Group
Policy
To access:tart>Run>gpedit.msc
(Note: No Group Editor in WinXP Home)
There
are two main branches –
User
Configuration and Computer Configuration.
Changes
made under User Configuration only affect the current user.
Changes
made under Computer Configuration apply to the machine and
affect all users on that machine.
The
recommended setting for each is provided in brackets.
 Turn
off System Restore permanently
- Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\System
Restore\
(Set
both items under here to Enabled)
Turn
off built-in XP CD Burning (still allows 3rd party burning
software such as Nero)
- User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows
Explorer\"Remove CD Burning Features" (Enabled)
Remove
Shared Documents Folder
- User
Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows
Explorer\"Remove Shared Documents from My Computer"
(Enabled)
Remove
Shutdown/Logoff/Restart messages
- Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\"Remove
boot /Shutdown /Logon / Logoff messages" (Enabled)
Turn
off User Tracking (will disable personalized menus as well
though)
- User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu
and Taskbar\"Turn off user tracking" (Enabled)
Turn
off CD/DVD Autoplay
- Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\"Turn
off Autoplay" (Enabled)
Disable
IE splashscreen
- Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows
Components\Internet Explorer\"Disable Showing the Splash
Screen" (Enabled)
Disable
Windows Messenger
- Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows
Components\Windows Messenger\(Set both items to Enabled)
See the Regedit section on how to turn off Messenger and
fix the Outlook Express "slowdown" issue.
Customize
Internet Explorer (Logo, Titlebar, Toolbar pics & text)
- User Configuration\Windows settings\Internet Explorer
Maintenance\Browser User Interface\ (leave these at default)
Remove
Recycle Bin Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
Recycle Bin icon from Desktop" (leave at default)
Remove
My Documents Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
My Documents icon from Desktop" (enable)
Remove
My Computer Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
My Computer icon from Desktop" (leave at default)
See the Regedit and Further Optimization sections for ways
of adjusting these settings for WinXP Home users who don't
have access to the Group Editor
Registry Editor
To access:Start>Run>Regedit or search for and run
Regedit.exe
Most system settings can be changed with the registry editor.
If you don't feel comfortable using Regedit, see the Further
Optimization section for other 'user-friendly' tools which
can make most of these changes. The changes are provided
without much description, so I recommend you look at other
WinXP Guides or do a search on Google if you have any doubts.
Make sure you have a backup of the registry as described
in the Before We Begin section. Just like the Group Editor,
changes in Registry Editor affect either individual users
(HKEY_CURRENT_USER) or a machine (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE). To
edit a setting, expand the folders until you see the required
entry, then double click on it. Recommended settings are
shown for each entry. Where an entry doesn't exist, create
it:
Stop
programs from automatically starting when booting up
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run];
and
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
None of the entries under these folders are really necessary
for WinXP to operate properly. See MSConfig section.
Dramatically
improve menu speeds and application and system shutdown/restart
speeds
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
HungAppTimeout=5000 Delay before a hung application is allowed
to terminate (each 1000 = 1 sec)
WaitToKillAppTimeout=4000 Delay before windows finally
starts to shutdown (each 1000 = 1 sec)
MenuShowDelay=50 Delay before a menu pops open. (each 1000
= 1 sec)
AutoEndTasks=1 Automatically closes running applications
when Windows shuts down.
Unload
DLLs from memory when not needed to maintain free memory
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Create a new Key (a sub-folder, not an entry) called AlwaysUnloadDll.
Once
created double-click on the (Default) entry in the
right pane and enter a value of 1.
Improve
usage of Physical RAM and caches to significantly improve
system performance
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management]
DisablePagingExecutive=1 Will load your core WinXP files
into system RAM and keep them there.
Use
this tweak if you have 512MB RAM or more.
LargeSystemCache=0 For 512MB RAM or more set to 1 for potential
performance improvement.
IOPageLockLimit=226492416 Enter value (bytes) in Decimal
view. Default of 0 = 512KB.
