SEE O&O DEFRAG v8.6 or v11 2 POSTS BELOW THIS ONE

WARNING: WITH VISTA I NOTED THE AREAS YOU SHOULD NOT DO


---------------------USE AT YOUR OWN RISK-------------------------

---------------------DO NOT USE FOR WINDOWS XP SP1/SP1a OR a web updated SP2 system----------------------

What I list here CAN be applied to VISTA as well, use at your own risk if you do


--------------DELL AND ALL SYSTEMS THAT UPDATED XP TO SP2 VIA THE WEB, BE CAREFULL WITH THIS LIST------------

Web updated and patched XP systems to SP2 may have a bug whereby the entire hard drive can become corrupt from a Microsoft web SP2 update glitch.

ANY system install CAN have the SAME problem.. Dells are not the only computers that can be affected by this issue!

This IS NOT A O&O ISSUE>>> IT IS A MICROSOFT ISSUE

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941715/en

As long as you installed WindowsXP SP2 from a Windows SP2 Install disk and did not web update, you should be safe


START - RUN type: regedit

click OK

Regedit will open. Find the following keys in the tree:

Browse to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\SYSTEM
\CurrentControlSet
\Control
\FileSystem ----> Look for the following key in the right pane…



NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate



(It probably is not there)

Assuming it is there, right click that key and select MODIFY. In the box that appears, make sure there is a bullet in: HEX and enter in the Value Data box: 1 then click OK

If that line above IS NOT in the list, right click the right pane and select DWORD. Copy the name of the value EXACTLY as I posted it above and paste it into the name. Once complete and you have a key named NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate

Right click that new key you just made and select MODIFY. In the box that appears, make sure there is a bullet in: HEX and enter in the Value Data box: 1 then click OK


close Regedit

-----------------------------------

Browse to CONTROL PANEL -
SYSTEM - ADVANCED TAB- ERROR REPORTING BUTTON

Uncheck everything and place a bullet in DISABLE ERROR REPORTING

Click OK to close the box

-------------------------------------

Browse to CONTROL PANEL -
SYSTEM - ADVANCED TAB

Startup and Recovery, Settings button

UNCHECK Automatically Reboot and Send Administrative Alert

Click OK to close the box

---------------------------------


MY COMPUTER - TOOLS MENU - FOLDER OPTIONS - VIEW TAB

Scroll down and do the following:
Bullet in: Show hidden files and folders
UNCHECK: Hide Protected Operating system files
CHECK: Launch Folder Window In A Separate Process

Click APPLY, then OK to close the box

------------------------------



CONTROL PANEL – POWER OPTIONS

Make sure the system drop-down is set to ALWAYS ON and make SURE the settings for that in the lower drop-downs are set to NEVER for all devices, click APPLY

Click the HIBERNATE tab. If Hibernate is enabled, UNCHECK IT, click APPLY


-----------------------------


Right click the desktop, Select PROPERITES – ScreenSaver TAB

DISABLE ANY SCREENSAVE FOR NOW, set it to NONE


---------------------------------------


++++++

DO NOT USE THIS SECTION FOR VISTA

++++++++++++++++++



TYPE START - RUN type: regedit, click OK

Regedit will open. Find the following keys in the tree:
Browse to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction

Set "Enable" to: "N" (right click, select MODIFY change from “Y” to “N”) then click OK

Browse to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

EnablePrefetcher

Right click select MODIFY change the setting from “3” to “2”) then click OK

Close REGEDIT

NEXT:
Browse to:

C:\Windows\Prefetch

Delete EVERY FILE IN THAT FOLDER. We will rebuild your boot system as we go. The first time you reboot after this has been done the computer will be VERY SLOW in booting, that is NORMAL. I will address that as we go below.

++++++++++++++++++++++++END +++++++++++++++++++++++++

=================================

SYSTEM - ADVANCED TAB

Performance Section - SETTINGS button – VISUAL EFFECTS TAB

IMPORTANT YOU UNCHECK ALL ITEMS IN THE LIST EXCEPT the following:

Show windows content while dragging
Smooth edges of screen fonts
Use common tasks in folders <-- Optional, I use this but you can deselect
Use drop Shadows for Icon labels on the desktop <--Optional, I use this but you can deselect
Use Visual styles on Windows Buttons

The above settings will keep windows looking sharp but without the memory drain.


