Guest Deeswift Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 .:. Windows® XP Performance Tweaks .:. Part 1: Configuring Services There are literally thousands of tweaks you can do to get the best out of your operating system, and configuring the services is just one of them. For several years, I've been keeping an eye on the work of a guy named Black Viper. His site is currently down, and has been for some time, but various mirror sites can be found scattered around the Internet (do a Google search). Part of BV's site is mirrored here: CLICK As the above mirror covers only a small part of the original site, I uploaded a detailed guide to my FTP for you to download. This 44-page document is in .pdf format, therefore you will need Adobe Reader installed to open it. Credit goes to Black Viper ~ this is the original document which was downloadable from his site. Microsoft have released Service Pack 2 since this guide was written, but very few things have changed and this is still a useful guide with good explanations of what each service does. Various different configurations are explained, should you wish to configure them manually. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD Manual Configuration Vs. Registry Patches All services in Windows XP are tweakable, this is usually done via Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Sevices, then by double-clicking each service entry to get to the properties and adjust the settings. Don't bother, unless you really want to go the long way round. If you know what you're doing in this area, go right ahead, you have no need to be reading this article, but the chances are that most people who are reading this don't have a clue. There is an easier way to tweak the services than manually configuring each one, and that's by using one of the various services configuration patches that Black Viper made -- pre-made, 'instant' patches that do the job for you. It's the difference between manually configuring, which can take a long time, or clicking your mouse a couple of times and rebooting. The SAFE patch which can be downloaded below turns off all unnecessary services and leaves only the neccessary ones running. These unneccessary services are eating a fair amount of your PC's resources, and the performance hit is more likely to be noticable on an older, less powerful machine more so than a fast one, but whatever hardware you are running, many of these services don't need to be gobbling up potential performance. There are over 90 services in Windows XP SP2. 36 of them are running automatically by default, but apparently we can get away with using ... only 5! Although that last figure is a little over-optimistic, it's true. You'll find that a more realistic figure is at least 12. This is the amount of services I have running automatically on my machine. This figure will also change depending on your hardware and software -- Windows isn't the only thing that adds services -- but the bottom line is that Windows XP, at default, runs like cold treacle. After optimization (services tweaks, and all kinds of registry tweaks) XP can be lightning fast. Should you choose to tweak it as much as I have, you'll see a remarkable difference. So ... instead of manually confguring the services, you might wish to use a registry patch, but which one? I recommend, as does BV, that you first download the "DEFAULT" patch. This sets the sevices to the default configuration when XP is first installed. Using this file will probably be 99.9% unnecessary, but it will make life easier if you do need to return to the default settings. If you find that something isn't right after using the SAFE patch, use the DEFAULT one and reboot. Next, download the 'SAFE' patch. This file will automatically turn off the rarely used or useless services and leave only the important ones running. For now, don't bother with other tweak configurations -- there are several different ones depending on how you use your PC, and they're mainly super-tweaks for gamers or for people who do not require an Internet connection, etc. The SAFE patch is called SAFE because it is just that -- this file should work for most of us, and don't worry about messing anything up. Be warned though -- this file is not intended for people using a home network, just a single PC with an internet connection. I can modify the file for you if you do have a problem, please post and ask. You can also edit the file yourself, just open it with Notepad and you'll see it's exactly like a text file. The only difference is the file extension which is ".reg" rather than ".txt". Why modify the file? Well, you may want to tweak the services further. The SAFE config is just a starting point for a lean configuration with most of the unneccssary services disabled, but my own modified version, for example, disables around 6 more services. Read up before modifying though, or just ask and I will make you a custom patch. Basing it on BV's patch is a good idea if you feel like having a go yourself. Downloadables... Black Viper's 'SAFE' configuration for Windows XP Professional: DOWNLOAD Using this patch is exactly like following the guide for the SAFE config and tweaking the services one by one. The only difference is it leaves the System Restore service running. If you don't need to use System Restore, you can disable it by right-clicking the My Computer icon, choose Properties, and from there you will see the System Restore tab. Bear in mind that disabling System Restore won't allow you to recover possibly important data if you need to wind your machine back to a previous restore point. If you make regular backups of your important files already, you may find that System Restore is a waste of space and is probably safe to disable. I removed System Restore completely from my own OS. Just use your head. Black Viper's 'DEFAULT' configuration for Windows XP Professional: DOWNLOAD Importing this file into the registry will return all services to default, exactly as they are on a brand new XP. Black Viper's 'SAFE' configuration for Windows XP Home Edition: Same as Pro, but for XP Home Edition. DOWNLOAD Black Viper's 'DEFAULT' configuration for Windows XP Home Edition: Same as Pro, but for XP Home Edition. DOWNLOAD To Use... Download and extract the contents of the .zip files.Double-click the .reg file, choose 'Yes' to add to the registry.Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. _______________________ More sites worth a visit: TweakXPKellys-KornerElderGeek Tweak Guides Here's a good tweak guide I found recently. I would have written something similar and added it t this thread but this is probably a little more comprehensive than the one I would have done, I just don't have the time to do it right now, so see here: CLICK _______________________ Below is a screenshot of my current services configuration. The highlighted services were added by programs and are not in XP by default. Also, many services have been removed using nLite. This is just an example of a highly stripped down configuration using only the needed sevices, not neccessarily something for you to use as a guide to setting up your own config. For example, this config wouldn't work if you have a printer, as the Print Spooler service is disabled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 I know this post isn't finished but I have to say, downloading the safe configuration from the BV site was one of the best moves I made after installing XP. I think when people change up from 9X to XP, they don't even realise all the unnecessary stuff that's running in the background and turning a lot of this off can make a big difference to the performance of your PC. I went through mine manually too and searched the web to find out what each one did and what it's for. It might sound a bit techy to some people, but once you dig below the surface a little when using a PC, you can make your machine a lot faster in some cases. Once it's done, you can forget about it too and get on with enjoying a faster machine. It applies especially to people who hang out here and make music because if you wanna run a program like Cool Edit, with a ton of files and real time effects, then every bit of power helps. I still only use a P3-800 and I've made mixes with well over a gig of files open at once and the PC doesn't even pause for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clownstyle Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 I had to do all these tweaks on my moms pc. XP really does have so much crap running!! Before i made the tweaks the pc was unusable...And i mean it---Having to wait 5mins for a webpage to open!! I applied some custom tweaks ets and now its like a brand new pc!! I notice even on my 2.2Ghz machine that having themes turned OFF in the services makes a hell of a diffrence.......Just a tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iexist Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 I like the new Royale theme a lot!<{POST_SNAPBACK}> what Royale theme? whachoo talkin bout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 http://www.softpedia.com/public/cat/9/3/9-3-42.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iexist Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 i see alot of themes like this on the boards and sites i go to, but my question is...this looks just like the default XP theme. whats the hype? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 This is an official theme. It's leaked from the Media Center version of XP. It looks to me like it just makes the taskbar and title bars blue. I haven't installed it though cos I'm happy with silver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 The themes work on all versions of XP mate as far as I know. Royale was made for XP Media Center but it works on Pro. There should be no problem with the Home edition too. Are you talking about the tweaks initially posted? There are versions on the site for Home and Pro if you look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixologist Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 I'm already rockin' the Royale, smooth, i'll give the BV site alook for it, i gues everyone here must be running Pro huh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Yeah we're all loaded and can afford the Pro version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixologist Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Yeah we're all loaded and can afford the Pro version. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> F you lol i get them for free from my Bro because he's some Computer techy, programmer, thing person Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 This is a great guide seeing as I'm gearing up to put a new hard drive and fresh XP installation in. I've teweaked my current one but not to the same extent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbay Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 "Be warned -- this file is not intended for people using a home network, just a single PC with an internet connection."<{POST_SNAPBACK}> damn was gonna try it with my network, coz my older pc is slow as fuck. a p3 500mhz running XP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 You can still disable loads of services though mate. With older machines I usually find lack of RAM is more the issue than the processor itself. How much is in your machine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelio Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 shit, iv installed the pro edition one instead of the home one, how do i change it now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deeswift Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Don't worry. I think Pro has services that the Homo edition doesn't, and all that might happen is you'll get a couple of dead registry entries, I'd imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelio Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 ah nice one, im not down with this homo edition, i thought i was in the pro club until i checked what version i had. cheers man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkatrazz Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 I dunno if one of the admins wants to fix the link but black vipers site has been down for a really long time but here is a mirror of it.http://www.dead-eye.net/WinXP%20Services.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deeswift Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 OK, the main post has been fully updated. Thanks for the reminder, alkatrazz. I cannot reach the link you posted though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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