I decided to go ahead and copy this post I made at a from a technical support website for MSI motherboards. It is my method of keeping a system in perfect tune. There is a limit to the amount I can put in 1 post so this will be in several segments below.
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Flight Simulator can be a tough program to get tweaked. It is memory dependant and both CPU and GPU intense as well. Flight Simulator is a 3D application that differs from others because the variables that constantly change in textures and level of details to include weather, AI traffic, geography, populated areas and effects. In order to get FS to perform smoothly with the aircraft being released, such as PMDG products, it usually requires changes to the cloud textures and other FS9.cfg tweaks to produce satisfactory results with the big planes around large airports. It also requires the system (OS) be tuned for peak efficiency.

Backin the days of Windows95 and 2000, there were some really good OS and registry tweaks that would give boosts in performance. With WindowsXP that has changed. Just as 99% of the WindowsXP registry performance hacks posted on the internet are total placebo bunk, there are allot of myths about setting and tweaks in FS which produce nothing more that placebo results. Tuning FS for an acceptable performance to quality ratio is a strictly dependant on the individual system and personal preference. The rest is system wide related.  

The best tweaks one can do to/for that program (or to keep any system at 100% peak OS efficiency), are in order as follows:

Windows Performance Maintenance.........

The following maintenace is performed in the numerical order presented below. There are serious technical  reasons for following the order of the list:


GO TO WINDOWS UPDATE AND INSTALL EVERY CRITICAL UPDATE THERE IS. ALSO INSTALL ANY OTHER UPDATES YOU MAY WANT FROM W/U. MAKE SURE AFTER AN UPDATE IS COMPLETED YOU RETURN TO WINDOWS UPDATE TO CONFIRM THERE ARE NO MORE. SOME UPDATES WILL NOT SHOW UP AND RELY ON A PREVIOUS UPDATE BEING INSTALLED FIRST, SO GO BACK TO WINDOWS UPDATE SEVERAL TIMES TO CONFIRM EVERYTHING WAS INSTALLED.
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

Make sure WindowsXp SP2 is installed


1.      Disable Windows hidden files and folders so that during maintenance all files are available for review and analysis.

2.      Reduce the video card latency to 32 or 64. ATI has a factory default of 249 (as I recall). The AGP system of motherboards runs at 32. There are programs out there that will set the latency of the video card on Windows boot. I use: PCI Latency Tool v1.02 and do not use any tray based video card tweakers for that or any other purpose. ALso.. AGP APERTURE in the BIOS to 128.. no more, no less. 128

3.      Remove all non-essential programs from the tray. I have 2 items in my tray, the antivirus (which I can disable-enable when needed) and the sound manager, which takes no resources to run. All other programs have been removed.

4.      Killing all or most Windows services for game use is a myth. As long as there are no huge 3rd party non-Microsoft Windows service running and there are no tray programs running the hit to the system is minimal. There are a few services that can be shut down permanently based on the individual system but killing them all for 3D applications on systems of DDR333+ with 768MB of memory and higher is bunk. You will need to review your system and the technical websites which discuss Windows services to decide what services must be enabled on your system based on how you use the system. Find out what it is you absolutely do not need and disable the services perminantly.


5.      Antivirus… this one can cause problems even with it terminated. Any Norton (Symantec Product) and a few other choice antivirus names are system wide killers of resources. I have wiped out all my hard drives in the past just to get rid of everything Symantec makes because of how bad their software infiltrates and takes over a system and uninstalling the products and/or using the Symantec cleaner tools does not get rid of Symantec control. I use the ENTERPRISE edition of McAfee, version 8.0 as it has the least impact on resources than any other antivirus on the market and provides the best protection at the same time. Unlike Norton and other virus scanners I have used, the Enterprise Edition of McAfee has never allowed a successful attack to take place in the 3 years I have used it on 5 different systems.