===========================

Browse to CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM - ADVANCED TAB - PERFORMANCE BUTTON - ADVANCED TAB - VIRTUAL MEMORY – CHANGE BUTTON

First we must clear the system of the old page file and build a new one. Select NO PAGING FILE, the SET and OK then APPLY. Close the System Properties box and you will be asked to reboot, select YES and reboot.


In some cases the old page file will remain on the hard drive. We want to delete that file before we rebuild a new one.

Go to C:\ and se if the following file is there in the root directory: pagefile.sys

If it is, right click and delete it.


Browse to CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM - ADVANCED TAB - PERFORMANCE BUTTON - ADVANCED TAB - VIRTUAL MEMORY – CHANGE BUTTON

Rebuild the page file:

Select the drive Windows is installed on in the top list, then...

Place a bullet in CUSTOM SIZE then enter the following in BOTH MIN and MAX boxes: 3072


The page file ALWAYS goes on the boot drive with WindowsXP. Never move it.

Click SET then OK and the next box click APPLY and OK to close it.

The system may ask you to reboot, select YES


=====================================

Browse to CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM -SYSTEM RESTORE TAB:

NOTE: THIS IS A SETTING YOU WILL NEED TO DECIDE ABOUT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT GET SHUT DOWN BUT THAT IS UP TO YOU

I do not use system restore. It’s a Resource HOG. However many people use this feature and rely on it. If you use system restore and cannot live without it, SKIP THIS STEP. If you want to shut it down, here is the process:

CHECK: TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE ON ALL DRIVES
If any warnings pop up, just say YES and click APPLY, then OK to close the system properties.


========================================

SERVICES SHUTDOWN




CONTROL PANEL - ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS - SERVICES

Each service I list below has the exact same procedure to shutting it down CORRECTLY. All you have to do is the following to each service on the list:

1. Double click the service.

2. STARTUP TYPE: if it is not already disabled, change it to DISABLED, click APPLY.

3. LOGON TAB: HARDWARE PROFILE BOX – double click your hardware profile and it should change the login under the SERVICE column to DISABLED, click APPLY and OK.

4. Go to the next service and repeat the process

Here is the list: (note: some of these may not appear in your service list)

ALERTER
CLIPBOOK
ERROR REPORTING SERVICE
HELP AND SUPPORT
INDEXING SERVICES
MESSENGER
NETMEETING REMOTE DESKTOP SHARING
NETWORK DDE
NETWORK DDE DSDM
PERFORMANCE LOGS AND ALERTS
REMOTE REGISTRY
ROUTING AND REMOTE ACCESS
SECURITY CENTER (IT’S ONLY THE NAG, NOT SECURITY)
SYSTEM RESTORE SERVICE (Unless you want it enabled)
TELNET (SOME PROGRAMS MIGHT NEED THIS BUT I DON’T USE IT)



Close the services list




============================================



http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=30437&PID=174126#174126


The Windows XP Performance counters are not needed unless you are a network junkie and use them… here is how to shut them down and recover all those wasted CPU cycles:

Download this package from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7ff99683-b7ec-4da6-92ab...

Run the installer: exctrlst_setup.exe

Once installed you will have no shortcut to the tool… simply browse to:

C:\Program Files\Resource Kit

Double click the file: exctrlst.exe

A box will appear. Make sure there is a bullet in “SERVICE”

There is a list of services showing in the lower pane of the box, simply click the top service in that list to HIGHLIGHT IT and CLEAR the check OUT OF THE BOX labeled: “Performance Counters Enabled”

Scroll down the list and repeat the highlight\uncheck until EVERY SERVICE in that list displays a cleared “check”, verify you got them all -but the two- I list below... then close the box


NOTE: MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A CHECK IN THE FOLLOWING ITEMS

PERFPROC
PERFOS

============================================


NEXT:

Internet Explorer browser settings…

Open the browser. Select TOOLS – OPTIONS

Browser History
Select DELETE FILES, Cookies and History

Click SETTINGS. “Check for newer versions of stored pages” Bullet in: AUTOMATICALLY
Amount of disk space = 1024
Click OK

TABS: Shut then DOWN (uncheck)

PRIVACY TAB:
The slider should be set to MEDIUM-HIGH unless you use a site that requires a lower setting. Click APPLY

ADVANCED TAB:
Scroll down to “SECURITY” and put a check in “Empty Temporary Internet Files Folder When the Browser is Closed” Click APPLY

Close the internet settings box and the browser.


