Optimizing Windows 2000/XP Audio

Necrosis · Oct 19, 2002, 10:07 PM

Warp2search.net: Optimizing Windows 2000/XP Audio

Xp-erience.org reports this is an excellent .pdf file sent in by moonboy and created by Daniel Keller, TASCAM Sr. Product Specialist !

It covers tons of important tips and tweaks as well as many guides.

Quote:

Windows defaults to continual logging of Input and Output data to your hard drive. Disabling this will free up some resources. To disable performance logging, go to the Start menu and select Run. Type in diskperf -n and hit Okay.Write Behind Caching!

Windows defaults to write-behind caching, holding data in a memory buffer before writing it to disk. Disabling this function will increase your system performance by writing data immediately to disk. To disable this function, right click on My Computer and choose Properties, or open Control Panel and select System. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button. Click the 'plus' sign next to Disk Drives and select a drive. Choose Properties and uncheck 'Write Cache Enabled'. Repeat for all drives in your system.

Download Source - XP-erience.org: Optimizing Windows 2000/XP Audio

DallasStar · Oct 20, 2002, 01:15 AM

Whoa, disabling that write-behind caching improved my performance a LOT!!

(and I used to think it was a feature to improve performance... at least that's what Microsoft says

)

reno · Oct 20, 2002, 02:31 AM

Just watch out, because sometimes disabling that will corrupt files written on startup/shutdown.

Necrosis · Oct 20, 2002, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reno
Just watch out, because sometimes disabling that will corrupt files written on startup/shutdown.

What files?

e-Seeker · Oct 20, 2002, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Necrosis
What files?

Yeah, I'd like to know too, but somehow I think he wasn't serious!

RIV@NVX · Oct 20, 2002, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dEykeé
Yeah, I'd like to know too, but somehow I think he wasn't serious!

I think he was talking about files that are written just before shutting down system.

e-Seeker · Oct 20, 2002, 07:51 PM

It would make more sense for that happening with the caching enabled...

reno · Oct 20, 2002, 09:16 PM

It's the same in WinXP as in previous windoze, turning this feature off improves performance, but virus scans, log file outputs, some install/uninstall programs, will get corrupted files, because windows doesn't wait for the HD to be written to when it shuts down/starts up, it just keeps going regardless of HD status. It's in one of my old issues of Maximum PC, I'll try to find it.

DallasStar · Oct 20, 2002, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reno
It's the same in WinXP as in previous windoze, turning this feature off improves performance, but virus scans, log file outputs, some install/uninstall programs, will get corrupted files, because windows doesn't wait for the HD to be written to when it shuts down/starts up, it just keeps going regardless of HD status. It's in one of my old issues of Maximum PC, I'll try to find it.

so basically you're saying that if i've already disabled the event-log service and don't have antiviral softwares, i don't have to worry, right?

reno · Oct 21, 2002, 01:44 AM

Pretty much

Just hope your pr0n/w@r3z download doesn't get rebooted in mid-download, or else you might see "corrupted file - biz-snatch!"

~~Sourcer_2002~~ · Oct 21, 2002, 01:48 AM

LMAO (and that always sucks)

Necrosis · Oct 21, 2002, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by reno
It's the same in WinXP as in previous windoze, turning this feature off improves performance, but virus scans, log file outputs, some install/uninstall programs, will get corrupted files, because windows doesn't wait for the HD to be written to when it shuts down/starts up, it just keeps going regardless of HD status. It's in one of my old issues of Maximum PC, I'll try to find it.

Couldn't you just slow down the shutdown process then? Would NTFS have any effect on this as well?

reno · Oct 22, 2002, 02:21 AM

There are ways to delay shutdown, XSetup lets you set delays after all programs have been shutdown, I'm not sure if NTFS would help, it uses larger chunk sizes, but that could only exaggerate the effect....dunno. If anything, ghost your system partition and mess with crap...then if everything gets hosed just image your old partition back in!

Oct 20, 2002, 01:15 AM	#2
DallasStar Junior Join Date: May 2002 Location: Wave Existence Posts: 2,065 Rep Power: 0	Whoa, disabling that write-behind caching improved my performance a LOT!! (and I used to think it was a feature to improve performance... at least that's what Microsoft says ) __________________ "A picture of my existence... would show a useless wooden stake covered in snow... stuck loosely at a slant in the ground in a ploughed field on the edge of a vast open plain on a dark winter night." --- Franz Kafka

Oct 20, 2002, 02:31 AM	#3
reno Painlord of Ichor Join Date: May 2002 Location: bloinkin! Posts: 1,610 Rep Power: 0	rtw Just watch out, because sometimes disabling that will corrupt files written on startup/shutdown.

Oct 20, 2002, 07:51 PM	#7
e-Seeker AKA e-Seeker Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Croatia, Zagreb Posts: 943 Rep Power: 0	It would make more sense for that happening with the caching enabled... __________________

Oct 20, 2002, 09:16 PM	#8
reno Painlord of Ichor Join Date: May 2002 Location: bloinkin! Posts: 1,610 Rep Power: 0	saf It's the same in WinXP as in previous windoze, turning this feature off improves performance, but virus scans, log file outputs, some install/uninstall programs, will get corrupted files, because windows doesn't wait for the HD to be written to when it shuts down/starts up, it just keeps going regardless of HD status. It's in one of my old issues of Maximum PC, I'll try to find it.

Oct 21, 2002, 01:44 AM	#10
reno Painlord of Ichor Join Date: May 2002 Location: bloinkin! Posts: 1,610 Rep Power: 0	wsdra Pretty much Just hope your pr0n/w@r3z download doesn't get rebooted in mid-download, or else you might see "corrupted file - biz-snatch!"

Oct 21, 2002, 01:48 AM	#11
~~Sourcer_2002~~ BANNED Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Indiana , USA Posts: 2,677 Rep Power: 0	LMAO (and that always sucks)

Oct 22, 2002, 02:21 AM	#13
reno Painlord of Ichor Join Date: May 2002 Location: bloinkin! Posts: 1,610 Rep Power: 0	asdfas There are ways to delay shutdown, XSetup lets you set delays after all programs have been shutdown, I'm not sure if NTFS would help, it uses larger chunk sizes, but that could only exaggerate the effect....dunno. If anything, ghost your system partition and mess with crap...then if everything gets hosed just image your old partition back in!