I personally
use the Cacheman-determined setting of "Large IO page
lock limit" (for 512MB RAM it's 226492416)
for
optimal performance. See Cacheman section.
SecondLevelDataCache=256 Enter your CPU's L2 cache size
in Decimal view.
Microsoft
suggest the default setting of 0 will automatically detect
your L2 Cache size,
however
entering it manually in this way won't harm performance.
If any of these entries don't exist, create them as new
DWORDs.
Improve
Windows Prefetcher performance for faster loadup
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
EnablePrefetcher=3 Default of 3 is recommended but a value
of 5 may be better for some.
Disable
Windows File Protection (Use with Extreme Caution)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
SFCDisable=0 A setting of 1 for this DWORD will allow you
to view and delete important system files (Not recommended).
Set
the system to give priority to a major device (by its IRQ)
this
is a GREAT TWEAK and you'll get a lot of speed and stability
from it .
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl]
IRQ8Priority=1 Determine the IRQ of the device you want
to give top priority.
Create
a new DWORD with the IRQ number (e.g. IRQ8Priority) and
give it a value of 1.
Recommended
that System CMOS/Real Time Clock be given the top priority
to provide greatest overall system boost.
Speed
up NTFS and general system performance
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
DisableNTFSLastAccessUpdate=1
Disables constant updating of dates a file/folder was last
accessed.
NTFSDisable8Dot3NameCreation=1
To disable support for old DOS 8-character filenames.
If these entries don't exist, create
them as new DWORDs.
Note also that if you disable 8Dot3
Name Creation you will have problems installing Norton Antivirus
2003.
To successfully install NAV2003, set it to 0 (enabled) first,
reboot your system,
install NAV2003, reboot once again and set it back to 1
(disabled).
Turn
off MSN Messenger
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client]
PreventRun=1 Will prevent
MSN Messenger from running
PreventAutoRun=1 Will prevent
MSN from popping up automatically.
Set/create both these DWORD entries
to 1 to disable MSN Messenger.
Fix
Outlook Express slowdown when MSN Messenger is disabled
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID]
Find the key {FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541}
and under it select the folder IniProcServer32.
In the right panel of regedit double-click on the (Default)
entry at the top and completely delete the value data it
contains.
Now do the same for the LocalServer32 folder as well.
Turn
off CD Autoplay
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
Autorun=0 To turn off CDs
being automatically loaded when inserted in a CD/DVD/CDRW
drive.
Turn
off built-in XP CD Burning
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
NoCDBurning=1 Disables built-in
XP burning but allows other burning software to work.
Remove
Shared Documents from My Computer
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders]
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}
key under this folder.
Change
thumbnail size and quality – lower values improve performance
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
ThumbnailSize=32 A DWORD value
in Decimal view between 32 and 256.
ThumbnailQuality=50 A DWORD
value in Decimal view between 50 and 100.
Remove
the Outlook Express splash screen
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{Unique
Identity}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0]
NoSplash=1 A DWORD value where
default is 0 (splash screen).
Turn
off "low disk space" notification when free space
falls below 10% of drive
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver]
DiskSpaceThreshold=0 A DWORD
value 0 to 99 of the percentage before notification is given.
Disable
Balloon Tips and Force early grouping of similar tasks in
taskbar
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
EnableBalloonTips=0 A DWORD
value of 0 turns off the yellow popup balloon tips.
TaskbarGroupSize=3 A DWORD
value of the number of similar windows reached before grouped
together.
Install
non-XP programs on WinXP if compatibility mode fails
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion]
ProductName=Microsoft Windows
2000 To install a Win2K app, or rename to another OS.
CurrentBuildNumber=2600 You
may have to edit this value if the program still refuses
to run.
Make
WinXP a registered copy without going through registration
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion]
RegDone=1 This is not to be
confused with Activation – it's MS product registration.
RegisteredOrganization=""
Fill in organization name or leave blank.
RegisteredOwner=User1 Fill
in a name – I suggest one which is not uniquely identifiable. |