=======================================


Click START – RUN

In the box that appears copy the following text and paste it in the run box EXACTY as I posted it below:

rundll32 advapi32,ProcessIdleTasks

Click OK

NOTE:
You will be using that command line again as we clean up the system so keep it handy. Also, sometimes Windows gets a bit slow in booting.. This happens from time to time and when it does you can repeat the above step to optimize the system boot. It writes a file called LAYOUT.ini to the PREFETCH folder which tells Windows where all your drivers are on the hard disk for fast boot loading.


REBOOT THE COMPUTER

You have finished the Windows Settings Process

It’s time to clean up your hard drive and use the defrag software correctly. I want you to find and delete everything out of the following folders:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR ACCOUNT NAME\Local Settings\Temp

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR ACCOUNT NAME\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

C:\Windows\Temp

There may be files that will refuse to delete. If that happens and the delete operation is halted, you can select all and while holding the CTRL key deselect the file(s) that refused to delete which should continue the operation. Repeat that process until you get rid of all the files in those folders that will allow you to delete them. The ones that remain and refuse to delete are harmless such as windows defrag data files.


If there is any other junk laying around on your hard drive that you have been wanting to get rid of, now is the time to delete it.

Empty the recycle bin, then right click it, select PROPERTIES and select "USE ONE SETTING FOR ALL DRIVES" set the slider to 1-2%, I use 1% but I have HUGE drives. It’s up to you but don’t set it over 3%

Click APPLY

======================================

NEXT:

MY COMPUTER, right click your C drive.

UNCHECK "allow indexing services to index this disk"...

When the box appears select YES for ALL SUB FOLDERS AND FILES.. the process will take a while.

Once complete repeat the same process for all the hard drives listed in MY COMPUTER.

If it stops for some reason, click IGNORE ALL so it will

O&O DEFRAG v11 is fixed in comparing use to the v8.6 version

I am sorry its taken so long to get a look at O&O v11 and put it through the paces however I have now confirmed that (at least in WindowsXP) v11 of O&O works exactly the same as v8.6

The massive freespace issue which was present in v10 of the product does not appear in the v11 product

There is no cluster free space between used clusters


As for settings.. there are minor additions from my original instructions located in this thread which I have also edited into the 'list' posts above


CHANGES IN SETTINGS FROM 8.6:

First, in the SETTINGS, under the GENERAL TAB disable the tray display as it is not needed (last item)


Next, make sure MONITORING is DISABLED on the main GUI as it too is not needed for a performance system



There is no restrictions on SPACE defrag use with v11 of the O&O Defrag product. You can use the SPACE defrag between regular maintenance NAME defrag intervals without any problems


As far as I can see there is no performance gains by switching to v11 from v8.6 so if you are already on v8.6 and its working fine for you, stay with it as there is no need to purchase O&O v11

If you may be having problems in Vista with 8.6 its possible v11 may resolve those issues.. that I do not know as I have not use v11 in Vista and can not comment on what it may or may not correct however in either case I see absolutely no reason to upgrade to v11 unless you are having difficulty with v8.6 and at that point I would try the TRIAL O&O v11 to confirm your issues are resolved. You should uninstall the version you are using before installing the trial.

I would say anyone on v10 should probably try the trial version of v11 and if it is working, upgrade.

If you are thinking of trying O&O and have never used it, v11 will work for you in the list that I posted without issue. v8.6 is no longer required but will work as well.







NOTE: VISTA users MUST use version 11   or   v8.6



you can get the TRIAL version of 8.6 or v11 (for XP or VISTA) both x32 and x64 here:

http://www.oo-software.com/home/en/download/archive/oodefrag86pro


http://www.oo-software.com/home/en/download/current/index.html


DO NOT PURCHASE v10  








This problem does happen when our graphics driver is not compatible with your graphics card. Please rename the following file:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\oobctm.sys

eg. to

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\oobctm.bak

This file is the grahics card driver for O&O Defrag. If the file is not there, the Windows default driver will be used for offline defragmentation instead.

Note: Don't open O&O Defrag after you rename the driver, this will cause to reinstall the driver again. Therefore change the settings for the offline defragmentation before.

