote access to this PC. Disable "Automatic Updates" and disable "System Restore on all drives".

3. Next.

Go to "Control Panel->Administration->Computer Management" and execute the following actions: “Local users->Users” enable “Guest”, in “Disk Management” go to the properties of each disk and disable the function “Allow disk indexing for quick search". Go to "Services and Applications->Services" and disable those we do not use, namely - Fast User Switching Compatibility; Remote Registry; Secondary Logon; SSDP Discovery Service; Task Scheduler; Universal Plug and Play Device Host; Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS); Windows Time; Wireless Zero Configuration, and also open the Remote service Procedure Call(RPC), go to the "Recovery" tab and instead of "Restart the computer" set "Restart the service".

4. Go to "Control Panel->Administration->Local Security Policies->Account Policy->Password Policy" and set the "Maximum password age" to 0, here we also go to "Local Policies->Assigning user rights" and in the “Access to a computer from the network” policy, delete “Guest”, and in the “Denied access to a computer from the network” policy, delete the “Guest” account. Now in “Add or Remove Programs->Install Windows Components”, uncheck the boxes next to the components we do not need and close all windows. Reboot and install everything necessary drivers and software.

6. We make an image of the configured system.

When purchasing a new PC with a pre-installed operating system, be it a laptop or a desktop computer, any user is more or less faced with the task of customizing it to suit their needs. There are no universal recipes for such settings, and there cannot be - some people like the decoration of the working steel, non-standard icons, translucent windows, etc.; On the contrary, some people find these excesses annoying, while others don’t care at all how the operating system is configured. The Windows XP operating system provides users with quite wide opportunities for setting up an individual profile, and it would be a sin not to take advantage of them.
In this article we will look at the basic methods of tuning an operating system for maximum performance using the Windows XP Professional operating system as an example ( English version). Setting up a "deprived" Windows XP operating system Home Edition, as well as an OS for the “illiterates”, that is, Russian-speaking Windows versions XP, carried out similarly.

The main idea of tuning the operating system for maximum performance is to remove all the frills that, although they decorate the desktop and windows, slow down the performance of the system due to soft opening etc.

In addition, you need to disable unnecessary services and optimize the operating system for a specific computer configuration.

To configure the operating system, you can use both specialized configuration utilities (so-called tweakers) and tools from the operating system itself. The second method seems to us more flexible and interesting, so we will consider it step by step. manual setting operating system.

Stage 1. Getting rid of excesses

so, first of all, let's give the desktop classic look. To do this, right-click on the Taskbar and select Properties from the menu that appears. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box that opens, on the Start Menu tab, set the Classic Start menu switch (Fig. 1). After this, the usual icons will appear on the desktop: My Computer, My Network Places, etc.

Then we need to get rid of the wallpaper, guided by the principle that the most beautiful wallpaper is its complete absence. To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Properties from the menu that opens. In the Display Properties dialog box that opens, on the Desktop tab, select None as the desktop wallpaper (Fig. 2).

In the same Display Properties dialog box, on the Screen Saver tab, you can adjust the power consumption scheme (Monitor power group, Power button). In the Power Options Properties dialog box that appears after clicking Power button, on the Power Schemes tab, select the Always On power scheme and block turning off hard drives ( Turn off hard disks) (Fig. 3).

The next step is to get rid of all visual effects, shadows, etc., that is, to give the desktop and all Windows XP windows a strict look. To do this in the window Control Panel Select the System item and on the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box, click on the Settings button in the Performance group. In the Performance Options dialog box that opens, on the Visual Effects tab, set the Adjust for best performance switch, which corresponds to eliminating all visual effects (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Increase PC performance by eliminating visual effects

Another step in tuning the OS for maximum performance is done in the Display Properties dialog box on the Apperance tab. After clicking the Effects... button, a dialog box of the same name will appear, in which you need to uncheck the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts and Use the following transition effect for menu and tooltips (Fig. 5), which will allow you to disable the use of screen font smoothing.

Stage 2. Swap file optimization

wop file is a disk space that is used by the operating system to store data in case random access memory lacks. Essentially, a swap file is slow RAM, so when a program starts swapping, it appears as if the computer is freezing.

If you have 256 MB of memory or more installed on your computer, then it is best to fix the size of the swap file, that is, make its minimum and maximum sizes the same, and the more memory in your PC, the smaller the size of the swap file can be. We do not recommend abandoning the swap file at all. The point is that even if the swap file is never used at all, some programs check for its presence and only run if the swap file is available.

