Running applications is the reason we use Windows XP,
so it’s a rare user who doesn’t want his applications to run as fast as
possible. The next few sections offer some pointers for improving the
performance of applications under Windows XP.
Adding More Memory
All applications run in
RAM, of course, so the more RAM you have, the less likely it is that
Windows XP will have to store excess program or document data in the
page file on the hard disk, which is a real performance killer. In Task
Manager or System Monitor, watch the Available Memory value. If it
starts to get too low, you should consider adding RAM to your system.
Installing to the Fastest Hard
Drive
If your system has
multiple hard drives, install your applications on the fastest drive.
This will enable Windows XP to access the application’s data and
documents faster.
Optimizing Application
Launching
As discussed in the
previous section, Windows XP’s prefetcher component can optimize disk
files for booting, application launching, or both. It probably won’t
make much difference, but experiment with setting the Registry’s EnablePrefetcher
value to 1 to optimize application launching.
Getting the Latest Device
Drivers
If your application works
with a device, check with the manufacturer or Windows Update to see
whether a newer version of the device driver is available. In general,
the newer the driver, the faster its performance.
Optimizing Windows XP for
Programs
You
can set up Windows XP so that it is optimized to run programs. This
involves two things:
Processor
scheduling, which determines how much
time the processor allocates to the computer’s activities. In
particular, processor scheduling differentiates between the foreground program—the
program in which you are currently working—and background programs—programs
that perform tasks, such as printing or backing up, while you work in
another program.
The system
cache, a portion of memory that holds
recently used data for faster access. In terms of memory usage, the
bigger the system cache, the less memory is available for your programs,
which can reduce performance.
Optimizing programs means
configuring Windows XP so that it gives more CPU time and memory to
your programs. This is the default in Windows XP, but it’s worth your
time to make sure that this default configuration is still the case on
your system. Here are the steps to follow:
1. | Launch Control Panel’s System icon to display the System
Properties dialog box.
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2. | Display the Advanced Tab.
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3. | In the Performance group, click Settings to display the
Performance Options dialog box.
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4. | Display the Advanced tab, shown in Figure 1.
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5. | In the
Processor Scheduling group, activate the Programs option.
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6. | In the Memory Usage group, activate the Programs
option.
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7. | Click OK.
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8. | When Windows XP tells you the changes require a
restart, click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box.
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9. | Click OK. Windows XP asks whether you want to restart
your system.
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10. | Click
Yes. |
Setting the Program Priority
in Task Manager
You can improve the
performance of a program by adjusting the priority given to the program
by your computer’s processor. The processor enables programs to run by
doling out thin slivers of its computing time to each program. These
time slivers are called cycles because they are given to programs cyclically. For
example, if you have three programs running—A, B, and C—the processor
gives a cycle to A, one to B, another to C, and then back to A again.
This cycling happens quickly, appearing seamless when you work with each
program.
The base
priority is a ranking that
determines the relative frequency with which a program gets processor
cycles. A program given a higher frequency gets more cycles, which
improves the program’s performance. For example, suppose that you raise
the priority of program A. The processor might give a cycle to A, one to
B, another to A, one to C, another to A, and so on.
Follow these steps to
change a program’s priority:
1. | Launch the program you want to work with.
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2. | Open Task Manager.
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3. | Display the Processes tab.
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4. | Right-click your application’s process to display its
shortcut menu.
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5. | Click Set
Priority, and then click (from highest priority to lowest) Realtime,
High, or AboveNormal.
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Tip
After you’ve changed the
priority of one or more programs, you might forget the values that you
have assigned to each one. To help, you can view the priority for all
the items in the Processes tab. Click View and then click Select Columns
to display the Select Columns dialog box. Activate the Base Priority
check box and click OK. This adds a Base Priority column to the
Processes list.
