Improve running performance: Win XP optimization skills in Win XP

Quote: For a computer, the importance of the hard disk is self-evident. Try to extend the life of the hard disk, not only to save a little silver, but more importantly, it is related to the big problem of data security.

Nowadays, the hard disk capacity is getting bigger and bigger, and the speed is getting higher and higher. That is to say, the density of the disk is getting higher and higher, and the speed is getting faster and faster, which makes the hard disk that is already very expensive more vulnerable. .

In general, we will pay attention to the external environment of hard disks such as shockproof and heat-dissipating, but these are not enough. Because nowadays, the network resources are getting richer and richer, broadband has entered the family, and the Internet becomes very convenient. Most people like to download a large file (such as music, movies, software, etc.) while doing other work, so that the hard disk It is necessary to perform multiple read and write operations at the same time, which greatly increases the burden on the hard disk. If you download a large file using a download tool such as BT, the damage to the hard disk will be even greater. Therefore, we also need to optimize the internal read and write operations such as the speed of the hard disk and the head sliding in the disk. So that our hard drive can live long and healthy.

Here are some optimization methods for hard disks. By optimizing the hard disk through the system, not only can the performance of the hard disk be greatly improved, but also the effect of extending the life of the hard disk.

1. Open the DMA transfer mode of the hard disk

Turning on the DMA (direct memory access) transfer mode of the hard disk can not only improve the transfer rate (it usually does not sound for a while when reading and writing the hard disk) ), and will also reduce the CPU time occupied by the hard disk read and write. The efficiency of the entire system is also improved.

In general, the DMA transfer mode is automatically turned on. But for the DIY family, it may not be possible to open the DMA transfer mode. So take a look at whether your machine's DMA transfer mode is turned on, and if it's not turned on, manually open it in the Device Manager. To do this, use:

(1) Select "Properties" from the shortcut menu of "My Computer";

(2) Select the "Hardware" option in the "System Properties" dialog box. Card;

(3) Click the "Device Management" button (the "Device Manager" window is opened);

(4) Expand "IDE ATA" in the "Device Manager" window /ATAPI Controller item

(5) Select "Properties" from the shortcut menu of "IDE Channel";

(6) Make settings in the "Advanced Settings" tab.



4. Set virtual memory to a fixed value

As mentioned earlier, the increase in disk fragmentation will affect the life of the hard disk. Setting virtual memory to a fixed value also reduces disk fragmentation on the disk where the system resides.

In the default state, the system dynamically sets the size of the virtual memory according to the size of the remaining space of the disk, which will cause the size of the virtual memory to change frequently. This change will result in disk fragmentation. By default, the system puts virtual memory on the system disk. In order to prevent the system disk from generating a large amount of disk fragmentation, you can set the virtual memory to a fixed value (this value is preferably between 1.5 and 3 times the physical memory), and if the hard disk has For more than two partitions, it is best to change the virtual memory to a non-system disk (partition). The operation method is:

(1) Select "Properties" from the shortcut menu of "My Computer";

(2) In the "System Properties" dialog box, select " Advanced tab;

(3) Click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" box (open the "Performance Options" dialog);

(4) in "Performance Options" In the dialog box, select the "Advanced" tab;

(5) Click the "Change" button in the "Virtual Memory" box (open the "Virtual Memory" dialog box);

(6 In the "Virtual Memory" dialog box, select the drive as virtual memory, select the "Custom Size" radio button, enter the same value (such as 500) in the "Initial Size" and "Maximum" edit boxes, And click the "Settings" button;

(7) In the "Virtual Memory" dialog box, select the drive where the system is located, select the "No paging file" radio button, and click the "Settings" button ;

(8) Click the "OK" button to restart the system as required by the system;

(9) After the system restarts, the system folder will be Such as C: /WINDOWS) in "Win386.swp" file deletion (this time it has been of no use).

If you defragment your disk before setting virtual memory, it will speed up the hard disk.

5. Setting the appropriate disk cache

The size of the disk cache directly affects the speed and performance of almost all software (system software or application software). By default, it is managed by WINDOWS itself. It is usually very conservative and does not enable disk caching, so hard disk performance cannot be fully utilized. So we can set up the disk cache by ourselves to improve the performance of the hard disk. The method of operation is:

(1) Open the Registry Editor (click "Run" in the "Start" menu, enter regedit and click the "OK" button)

(2) Look for the "IoPageLimit" value under the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management" item. If not, the value is established. The operator is as follows:

1 Expand each item until the Memory Management item;

2 Right click on the Memory Management item and select “New/DWORD Value” from the shortcut menu (at this time, In the Memory Management item, a value of DWORD type named "New Value #1" is created, and "New Value #1" is changed to "IoPageLimit";

(3) Open "IoPageLimit" Shortcut menu and select "Modify" from it (Open "Edit DWORD Value" dialog box);

(4) In the "Edit DWORD Value" dialog box, select the "Decimal" radio button and In the Value data input box, enter the size of the disk cache (in KB). The recommended setting is 16384 (that is, 16M) or 32768 (that is, 32MB), as shown below:

(5) Click OK " button.

Restart your computer after the setup is complete. After such a setting, when the disk is read and written more frequently, you can feel that the flashing frequency of the hard disk light is significantly lower than before (that is, the frequency of hard disk reading and writing is reduced), for example, when using BT to download large files. There will be a more obvious feeling.

6. Regularly check the "health" status of the hard disk

As the speed of the hard disk platters continues to increase and the storage density continues to increase, the hard disk becomes more and more vulnerable. Therefore, the data stored on the hard disk is becoming more and more worrying, so some experts warn that it is necessary to regularly burn important information on the disk (such as digital photos) onto the CD to avoid irreparable damage when the hard disk is dead. loss.

There is a software called Disk Health (found in major software download sites) that helps us understand the health of our hard drives. The software can tell us intuitively: the hard drive is healthy (no signs of aging), or the hard drive has begun to age, or the hard drive is dying, or the fire of the hard drive is about to go out. As a result, we can safely transfer data before the hard drive is dead, thus avoiding losses.

In addition, one more sentence, the program can also display the power-on time of the hard disk, this function is very useful for buying a new hard disk, it can make us avoid buying repairs!

Well, if you want your hard drive to be more stable, higher performance, faster, and longer lasting, then hurry up and optimize your hard drive as described above.

Finally, please note that the above optimization methods are applicable to all kinds of Windows, but the operation methods are all for Windows XP.