As a rule, the minimum size of the swap file is set equal to the amount of RAM, and maximum size- 2-2.5 times more. The optimal situation is when the size of the swap file is fixed at 512 MB, provided that 256 MB of RAM is installed, and 1024 MB if the RAM size is 512 MB or more.

To set a specified swap file size, in the System Properties dialog box, go to the Advanced tab and in the Virtual memory group, click the Change button. The Virtual Memory dialog box that opens allows you to set the size and location of the swap file (paging file) (Fig. 6).

Stage 3. Disabling unused services

At this stage, the ability to roll back the operating system to a given configuration is disabled. This feature, in principle, is very convenient, but at the same time it slows down the operating system somewhat, and in addition, there are more effective ways to ensure operational reliability, for example, creating a disk image or BackUp system files.

To disable the rollback feature, in the System Properties dialog box, go to the System Restore tab and check the Turn off System Restore on all drives checkbox (Figure 7).

You can slightly increase the speed of the disk subsystem by disabling the indexing service to quickly search for files. However, it is recommended to do this only if the number of files on the disk does not amount to tens of thousands. Otherwise, it is better to leave the service activated.

To disable the file indexing service, right-click on the hard drive icon and select Properties from the menu that opens. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, uncheck Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching (Figure 8).

Of course, indexing services and OS rollback capabilities are far from the only services in the operating system. The remaining services, of which there are many in the Windows XP operating system, can be managed through the Services snap-in (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services).

After launching the Services snap-in (Fig. 9), the services that are available for configuration are displayed in the form of a table. Each line contains a description of the service, its state and startup type. By highlighting the line with the desired service and double-clicking on it with the left mouse button, you can view detailed description service, its status, dependencies, and the operating system file that runs the service.

If the startup type is set to Auto, the service will automatically start when Windows startup. Services with a startup type of Manual can be started manually, and they can also be started by other dependent services. If the service is disabled, it will not start. To get maximum performance, you can stop some services or set the startup type to Manual. It is not recommended to set the startup type to Disable unless you are sure that the service is not in use.

Before you start experimenting with services, review what services are running on your computer. To do this, enter command mode and run Command Promt. Execute Net command Start, which will display a complete list of all running services.

Below is a list of services (this list may vary depending on your computer configuration) with brief recommendations.

Alerter(default setting Manual) - a message service that sends and receives messages sent by administrators or the alert service. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. The service can be disabled - in this case, the notification will not be sent.

Application Layer Gateway(default setting Manual) - Application layer gateway service that implements support for third-party protocols to provide shared Internet access using a firewall. If you are not using a firewall, you can disable the service.

Application Management(default setting Manual) - this service is necessary for the operation of software installation programs. You can leave the service startup type unchanged.

Automatic Updates(default setting Automatic) - automatic update service that manages automatic download critical Windows XP updates. (We have already talked about how to disable this service earlier, but you can also do this through the Services snap-in.)

Background Intelligent Transfer Service(default setting is Manual) - this service is used for background data transfer over the network. This service can be disabled.

COM+ Event System(default setting Automatic) - support for the system event notification service, which ensures automatic distribution of events to COM components. It is not recommended to change the startup type of this service.

COM+ System Application(default setting Manual) - controls the configuration and monitoring of COM+ components. If this service is disabled, most COM+ components will not function correctly. Therefore, it is better not to change the startup type of this service.

Computer Browser(default setting Automatic) - maintains a list of computers on the network and provides it to programs upon request. If the service is disabled, the list will not be created or updated. If the computer is not online, the service can be disabled.

Cryptographic Services(default setting Automatic) - A cryptographic service that provides three management services: the directory database service, the secure root service, and the key service. If Cryptographic Services is disabled, management services will not work.

DHCP Client(default setting Automatic) is a DHCP client service that manages network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names. If the computer is not on the network (neither local nor global), then the service can be disabled.

Distributed Link Tracking Client(default setting Automatic) - a client for tracking changed links, supporting links of NTFS files moved within a computer or between computers in a domain. If your computer does not use the NTFS file system, you can disable this service.

Distributed Transaction Coordinator(default setting is Manual) - a distributed transaction coordinator that spans multiple resource managers such as databases, message queues, and file systems. If this service is disabled, transactions will not be executed. It is not recommended to change the service startup mode.

