Fine-tuning Windows

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Fine-tuning Windows

Notes on tweaking Windows. Each item describes what to change, what the benefits are, what the cons are, what other things are affected, and so forth. For internet services, there should be a list of the ports that are used by the service (to allow configuring firewalls). The tweaks have the goals of improving speed, usability, security, ease of maintenance, ease of backup, ease of cleaning, etc. Tweaks that are entirely user-preference issues are not listed here. Tweaks for applications should be broken out into separate pages later.

At present, Windows XP SP2 is assumed for this page, unless stated otherwise.

  • Pre-installation
  • Delete any existing Windows partition and re-create it.
Pros
  • This removes any hidden discrepancies in the partition layout or the disk structure.
Cons
  • In some cases, some partition utilities are not able to create certain types of partitions, so you may not be able to re-create a partition of a type that you had before.
  • Format the Windows-to-be partition with NTFS.
Pros
  • NTFS has a much larger partition size limit than FAT12/FAT16/FAT32.
  • Improved security.
  • NTFS makes more efficient use of large partitions.
Cons
  • Cannot access with DOS, Win3x, Win9x, or Linux, unless a third-party NTFS driver is installed.
Notes
  • If you dual-boot and need data on a FAT partition, create a separate partition for the purpose. This way, only the data on that partition is "open".
  • Formatting the partition (as opposed to erasing all files) removes not only normal hidden and system files, but also rebuilds the invisible NTFS system folders, which tend to become fragmented over time, and are invisible to most defragmentation utilities. As with rebuilding and recreating the partition, formatting will remove any hidden discrepancies in the disk structure.
  • Converting a partition from FAT to NTFS with CONVERT.EXE (provided with Windows) does not convert the cluster size to the default NTFS cluster size, resulting in poorer performance compared to formatting with NTFS or converting with third-party tools.
  • During installation:
  • There are several ways to install Windows when you already have Windows installed.
  • If possible, do a clean install on a freshly formatted partition. In most cases, this can even be done with an upgrade version. If you want SP1 but only have Gold, or you want SP2 but only have SP1 or Gold, build a new CD. AutoStreamer (http://www.autopatcher.com/autostreamer.html) seems to be the easiest tool for doing this; all you have to do is provide the CD and the service pack that you want to install, and it'll create an ISO file (CD image); most CD-burning programs are able to use CD images.
  • The next option, if you have another hard drive, is to install fresh on the other drive. This lets you use either the old Windows or the new Windows while you're setting up the new Windows.
  • An in-place upgrade is the LAST option, since the system won't be specifically tuned for the version of Windows that you're installing, and all of the deadwood and problems will be carried forward.
  • Select Advanced, tell it to save all files to hard drive.
Pros
  • This reduces (but doesn't seem to eliminate) the chances of Windows wanting the CD (such as when adding optional components)
Cons
  • This uses more disk space, but this is an increasingly minor issue as hard drive space continues to grow.
  • After installation, and desktop is available.
  • Click Start, then click Control Panel.
  • Open Administrative Tools.
  • Open Services.
  • ...
  • Open Automatic Updates.
  • ...
  • Open ClearType Tuning (http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ClearTypePowerToy.mspx), if you have it.
Note
  • This seems to be not available by itself directly from Microsoft; you have to get the entire DirectX SDK (Software Development Kit) in order to get this one tool.
  • ...
  • Open Date and Time
  • ...
  • Open DirectX (http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/13/9/13-9-76.shtml), if you have it.
  • ...
  • Open Display
  • ...
  • Open Folder Options
  • ...
  • Open Internet Options. This can also be found by opening IE, going to the Tools menu, and selecting Internet Options. It can also be found by right-clicking the built-in IE icon on the desktop (if it's present) and selecting Properties.
  • Go to the General tab.
  • Look in the Temporary Internet files section.
  • Change the Amount of disk space to use to 80 MB. This is the generally-recommended value.
Pros
  • Compared to the default, this drastically reduces the amount of disk space that may be used by the cache.
  • Might improve response time for uncached items due to faster searching of the cache.
Cons
  • Unless you habitually surf sites with a lot of large graphics, you probably won't notice the smaller cache size.
  • Click Languages button, and add any other languages that are read fairly well by whoever will be using the account.
Pros
  • Improves usability for the account's user.
Cons
  • Some pages may be poorly translated.
  • Move the preferred language to the top.
Pros
  • This will help people who do not read the default language as well.
Cons
  • If pages are often shared with people who do not read the preferred language, this makes it more difficult to retrieve a page in the default language.
  • Go to the Advanced tab.
At present, most of this section discusses items that are non-default in Windows XP SP2.
  • Look in the Accessibility section.
  • Turn on Always expand ALT text.
Pros
  • Sometimes gives you something meaningful to read, especially if picture is slow to load or does not load at all.
