|
Group Policy
To access:tart>Run>gpedit.msc (Note: No Group
Editor in WinXP Home)
There are two main branches –
User Configuration and Computer Configuration.
Changes made under User Configuration only
affect the current user.
Changes made under Computer Configuration apply
to the machine and affect all users on that
machine.
The recommended setting for each is provided in
brackets.
 Turn
off System Restore permanently
- Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\System\System Restore\
(Set both items under here to Enabled)
Turn
off built-in XP CD Burning (still allows 3rd
party burning software such as Nero)
- User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows
Components\Windows Explorer\"Remove CD Burning
Features" (Enabled)
Remove
Shared Documents Folder
- User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows
Components\Windows Explorer\"Remove Shared
Documents from My Computer" (Enabled)
Remove
Shutdown/Logoff/Restart messages
- Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\System\"Remove boot /Shutdown /Logon /
Logoff messages" (Enabled)
Turn
off User Tracking (will disable personalized
menus as well though)
- User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start
Menu and Taskbar\"Turn off user tracking" (Enabled)
Turn
off CD/DVD Autoplay
- Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\System\"Turn off Autoplay" (Enabled)
Disable
IE splashscreen
- Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer\"Disable
Showing the Splash Screen" (Enabled)
Disable
Windows Messenger
- Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\Windows Components\Windows
Messenger\(Set both items to Enabled)
See the Regedit section on how to turn off
Messenger and fix the Outlook Express "slowdown"
issue.
Customize
Internet Explorer (Logo, Titlebar, Toolbar pics
& text)
- User Configuration\Windows settings\Internet
Explorer Maintenance\Browser User Interface\ (leave
these at default)
Remove
Recycle Bin Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
Recycle Bin icon from Desktop" (leave at
default)
Remove
My Documents Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
My Documents icon from Desktop" (enable)
Remove
My Computer Icon from Desktop
- User configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\"Remove
My Computer icon from Desktop" (leave at
default)
See the Regedit and Further Optimization
sections for ways of adjusting these settings
for WinXP Home users who don't have access to
the Group Editor
Registry Editor
To access:Start>Run>Regedit or search for and
run Regedit.exe
Most system settings can be changed with the
registry editor. If you don't feel comfortable
using Regedit, see the Further Optimization
section for other 'user-friendly' tools which
can make most of these changes. The changes are
provided without much description, so I
recommend you look at other WinXP Guides or do a
search on Google if you have any doubts. Make
sure you have a backup of the registry as
described in the Before We Begin section. Just
like the Group Editor, changes in Registry
Editor affect either individual users (HKEY_CURRENT_USER)
or a machine (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE). To edit a
setting, expand the folders until you see the
required entry, then double click on it.
Recommended settings are shown for each entry.
Where an entry doesn't exist, create it:
Stop
programs from automatically starting when
booting up
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run];
and
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
None of the entries under these folders are
really necessary for WinXP to operate properly.
See MSConfig section.
Dramatically
improve menu speeds and application and system
shutdown/restart speeds
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
HungAppTimeout=5000 Delay before a hung
application is allowed to terminate (each 1000 =
1 sec)
WaitToKillAppTimeout=4000 Delay before
windows finally starts to shutdown (each 1000 =
1 sec)
MenuShowDelay=50 Delay before a menu pops open.
(each 1000 = 1 sec)
AutoEndTasks=1 Automatically closes running
applications when Windows shuts down.
Unload
DLLs from memory when not needed to maintain
free memory
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Create a new Key (a sub-folder, not an entry)
called AlwaysUnloadDll.
Once created double-click on the (Default)
entry in the right pane and enter a value of
1.
Improve
usage of Physical RAM and caches to
significantly improve system performance
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management]
DisablePagingExecutive=1 Will load your core
WinXP files into system RAM and keep them there.
Use this tweak if you have 512MB RAM or more.
LargeSystemCache=0 For 512MB RAM or more set to
1 for potential performance improvement.
IOPageLockLimit=226492416 Enter value (bytes) in
Decimal view. Default of 0 = 512KB.
I personally use the Cacheman-determined setting
of "Large IO page lock limit" (for 512MB RAM
it's 226492416)
for optimal performance. See Cacheman section.