6.      As long as you know what you are doing, clean out the startup system from the register, NOT the System Configuration utility. I have 5 absolutely necessary items on my startup. 2 Antivirus Related, 1 Video Latency, 1 Sound Manager, 1 ATI (CLI). None affect performance and are needed at boot. Anything else is manually deleted from the register keys:

HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run

and

HKCU/ Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run.

Also, I make sure there is absolutely nothing in the Startup folder on the All Programs List menu in Windows and I set the browser INTERNET EXPLORER to EMPTY TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES ON CLOSE. Run the browser, select: TOOLS\INTERNET OPTIONS\ADVANCED\scroll down to SECURITY, check the box: EMPTY TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES ON CLOSE and hit APPLY. Close the browser.

               ..POPULAR MYTHS........              ........THE MYTH LIST........            ........POPULAR MYTHS........  

MYTH: The page file should be set to 1.5X the memory installed and should be placed on another partition or hard disk. If you have more than 1-2+ gigs of memory, use no page file. Use the Task Manager to see how much you are using and reduce or increase it accordingly.  )

HORSE HOCKEY!!!  


TRUTH: Removing the page file completely is dangerous since the system needs a certian amount for writing error files when the system crashes. Completely removing it will not make a system any faster. The page file should be set to a STATIC size based on your use and hardware. If you have 1gig or less of memory installed, set this size to 3072-3072 to the WINDOWS boot directory and reboot. If you have 2gig or more installed, set the STATIC size to 1024-1024 on the Windows boot directory and reboot. If you do allot of amateur audio-video editing, leave it at 3072-3072 no matter how much memory is installed. Pros already know what to do.

The only performance increase in moving the page file comes from placing it BY ITSELF on THE FIRST PARTITION of a separate IDE drive or separate RAID ARRAY from the Windows PHYSICAL C:\ HDD and ONLY if that seperate physical drive is equal to or greater than the rated speed of your Windows boot HDD. If you place the page file on the first partition of a separate IDE drive and your Windows system is on a RAID ARRAY, you just killed your page file performance. BEST BET is to leave it on the Windows C:\ directory. The performance gain is negligible unless you are a professional audio-video editor and those people know to put the page file on a separate SCSI drive/channel by itself.

MYTH: Set your system up for a large CACHE if you have 1g of memory or more  

TRUTH: DO NOT set the system for large cache unless your system is a real-world network server. Leave it optimized for programs. Leave Processor scheduling and Memory Usage set to: PROGRAMS

MYTH: Running your 3D applications or other graphic intense programs on HIGH PRIORITY will make them run faster  

Who ever came up with that one is a real winner.  


TRUTH: Removing your single processor motherboard CPU cycles from the video system and other parts of the bus to give it to the 3D.exe application is NOT going to make your 3D game run better... it will actually make it run WORSE. The fact is, if your application is NOT graphics based and is mathematically based, such as SETI@HoME, Prime95 or other crunching programs, you WILL see better performance results by increasing the priority to those types of programs. Although it can be used for single processors the Priority system in Windows was designed for DUAL Processor setups which allows the administrator to better tune the priority of applications to each (or both) CPU's and provide cycles where they are needed most.

MYTH: Using a memory cleaner and cache optimizer such a cacheman or other programs will make your system run faster.   8)


TRUTH: In the years 1995 through 2001 these programs served a purpose. Back then the average system memory was 64-128-256mb and Windows95, 98 and ME (ME was a bit better) were horrible with controlling memory resources. With Windows2000 and XP those memory holes were plugged and if you are using these programs today you are doing nothing but robbing your system of performance, period.

Throw the Windows memory optimizer programs in the garbage and do not install anything that runs in the tray or as a service in the background for optimizing Windows or that defrags the memory.


Get rid of the "end it all" programs. They do not shut ALL the services completely down "globally" no matter what the program tells you it is doing. You dont need them if your system is properly tuned and serviced exactly as I posted above.