Cons
  • This might not work unless Show pictures is disabled or Show image download placeholders (both in the Multimedia section) is enabled; need someone to research this.
  • Look in the Browsing section.
  • Turn off automatically check for Internet Explorer updates.
Pros
  • About every 30 days, IE will delay a few moments upon opening, to check for an update. This prevents the delay.
  • This is apparently now obsolete, since MS has stated that they do not intend to release any more standalone versions of IE.
  • Automatic Updates performs this function for IE already.
Cons
  • There would seem to be no cons, although there is the question of why the option is still available.
  • Turn off Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer).
Pros
  • If something gets installed, it should be because you specifically installed it.
  • By installing when YOU choose to, you can ensure that it is configured properly.
Cons
  • This appears to be for for Internet Explorer components which were not installed initially.
Note
  • This item is probably reasonably safe to leave turned on.
  • Turn off Enable Install On Demand (Other).
Pros
  • If something gets installed, it should be because you specifically want it.
  • Many undesirables are installed this way.
  • If someone wants you to install it, and it's not one of the standard browser plug-ins, that's an excellent reason to be leery of it.
Cons
  • This can be turned off long enough to install something specific ()which should not happen often), so there is little reason to leave this on.
  • Turn off Enable offline items to be synchronized on a schedule, if you are not wanting to keep anything synchronized.
Cons
  • Helps avoid some CPU, memory and bandwidth overhead.
  • Turn off Enable page transitions.
Pros
  • Reduces CPU usage and speeds up browsing slightly.
  • Turn off Personalized Favorites Menu.
Pros
  • This keeps the menu consistent, instead of changing constantly.
  • Sometimes one does not think to click on the chevron to show the full menu.
Cons
  • Hides options that are rarely used.
  • Turn off Enable third-party browser extensions.
Pros
  • This keeps Browser Helper Objects (BHOs, which generally refers to toolbars and ActiveX objects) from running. Some BHO's install other software.
Cons
  • This keeps desired third-party toolbars and the like from running also.
  • Turn off Enable visual styles on buttons and controls in web pages.
Pros
  • Eye candy; uses CPU and memory resources.
  • Turn off Show Go button in Address bar.
Pros
  • Wean people off of reaching for the mouse instead of simply hitting the Enter/Return button.
Cons
  • If someone uses the mouse to cut-n-paste to address bar, this forces a switch to the keyboard.
Note
  • Turn on Use smooth scrolling.
Pros
  • Eye candy; uses CPU and memory resources.
Cons
  • Helps keep track of where you're reading.
  • Open Keyboard
  • ...
  • Open Mouse
  • ...
  • Open Network Connections
  • ...
  • Open Power Options
  • ...
  • Open QuickTime (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qt), if you have it.
  • ...
  • Open Regional and Language Options.
  • ...
  • Open Security Center.
  • ...
  • Open Speech.
  • ...
  • Open System.
  • ...
  • Open Taskbar and Start Menu.
  • ...
  • Open TweakUIXP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx).
  • ...
  • Open Windows Firewall.
  • ...
  • Mozilla Firefox is an increasingly-popular replacement for Internet Explorer (IE).
  • Adobe Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/alternate.html). Formerly named Adobe Acrobat Reader. Virtually mandatory nowadays, due to the ubiquity of PDF files.
  • As of Nov 28, 2004, version 6.0.2 is current, but for some reason the full version is not listed on the main download page; click the link above for the full version 6.0.2.
  • Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader do not properly uninstall previous versions, so be sure to do so manually before installing a new version.
  • Adobe Reader is gaining a reputation for becoming slower and more bloated with each new version. However, some PDF files require features not provided by prior versions, which means that keeping updated may be a necessity. Grab PDF Speed-Up (http://www.acropdf.com) to disable advertising, eye candy, automatic updates, and un-needed plug-ins, remove icons, etc. It's a simple run-as-is program that can be deleted or stored for future reference when you're through with it.
  • TO DO: List manual and hands-free procedures for performing the same operations performed by PDF Speed-Up (http://www.acropdf.com).
  • To do:
  • Identify items as per-user or all-users.
  • Recovery console
  • Remove uninstall links from Start menu; that's what the Add and Remove Programs option is for in Control Panel. Why make it easy for your kids to (accidentally) uninstall something for you?

Guidelines for adding to this page:

  • List at least one pro and con for each item, if applicable, being certain to list all caveats, gotchas, etc. Don't strain too hard to find a con for something; "User preference" is often strong enough to not do something, and can be assumed when no con is explicitly listed.
  • Where possible, list manual, automated (a program that you can download and select or de-select options), and hands-free (batch files, REG files, etc., which can be used to automatically perform a large number of changes without user intervention) techniques for implementing the described changes. There may be a number of ways to do something; try to list all of them, so that one can choose whichever technique is best suited to the task.
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