View Full Version : Designtechnica's System Optimization Guide 2003 Guide
Checkout our latest Guide: Designtechnica's System Optimization Guide 2003 (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/guide18.html)
Ioman
08-21-2003, 10:48 AM
I installed the Tune-up program mentioned in the article and it seems to work good. It deleted old program files and cleaned up my system without any noticeable programs. For backing up my system, I just have a seperate hard drive where I copy over my favorites, outlooks files, wallpapers and anything else I need.
questionlp
08-21-2003, 11:30 AM
The guide has some good tips on dealing with "Old Windows Syndrome". One of things that always puzzles me is the default size set for the Temporary Internet Files cache in Internet Explorer and how Outlook likes to dump files that you open from messages into hidden directories under the T-I-F folder. Mozilla's default size is a bit hefty as well.
The other thing that can help reclaim space is to use Outlook or Outlook Express' facility to compact the mailboxes used to reclaim some space and make defragging the mailbox file(s) more efficient.
Ioman
08-21-2003, 11:33 AM
Every notice that when you go to save an image using Internet Explorer once in a while it saves it as a bitmap instead of the GIF or JPEG it really is? I found out that if you go into your internet options and click on the "delete files" button, it clears the files stored in your IE temp directory and will save the images off a webpage correctly. I just increased the cache folder for IE and this seems to solve the problem, but of course every now and then it is still a good idea to delete the files in there. Talk about annoying.
hmm..and why would we be saving so many pictures??? heheheh
questionlp
08-21-2003, 12:11 PM
Ioman - the reason why it sometimes saves images as bitmap only instead of GIF or JPEG is that you have hit your IE cache limit. It's a known bug... so clearing out your cache and/or increasing it will resolve it until you fill it up again.
Has tuneup REALLY improved. I used it long ago and crashed my system and had to Format my HD.
Symantic, is Good, but be aware, DONT play with things you dont know. You can corrupt your system VERY quickly. READ about every program and LEAVE the reg alone, IF you dont know.
I Would like to find a mem manager that does RAM as well as Video ram, and is SMALL. Some of them are Hogs, and little changes dont do much.
dmaclean
08-22-2003, 11:04 PM
Before I tested Tune-Up and all the other programs I considered I did use Powerquest's Drive Image to make sure if something was ruined I could get things back to normal. When I used the latest Tune-Up on my registry it did find a lot of waste and cleaned it up. I also did notice that my computer ran significantly better than before. I did wind up removing the memory optimizer in favor of MemoKit but other than that nothing crashed after Tune-Up worked on my registry. I have heard of problems with the older version but the current one worked well with every test I could throw at it.
For RAM I have now used MemoKit for awhile and it is small, recovers all the memory very well and has prevented a lot of the crashes I used to have. I routinely use Microsoft SQL, a real memory hog, and MemoKit recovers the RAM nicely in automatic mode.
Norton's WinDoctor is good but most of the changes made are superficial. Unless I know the exact key and value to change I stay away from registry editor, you are right, it is a fast way to bring your machine down.
Porsche911
08-22-2003, 11:07 PM
Good article Doug, thank you for sharing it with us. I am glad to see that you stayed away from the Norton Utilities and systemworks programs. I have had nothing but problems with both of these programs and even have trouble uninstalling them completely. I will try out that Tune-up program, do you know if they have a demo version available?
dmaclean
08-22-2003, 11:15 PM
Thank you.
Tune-Up has a 30 day trial. After that if you buy it they send you the code to register. If you haven't considered it before look into Drive Image and Partition Magic. This way if anything happens to your system you will be able to bring it back the way it was.
Porsche911
08-22-2003, 11:19 PM
What is the difference between Drive image and Norton Ghost? Which is better in your opinion?
dmaclean
08-22-2003, 11:27 PM
Both programs make binary images of the entire partition. I had to test both where I work and found that Ghost is better if you have to roll out a lot of identical machines in a short time. DI won out, in my opinion, for the typical home user. The explorer like interface, Image Explore, lets you restore files and directories without having to restore the whole partition. Image also has better support for USB hard drives and plitting the image over ZIP discs. When I get a new machine I immediately use Partition Magic to create a FAT32 partition to hold the images. I then create DOS bootable DI disks and after i have the machine the way I like it I save the image. This way I can always go back to the factory fresh machine at the first hint of problems.
Bottom line, I prefer DI over Ghost.
A consideration, I take into Backing up a system. Is a BOOT disk for the backup. I dont want to RE-install the OLD OS, just to install a prog, to RE-install my system backup.
Being able to insert a Floppy, to get the CDROM up, to run a complete backup, is wonderful. Even a bootable CD.
Any backups do this??
PS, I would require, FORMAT and FDISK somewhere on the floppy, and/or CD. Just incase.
Ioman
08-23-2003, 03:15 PM
Do any of these programs create a bootable CD which you can reinstall your system off of or do you need a floppy disk? I went a year and a half without a floppy drive in my system and just wound up buying one so I could flash my BIOS. What a pain I tell ya. A bootable CD would help things a ton.
IOMAN:
ALOT of Bios Let you USE a bootable CD. Just set it as the CD first loaded.
If it has auto load, it will boot it.
Ioman
08-23-2003, 05:02 PM
Originally posted by ECA
IOMAN:
ALOT of Bios Let you USE a bootable CD. Just set it as the CD first loaded.