DNS Client(default setting Automatic) - a service that resolves DNS names for this computer. If the computer is offline, you can disable the service, but in this case you will not be able to resolve DNS names and host the service Active directories Directory of domain controllers.

Error Reporting(default setting Automatic) - An error logging service that allows you to log errors for services and applications running in a non-standard environment. If everything works fine, then the service can be disabled.

Event Log(default setting Automatic) - the event log, which provides support for event log messages generated by Windows programs and system components, and viewing of these messages. This service cannot be disabled.

Fast User Switching Compatibility(default setting Manual) - compatibility service fast switching users, managing applications that require support in a multi-user environment. If the computer has only one user, then this service can be disabled.

Help and Support(default setting Automatic) - Help and support service that provides help and support functionality on your computer. If there is no need for this service, then it can be disabled.

Human Interface Device Access(default setting Disabled) - HID (Human Interface Devices) access service that provides universal access to devices and enables and supports the use of keyboard shortcuts. If there are no HID devices, then the service can be disabled (in fact, this service is disabled by default).

IMAPI CD-Burning COM(default setting Manual) - CD burning service that controls CD burning using IMAPI (Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface). The service can be disabled, but then the computer will not be able to burn CDs. This service sometimes causes problems with recording discs with external programs.

Indexing Service(default setting Manual) - file indexing service that provides fast access to files using a flexible query language. This service can be disabled. (We previously showed how to disable this service without using a snap-in.)

IPSec Services(default setting Automatic) - IPSEC services that manage IP security policy. If the computer is not on the network and the TCP/IP protocol is not used, this service can be disabled.

Logical Disk Manager (default setting Automatic) - dispatcher logical drives responsible for detection new hard disks and for monitoring them, as well as for transmitting information about hard disk volumes to the Logical Disk Manager management service. If this service is disabled, dynamic disk status and configuration information may be out of date. Disabling is possible if you are not planning to install new disks or change the configuration of logical disks.

Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service(default setting Manual) - Logical Disk Manager administration service that configures hard drives and volumes. This service is only required during configuration processes and is disabled at other times. It is recommended that you do not change the startup type of this service.

Messenger(default setting Automatic) - a service that sends administrative alerts over the network from the server to clients. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. If the computer is not online, the service can be disabled.

MS Software Shadow Copy Provider(default setting Manual) - a service that manages shadow copies obtained using volume shadow copying. In principle, the service can be disabled, but in this case there will be no way to manage shadow copies.

Net Logon(default setting Automatic) - a network logon service that supports end-to-end account authentication for domain computers. If your computer is not online, you can disable the service.

NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing(default setting Manual) - a service that allows users to access the Windows desktop using the NetMeeting program. If this function is not used or the computer is not online, this service can be disabled.

Network Connections(default setting Manual) - service network connections, which manages objects in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folders. If the computer is not online and does not use a modem to access the Internet, the service can be disabled.

Network DDE(default setting Manual) - a network DDE service that provides network transport and dynamic data exchange (DDE) security for programs running on one or more various computers. If the computer is not on the network, the service can be disabled, but then network transport and DDE security will not be available.

Network DDE DSDM(default setting Manual) - a service that provides dynamic data exchange between shared network resources. If your computer is not online, you can disable the service.

Network Location Awareness (NLA)(default setting is Manual) is a network location service (NLA) that collects and stores network location and configuration information, and notifies applications when they change network settings. If your computer is not online, you can disable the service.

NT LM Security Support Provider(default setting Manual) - a service that provides security to programs that use remote procedure calls (RPC). If your computer is not online, you can disable the service.

Performance Logs and Alerts(default setting Manual) - a service that manages the collection of performance data from local or remote computers and ensures that this data is recorded in logs or triggers alerts. The service can be disabled, but performance data will not be collected if you do so.

Plug and Play(default setting Automatic) - a service that allows the computer to recognize changes in installed equipment and adapt to them; either without requiring user intervention or reducing it to a minimum. It is not recommended to change the service startup type.

Portable media serial number(default setting Automatic) - service that receives serial numbers all portable media devices connected to the system. The service can be disabled.

Print Spooler(default setting Automatic) - a print spooler that loads files into memory for later printing. If there is no printer connected to your computer, you can disable the service.

Protected Storage(default setting Automatic) - A service that provides secure storage of sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent unauthorized access by services, processes, or users. The service can be disabled.

