.:Windows Security, Maintenance and Optimizing Guide :.

[SnakeEyez]

HiJack-This seems to be a good program.

[XSAlliN]

Yes it is, but you need a little knowledge (not for beginners) - this is a general guide whit top solutions in my opinion, If I add all the alternatives I'll get people confusing .

[Knight]

May I ask what I am doing wrong when I try to install Avast 4 Home? After I restart an icon appears on my task bar which shows a warning sign on my internet connection. It says that I have a very limited connection and I can not do any type on update or use Firefox. I know I am leaving some stuff out of this very short post, so tell me what else I should check so that you could get a better picture.

[rfisher983]

I've been making this sheet for some time now to help tweak windows XP. Some of these registry edits are old. Which ones still apply to todays systems?

NTFS is a great filesystem, but its feature-set comes at a slight cost in performance. You can negate this a little with the following tips:

* By default NTFS will automatically update timestamps whenver a directory is traversed. This isn't a necessary feature, and it slows down large volumes.

Disable it by pointing regedit to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem and set 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate' to 1.

* NTFS uses disparate master file control tables to store filesystem information about your drives. Over time these core MFT files grow and become fragmented, slowing down all accesses to the drive. By setting aside a little space, MFT's can grow without becoming fragmented. In the same key where you disabled the last access feature creat a new DWORD value called 'NtfsMftZoneReservation' and set it to 2.

Disabling Group Policy (gpedit.msc)

(*Group Policy Editor is not available in XP Home)

Disabling Group Policy may give a faster boot. For me it seem to give a faster log off (reboot) but in any case if your not using the Group Policy i see no reason not to give it a try.

Start > Run > type gpedit.msc > right click "Local Computer Policy" and click properties > under "Disabled" check both computer and user, press apply.

AVI:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shel lex\PropertyHandler
3. Delete the "Default" value which should be "{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace.
3. Find a key named {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
4. Right click on it and delete it.

1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
3. Click on the "Control" Folder.
4. Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
5. Right click on it and select Modify.
6. Set it a value lower than 2000 (Mine is set to 200).

HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop directory in the Registry, then alter the key AutoEndTasks to the value 1.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSe ssion ManagerMemory Management

section of the registry.




Disable Paging Executive
In normal usage, XP pages sections from RAM memory to the hard drive. We can stop this happening and keep the data in RAM, resulting in improved performance. Note that only users with a large amount of RAM (256MB+) should use this setting. The setting we want to change to disable the 'Paging Executive', as it is called, is called DisablePagingExecutive. Changing the value of this key from 0 to 1 will de-activate memory paging.

System Cache Boost
Changing the value of the key LargeSystemCache from 0 to 1 will tell Windows XP to allocate all but 4MB of system memory to the file system cache, basically meaning that the XP Kernel can run in memory, greatly improving it's speed. The 4MB of memory left is used for disk caching, but if for any reason more is needed, XP allocates more. Generally, this tweak improves performance by a fair bit but can, in some intensive applications, degrade performance. As with the above tweak, you should have at least 256MB of RAM before attempting to enable LargeSystemCache.

To correct the misbehavior in Windows XP, remove the following registry key.
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{87D62D 94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}\InProcServer32"
1. Go in the advanced tab of your system properties (right-click My Computer icon and choose properties), click on the performance settings button, click the advanced tab and then click the virtual memory change button.
2. Choose the hard disk you want to use if you have more than one, then choose custom size and type the number of megabytes of your disk you want to use as RAM. The maximum amount per hard disk is 4096.
3. Click the set button and click OK. You should be prompted to restart your system.
4. If your computer doesn't run faster or that you need hard disk space, just put a smaller number in the boxe or simply click No paging files.
This tweak dramatically improved my computer speed and I noticed even if I have 1 GB of RAM.
I don't know if this works for Windows Xp Tablet and Windows Xp Media Center but you can always try.


Here's an easy fix to bypass this annoying step:

Open registry editor and go to this folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Once there, you must have the following fields (If you don't, just create new String Values by right clicking on the Winlogon folder.)