If it has auto load, it will boot it.
I understand that, but do these back up programs create a bootable CD for you to use?
Originally posted by Ioman
I understand that, but do these back up programs create a bootable CD for you to use?
My HOPE also. AND I aint paying for a backup prog that dont create BOTH, floppy and CD boot disk.
I dont have the time, NOR effort of backing up my system to a prog that WONT work, or will PISS ME OFF, when it dont work the way I want it.
Testing these progs takes TIME, EFFORT, and a corrupt machine.
Please god, my life for a OS that dont take up 3-4 gigs. Let alone, a system thats over 10+ gigs to work.
dmaclean
08-23-2003, 09:09 PM
The latest version of Drive Image comes with a bootable CD for restores. If you purchase the software online part of the download is an ISO file to create this boot CD. This is for the Drive Image 7 software currently available.
Dotbond
08-23-2003, 09:47 PM
Excellent article. Just what i need.
Originally posted by Dotbond
Excellent article. Just what i need.
WE try to be smart.
WE try to let other KNOW what can go wrong, and what to do to protect themselves.
DO THEY LISTEN, we dont know.
If we can save 1 person from a critical FAILURE(format and FDISK) we have succeded.
no_joy
08-24-2003, 07:30 AM
TweakHound's Super XP Tweaking Guide - Version 2.0 (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks1.htm)
Originally posted by no_joy
TweakHound's Super XP Tweaking Guide - Version 2.0 (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks1.htm)
This is nice, but to be REALLY good.
Find whats left over for 95,98,2000,ME.
Not every one has XP, and ALOT dont want it, or dont need it.
In my area, Im still fixing 486's and pentiums.
Ghost allows creation of images onto cd's as well, but if your image is large then 650 mgs then you wont be able to do it.
Originally posted by dang
Ghost allows creation of images onto cd's as well, but if your image is large then 650 mgs then you wont be able to do it.
That sucks.
you cant even backup the OS, and drivers with that.
Are you sure, because that would be a REAL waste from a very good company.
To myself, I wouldnt mind a ZIP or RAR backup, as long as there was a DOS base to re-install it.
A recousive backup is nice, IF you have the storage area for it. That way it updates NEW files, and kills the deleted ones. But CD's really arent good for this, unless you do a RAW backup with no compression. It is nice, and a fast recovery, but you have to install a boot block to a corrupt drive, Xcopy everything to its start location, and with out compression, it is rather LARGE even with 2 sections, 1 for OS and 1 for prog backup. It basically doubles what you already have(1 original, 1 the backup).
But there is a bad part. Unless you can password, or HIDE the drive on the system a good virus can corrupt it also. And during backup, an unidentifide virus can be copied to it, and released once you have reload the backup.
supahfreakGTS
08-24-2003, 01:41 PM
Ghost will span hard drive across multiple CD's if you specify one of the options in the menu (or use a command line). It also makes the CD images bootable.
The latest version of Ghost (2003) also will create a bootable DVD as well (+/- R/RW) which is much cooler to burn hard drive images too - up to 4.7GB - though its a bit slower because drive speeds haven't ramped up.
Only problem they have right now is an issue with SATA controllers found on newer motherboards, and that may already be fixed -- dunno for sure.
Zion_Talmer
08-24-2003, 05:56 PM
By placing files that are not modified at the end of the drive you prevent fragmentation and keep your hard drive in better shape. Include .com, .exe, .dll and .hlp files in this category.
now by that you mean all .com .exe etc. in all folders or just in root. =o I went out and bought norton systemworks today and it asked that. So i was just wondering ..since im not really sure what to do if i add a wildcard. :(
dmaclean
08-24-2003, 09:50 PM
For the Norton defragmenter the wild card \**\*.com, \**\*.exe etc will process all com and exe files found in any directory not just the root. Hope this helps.
Ioman
08-25-2003, 09:51 AM
Originally posted by supahfreakGTS
Ghost will span hard drive across multiple CD's if you specify one of the options in the menu (or use a command line). It also makes the CD images bootable.
The latest version of Ghost (2003) also will create a bootable DVD as well (+/- R/RW) which is much cooler to burn hard drive images too - up to 4.7GB - though its a bit slower because drive speeds haven't ramped up.
Only problem they have right now is an issue with SATA controllers found on newer motherboards, and that may already be fixed -- dunno for sure.
Argh this would cause a prbalem for me since I have a Maxtor SATA drive in my system. Any ETA on when an update might be released?
supahfreakGTS
08-25-2003, 04:48 PM
Just checked out Symantec's support site and they say SATA support is fixed. In one statement they say to use the Ghost -FNI command line option, and another says to get the latest LiveUpdate patch.
Cloud
08-30-2003, 12:02 AM
Originally posted by Zion_Talmer
now by that you mean all .com .exe etc. in all folders or just in root. =o I went out and bought norton systemworks today and it asked that. So i was just wondering ..since im not really sure what to do if i add a wildcard. :(
I would take back System Works, it will mess up your computer. You may not think so now, but eventually it will.
:(
NORTON SW, is very THICK learning. Unless you know what you are doing, DONT.
Even professionals that know Windows, 5+ years of Learning, use it only as a last resort IF they use it.
Windows has a few neet progs(hidden) that fix most things. And there are a few utilities out there that WILL fix the reg and clean it up.
Norton SW, is VERY intrusive with Windows. And Windows DONT like it.
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