If you really want to gear your system for FS9 or games, dont END IT ALL. ... set up a hardware profile: http://www.technobabble.com.au/technobabble/html/gaming/gaming1.htm


...but keep in mind, the ONLY reason you would need to do that is because you have services or hardware that DO cause resource losses to 3D applications.

My system does not require a game hardware profile and runs just as fast on the default profile as it did on an experimental game profile where I shut EVERYTHING down not needed by the system to run FS2004.

Everyones system is different.

As Always, shut down any ANTIVIRUS programs prior to making driver updates

When motherboard or video drivers are installed into todays systems there are dependancies that allot of people are not aware of. The best way to make sure you are getting a 100% registered driver installtion is to do the following when updating the motherboard OR the video drivers (either one):


1.
Uninstall all the motherboard drivers, reboot

2.
Uninstall ALL the video drivers, including any video support programs the drivers use such as with ATI the Cat Control Center. Make sure everything that has to do with that video driver is uninstalled and reboot again.

There is a reason for that and I highly recommend both the motherboard drivers AND video drivers be removed when updating EITHER the motherboard OR the video adapter. Upon removal of drivers the OS may install one from its own internal database, which is fine... reboot if Windows instructs you to do so. Once all of the rebooting is completed, continue to the next step. Cancel any "Windows is looking for drivers” boxes and continue on.

Video drivers should NEVER be installed until ALL motherboard drivers have been completely uninstalled/reinstalled and verified.

3.
Install the updated motherboard driver, or if you are only updating the video, reinstall your original motherboard drivers... all of them

Reboot the system and let it sit. Wait for a few minutes after Windows returns to the desktop from a reboot to insure everything installs properly. After waiting for a few minutes cancel any “Windows is looking for drivers” boxes.

4.
Reboot again. Once rebooted to the desktop, again, cancel any Windows is looking for drivers” boxes and continue on.

Rebooting twice after motherboard drivers are installed insures they will register correctly to the system.

5. NEXT, install/update the video drivers.

Even if you are only updating video drivers and not updating the motherboard drivers you MUST ALWAYS uninstall the Motherboard driver first using uninstaller from add and remove programs.



Sounds like allot... well, I have see the results and it assures the drivers will indeed install and function correctly. I have also seen the negative results of not using that method. Trust me, its worth the extra time.


With ATI I really like the latest CAT release and I have never found a single hacked driver version that produced any results that were worth installing the drivers on my Radon 9800pro card. I cannot vouch for Nvidia since I do not own a Nvidia video card.

If you use the ATI Media Center, be SURE to get the latest Media Center software and install it PRIOR to the ATI video driver installation.

Finally,
Visit all the websites for your hardware and in the support sections, confirm there are no driver or firmware updates available for your products.

IMPORTANT: Check the device manager to see if there are any devices that have not been installed or are labeled as not working properly. Resolve any uninstalled or non functioning hardware issues before proceeding.

It is not a bad idea to check for updates for the software you use and install it at this time. If you use MS Office products, be sure to go to Office Update and install all the updates for your MS Office products. Like Windows Update return to Office Update after any reboots and verify ALL updates were installed.




That’s my story and I'm stickin to it  

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You did not read my post correctly.... It says turning the page file off is a MYTH

And whatever melts your butter when it comes to CPU priority changes on a single CPU system. Most of them have nothing but a placebo effect on a 3D based programs unless the program being boosted is mathematically based such as Seti@home. I will explain why… Let’s assume boosting the CPU priority has a positive effect on the performance of a 3D game in System A and a negative effect on System B. Both systems have the same hardware but System A has not received proper maintenance, as laid out above, on a regular basis or been properly set up for unified performance... where System B, has. I’ll bet $1000.00 dollars it is because there is something in System A that is incorrectly set up, improper driver configuration or registration, spyware or a service running that created a PLACEBO boost in performance by robbing the spyware, enabled service or other background issue such as a driver loop, of CPU cycles and giving it to the game. Therefore, if your system is correctly maintained, boosting CPU cycles will tend to lower overall performance of a 3D game such as Flight Simulator because of the global resources that 3D application requires. FS requires CPU cycles be properly distributed for smooth operation. If it truly raises the perfromance, there is something wrong and Ill bet another 1000 dollars if you correct the real problem, FS will run even faster and smoother than you ever saw it perform on your system.