AutoAdminLogon = "1"
DefaultUserName = "Name you see next to the login icon"
DefaultPassword = "" (leave blank)

More Tweaks:
Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlset/Control/PriorityControl
Create a DWORD Value named "IRQxPriority" where x is the IRQ of your video card, and set the value to 1. People often use 8 for the system timer, but the video card's IRQ works the best for me.

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlset/Session Manager/Memory Management:

Set DisablePagingExecutive to 1
This forces drivers and the kernel to be run in the physical memory and not paged to the hard drive.

Set LargeSystemCache to 1
This forces less paging to the hard drive, at the expense of free memory, which we don't care about anyways for benchmarking.

Set SecondLevelDataCache to the decimal value of how much L2 cache your processor has.
This is a controversial tweak. It's purpose is to optimize off-die cache as seen in ancient processors, but seems to provide some gains even for modern day ones. I don't question it and just do it.

For AMD systems- most important tweak of all
Control Panel->System->Hardware tab->Device Manager
Open the "Computer" tree, open up "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface PC" and in the Driver tab, update the driver. Set the radio button to "Show all hardware of this device class" and select "ACPI Multiprocessor PC" and install it. This tweak raises idle temperatures, and reduces overclocks slightly, but is well worth it. Not for 24/7 usage at all, though.

he L2 cache tweak directions.

1. Launch Regdit (start>run>regedit)

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\SessionManager\Memory Management.

3. Double click SecondLevelDataCache DWORD value.

4. Using the options belows change the value in your Value Data text box to a number that matches the size of your level 2 cache. Then click OK.

Level 2 cache>>>>>>>Value Data Setting
256kb=0
512kb=200
1024kb=400

5. Close Regedit and restart for it to take affect.

Some other things to do are disable onboard USB and Ethernet in the bios.

If you have anything like Nvmixer or Ati control panel running in the try shut it down.

Also by hiding the clock quick launch icons and selecting no Background in display properties may you gain a few more points.

If your using ATItool you can close it and your overclock will stay until you restart.

Finally installing 3dmark directly to the hard drive you are installing it on rather than in the program files folder will give you a couple of more points.

Hope these help alittle and thanks to Guantam for making the thread.

Services:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/guid...services_2.php

Registry Tweaks:

http://www.tweaksrus.com/index.php?o...d=65&Itemid=43


Registry Tweaks (Start | Run... > regedit)
All of these registry entries require that you restart the computer for the change to take effect. Change value to 0 or delete the key to remove tweak. In binary 0 means off (False) while 1 means on (True). 00000000 is the same as 0 and 00000001 is the same as 1 [binary / DWORD].
AlwaysUnloadDLL
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\AlwaysUnloadDLL
This tweak will force Windows to get rid of files from RAM after programs have been closed down. Highlight the Explorer key, then go Edit | New | Key and name the key AlwaysUnloadDLL. Double click the new key and give it a default value of 1. [DEFAULT=0]
Network Task Scheduler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace
Delete Network Task Scheduler value to speed up file browsing over the Network.
Disk Cleanup (Anti-Compress Files)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches
When you use Disk Cleanup you may have noticed that it scans for files to compress and that it takes a long time. If you do not compress files, delete the Compress Key to make it skip the unnecessary routine.
Past Icon Clean
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify\IconStream
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify\PastIconsStream
Over the time of using Windows XP, you may notice that it hides inactive icons in the Notification Area. Over time, after uninstalling applications and whatnot that don't use the Notification Area anymore, they are still kept if you want to decide whether to show of hide the icon. Delete the above values the purge the cache of all icons but don't worry, the ones that you do use will come back.
Application Forced Termination on Shutdown
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\
HungAppTimeout determines how long to wait at shutdown for applications that aren't responding, value is in milliseconds. 4000 ms = 4 seconds which is a good time. [DEFAULT=5000]
Program Timeout
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
WaitToKillAppTimeout determines how long Windows waits before exiting a program through the Task Manager, value is in milliseconds, 4000ms - 4 seconds which is a good time. [DEFAULT=20000]
Automatically End Tasks
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
AutoEndTasks determines if a non-responding application should be automatically shutdown. Should be on: 1. [DEFAULT=0]
Memory Optimize
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Here you can change how Windows manages the memory, but I prefer doing this edit in X-Setup to be sure of the values I'm entering.
Prefetch Optimize
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
Look at the EnablePrefetcher value of 1. Change this to 3 for best performance. A value of 1 prefetches only applications that are manually run, 2 prefetches applications launched on startup only and 3 prefetches both. Undocumented settings are 4 and above. [DEFAULT=1]
IRQ Priority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\PriorityControl
This tweak will prioritize IRQ's. Earlier in this article under Device Manager, I asked that you write down the value beside the IRQ for System CMOS/real time clock (usually 8). We will use this value to speed up performance across the whole board. Create a new DWORD value called IRQ#Priority where # is an IRQ value, for example, 8. Give it a value of 1 to enable it. [DEFAULT=0]
Allow Paging of Kernel
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
DisablePagingExecutive controls whether or not Windows allows part of its kernel to be paged. It happens only under stressful conditions but will slow down your computer tremendously. (NOTE: Don't active if you plan to use standby power functions - including hibernation). Give it a value of 1 to disable kernel paging for better performance. [DEFAULT=0]
NTFS Last Update Attribute
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem
This is only a valid entry on an NTFS hard disk. NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate disables the logging of the last access times for a file making hard disk speed increase. Give a value of 1 to speed this up. [DEFAULT=0]
User Tracking
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer
NoInstumentation is a value that you will have to create yourself and is about a user tracking service which "99%" of users don't need. Giving this a value of 1 disabled the user tracking. One noticeable feature once user tracking is disabled is that frequently used programs are no longer recorded in the Start Menu. [DEFAULT=0]
Windows XP Built In CD Burning

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer

NoCDBurning when set to 1 will disable Windows XP built in CD burning. It will not limit other applications ability to create CD's. Recommended to get a free third-party CD/DVD burning program anyway. [DEFAULT=0]

CPU Priority
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\PriorityControl
This setting gives a boost to priority of foreground applications so what your focusing, the CPU does to and therefore more speed. Win32PrioritySeparation will need to be set to a dword of 26. [DEFAULT=0]
Speed Up File Searching
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
Use Search Asst when set to no will disable the use of the searching wizard which makes an appearance in Windows XP. The dog is part of this, and when he is disabled, searches will be faster. [DEFAULT=yes]
Disable Balloon Tips
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Advanced
EnableBalloonTips makes tips appear notifying you of things like you've disconnected from the internet by popping up a balloon from the notification area (system tray). If you dislike this set to 0 and stop them. [DEFAULT=1]
Disable Balloon Tips
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer
NoLowDiskSpaceChecks checks hard drives' free space and warns the user when it is under a certain amount. Give a value of 1 to disable checking and warning of free space. [DEFAULT=0]
Disable Windows XP AVI Preview
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}

Windows XP examines AVI files for its properties for a preview of it when exploring files. This can take a long time depending on how big the media is and how many you have. By placing a minus sign in front long string of alpha-numeric key, like so: -{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}, you can disable this yet still double-click and view media files normally.
Hiding Windows XP User Accounts

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Cu rrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
Create a new DWORD value called user where user is the username of the account you want hidden. Giving it a value if 0 hides the account whereas 1 shows it. To log on to a hidden account, you must press CTRL-ALT-DELETE at the log in screen and log in with the username and the password. Keep in mind that while the account is hidden from the log in menu, it ain't hidden in the Documents and Settings folder. [DEFAULT=1]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\NVIDIA Corporation\Global\NVTweak] key create a new DWORD called NvCplDisableRefreshRatePage and assign it a value of 0.

[XSAlliN]

"Ultimate Boot CD 4.0" is out!