QoS RSVP(default setting Manual) - a service that provides notifications on the network and local traffic management for QoS programs and management programs. QoS RSVP reserves a portion (20%) of the bandwidth for itself communication channel. If QoS programs are not used, the service can be disabled. But in order to not reserve part of the communication channel bandwidth, you need to run the Group Policy snap-in (Start -> Run -> gpedit.msc), in which in the Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Network/QoS Packet Scheduler section you need to limit the reserved bandwidth (Limit reservable bandwidth) by setting the Bandwidth limit (%) value to 0.

Remote Access Auto Connection Manager(the default setting is Manual) is a remote access auto-connection manager that creates a connection to a remote network when a program accesses a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address. This service can be disabled if the computer is not online.

Remote Access Connection Manager(default setting Manual) - remote access connection manager that creates a network connection. If you do not intend to create new network connections, you can disable the service.

Remote Desktop Help Session Manager(default setting Manual) - Remote Desktop Help session manager that controls Remote Assistance capabilities. This service can be disabled if the computer is not online or if the ability to remotely control the assistant is not used.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(default setting Automatic) - A remote procedure call (RPC) service that powers many other services. This service cannot be disabled.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator(default setting Manual) is a remote procedure call (RPC) locator that manages the RPC name service database. It is not recommended to change the service startup type.

Remote Registry(default setting Automatic) is a remote registry service that allows remote users to change registry settings on a computer. It is best to disable this service.

Removable Storage(default setting Manual) - a service that manages removable storage devices such as ZIP, magneto-optical drives, etc. If these devices are not used, the service can be disabled.

Routing and Remote Access(default setting Manual) - a service that allows routing and remote access. If there is no such need (and most likely, this is the case), then the service can be disabled.

Secondary Logon(default setting Automatic) - a secondary login service that allows you to run processes as another user. If the service is disabled, this type of user registration is not available.

Security Accounts Manager(default setting Automatic) - Security account manager that stores security information for an account local user. This service can be disabled if the computer is not online.

Server(default setting Automatic) - a server service that provides support for sharing files, printers, and named pipes for a given computer over a network connection. If the computer is not online, the service can be disabled.

Shell Hardware Detection(default setting Automatic) - a new device detection service that allows you to launch the installation wizard when you connect new devices to your computer. It is not recommended to change the service startup mode.

Smart Card(default setting Manual) - smart card service that controls access to smart card readers. If your computer does not use smart card readers, you can disable the service.

Smart Card Helper(default setting Manual) - smart card support module that provides support for older smart card readers (without PnP). If this service is disabled, legacy smart card readers will not be supported on this computer.

SSDP Discovery(default setting Manual) - SSDP discovery service, which is responsible for discovering UPnP devices on the home network. If you don't have a home network, you can disable the service.

System Event Notification(default setting Automatic) - System event notification service that logs system events such as Windows logons, network logins, and power changes. It is not recommended to change the service startup type.

System Restore Service(default setting Automatic) - system recovery service that performs system recovery functions. It is advisable to disable this service. (How to do this in another way was described above.)

Task Scheduler(default setting Automatic) - a task scheduler that allows you to configure a schedule for automatic execution of tasks on this computer. If this service stopped, these tasks cannot be started at the scheduled time. It is recommended to disable this service.

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper(default setting Automatic) - support service for NetBIOS over TCP/IP and resolution of NetBIOS names and addresses. If the computer is not online, the service can be disabled.

Telephony(default setting is Manual) - a service that provides support for the Telephony API (TAPI) for programs that manage telephone equipment and IP voice connections on a computer, as well as through the network on servers where the corresponding service is running. If the computer is not online and the Internet is not used, the service can be disabled.

Telnet(default setting Manual) - a service that allows to a remote user log in and launch programs. But if the computer is not online or if this feature is not needed, then this service can be disabled.

Terminal Services(default setting is Manual) is a terminal service that allows multiple users to connect interactively to a computer and displays the desktop and applications on remote computers. If the computer is not used as terminal server, then it is better to disable the service.

Themes(default setting Automatic) - a service that provides theme management. It is recommended to disable this service.

Uninterruptible Power Supply(default setting Manual) - service, work manager source uninterruptible power supply(UPS) connected to the computer. If the UPS is not used, it is advisable to disable the service.

UPnP Device Host(default setting Manual) - a service that supports universal PnP devices on the computer. It is not recommended to change the startup type.

