12 Tweaks – Performance of the Windows Vista

4. Kill Desktop Window Manager

“The new Windows Vista desktop composition feature fundamentally changes the way applications display pixels on the screen. When desktop composition is enabled, individual windows no longer draw directly to the screen or primary display device as they did in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. Instead, their drawing is redirected to off-screen surfaces in video memory, which are then rendered into a desktop image and presented on the display. Desktop composition is performed by the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), a new component of Windows Vista”, Microsoft explained.

Does the Desktop Window Manager impact Vista performance? Of course. Essentially, DWM is behind visual effects such as three dimensional window transition animations, Windows Flip and Windows Flip3D via desktop composition. In order to kill DWM, enter “net stop uxSms” in a command prompt window running with elevated privileges. In case you change your mind, you can always turn it back on with this command: “net start uxSms”. Disabling the DWM is an action synonymous with switching from Windows Aero to Windows Vista Basic GUI.

5. Virtual Memory and Processor Optimization

While personalizing Windows Aero is among the few modifications you can make to the surface of the operating system, the System Properties dialog box also offers you the best place to configure the amount of virtual memory for Vista. To the right of the Visual Effects, you will notice the advanced tab. The area towards the bottom is reserved for virtual memory. Vista even delivers a small definition, revealing that virtual memory is a paging file in an area on the hard disk that Windows users use as if it were RAM. Right, all you have to understand is that virtual memory is an extension of the physical memory of your system. It is a very good idea to have a paging file for all the physic hard drive on your machine, but not for all the drives on a single disk.

Additionally, it is a good idea to increase the total paging file size for all drives to at least the figure recommended by Vista. By default, the operating system will build a single page file, and store it in the root folder with the Vista installation. At the top of the dialog box, Vista offers the “Automatically Manage Paging File Size For All Drives” option. This means that the operating system will handle the default space allocated for the paging file in accordance with the workloads it has to manage. This option is an alternative to introducing a custom size yourselves.

In the Advanced tab, you will be able to also optimize Processor scheduling for either programs or background services, basically telling Vista how to better allocate CPU resources. The last tab in Performance options deals with Data Execution Prevention. This security mitigation can in certain situations intervene in your work by killing legitimate applications. While it is a healthy approach to have it enabled at all times, you can also turn it off for specific programs.

6. Trim the Startup Monster

An ideal performance scenario would involve Windows Vista running under the default installation. This is of course not possible. The invariable problem with adding applications to the operating system is that they will impact the overall results of the operating system, and nowhere is this more visible than in the startup process. There is no comparison between Vista booting up in the default deployment, and a startup after you have installed countless applications. First off, always make sure that applications you no longer use are uninstalled. There’s no point in having them hanging around just to slow down Vista.

You will be surprised to see how many programs come with a startup item by default. In Vista, navigate to Control Panel, and under Program choose Change Startup Programs. Vista will present a list in Windows Defender that will permit you to customize a selection of startup examples. But if you really want to dig into the operating system’s startup soul, you have to use AutoRuns for Windows, a free utility from Microsoft put together by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell from Sysinternals. Use the Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option in order to navigate through the luxuriant jungle of third-party auto-starting items. All auto-start entries can be disabled by unchecking the box next to them.

You can also do without some of the default Windows services that also launch at startup. Type “msconfig” in the Search box under the Start menu and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter with the highlighted result selected in order to launch System Configuration utility. Under the Services tab, disable items such as Fax, Offline Files, Tablet PC Input Service and Windows Search.

7. Mute User Account Control Elevation Prompts

User Account Control is a security mitigation introduced in Windows Vista as a measure to train users and software developers to use standard privileges only as opposed to administrative rights. The UAC’s presence is necessary as it will permit the users to have control over how services, processes and applications access critical areas of the operating system. While the feature is not even close to the nagging monster it was “advertised” to be, it will deliver an impact on performance. Follow this link in order to learn how you can switch it off.

8. The Windows Error Reporting Service

Microsoft, in all its wisdom, has built Windows Vista in such a manner that the operating system will generate error reports after error reports in response to various exceptions across the platform. The Redmond company claims that error reports are an integer and essential part of the automatic feedback process designed to ultimately improve user experience on Windows Vista. The reality is that you can send tons and tons of error reports to Microsoft, and there is absolutely no guarantee that the company will address any of them. But hey… Microsoft does value user input, above anything else. Turning off Windows Error Reporting might be a tad tricky, but you can set WER to queue all errors. In this manner, you will be able to minimize the impact on performance, and restrict it to just specific periods. Just edit the following registry keys to the values indicated below:

- [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Windows\\Error Reporting]“ForceQueue”=dword:00000001

- [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Windows\\Error ReportingConsent]“DefaultConsent”=dword:00000004

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Tags: Computer, defragment, Game, hard disk, Hard drive, Hardware, memory, Microsoft, optimize, Performance, readyboost, registry key, search, startup, system configuration, system memory, system performance, tweak, Windows, windows vista

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 6:05 am and is filed under Computer, Hardware, Windows Vista. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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