This version uses syslinux V3.36 instead of CDShell due to the latter's compatibility issues and lack of new development.
Removed INSERT/UBCD as integration of a Linux distro is thought to be best left as a customization option. This means there is now only one version of UBCD instead of two (basic/full).
Introduced experiment support for writing UBCD to a USB memory stick (UBCD2USB).
Added PTDD Super Fdisk V1.0. Thanks to coco7 for the suggestion.
Added EASEUS Disk Copy V1.0. Thanks to coco7 for the suggestion.
Added BugHunter V1.9.3.
Added Intel Processor Identification Utility V3.1.20060901. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the suggestion.
Added ViVARD V0.4. Thanks to alm to the suggestion.
Added COPYR.DMA Build 013. Thanks to alm to the suggestion.
Added SUTIL V1.01. Thanks to alm to the suggestion.
Added HDAT2 V4.52. Thanks to alm to the suggestion.
Added UDPcast. Thanks to Andrius Kazimieras Kasparavicius for the suggestion.
Added CopyWipe V1.14. Thanks to stidyup for the suggestion.
Re-added HUTIL V1.21. Thanks to soeren for the suggestion.
Added dummy menu item for Volkov Commander. Thanks to kethd for the suggestion.
Added Cute Partition Manager V0.9.5.
Added DIMM_ID V3.01. Thanks for kethd for the suggestion.
Make XOSL run from RAM disk, otherwise installation cannot proceed. Thanks to BootyM for the update.
Updated Partition Saving to V3.20. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Update HDClone to V3.1.12. Thanks to A J for the update.
Updated Drive Fitness Test to V4.08. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Added LZ-DOS boot disk from Erwin Veermins.
Updated various FreeDOS boot disks from Erwin Veermins.
Updated IBM Feature Tool to V2.04. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated TestDisk to V6.6. Thanks to Christophe Grenier for the update.
Updated Super Grub Disk to V0.9575.
Updated GWSCAN to V5.11. Thanks to A.J for the update.
Updated GAG to V4.6. Thanks to A J for the update.
Updated BasicLinux to V3.40. Thanks to Reinhard Max for the instructions.
Updated Boot Partition to V2.6. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated Offline NT Password & Registry Editor to 060213. Thanks to SBanzai for the update.
Updated SPFDISK to 2000-03t. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated XXCopy to V2.93.1. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated Gujin to V1.5. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated ATAPICD to V2.22. Thanks to Dmitry Stefankov for the update.
Updated Darik's Boot and Nuke to V1.0.7. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated DLG Diagnostic to V5.04f. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated Data Lifeguard to V11.2. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated ExcelStor ESTest to V3.80. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated DOS Navigator to V6.4.0. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated Samsung HUTIL to V2.03. Thanks to alm for the update.
Updated CHZ Monitor Test to V1.01. Thanks to nynyny for the update.
Updated datapol-technologies NTFS4DOS (Freeware) to Avira NTFS4DOS Personal V1.8 due to merger of datapol-technologies and Avira. Thanks to PsiMoon314 for the suggestion.
Updated PCISniffer to V1.5. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Updated NNSI to V0.59.9. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated CTIA to V2.7. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the update.
Updated Astra to V5.21. Thanks to SebastianG for the update.
Removed UniFlash V1.40. Decided that it is best left as a customization option.
SCSIMax version number should be 1.21. Fixed. Thanks to Zilli Samuel for the correction.
Lucifer has been removed.

Download

[someonee]

You forgot windows update alternative windizupdate windowsupdate.62nds.com/ for firefox ..... I bet it even better then the Microsoft update who know who know what weird stuff Microsoft is up to.

[nn_step]

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best..._utilities.htm

[theteamaqua]

nice find

[XSAlliN]

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best..._utilities.htm

One thing I'd like to add for that site, it's a personal Best of made by a guy named Gizmo, so don't expect all of it to be precise, I say that because for him IE7 and AVG 7 FE is first class material, but hey, that's his point of view and we all have one.

There is another Top10 site well known http://www.toptenreviews.com/ , but from my point of view this site uses a marketing structure, so it's not very accurate (realistic) even if it has a professional look.