Restart your computer and the offline defragmentation should run. If you can see everything correctly, do the following after Windows is loaded:

- close O&O Defrag if it was open

- delete the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\oobctm.sys

- create a file in this folder with notepad and name it "oobctm.sys"

(please take care that the file extensions are correct and are not hidden by Windows explorer)

- open O&O Defrag, it should not install the driver again

=====================================

You do not need the best solution for good FSX perf however you do need to look at the list below and take heed of the precautions when setting up a system for FSX perf.

The storage system presents one of the greatest perf reductions to FSX simply because of the latency and CPU time they consume



MOTHERBOARD RAID0 WILL KILL FSX PERF and CREATE STUTTERS



-REPEAT-

MOTHERBOARD RAID0 WILL KILL FSX PERF and CREATE STUTTERS

The ONLY RAID that will enhance FSX is HARDWARD RAID on the RIGHT professional PCIe solution which allows a 256K BLOCK OR STRIPE with the RIGHT controller card settings to eliminate features such as NCQ

2 Velociraptors in RAID0 (256K STRIPE) on the right card are very close to SCSI performance

2 Velociraptors in RAID0 (or SCSI/SAS) on the right card are overkill for todays processors and memory subsystems in conjunction with the video adapter in FSX and will deliver very large amounts of data faster than the system can process/render it

Therefore the best solution for FSX with a Professional SATAII PCIe 256-512MB card based on highest to lowest perf

a. 2 VelociRaptors on RAID0

b. A single VelociRapor

c. 2 32MB Cache SATAII HDD in RAID0

d. A single 1st Generation 150GB Raptor

e. A single 32MB cache SATAII


All of which will do the job but the VelociRapor RAID0 configuration on the right card with those drives will do the job and then some.. very overkill

The OS drive should be on another single drive connected to the same card.. does not have to be RAID0 and does not have to be a VRap but should be a decent spec cache SATAII drive


MOTHERBOARD SOLUTIONS based on highest to lowest perf



The next step down is A single VelociRapor on Motherboard SATAII

The next step down is 2 VelociRapor in RAID0 on Motherboard RAID ... NOTE: Due to the Vrap design the single and RAID version of motherboard based storage is about equal

The next step down is A single 1st Generation Raptor on Motherboard SATAII

The next step down is A single 32MB cache large platter hard drive on SATAII

The next step down is 2 1st Generation Raptors in RAID0 on motherboard RAID

The next step down is 2 of any other drive in RAID0 on motherboard RAID



Notice where RAID0 sits on that list for Motherboard SATA RAID controllers




So there is your list to consider when planning for a FSX system


If you may be interested in high end storage solutions 3ware makes a great card for under 400 bucks. They have them in 256 or 512MB onboard DDR2 PCIe and you must use the battery backup for the card to ensure safe operation in 'high performance' mode as I assisted someone in this thread set up correctly on the 256MB model card

http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=28350



You must have a motherboard with a 2nd PCIe x8 or x16 slot to use those cards

Standard PCI RAID cards are NO BETTER than Motherboard RAID



RULES:

DO NOT PARTITION A DRIVE AND PLACE A OS OR FSX ON A PARTITION OTHER THAN THE FIRST PHYSICAL PARITION OF THE DRIVE

ALWAYS MAKE SURE THERE IS A MINIMUM OF 40-50% FREESPACE ON ANY PERFORMANCE DRIVE OR PARTITION

NEVER PARTITION A RAID ARRAY - EVER!

BEST SETUP IS TO PLACE FSX ON ITS OWN DEDICATED DRIVE WITH NO 2ND PARTITION





MYTH: NCQ and advanced BIOS SATA functions such as AHCI increase FSX performance

TRUTH: TRUE for network servers and workstations, UTTERLY FALSE for high performance drives such as the Rap, Vrap and gaming system use.



A Western Digital VelociRaptor is the best investment you can make for a FSX system. Even without an expensive controller card those drives will deliver the scenery where others can fall short

raptorx wrote on May 1^st, 2008 at 11:04pm:


If it ain't broke, dont fix it

Made optimizations described in your first post-related to virtual memory and registry twicks...

FS perfomance is noticably WORSE now...
Before windows visual effects optimization you forgot to mention that after these optimizations one will loose all his settings for windows appearance-for example if somebody uses(like me) windows classic style instead of XP style and some twicks for colors,font etc., he is going to loose all this and return back to XP default appearance...

How many times I said to myself not to listen to all that is posted in forumes?Sorry

N. Chapman wrote on May 7^th, 2008 at 11:42pm:



If you are running XPSP3, then all you will get during install of the patch is a message that says the update is already applied.

