Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 06:55:46 -0700 From: Tim Gerchmez <fewtch@serv.net> To: Alex Nash <nash@mcs.net> Cc: freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Major hardware reorganization... Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19980619065546.007facd0@mx.serv.net> In-Reply-To: <199806191331.IAA22084@nash.pr.mcs.net> References: <3.0.5.32.19980618161851.007f0620@mx.serv.net>
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At 08:31 AM 6/19/98 -0500, you wrote: >On 18 Jun, Tim Gerchmez wrote: >> I almost wish you lived near me, I'm an *expert* at this, >> and my Win95 boots in about 15 seconds on my P200MMX (when my SparQ drive >> is turned off and its not probing for it... this adds a few extra seconds). > >My Windows box is an incredibly simplistic setup. Would you care to >share what knobs one would have to tweak to cut the boot time by two >thirds (shouldn't be a problem for a self-proclaimed expert :)? Sure. First of all, make sure you have a fast hard drive (not really a tweak, but important). Second, buy Helix Software's Nuts and Bolts utility. It includes a defragmenter that actually has some intelligence, putting your system files on the fastest part of the disk (it's far better than the Norton equivalent and actually makes a huge difference - it can double your bootup speed). Third, rebuild your system registry. This can be done manually, or with the aforementioned utility. Win95 loads the entire registry into memory at bootup, and making it smaller will significantly speed boot time. Fourth, trim any drivers you don't need (you'd be surprised how many there are laying around - for example go to My Computer/Control panel/Multimedia, click on the Advanced tab, then click on the + next to Media Control Devices. See anything you don't need? Remove it. Fifth, set your PC to a "Network Server" to increase file caching (if you have the store-bought version of Win95 you need to fix a bug in the registry first, contact me for details if you do). If you have OSR2, Right click on My Computer, go to Properties/Performance/File System, and set your PC to Network Server in the "Typical Role" pulldown box (once again, only if you have OSR2, otherwise you need to fix a bug in the registry). Sixth, set your maximum disk cache size based on the amount of RAM you have (I use MaxFileCache=8192 on a 64 meg machine). Seventh, if you have the original version of Win95 (not OSR2), add the line SMARTDRV 4096 128 to your autoexec.bat file. Eighth, check both autoexec.bat and config.sys for unnecessary files. Win95 boots just fine if neither of them exist at all (or have just that smartdrv line in autoexec.bat). Ninth, turn off the pretty logo that displays while Win95 is loading and you'll shave a second or two off boot time (contact me for details on how). Tenth, cut out any unnecessary network protocols (if you've upgraded to DUN 1.2 and haven't removed the PPTP drivers, you have unnecessary network protocols). Eleventh, enable DMA (bus mastering) if you have OSR2 by going to Device Mangler, clicking on the + next to Disk Drives, clicking on the drive you want and selecting Properties/Settings, and if you see a box that says "DMA" put a checkmark in it (do this for CD-ROM drives as well). Twelfth, start REGEDIT and search for the key "RunOnce." Right above it should be another key, "Run." Click on the Run key and see what's in it. Anything there starts automatically every time you start your system. Remove unnecessary crap like automatic virus scanners, etc. Keep searching until you don't find any more RunOnce keys with "Run" right above. Thirteenth, upgrade your BIOS if there's a long delay before the "Starting Windows 95" prompt. Fourteenth, use TweakUI to control how long the "Starting Windows 95" prompt appears for. You can cut it down to almost zero if you never need to hit F8 and get the boot menu for any reason. This should get you started (these were off the top of my head). If nothing at alll here applies, you probably just have an older/slow hard drive. No cure for it except to buy a new, fast one. Try a Seagate Cheetah or something similar for some REAL speed. If one or more items apply, there are further things you can do that are even more esoteric. When you boot Win95, is there a certain point where it seems to pause for a long period of time? Let me know. This usually has to do with CDROM drives and how things are set up in the "Hard Disk Controllers" section of Device Mangler. P.S... do you know of ANY experts who aren't self-proclaimed? Who else is going to decide when someone's an expert at something except the person themselves? Nobody else knows what's inside another person's head. The key is, you either believe that person or you don't. Since you don't know me or my level of Win95 knowledge, you shouldn't be bothered if I proclaim myself an expert. You have no proof or evidence one way or another whether I am or not. The proof is in the pudding - if you ever have a Win95 question, please ask. I've donated my knowledge many times and am always willing to contribute. It's the only way to learn anything new (pass knowledge on, and new knowledge generally tends to come your way). Tim -- My web site starts at http://www.serv.net/~fewtch/index.html - lots of goodies for everyone, have a look if you have the time. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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