Your judging the system by what you BELIEVE is the best performance, not what it is truly capable of doing.... That is the Placebo Effect ... and that is what services such as FS-GS (which I dont need and have never used) teaches people how to overcome. Even highly experienced IT techs dont completely comprehend a completely and correctly unified system.

Most people, including allot of good techs, believe shutting down a WindowsXp Service from the services menu (Automatic, Manual, Disabled) shuts a service completely down. Or using an “end it all” program shuts it all down. HORSE HOCKEY! You must use the LOGON tab in the properties of the service to disable a service GLOBALLY for the hardware profile being booted. That is why is it better to create a hardware profile “virtual machine” which GLOBALLY shuts the services and un-needed hardware from the device manager down automatically on boot to the game hardware profile.

Here is another good one… most of the gaming sites list: DCOM as a service that you can shut down for games. The truth is, if you use the latest ATI CAT drivers, shutting that service down in your hardware profile removes the needed ATI driver initialization from the boot.. guess what, you not only killed the video quality but 3D acceleration features as well.

Unless a user is a pro, Internet sites for performance boosts are dangerous as far as I am concerned.



I am not an amateur computer/electronics technician. You may review the entire thread where I originally posted the above information here: http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=86999

That thread is used as a guide source for the MSI motherboard site listed as:
K7N2 Delta2 Platinum BIOS Tests… solved intermittant reboot issues located here:
http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=76954


...and the results speak for themselves:

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For many years I was also the lead Asus motherboard technician for AMDmb.com, now known as PC Perspective.



good luck

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I have never had any problems with the version I am using which is v1.02 although in googleing the issue there was someone else that posted the same issue about v2.7.

I assume you had it set to: APPLY ON STARTUP ?

Right click the video adapter line in v2.7 and select: Quickset Latency

Does it change?

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I hate to say it but out of all the tray tool programs, ATITool has the least effect on a system and it does have an option to change the latency...

http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/

see if that helps


I am assuming you are trying to smooth graphics out a bit. Dropping the latency does not speed anything up in the way of frames (22FPS will still be 22FPS), but in most cases will make the same frame rate smooth instead of jittery.

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Oppppsssss

he he he... I type too fast some times.

Try the program POWERSTRIP as it should have a universal latency set tool

I do not know why your other system does not display the latency configuration for the AGP and card bus

I know PCI Xpress will not, nor will it allow latency changes

Nick, you seem to know quite a bit about system maintenance, thanks for all the suggestions.  I have been having lots of FS errors reporting involving the ntdll.dll.  I uninstalled my sim, completely cleaned the system, reinstalled and after a few hours the errors returned.  I dont know much about the ntdll, can I pull it off the install disk and replace the current one?  Wil this cause major problems within the system?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Todd

System specs: Pent 4 2.6 ghz with 800 FSB
Soyo Dragon plus 2 Mother board
1 gig 3200 Ram
ATI 9600 Pro 128 using Cat 5.10
2, 80 gig Maxtor HD with 8mb buffer
Win XP SP 2
FS is run on D drive and is only program on there.

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That ntdll.dll file error is usually caused by a borked Windows install or other system conflict. I cant say what it is for sure and I certainly can't say a Windows reinstall will fix it for sure but assuming you are not running any wierd 3rd party add-on with FS, you may want to consider a Windows re-install after backing everything up. Sometimes a fresh start is the best way to get rid of problems. Following the correct maintenance and driver install during that process also increases performance and gets rid of headaches.