XPSP3 will not in any way shape or form make you system run any better if you have been keeping up with updates and have already applied patches as I outined

Groundbound1 wrote on May 19^th, 2008 at 11:08pm:


http://forums.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1211055375/0#7

drummer_tom wrote on May 22^nd, 2008 at 12:35pm:


Quote:



They probably upgraded the release client to reflect the beta changes... so yes, that is correct

SP3 includes the patch... if you install Sp3 you dont need the patch

Nick;

Two questions:

1)  In following your XP optimization list, you have turn off indexing service right before I start defraging.  I did that earlier than that, in fact, right before I started installing FSX.  That's the ONLY thing I did out of order.  Is that OK?

2) I installed nhancer but was not prompted for options during the install.  Now everything works but the nhancer service is running in my processes list.  Do I need to turn it off and if so, how (I already turned it off in the nhancer GUI options list but it still runs)?

Thanks,

Jim

Hey Nick, first of all, thanks for the time you spent putting this together.

I'm having some, what looks like, serious trouble with my computer after I did the O&O offline defrag. I followed your instructions to the letter so, I'm not sure what the problem is.

After the offline defrag, I noticed that I connected to the internet, and that a few things weren't working properly. (i.e. couldn't copy and paste, couldn't get the taskbar to show) I looked in My Network Places, and no networks were listed, so I looked in the Services tab in the System Configuration Utility, and noticed that, along with Network Connections, almost everything is stopped. I've tried enabling them, but it doesn't let me.

I tried going into Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services, and nothing is listed under the Extended tab, but everything does seem to be under the Standard tab. However, it won't let me enable anything from there, or even let me go into the particular service properties.

I'm running Windows XP Service Pack 2. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Hey Nick, this is actually a home built computer that was built around 4 years ago. I had downloaded SP2 from, I believe, Windows Update, as my XP CD didn't come with it.

Any cures for this, or is it time to reinstall Windows?

Thanks.

All right, well thanks for your help. I don't know how to slipstream SP2 onto the disk, so I'm thinking I'll buy a Windows disk with SP2 already on it for the reinstall.

And then, of course, start tweaking again!

Hmm, I was thinking about maybe finding out how to slipstream it to save some money, but than I got to thinking, I'm pretty sure my XP disks already have SP2 on them. Could that be possible? And is there a way to check? I've actually been running XP Media Center Edition version 2005.

I remember having to reinstall Windows in the past, but never having to get SP2 again.

So, would you recommend me buying XP Home, or maybe just reinstalling Windows with the disks I have, and skipping the offline defrag?

Thanks for your help.

Hi Nick,

When you go to the microsoft link you showed earlier in this thread that details this issue, there is a hotfix available there, dated 6-sep-2007.

Can we assume that this hotfix fixes this issue on systems that manifest this problem?

Thanks,

Carey

Copy of another post that links to just about everything one needs...


This was a joke.. but the linkage is good





==================================================================

The MSFS USER Commandments

Thou Shalt research and purchase the correct parts to do the job

http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2008/05/21/holy-fps-batman.aspx

Thou Shalt not complain if thy hardware is cheap or incorrect

Thou Shalt set up thy computer hardware correctly

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1197380641#2

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1208959973#5

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1208959973#3

Thou Shalt set up thy Windows version correctly

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1208959973

Thou Shalt use good security software that does not hinder thy system

www.eset.com

Thou Shalt not tweak with things thy find on the internet without knowing what they do.
(and many of them do nothing)

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1163028653/15

Unless you know exactly what you are doing... Stay Away =

http://www.blackviper.com/

Thou Shalt install and set up MSFS correctly based on thy version and hardware

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1197380641#1

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1197380641#6

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1205673302#14

http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=121&topic_id=437378&mesg_...

http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=26434

Thou Shalt update and maintenance thy computer and FSX install correctly and regularly as needed

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1208959973#1

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1208959973#2

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1197380641#11

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Thou Shalt set the frame lock based on how smooth MSFS runs, not by the number

Thou Shalt NOT STARE AT THE FRAME COUNTER
or thy eyes will burn in everlasting torment

...and if you are still having trouble... ask in the forums but if all else fails...

 

SEEK DIRECT PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE FROM A SERVICE

UTX setup: http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=26434&PID=149961#149961

NickN wrote on Jun 18^th, 2008 at 3:30pm:


Nick, I have a question concerning some of the advises you are giving in that topic linked above. You stated that you are using a Bufferpools set to 70.000.000 up to 100.000.000, because you have a 768 Mb RAM video card.

