Optimizing Hard Disk Performance

Many of the functions in Microsoft Windows XP rely on having enough disk space free to operate,
including Windows’ virtual memory system and programs that need to create temporary
files, to name just two of the most important. In addition, almost every function
in Windows relies on quick hard disk access. Windows includes a number of utilities
that can help you optimize hard disk performance, including the following:

■ Disk Cleanup Wizard Scans your hard disk looking for files that can be safely
removed, helping you to free up disk space.

Disk Defragmenter Rearranges the data on your hard drive so that files are
written to disk contiguously. During the defragmentation, it also places more frequently
used files toward the front of the disk so that they load faster.

■ Chkdsk Scans the files and directory structure of your disk to make sure that
they are free of errors.
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Optimization of your computer

Removing Unnecessary Background Applications

Many applications install software that runs in the background as you use Windows.
Normally, this software is a useful piece of the application, such as the monitor that
allows your antivirus installation software to check files for viruses during download. Often, this
software is a program that you could easily live without. When this is the case, it is best
to prevent the software from loading with Windows so that the software does not consume
system resources.
You can sometimes tell what background programs are running because the programs
are represented by icons in the notification area, but this is not always the case. Even
if there is an icon present, turning off different programs usually requires different
steps, depending on the program.
To prevent unnecessary background applications from running, try the following:
■ If there is an icon in the notification area, right-click or click the icon to see if a
menu opens. Often, there is a command for setting preferences that you can use
to figure out how to prevent the program from loading when Windows starts. You
can learn more about the notification area in Chapter 4, “Supporting the Windows
Desktop.”
■ If there is no menu for the icon, check the Startup folder on the Start menu. Often,
programs place shortcuts here to load components at Windows startup. You can
also try running the program that is associated with the icon to see if there are
instructions for preventing the program from loading.
■ You should also check the Startup folder for applications that load, but do not
place an icon in the notification area.
Windows also includes the System Configuration Utility, which you can use to control
Windows startup. Run the program by typing msconfig at the Run dialog box or command
prompt. The System Configuration Utility, shown in Figure 12-1, contains many
tabs that you can use to configure different aspects of the startup process, including the
following:
■ General Use the General tab to select a type of startup to use the next time that
Windows starts. A diagnostic startup is the same thing as starting Windows XP in
safe mode. A selective startup allows you to choose which types of components
should be loaded (represented by the other tabs on the utility).
■ SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, BOOT.INI These tabs allow you to control the system
files that Windows XP uses primarily for compatibility with previous versions of
Windows. In earlier versions of Windows, these files were used instead of a centralized
system Registry. Turning items on and off by using these tabs is generally
safer than editing these files directly.
■ Services This tab presents a list of services that load with Windows. Although
you can use this tab to prevent services from loading, it is much safer (and just as
easy) to use the Services node in the Computer Management window.
■ Startup This is probably the most important tab used for optimizing Windows
startup. It presents a list of all program components that load with Windows,
whether or not they are represented in the notification area or not. Turn off the
programs you do not want to load and restart Windows. You can return and reselect
the applications whenever you want.
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Configuring Windows XP for Performance

Optimizing Windows Startup
After you first install microsoft windows XP, the operating system begins to automatically optimize
system settings to speed up subsequent startups. Similarly, Windows XP optimizes
program files so that applications launch more quickly as you use them. For this
reason, you should allow a sufficient number of restarts and launches to let Windows
perform these configurations before deciding whether you need to optimize the performance
of a computer.
Windows startup is fairly complicated, but there are many ways that you can optimize the process
for a quicker startup time:
■ Check the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings for your computer to see if
there are unnecessary actions that you can eliminate from the startup process. For
example, on many computers, you can skip the memory check that occurs when
you turn on your computer—something that can take quite some time when you
have a lot of memory.
■ If a computer is configured with multiple operating systems, you can reduce the
amount of time that Windows displays the menu of operating system choices at
startup. Configure this setting by opening Control Panel, selecting the Advanced
tab, and then clicking Settings in the Startup And Recovery section.
■ Remove any unnecessary applications that start automatically with Windows.
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Invalid Page Faults

A page fault is a normal process that occurs when a program requests data that is not
currently loaded into the computer’s real memory. When this occurs, Windows
attempts to retrieve the data from the virtual memory that is stored to hard disk. If the
data cannot be mapped to virtual memory, the result is an invalid page fault—and
often a crashed application. Invalid page faults are often difficult to diagnose. Connectivity
settings; a full Temporary Internet Files folder; and third-party Internet software
including firewalls, file-sharing software, Internet optimizers, and on-screen animation
programs can cause page faults. Network protocols, cookies, corrupted Favorites, services,
and Internet software installations can also cause invalid page faults.
Invalid page faults can be represented in Internet Explorer by several different types of
errors, including the following:
■ An actual invalid page fault error
■ Iexplore.exe has generated errors and must be shut down
■ The page could not be displayed
■ Could not open the search page
■ An access violation occurred in MSHTML.DLL
If specifics about the error are provided in the error message and type in the exact error message
as the keywords for a search. Downloading and installing a particular update might
solve this particular error. These are the easiest of all page faults to find solutions for.
If no specifics are given, you will have to resolve the errors using trial-and-error computer troubleshooting tips.
When the error occurs, use the Internet Explorer Reporting tool to report the error, and then view the error details. If the error report gives any indication of the cause of the error, disable the program or service associated with it.
If that process does not work, and if you have the most up-to-date service packs
installed, continue troubleshooting in the following order:
1.• Verify that the proxy settings for the LAN, if they exist, are correctly configured.
You can locate these settings by clicking LAN Settings on the Connections tab of
the Internet Options dialog box.
2.• Disable third-party browser extensions or other third-party downloaded components.
Applications like these can often be disabled from the notification area or
from the application itself, and uninstalling the component from Control Panel is
the best option if one of these programs caused the page fault.
3.• Delete all temporary Internet files. You can do this on the General tab of the Internet
Options dialog box.
4.• Delete cookies. You can do so on the General tab of the Internet Options dialog
box.
5.• Troubleshoot the Favorites folder. It is possible that corruption in the Favorites
folder or some of the files it holds is to blame. Try moving the contents of the
your Favorites folder to a temporary folder. If that solves the problem, add the
shortcuts back to the Favorites folder a few at a time. If the problem recurs, it is
usually easy to find the culprit..
6. Verify that the system has enough RAM and that the RAM is performing properly.
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