Volume Shadow Copy(default setting Manual) - volume shadow copy, which controls the creation of shadow copies of disks that are used for system recovery or other purposes. If this service is disabled, shadow disk copies will not be available for recovery and backup and restore may not work. It is not recommended to change the startup type.

WebClient(default setting Automatic) - a service that allows Windows programs to create, open, and modify files stored on the Internet. If this service is disabled, these features are not available. If you use the Internet, changing the startup type is not recommended.

Windows Audio(default setting Automatic) - audio device management service for Windows programs. If this service is stopped, sound devices and the effects will not work properly. Changing the startup type is not recommended.

Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing(default setting Automatic) - a service that provides Firewall support and organization of shared Internet access. If your computer does not use the Internet, you can disable the service.

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)(default setting Manual) - image download service (WIA), which provides images from scanners and digital cameras. If scanners and digital cameras are not used, the service can be disabled.

Windows Installer(default setting Manual) - a service responsible for installing, uninstalling or restoring software. It is not recommended to change the service startup type.

Windows Management Instrumentation(default setting Automatic) - Windows management instrumentation that provides a common interface and object model for accessing information about managing the operating system, devices, applications, and services. After disabling this service, many Windows applications may not work correctly. The service startup type cannot be changed.

Windows Time(default setting Automatic) is a Windows time service that manages date and time synchronization across all clients and servers on the network. The service can be disabled, but in this case date and time synchronization will not be available.

Wireless Zero Configuration service(default setting Automatic) - service that provides automatic setup 802.11 a/b/g adapters. If your computer does not have wireless adapters, then the service can be disabled.

WMI Performance Adapter(default setting Manual) - WMI performance adapter that provides information about performance libraries from WMI HiPerf providers. The service can be disabled.

Workstation(default setting Automatic) - a service that provides support for network connections. If your computer is not online, you can disable the service.

Stage 4. Editing the registry

The next step to tuning your computer for maximum performance involves editing the registry. However, before conducting any experiments, we strongly recommend that you back up your system files.

Implement Backup systems The fastest and easiest way is to use the Backup Utility built into the operating system. The utility is called from the Systems Tools menu (Start -> Programm -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup).

Setting up the utility, which consists of determining what exactly is being saved and where the saved backup file should be located, is carried out on the Backup tab (Fig. 10).

Editing registry settings provides quite a lot of possibilities, for a complete description of which you will need separate book. In this article, we will look at only the most commonly used settings that allow you to configure your operating system for maximum performance.

To begin with, it makes sense to explain what it is system registry. All operating system settings, along with the configuration of the personal computer, are collected in a single database called the system registry. From the moment the computer starts until it shuts down, the operating system continuously uses this database, monitoring the profile settings of all users, program settings, document types, network settings etc. Unlike previous OS versions Microsoft Windows, V Windows family The XP system registry has no size limitations.

Based on a hierarchical system, the registry provides the most convenient form, consisting of sections, subsections and parameters (registry keys). The Windows XP registry consists of five main keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG.

To configure the system for maximum performance, we will need to edit the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop;
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManger\MemoryManagement;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Lanmanserver\Parameters;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem.

Editing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop section

Changing the value of the WaitToKillAppTimeout key, which is 20,000 by default, allows you to speed up shutdown of frozen programs. By default, the operating system waits 20,000 ms (20 seconds) before disabling frozen programs. It is recommended to set the key value to 5000 ms instead of 20,000 ms.

Similar to the previous registry key, HungAppTimeout (default value is 5000) determines the time after which an unresponsive application is considered hung. The recommended value for this key is 2000.

Changing the value of the MenuShowDelay key (the default value is 400) allows you to change the delay of pop-up menus. If you set the value of this key to 50, then all menus will appear almost instantly.

The AutoEndTasks key is used to automatically close all hung programs without any warning. In order to activate the ability to automatically close frozen programs, you must set the value of this key to 1 (the default value of the key is 0).

Editing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer section

In this registry section, we recommend changing the value of only one key - NoInstrumentation. This key, if its value is set to 1, allows you to disable Windows XP tracking of user actions, including launched programs and opened documents. By default, this key is not in the registry, and first of all you need to add it there by selecting the key data type DWORD Value.

Editing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control section

In this section, only one key can be edited - WaitToKillServiceTimeout. The value of this key determines the time in milliseconds that the system waits before shutting down. The default key value is 20,000, which is 20s. It is recommended to set the key value to 5000. Setting a lower value is dangerous, since in this case the operating system will kill programs before they have time to save their data.

