Definite Guide to Windows XP Tweaking for Audio

[GordonFreeman]

http://www.moozek.com/2008/08/21/def...ing-for-audio/

27 Tweaks, all in one place

[GordonFreeman]

Maybe I should have posted this on Pro Tools Host Tips & Techniques instead... ? :/

[K.B.]

I wouldn't disable system restore until you know you don't need it. In fact, it's got me out of trouble so many times I'd leave it there. I don't believe it adds to system overhead.

Set memory usage to programs.

Switch paging (swap) file off
or
have two paging files on the two fastest drives you have, but not your data drive (not always practicable, but that's the ideal) with total max and min sizes set to 150% of ram size. Search here for lots of lovely debates on this. I've never been too sure how well it works for ProTools, but it sure as hell stops Photoshop crashing when handling mega files.

Set memory dump to min. Unless you know what to do with it at max. I haven't a clue.

Backup often. XP has a nifty backup tool built in. I managed to restore a corrupted PT set-up with it once so I know it does work. What else?

Ah yes, learn to spell definitive.

MusicXP is a good source of tweaks too. Thinking here at DUC though is that tweaks don't do a lot.

[GordonFreeman]

Originally Posted by K.B.

I wouldn't disable system restore until you know you don't need it. In fact, it's got me out of trouble so many times I'd leave it there. I don't believe it adds to system overhead.

I'll investigate about that..

Originally Posted by K.B.

Set memory usage to programs.

Are you sure?

Originally Posted by K.B.

Switch paging (swap) file off

Not good. That one I know for sure - not even recommended by Microsoft.

Originally Posted by K.B.

or
have two paging files on the two fastest drives you have, but not your data drive (not always practicable, but that's the ideal) with total max and min sizes set to 150% of ram size. Search here for lots of lovely debates on this. I've never been too sure how well it works for ProTools, but it sure as hell stops Photoshop crashing when handling mega files.

Too complicated :)

Originally Posted by K.B.

Set memory dump to min. Unless you know what to do with it at max. I haven't a clue.

What does that affect? I haven't a clue either.

Originally Posted by K.B.

Backup often. XP has a nifty backup tool built in. I managed to restore a corrupted PT set-up with it once so I know it does work. What else?

Yes backups are the main solution for problems - not a tweak.

Originally Posted by K.B.

Ah yes, learn to spell definitive.

You know what? after so many years of english practice, the Internet got the best of me on that! So many "Definite" guides out there that I didn't even bother to check, although it sounded wrong to me as well. Thanks for pointing that out! Embarrassing how other people's mistakes can influence you and make you look stupid. I assumed it would never happen to me.

ALTHOUGH Definite (in the sense of authoritative) is a perfectly valid word, even in the context presented!

Originally Posted by K.B.

MusicXP is a good source of tweaks too.

All the tweaks once included in MusicXP are included there (not copied-written more clearly), and then some! Check your facts, musicxp is now "down" - meaning, you have to pay for the content. Which is not really correct - nor feasible. So we decided to have a new, updated guide on Moozek

Originally Posted by K.B.

Thinking here at DUC though is that tweaks don't do a lot.

Why do you say that? I see people in need of them everyday. in the front page of this forum section I can find you right now at least 2 Pro Tools problems that were solved with tweaks like those. Don't need to be bitter!

Thanks for the suggestions :)

[K.B.]

Switch paging (swap) file off
Not good. That one I know for sure - not even recommended by Microsoft.

A number of people here, like spkguitar, will tell you that they don't use a paging file at all and even pour scorn on those of us that do.

Also you might consider:

"Two big fallacies are:

• The file should be a fixed size so that it does not get fragmented, with minimum and maximum set the same....

Windows will expand a file that starts out too small and may shrink it again if it is larger than necessary, so it pays to set the initial size as large enough to handle the normal needs of your system to avoid constant changes of size. This will give all the benefits claimed for a ‘fixed’ page file. But no restriction should be placed on its further growth. As well as providing for contingencies, like unexpectedly opening a very large file, in XP this potential file space can be used as a place to assign those virtual memory pages that programs have asked for, but never brought into use. Until they get used — probably never — the file need not come into being. There is no downside in having potential space available."

taken from http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php

I might try that.

"The optimal solution is to create one paging file that is stored on the boot partition, and then create one paging file on another partition that is less frequently accessed on a different physical hard disk if a different physical hard disk is available. Additionally, it is optimal to create the second paging file so that it exists on its own partition, with no data or operating-system-specific files. By design, Windows uses the paging file on the less frequently accessed partition over the paging file on the more heavily accessed boot partition. An internal algorithm is used to determine which paging file to use for virtual memory management.

When you put a paging file on its own partition, the paging file does not become fragmented, and this counts as another definite advantage."

- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314482/

So ideally according to Microsoft you should create a partition on a separate drive which holds only the second paging file. Or, as is my thinking, two partitions on two seperate fast drives.

Stripping Page File across Multiple Hard drives
This is an incredible tweak that has improved the performance of my system by leaps and bounds.

http://www.tweakxp.com/article37023.aspx

http://www.petri.co.il/pagefile_optimization.htm

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/s.../bb897426.aspx

That'll keep you going!

"Set memory usage to programs."

read that somewhere.

"Thinking here at DUC though is that tweaks don't do a lot.
Why do you say that?"

I remember a number of people saying it. Perhaps they were bored of posts like this.

[The Weed]

System Restore is a bit of a resource hog. Many claim it's best to turn it off and use Acronis True Image, Ghost or similar to back up your complete system on a regular basis. Albee has taken it to another level by having spare hard drives with a complete clone of his Operating System drive ready to be swapped in should a problem arise.

Cheers,

[DigiTechSupt]

Originally Posted by The Weed

System Restore is a bit of a resource hog. Many claim it's best to turn it off and use Acronis True Image, Ghost or similar to back up your complete system on a regular basis.
Cheers,

I would agree with this - rarely have I ever seen system restore work properly. Using True Image or Ghost to keep a regular backup is a much better way to go, in my experience.

Albee has taken it to another level by having spare hard drives with a complete clone of his Operating System drive ready to be swapped in should a problem arise.

If only everyone would do that!

Seriously - having complete backups of all your data is really important. Most people don't believe it until they lose their first hard drive full of sessions...by then, it's too late.

[GordonFreeman]

Originally Posted by The Weed

System Restore is a bit of a resource hog. Many claim it's best to turn it off and use Acronis True Image, Ghost or similar to back up your complete system on a regular basis. Albee has taken it to another level by having spare hard drives with a complete clone of his Operating System drive ready to be swapped in should a problem arise.

Cheers,

By the way our friend K.B. dodges mentioning the points in which he was possibly wrong, I'd assume that won't please him at all.

That's why I am thankful for his input, but I didn't try to force his feedback on the issues I pretty much proved him mistaken :) He clearly has a typically British personality that shouldn't be pushed to the edge during argumentation. Even though he might sound bitter very often, I respect that.

[GordonFreeman]

I'll investigate on this, and post back the results if I get the time :)

I'll modify the Moozek article to reflect the changes, or at least add alternative theories. The goal is to make that article ( http://www.moozek.com/2008/08/21/def...ing-for-audio/ ) the best and most well informed online resource on tweaking and tips for DAWs in XP.

[K.B.]

Bitter?

Whatever...