settings for powerful pc

**brewster** · July 4th, 2002, 06:26 PM

Some time ago I copied some settings down to change the performance of a computer to a powerful pc. Can anyone tell me the process. I know that you do this in control panel, settings, system properties, performance, advanced settings , file system.

Thanks. Carole

**Welshjim** · July 4th, 2002, 06:53 PM

**brewster** · July 4th, 2002, 07:29 PM

Thank you very much...Welshjim, that was it...

**Rainbow32** · July 4th, 2002, 08:48 PM

Max cache will take you well beyond Powerful PC. Read about it here .

**Welshjim** · July 5th, 2002, 01:41 PM

brewster--Thanks for posting back. Glad I could be of help. If you are willing, maybe you will be the guinea pig to try both Powerful PC and MaxCache and tell us which, if either, helps most?

**brewster** · July 5th, 2002, 04:05 PM

Sounds good to me... I will try both on a particular system either on Monday or Tuesday and I will get back to all. I have a secretary that is having problems with her docs that are pretty hoggy with memory apparently.?X So I will let you know what happens. Thanks..

**brewster** · July 14th, 2002, 02:34 PM

MaxCache out did Powerful PC.. On one system the resources were 60% before and after Powerful PC. After MaxCache, the resources went to 75%.

Looks like MaxCache is the winner. Thanks so much for the info and help...

**Welshjim** · July 14th, 2002, 02:51 PM

brewster--You are a good guinea pig!

Thanks for reporting back. If you care to pursue did you see/feel any real-life improvement? I understood there was no reported improvement in resources using Powerful PC. (before and after the same).

**brewster** · July 14th, 2002, 02:59 PM

Programs seemed to open up and close down faster... Cd Rom Burner worked better than before,I believe but other than that not sure...did not stick around for very long. I will see if I there are any reported errors from user or improvements.
Have you tried MaxCache and had good or bad results?

**Train** · July 14th, 2002, 03:42 PM

Should be no change in resourses.

Read this, particularly WhitPhil's explanation;

I also use VV's PowerfulPC which I post here with WhitPhil's explaination.

Had this sent to me. VV posted this in the old vdr and was lost..

vv
Member
Posts: 7108
From:
Registered: SEP 99
posted 06-05-2000 02:17 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This tip was originally only one of many in a thread I posted last year. A little more detail is included in this version
Many of you are aware that performance can be increased by changing the typical role of the machine from Desktop Computer to Network Server in Control Panel>System>Performance>File System>Hard Disk>Typical Role of this Machine. Powerful Pc sets the name cache at 4000 files and the Directory cache/Path cache at 128 directories.

To setup this tip, you can either enter the info manually, or create a regfile which can be saved and reused after each 9x reinstall.

1. open notepad and save a new file as Powerful.reg. [When you are in the save as window, type powerful.reg in the "filename" rectangle, and change to "all files" in the "save as type" rectangle.]

2. Copy the info between dotted lines below (starting with Regedit4)and paste it to your file.

3. Close your file and double-click on it.

4. Go to Control Panel>System>
Performance>File System>Hard Disk>Typical Role and select Powerful Pc. Reboot.

- - - -
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Cur
rentVersion\FS Templates\Powerful]
@="Powerful PC"
"NameCache"=hex:a0,0f,00,00
"PathCache"=hex:80,00,00,00
- - - -

[This message has been edited by vv (edited 06-16-2000).]

To which WhitPhil posted this:
WhitPhil
Member
Posts: 4278
From: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Registered: OCT 99
posted 06-06-2000 03:18 PM
------------------------------------------------------------
Typical Role Defaults

Desktop - 32 Folders, 677 files, uses about 10K memory
Mobile - 16 folders, 337 files, uses about 5K
Server - 64 folders, 2729 files, uses about 40K
PowerPC - 128 folders, 4000 files, uses about 60K(extrapolated)

To translate the NameCache string to a decimal number, you reverse the string of bytes and then translate it from hex to decimal.

Eg:
Mobile:51 01 00 00 reversed is 00 00 01 51 and 0151 in hex is 337
Server:A9 0A 00 00 reversed is 00 00 0A A9 and AA9 in hex is 2729

Thus
Powerful PC is A0 0F 00 00 reversed is 00 00 0F A0 and FA0 in hex is 4000

Similarly for Pathcache:
40 00 00 00 reversed: 00 00 00 40 is hex for 64
80 00 00 00 reversed: 00 00 00 80 is hex for 128

Definitions from MS TechNet

PathCache specifies the size of the cache that the virtual file allocation table (VFAT) can use to save the locations of the most recently accessed directory paths. This cache improves performance by reducing the number of times the file system must seek paths by searching the file allocation table.

NameCache stores the locations of the most recently accessed file names.

The combined use of PathCache and NameCache means that VFAT never searches the disk for the location of cached file names.

Both PathCache and NameCache use memory out of the general system heap.

Note the last sentence. This is from TechNet and indicates that these caches are part of the infamous "resources". As an FYI, I tried both server and powerful pc and saw no differnce in percentage after booting. But what I couldn't determine was whether they were immediately allocated or whether they grew over time to those maximums.

[This message has been edited by WhitPhil (edited 06-06-2000).]

**brewster** · July 14th, 2002, 07:09 PM

Train.. Looks like you have spent a great deal of time on Virtualdr by the amount of posts. This registry stuff is beyond my knowledge so I just rely of you folks to help me resolve issus or help me inhance my workstations. I have workstations that use some pretty heavy docs in a Law Firm. The para legals complain that their pc's are slow even tho they are fairly new Dells, 500 mhz, with 256 Ram. I know that our one server that has Wroldox, a hoggy program, on it is slow so we are adding another gig of ram on Monday evening when we can down the server but in the meantime, I thought that I would see if this would help resolve WordPerfect 9 errors, lockups and complaints. Not sure now if I should just put the test pc back to Network Server. What is your experienced opinion? Thanks, CB

**Train** · July 14th, 2002, 07:26 PM

I just followed VV's instructions and made the reg.
I had put the reg in a folder called Powerful PC. Then put it on a floppy for transport.

On the new computer I would put in the floppy, then go Start>Run [type in] A:\ and hit ok
open the folder Right click and select merge. Hit ok, then hit ok again.

Then Go to Control Panel>System>
Performance>File System>Hard Disk>Typical Role and select Powerful Pc. Reboot

The computers that I have put it on include 486's with 95 on them, p166s that have excell on them and boy, did it speed them up. Well from 3 minutes to open Outlook to 15 seconds does make a difference in my book.

**brewster** · July 14th, 2002, 08:03 PM

Hey Train... Looks like a lot of people have looked at this post. I wonder, what is the camera for next to the post? Do you know? Thanks.

**Rainbow32** · July 14th, 2002, 08:13 PM

MaxCache also did nothing for my resources but what it does is speed up hard disk performance by caching more files. So you should see a difference when you open programs and files. But make sure you have at least 128MB of RAM before doing this cause it does take more RAM for this caching. I did notice a performance boost after this registry tweak. I found it orginally on Axel's web page for tweaking Windows, but can't find his site no longer, comes up 404. If anyone has a link to Axel's site please post it.

**brewster** · July 14th, 2002, 08:20 PM

In Rainbows first post, follow the link and it is right there..... Good Luck.

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