Editing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManger\MemoryManagement section

This section allows you to optimize the operation of the operating system with memory, which can improve system performance. The following keys can be edited in this section: SecondLevelDataCache; DisablePagingExecutive; IoPageLockLimit; LargeSystemCache.

The SecondLevelDataCache key allows you to manually set the size of the processor's second level (L2) cache in the registry. As a rule, the operating system independently recognizes the size of the processor cache, but this setting will not be superfluous. If the value is not specified or equal to 0 (default), then the L2 cache size is set automatically. In order to specify the cache size value manually, you must specify the cache size in bytes as the key value in decimal notation. For example, for a processor Intel Pentium 4 (Northwood) this value is 512 bytes.

To speed up performance, the operating system leaves the executable kernel code resident in RAM instead of displacing it as needed into virtual memory on disk, that is, into a swap file. Such things happen very rarely - only when there are a lot of programs running. To eliminate this possibility altogether, you can use the DisablePagingExecutive key and set its value to 1.

To change this key relatively safely, it is recommended to have at least 256 MB of memory. Do not use this option if you are using standby and hibernate modes.

The IoPageLockLimit key sets the number of bytes that are locked in I/O operations. Changing this value may speed up file system activity. Key values are specified in hexadecimal notation in the range from 0S1 to 0SFFFFFFFF bytes. By default, the key value is 0S0, which corresponds to 512 KB.

By default, this key is not in the registry, so first of all you need to add it there (data type DWORD Value).

Table 1

For example, if your computer has 1024 MB of RAM installed, then the size of IoPageLockLimit should be 1024 – 64 = 960 MB = 1006,632,960 bytes. Converting this value to hexadecimal system calculus, we get the value 3C000000. This means that if the RAM size is 1024 MB, the value of the IoPageLockLimit key should be equal to 3С000000. In table Table 2 shows the recommended values for the IoPageLockLimit key for the most common memory sizes.

table 2

The LargeSystemCache registry key specifies the size of the file system cache. There are two values for this key: 0 and 1. A value of 0 sets the standard cache size (approximately 8 MB). This key value is recommended for workstations or application servers.

A key value of 1 sets big size cache, which can dynamically increase up to the size of RAM minus 4 MB. It is recommended to set this key value for file servers.

Editing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ Lanmanserver\Parameters section

In this registry section we will be interested in the value of the Size key, which allows us to optimize the use of RAM. The Size key can take three values: 1, 2 and 3.

A key value of 1 minimizes RAM usage. It is recommended to set this value only on workstations whose resources are not used intensively.

A key value of 2 represents a balance between cache allocation and application free memory allocation.

A key value of 3 is used only for file servers and ensures that the amount of cache memory allocated is necessary for file sharing.

The keys HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Lanmanserver\Parameters\Size and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManger\MemoryManagement\LargeSystemCache are usually used together. Microsoft Company offers a scheme for jointly setting key values depending on the PC usage model presented in Table. 3.

Table 3

Editing the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem section

Editing this section allows in some cases to increase productivity when accessing hard drives. The following keys can be edited: NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation; NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate.

When the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation key is set to 1, the operating system will not create NTFS partition a special table for compatibility with older applications, containing all file and folder names (this logical drive), presented in MS-DOS format (eight characters in the name and three characters for the file extension). Currently, such NTFS specifics are not relevant, so it is advisable to disable it to increase performance.

If the NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate key value (the key must first be added with a DWORD Value data type) is set to 1, the NTFS file system will not update timestamps last access to each file or folder. Try using this feature to increase the performance of your disk subsystem.

At one time, the Internet was filled with topics and tutorials about installation, reinstalling Windows XP. A lot has been said about this, but in this article, we want to refresh and remind users “How to independently install or reinstall the Windows XP operating system from a disk or USB drive (Flash drive) on a computer or laptop” and put an end to this, since the time of XP , unfortunately it's over.

1 . Insert the disc into the DVD drive with Windows distribution XP or a pre-prepared flash drive into a USB port.
2 . Reboot the computer and go into the BIOS to set the boot device priority. How to enter the BIOS, set the priority and why it is needed -.
3 .
a) — We set the device priority in the BIOS.
b) — We saved the parameters before exiting.
c) — Rebooted the computer.

Next, the first boot window from the CD appeared (Fig. 1). (or flash drives, depending on which device is your bootloader). Here you need press any key and proceed to the beginning of the installation.

