11 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE IN WINDOWS XP Chapter 12

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP2 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE IN WINDOWS XP  Optimize Microsoft Windows startup  Stop unnecessary background applications  Optimize hard drive performance  Turn off Fast User Switching  Disable visual effects to increase performance  Optimize Microsoft Windows startup  Stop unnecessary background applications  Optimize hard drive performance  Turn off Fast User Switching  Disable visual effects to increase performance

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP3 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE IN WINDOWS XP (CONTINUED)  Configure advanced performance options  Use Task Manager to view real-time performance data  Use the Performance tool to capture and view performance data  Configure advanced performance options  Use Task Manager to view real-time performance data  Use the Performance tool to capture and view performance data

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP4 OPTIMIZING WINDOWS STARTUP  Check the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings  Reduce the amount of time that Windows displays the menu of operating system choices  Remove any unnecessary applications that start automatically with Windows  Remove any drivers and software when you remove a hardware device  Check the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings  Reduce the amount of time that Windows displays the menu of operating system choices  Remove any unnecessary applications that start automatically with Windows  Remove any drivers and software when you remove a hardware device

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP5 REMOVING UNNECESSARY BACKGROUND APPLICATIONS  Remove applications in notification area  Remove applications from the Startup menu  Use Msconfig  Regedit  Remove applications in notification area  Remove applications from the Startup menu  Use Msconfig  Regedit

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP6 OPTIMIZING HARD DISK PERFORMANCE  Disk Cleanup Wizard  Disk Defragmenter  Chkdsk  Disk Cleanup Wizard  Disk Defragmenter  Chkdsk

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP7 TURNING OFF FAST USER SWITCHING  The more applications that your computer runs at the same time, the slower the computer will perform

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP8 DISABLING VISUAL EFFECTS

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP9 MANAGING THE PAGING FILE

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP10 SETTING ADVANCED PERFORMANCE OPTIONS

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP11 SYSTEM RESOURCE MONITORING TOOLS  Windows XP Professional Edition includes two tools that can be used to monitor system performance:  Task Manager  System Monitor  Windows XP Professional Edition includes two tools that can be used to monitor system performance:  Task Manager  System Monitor

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP12 TASK MANAGER  Monitor performance  Monitor network activity  Monitor performance  Monitor network activity

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP13 MONITORING PERFORMANCE AND NETWORKING

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP14 SYSTEM MONITOR  If you need additional performance detail, you can use System Monitor to collect performance information

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP15 ADDING COUNTERS IN SYSTEM MONITOR

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP16 PERFORMANCE LOGS AND ALERTS  The Performance Logs And Alerts utility enables you to log counter information to a file and to trigger alerts based on configured events

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP17 ENABLING PERFORMANCE LOGGING

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP18 ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO AN ALERT  Log an entry in the application event log  Send a network message to a particular user  Start a performance log that can further monitor the alert condition  Run a program that can be used to launch any application program  Log an entry in the application event log  Send a network message to a particular user  Start a performance log that can further monitor the alert condition  Run a program that can be used to launch any application program

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP19 CONFIGURING AN ALERT

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP20 ESTABLISHING A BASELINE OF PERFORMANCE DATA  Having a performance baseline for comparison is necessary to identify changes in resource usage if system performance begins to decline

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP21 MEMORY CONCEPTS  Insufficient memory negatively affects the operation of applications and services, and it can affect the performance of hardware resources in the system

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP22 MEMORY COUNTERS TO MONITOR  Memory bottlenecks can be detected by monitoring and evaluating several important physical memory, paging file, and file system cache counters

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP23 HANDLING MEMORY PERFORMANCE ISSUES  Remove unused or unnecessary operating system components  Remove unused or unnecessary network services  Minimize the number of applications that are opened simultaneously  Repair any applications that have memory leaks  Remove unused or unnecessary operating system components  Remove unused or unnecessary network services  Minimize the number of applications that are opened simultaneously  Repair any applications that have memory leaks

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP24 HANDLING MEMORY PERFORMANCE ISSUES (CONTINUED)  Increase the initial size of the paging file to equal its maximum size setting  Increase the paging file size if usage approaches 100 percent  Ensure there is sufficient hard disk space to support the growth of the paging file  Move the paging file to a partition other than the system and boot partitions  Increase the initial size of the paging file to equal its maximum size setting  Increase the paging file size if usage approaches 100 percent  Ensure there is sufficient hard disk space to support the growth of the paging file  Move the paging file to a partition other than the system and boot partitions

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP25 PROCESSOR COUNTERS TO MONITOR  % Processor Time  Interrupts/Sec  Processor Queue Length  % Processor Time  Interrupts/Sec  Processor Queue Length

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP26 HANDLING PROCESSOR PERFORMANCE ISSUES  Verify that the system has enough memory  Determine which device is causing the issue  Upgrade to a faster processor  Add another processor  Offload processes to another system  Verify that the system has enough memory  Determine which device is causing the issue  Upgrade to a faster processor  Add another processor  Offload processes to another system

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP27 DISK CONCEPTS  Before you can manage disk issues, you need to understand the following concepts:  Physical disk  Logical disk  Disk reads  Disk writes  Disk queue  Before you can manage disk issues, you need to understand the following concepts:  Physical disk  Logical disk  Disk reads  Disk writes  Disk queue

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP28 DISK COUNTERS TO MONITOR  % Free Space  % Disk Time  Disk Bytes/Sec  Avg. Disk Bytes/Transfer  Avg. Disk Queue Length  % Free Space  % Disk Time  Disk Bytes/Sec  Avg. Disk Bytes/Transfer  Avg. Disk Queue Length

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP29 HANDLING DISK ISSUES  After identifying a disk issue, several things can be done to correct it:  Add more memory  Defragment the disk  Add a disk, and create a spanned volume  Use disk compression  Use faster hard disks  After identifying a disk issue, several things can be done to correct it:  Add more memory  Defragment the disk  Add a disk, and create a spanned volume  Use disk compression  Use faster hard disks

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP30 HANDLING DISK ISSUES (CONTINUED)  Use striped sets to increase performance  Distribute the workload evenly across all the system’s disks  Consider adding controllers  Use striped sets to increase performance  Distribute the workload evenly across all the system’s disks  Consider adding controllers

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP31 CHAPTER SUMMARY  Configuring Windows XP for performance  Optimizing startup  Removing background applications  Optimizing hard disk performance  Turning off Fast User Switching  Disabling visual effects  Managing virtual memory  Setting advanced performance options  Configuring Windows XP for performance  Optimizing startup  Removing background applications  Optimizing hard disk performance  Turning off Fast User Switching  Disabling visual effects  Managing virtual memory  Setting advanced performance options

Chapter 12: System Performance in Windows XP32 CHAPTER SUMMARY (CONTINUED)  Monitor system performance using Task Manager  Monitor system performance using System Monitor  Monitor system performance using Task Manager  Monitor system performance using System Monitor