In the Performance Options dialog box of Windows XP, Vista, or 7, you will find some of the most useful performance-tuning options. The main two tabs are the Visual Effects and Advanced tabs of the Performance Options dialog box. A good rule of thumb for the Visual Effects tab is to uncheck any options that mention Slide or Fade, or by choosing the Adjust For Best Performance option, which will disable many of these visual effects settings. As for the Advanced Performance settings tab, check out the following…

To access Advanced Performance settings in Windows XP:

  1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl in the Open box, and then press ENTER to open the System Properties dialog box.
  2. Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance click Settings.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.

To access Advanced Performance settings in Windows Vista or 7:

  1. Click Start, open the Control Panel > System and Security > System.
  2. On the left, click Advanced System Settings to open the System Properties window.
  3. Click the Advanced tab, followed by the Settings button in the Performance section. This opens the Performance Options window.
  4. Click the Advanced tab.

The optimal settings depend on how the computer is used. More specifically, is your computer used as a gaming machine or for internet and e-mail, or is it used as a server machine?

Windows XP:

Under Processor scheduling are the following options:

  1. Click Programs to assign more processor resources to the foreground programs. This setting is recommended for most users.
  2. Click Background services to assign equal amounts of processor resources to all running services. This includes print jobs and applications. This setting is recommended for server machines.

Under Memory usage use one of the following methods:

  1. Click Programs if you use your computer primarily as a workstation instead of as a server. This option allocates more memory to your programs.
  2. Click System cache if your computer is used primarily as a server or if you use programs that use a large system cache.

Windows Vista and 7:

Under Processor scheduling are the following options:

  1. Click Programs to assign more processor resources to the foreground programs. This setting is recommended for most users.
  2. Click Background services to assign equal amounts of processor resources to all running services. This includes print jobs and applications. This setting is recommended for server machines.


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