I have a 8800 GTX with 768 Mb of RAM on it too. My BufferPools is currently set to 8.000.000 and it works OK. However, as soon as I try to set it to 80.000.000, I get corrupted 3D models in the sim, as soon as in the preview window of the main menu. What could be the problem ?

Win XP SP2, motherboard drivers installed, DirectX 9.0c just updated (june 2008), forceware 169.44. The sim has quite good performance and no display or instability issues at all, so I was wondering what was happening...

Ok I just wanted to check.
I tried the 175.80 drivers and the problem is still there. I switched back to the previous bufferpools value which works quite well anyway. I will perform some additionnal tests later to find a better value, but there's no need to hurry right now

If you are on XP SP2, yes install the patch.. if SP3 you already have the patch Media center I do not know.. it wont hurt to try to install it and if its already installed from a Windows update then it will tell you its not needed


BTW.. they dont allow linked images here.. you need to upload the pic to simV and use the code they provide to display


Great shot! and congrats!.. enjoy the sim performance

macca22au wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2008 at 8:51pm:



triple monitors need larger frame buffer so you cant run that high

240MB???  LOL!!

I bet that was a shock!

The ESET AV (NOD32) is the best money can buy... not the full security package, just the AV product is all you need. With that protection you will not get the footprint on the system most others place on it and with that, you get performance.. so its up to you

at the same time.. freeware, you get what you pay for is a good way of explaining however if I had to lower my standards it would probably be AVG or AVAST

but I wont lower my standards... if you trust the list I posted, trust my AV suggestion

NickN wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2008 at 11:11pm:


eset has another new customer.

Does it hurt if I did accidentally a space defrag after shaping up the system according to your advice ? I notice that a name defrag thereafter took again 2 hours or so, so I wonder if the space defrag somehow counteracts the name ordering.

thanx again. Everything runs bloody well on my system now, booting is a charm and FSX has now a real nice aspect. You did a great job. I consider myself lucky that I stumbled across this thread. I remember very well pyaing at work "experts" 150$ the hour for jobs that aren't worth 1% of what you offer.That's what I'd call dedication.

Those tools are now a "by user" decision

I do use a reg cleaner every so often however I no longer 'compact' the regisry and have not for a very long time. WinXP and Vista have had changes made to them whereby the registry is kept in good shape automatically and therefore use of that feature in programs like RM are not necessary.

I would be very careful with 'tuneup tools"

Thay can do things that may hurt performance instead of help. The best "tuneup" you can do is the maintenance I posted in cleaning out/flushing temp files, checking and cleaning up new 'startup' items not needed and then running the defrags...

ajmilan wrote on Jun 27^th, 2008 at 1:45pm:

I second that, before I read your list I had it on another drive, too. I read as well that this should have improved performance in XP.

So I'll take that as an "if it ain't broke, leave it alone" and leave it in place.

Thanks.

Nick, under the Internet Explorer Temp. Internet Files settings to set the disk space to 1200.  The allowed range is 8 to 1024 MB, so I set it to the max.

Are there any issues with that setting?  Why am I not allowed to set it to 1200 as you suggest?

Still working through the list...

Andy

Nick,

When attempting to use the following "rundll32 advapi32,ProcessIdleTasks" I get the following error: "Error in advapi32 Missing entry:ProcessIdle". I am not using quotes when entering that line.
Any ideas?

Yes, Task Scheduler is on. This is a recent XP Sp2 install with no tweaks applied.

Well, I got it to work. The only thing I can figure is that in following the setup list, I did not reboot after rebuilding the page file as the system did not ask me to. After rebooting just now it works as advertised. Thanks for your help.

P. S. I should have thought this through a little better, trying to do too many things at once. 

thanks for the tips but is it alright to the the windows defrag thing instead of 0&0

I just built my father an FSX system using these guidelines (very similar to my own) and it came out SWEET!!!  Thanks Nick for giving me the tools I needed to do this!   I wish I could make a living building and setting up people's systems for FSX like this. 

-Jim

Kobus wrote on Jul 27^th, 2008 at 1:08pm:



No problem.. the line I posted is a bit generic and was only used as an example..

simply add the /3GB/Userva=2560 to what you have

You're going to run FSX on an integrated Intel video chip?