[adamsleath]

i use avg7...hey it's free i also use their antispyware...it seems to work....and i got 2yrs subscription to norton firewall...dont ask me why....for sentimental reasons

[XSAlliN]

News UPDATE: Moved Windows Personal Firewall Analysis on first page near Virus.gr Antivirus Roundup. Added AV-Test.org Antivirus Roundup and a good link for AV comparision.

[.devastatioN]

Very helpful, I also found this guide very helpful, Click.

[nn_step]

for the truely paranoid, Open source applications http://osswin.sourceforge.net/
including an open source firewall
http://force.coresecurity.com/
Which happens to be the best performing firewall all around (minus the user friendly section)
It takes a few hours to set up but once you set it up, you can save/load your preferences

[ExodusC]

Very useful guide!

I learned a few things.

[XSAlliN]

After 7 years of intense PC using (especially Windows) I come to realize that Classic Defragmenting tools are not so good, actually they could be dangerous. In all this time I defragmented my HDD's only "3 TIMES (in 7 years)" and didn't get that much performance boost, actually if I'd reinstall my OS I would get 5X times the performance I get from a "Classic Defragmenting Tool" which would have to run all night (a WinXP install takes less then 60 Minutes). Since even 60 minutes is a long time, you could use other tools that work fast and you see results immediately, like a registry cleaner and a tool for Secure Delete Files (leftovers). I personally find this option better then the rest.

Now let's get to the dangerous part, in all that time (7 years) no HDD failed on me, and yet others friends that use classic de:banana::banana::banana:menting tools with regularity (once a weak) changed at least one if not two HDD's by now. Maybe this is just a coincidence but based on the recommendations above, I don't see the point for it an decided to remove this Tools from my guide.

As I mentioned before, this guide was made from my personal experience with the tools from above. I know a lot of guys still think that classic defragmenting tools are efficient, even Microsoft recommends it ( at least I think it does) but I DON'T. You all have free will and can decide what's best for you and your system. (there are some new tools that could/should replace the old)

PS.Keep your HDD lower then 82% (size) especially if it's on NTFS!

LE.One small rectification, low level defragmenting is ok in my book. A quick and smart tool like UltimateDefrag is also ok. Yet even this is a defragmentation tool - the only difference (big), is the way it interacts with the fragmented files and the time of action (less then 20 minutes), compared to other classic tools (even the one integrated in windows).

[XSAlliN]

Updated this guide based on the information above.

[nn_step]

Updated this guide based on the information above.

you might want to include Coreforce and Clamwin, simply because they are 100% open source so you know exactly what they do and how they do it.

[kiwi]

Sounds a bit overkill

Firewall + Firefox + my brain + occasional updates/virus scan is all I need

[Ashraf]

Turn off the computer might be a good idea. Then you can tell people you have the most secure PC in the world.

[XSAlliN]

Sounds a bit overkill

Firewall + Firefox + my brain + occasional updates/virus scan is all I need

What about maintenance? - If you reinstall your OS once a weak you can exclude that. Or maybe you have a different OS like Mac or Unix/Linux based which doesn't depend on that.

Turn off the computer might be a good idea. Then you can tell people you have the most secure PC in the world.

I have no idea what to think of that. I'm just trying to be helpful. It's true that beginners could learn some things, but even advanced users may find something useful in this topic. At least I hope they do, even I learn new things every weak/month. Plus there are a lot useful software out there, that could surprise even the most advanced users.

[Tauvo]

Very good post. I learned a few things from it so it was definately worth the read so I look forward to your Vista "Security, Maintenance and Optimizing Guide" when it comes out Thanks again!

[XSAlliN]

It's not intended for XP only, some can be used with Vista also.

[4dev²]

Nice guide

[MrHydes]

nice thread find it very usefull, thanks

[XSAlliN]

Fixed some broken links, added UltimateDefrag Freeware Edition and great patch (especially for Vista 64 SP1) that could fix your download speed Windows Half-open limit fix (patch). Normally your net speed is slowed by Windows default settings that use a limit of max 10 connections. In XP was easy to change, but on Vista 64 we have Digital Driver Signing Check which could be a problem for other alternatives. With this you don't have to disable anything, you just set a new limit (100 could be enough) - restart, and you're good to go.