Fig.1

4 . As soon as you press any key, we see the following window - Windows Installation. (Fig.2)

Fig.2

5 . We wait a little, and the next window is Installing Windows XP Professional. (Fig.3) Click - ENTER (Enter)

Fig.3

6 . We accept license agreement- pressing a key on the keyboard F8(Fig.4)

Fig.4

7 . The next step is to partition your hard drive. In our figure (Fig. 5), one unmarked area is a little more than 10 gigabytes. Of course, your sizes will have completely different values. This is what it will look like when not used HDD(new), or from which all partitions have been deleted. In general, this is an example of a blank hard drive. If you did not have valuable information on your computer before reinstalling the system, then your best bet would be to delete all the partitions that existed and create new ones. To delete, select the desired section and press the “ D". This is how you delete everything existing sections. Select it, click on D. After deleting all partitions, your hard drive will look like in Figure 5, but with different sizes, of course, it depends on the size of your hard drive. But we warn you again! You can delete all partitions of your hard drive when you do not have the necessary and valuable information on your computer, and these are photographs, documents and other personal files. If you took care of their safety before rearranging the system and copied it, for example, to a flash drive, then you can safely delete the partitions and create them again, with different parameters.

If you copied your files, for example, to a partition on drive D, before reinstalling the system, and got to this point, then simply do not delete this partition, but delete only drive C (where you installed old system), and then create it again. To create a partition, select the area (Fig. 5) and press the “” key on the keyboard. WITH«.

Fig.5

8 . The following window appears (Fig. 6)

Fig.6

In the sample picture we see 10229 megabytes (10 gigabytes 229 megabytes). You will have different meanings. So, it’s best to split the Disk into 2 sections. (some split it into 3), but it’s not necessary a large number of sections. The best option is 2 partitions: Drive C (where the operating system is installed directly), and drive D, where you can store your files, install games, etc. In this line we write our values.

In our example, we allocated 5000 MB to Disk C. (Fig.7)

Fig.7

If you have a disk of, for example, 120 gigabytes or more, feel free to register 30,000 MB. 30 gigabytes is quite enough for the normal operation of Expishka; by the way, this is not so much. As a rule, while using a computer, Local drive C quickly becomes clogged with various files from installed programs, updates and other products. Therefore, more is better than less.

Fig.8

9 . We have created one section (the main one) (Fig. 8). Now, we go down to the unmarked area (Fig. 9)

Fig.9

10 . All that remains is to create the second section. This will be our drive D. We do not change the value (Fig. 10), since the entire remaining balance will be used to create the second partition (Disk D). Click on Enter.

Fig.10

11 . Now we see that we have created partitions 1 and 2, hence Disk C and D (Fig. 11)

Fig.11

Don't worry if you (as in Figure 11) have an E or another letter instead of a D.

Please note that there is an unallocated area of 8 MB - this is normal. This 8 megabytes of unallocated space is a reserve to preserve the ability to convert the disk into a dynamic volume. But you don't need that. We leave everything as is and move on.

12 . Now we have reached the installation process itself. The hard drive was divided into 2 partitions, all that remains is to format it. To do this, select Section 1 (Fig. 11), and click Enter.

Fig.12

13 . The installer offers to format our partition. The best option, is to choose file system NTFS, and the formatting type is normal, but not “Quick” (Fig. 12).

14 . The process of formatting the partition will begin (Fig. 13)

Fig.13

After formatting the disk, a list of files will begin to be created that will be copied to the hard drive, and immediately after it the process of copying these files will begin. All you have to do is watch the process. (Fig.14)

Fig.14

15 . Configuration initialization is in progress (Fig. 15)

Fig.15

Fig.16

17 . Windows XP will boot (Fig. 17)

Fig.17

The process of installing the operating system will begin (Fig. 18).

Fig.18

Fig.19

Usually, if you have an installation CD with Windows XP with a menu in Russian as in all our pictures (screenshots), then by default language options already configured and we just click Further.

19 . Next comes setting up personal computer data (Fig. 20)

Fig.20

You are asked to enter Name.Here you can write the name of your computer, come up with any name that your imagination allows.

In line Organization , usually the name of the company where the computer is located and to which it belongs is written. You can write, for example, the name of your city, region, or whatever you come up with yourself, because it is located at home, and not at work.

20 . The next setting is input Product key (Fig.21).