SecondLevelDataCache=256 Enter your CPU's L2
cache size in Decimal view.
Microsoft suggest the default setting of 0 will
automatically detect your L2 Cache size,
however entering it manually in this way won't
harm performance.
If any of these entries don't exist, create them
as new DWORDs.
Improve
Windows Prefetcher performance for faster loadup
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
EnablePrefetcher=3 Default of 3 is recommended
but a value of 5 may be better for some.
Disable
Windows File Protection (Use with Extreme
Caution)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
SFCDisable=0 A setting of 1 for this DWORD will
allow you to view and delete important system
files (Not recommended).
Set
the system to give priority to a major device
(by its IRQ)
this is a GREAT TWEAK and you'll get a lot of
speed and stability from it .
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl]
IRQ8Priority=1 Determine the IRQ of the device
you want to give top priority.
Create a new DWORD with the IRQ number (e.g.
IRQ8Priority) and give it a value of 1.
Recommended that System CMOS/Real Time Clock be
given the top priority to provide greatest
overall system boost.
Speed
up NTFS and general system performance
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
DisableNTFSLastAccessUpdate=1 Disables
constant updating of dates a file/folder was
last accessed.
NTFSDisable8Dot3NameCreation=1 To disable
support for old DOS 8-character filenames.
If these entries don't
exist, create them as new DWORDs.
Note also that if you
disable 8Dot3 Name Creation you will have
problems installing Norton Antivirus 2003.
To successfully install
NAV2003, set it to 0 (enabled) first, reboot
your system,
install NAV2003, reboot
once again and set it back to 1 (disabled).
Turn
off MSN Messenger
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client]
PreventRun=1
Will prevent MSN Messenger from running
PreventAutoRun=1
Will prevent MSN from popping up automatically.
Set/create both these
DWORD entries to 1 to disable MSN Messenger.
Fix
Outlook Express slowdown when MSN Messenger is
disabled
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID]
Find the key
{FB7199AB-79BF-11d2-8D94-0000F875C541} and
under it select the folder IniProcServer32.
In the right panel of
regedit double-click on the (Default)
entry at the top and completely delete the value
data it contains.
Now do the same for the
LocalServer32 folder as well.
Turn
off CD Autoplay
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
Autorun=0 To
turn off CDs being automatically loaded when
inserted in a CD/DVD/CDRW drive.
Turn
off built-in XP CD Burning
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
NoCDBurning=1
Disables built-in XP burning but allows other
burning software to work.
Remove
Shared Documents from My Computer
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders]
Delete the
{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} key
under this folder.
Change
thumbnail size and quality – lower values
improve performance
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
ThumbnailSize=32
A DWORD value in Decimal view between 32 and
256.
ThumbnailQuality=50
A DWORD value in Decimal view between 50 and
100.
Remove
the Outlook Express splash screen
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{Unique
Identity}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook
Express\5.0]
NoSplash=1 A
DWORD value where default is 0 (splash screen).
Turn
off "low disk space" notification when free
space falls below 10% of drive
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver]
DiskSpaceThreshold=0
A DWORD value 0 to 99 of the percentage before
notification is given.
Disable
Balloon Tips and Force early grouping of similar
tasks in taskbar
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
EnableBalloonTips=0
A DWORD value of 0 turns off the yellow popup
balloon tips.
TaskbarGroupSize=3
A DWORD value of the number of similar windows
reached before grouped together.
Install
non-XP programs on WinXP if compatibility mode
fails
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion]
ProductName=Microsoft Windows 2000 To
install a Win2K app, or rename to another OS.
CurrentBuildNumber=2600 You may have to edit
this value if the program still refuses to run.
Make
WinXP a registered copy without going through
registration
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion]
RegDone=1 This
is not to be confused with Activation – it's MS
product registration.
RegisteredOrganization="" Fill in
organization name or leave blank.
RegisteredOwner=User1 Fill in a name – I
suggest one which is not uniquely identifiable.
Original document:
http://www.technobabble.com.au/technobabble/html/tweaks/Group%20Policy%20Registry%20Editor.htm
|