To answer your question, no.. skipping the use of Nhancer is not going to negate the benefits of the rest.

However FSX on a integrated chip is going to be very limited regardless of what you do.

The instructions I posted I use for any system not just graphics

I have a Matrox TripleHead2Go (Digital) with three 19" LCD displays
Res :3840X1024 in my setup

Would that be regarded as multi or single in the nHancer setup? (Only one DVI output of the GPU is used)

Kobus

Nick, I am planning a new FSX dedicated pc and need clarity on the following

Is FSX a x32 or x64 application?

If x32, is there any advantage in running it on XPx64 or Vistax64 except maybe
for their ability to recognize and use more memory?

Does FSX really need or use more than 2G  to run properly?

System: QX9650,X48,8800GTX   (?OS ?GB RAM)

Thank You

Kobus

NickN wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2008 at 10:15am:


Hi guys,

Seeing that there are still requests for our 2-for-the-price-of-one O&O Defrag 10 and O&O Defrag 8.6 bundle coming in, I extended mentioned offer until the end of August 2008.

The link to our special offer - O&O Defrag 8 Professional Edition plus O&O Defrag 10 Professional Edition for just USD44.95 - has changed!
Please use the following link to purchase the special offer:

https://shop.oo-software.com/36/uurl-n6j7om1fy5

Thank you for the kind words about O&O.
Take care and many happy landings.

Andreas Blaeser

E-Commerce Manager
O&O Software, Berlin, Germany

O & O Defrag CDs...

I would like CD copies of the O & O Defrag software...I would like to get the two-for-one bundle, but really am not comfortable with getting "electronic" versions of software that is to be such an integral part of my puter maintenance toolbox.

Any chance to get the CDs with the order?  I am willing to pay extra, of course.

Thanks

AndreasB wrote on Aug 7^th, 2008 at 10:13am:


Can I just say that acts like this do not go unnoticed.  You have accepted their is a problem and worked on a remedy.  Posted in an enthusiasts forum and extended the offer too.  People notice these actions and hear about them.  From this a lot of trust develops and I`m sure future business.  Once again, a big thankyou to O&O and to Nick Needham for bringing it to their attention in the first place.  Respect where its due.

Reider

Not anytime soon

As far as I am concerned, unless MS releases a serious patch for Vista I wont be bothering with it and will most likely jump to Windows7 when it is released instead. Just like I skipped WindowsME and went right to XP.

If there is some type of change made to Vista in the form of a SP update which truly debloats the OS and increases perf then I may consider going into it. Otherwise I consider Vista Windows

CE, ME, NT

combined

AKA:

Incidentally. my lazy man's test is:

Can I run FSX using the Carenado Mooney out of a good detailed add-on country airfield to a similar rural field, with few stutters without turning anything else off?

And I can, AV and the lot in the background stealing CPU cycles. 

Of course over Seattle it all has to be turned off - even FSX sometimes!

macca22au wrote on Aug 17^th, 2008 at 11:50pm:



MS offers downgrades to XP for a reason and OEMs are not bound to sell only Vista.. that changed last year

And unless I wish to use a DX10 game I see no reason for Vista. FSX is not DX10 as far as i am concerned


And to respond to the question about Nellie.. no problem with XP

When it comes to platforms the greatest advantages are found in the software app being designed to take advantage of the platform and it is my understanding that is the plan with FS11. Phil Taylor mentions something about their WAVE09 tech developments and will be posting more about how they intend to look at hardware and use the platforms from a perf advantage standpoint and will be discussing more of that in detail as next year progresses



If I do dive into Vista I will of course post my findings however from a preliminary standpoint of tinkering with it, CEMENT is the correct description

I might be misinterpreting your instructions (one time vs often), but this guy : http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000619.html

says that clearing prefetch does not improve performance. I'm not trying to debunk or flame or anything, I was just wondering if your instructions use it as a precursor for something else, as opposed to just clearing it for the sake of clearing it.

Nick,

I am about to change my motherboard so I can OC my Q6600. I already have 4gb of 800 DDR2 RAM. I have been using Vista 32 so I haven't been getting the full RAM as I should. I had planned to use Vista 64 when I change the MB.

Are you saying I should go to XP instead? Will my RAM be wasted? I'm not using DX10 now anyway in Vista.

What do you suggest?

Also, do you have the complete optimization in PDF form? I'd like to print it. I don't know which version of the guide to use.