A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, 7e

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, 7e

Chapter 14Optimizing Windows

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Objectives

• Learn about Windows utilities and tools you can use to solve problems with Windows

• Learn how to optimize Windows to improve performance

Windows Utilities and Tools to Support the OS

• What happens during and after startup

• Events might indicate a problem with– Hardware– Software– Security– Performance

• By knowing how and when to use these tools will help you to zero in on a Windows problem

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Windows Utilities and Tools to Support the OS

• Tools covered in this chapter are;– Task Manager– System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)– Services console– Computer Management console– Microsoft Management Console (MMC)– Event Viewer– Reliability and Performance Monitor– Registry Editor

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Task Manager

• Taskmgr.exe lets you view the applications and processes running on your computer as well as information about process and Memory performance, network activity, and user activity.

Figure 14-1 The Applications tab in Task Manager shows the status of active applicationsCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Task Manager (cont’d.)

• Accessing task manager– Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete– Right-click taskbar blank area– Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc– Vista Start Search box or XP Run dialog box

• Enter taskmgr.exe

• Applications tab– States: running or not responding

• End task button at bottom of the window

• Attempts a normal shutdown

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• Processes tab– Lists system services and other processes, CPU time,

and memory use– Identifies applications slowing down a system

• Showing all processes running under current user– System, Local Service, and Network Service accounts

• Cannot display dialog box on-screen or interact with user

• Stopping a process– Click End Process

• Recommendation: use Applications tab first

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Figure 14-4 Vista processes for all usersCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Figure 14-3 Processes running under the current user for a new Vista installationCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning


• If your desktop locks up, use Task Mgr to refresh it

• Viewing running application processes– Select application listed on Applications tab

• Right-click it and select Go To Process (see pg. 682)

– End the process and all related processes• Right-click the process and select End Process Tree

• Do not end Windows critical process

• Process priority level– Determines position CPU resources queue– Use Task Manager to change priority level– Page 681 Caution note (please read)

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Task Manager (cont’d.)• Services tab

– Lists currently installed services with status– A service is a program that runs in the background

and is called on my other programs to perform a background task.

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Figure 14-7 This Services tab of Windows Vista Task Manager gives the current status of all installed servicesCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning


• Performance tab (see page 684)– Identifies applications, processes using most CPU time

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Figure 14-8 The Performance tab window shows details about how system resources are being usedCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

We will talk about ResourceMonitor later in the chapter.

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• Networking tab – Displays how heavily network being used by a computer

Figure 14-9 Use the Networking tab of Task Manager to monitor network activity and bandwidth used.Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Wireless connection is running at54 MbpsLocal Wired is running at 100 Mbps

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• Users tab – Shows all users currently logged on– Log off user to improve performance

Figure 14-10 Use Task Manager to log off a user

Select processes, show processesFrom all Users, then users tab andlogoff

Applying Concepts

• Let’s read page 686

• Task Manager gives good information, but not the full picture of running processes

• Process Explorer by Microsoft Technet gives much better information than Task Manager

• Technet.microsoft.com

• Utility is free and we will go over better on Chapter 20

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System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)• Msconfig.exe

– Use to find out what processes are launched at startup and to temporarily disable a process from loading.

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Figure 14-14 Use MSconfig to view and control services launched at startup. Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)• Enter msconfig.exe

• Click Services tab

• You can use “Disable All” button

• But be careful with this, you might want;

• Windows Task Scheduler, print spooler, Automatic Updates, and System Restore Service

• To view only those services put there by third party software check “Hide all Microsoft services”

• If you did not recognize the program, search in Google

• You can permanently stop it by using the Services console (later in chapter)

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System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)

• Click Startup tab to see a list of programs

• You can disable all nonessential startup tasks

• Click Disable all

• Or you can check and uncheck individual startup program

• It is useful to see the location of the registry key or startup folder

• Click apply

• Click General tab, you should see selective startup selected, now Msconfig is set to control startup, click OK . See page 690 continue with step 6

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Services Console

• Used to control the Windows and third-party services installed on a system

• Launching the services console– Vista Start Search box or XP Run dialog box

• Enter Services.msc

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Figure 14-18 The Services window is used to manage Windows servicesCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Services Console

• Make sure EXTENDED tab at the bottom of the window is selected (page 691)

• As you select each area, there will be description is displayed

• If there is no description, it is put there by the third party service

• Right click its name

• Select Properties

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Services Console (cont’d.)

• Selecting Properties– Provides more information about a service

• Allows stopping or starting a service

• Service startup types– Automatic (Delayed Start): starts shortly after startup,

after the user logs on– Automatic: starts when Windows loads– Manual: starts as needed– Disabled: cannot be started

• Useful when cleaning up a Windows system

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Computer Management

• Consolidates several Windows administrative tools– Use to manage local PC and other network computers– Administrator authority required

• Viewing may allow lesser privileges

• Accessing Computer Management in Vista– Enter compmgmt.msc in Vista Start Search box– Click Start, right-click Computer, and select Manage– Control Panel

• Click System and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and double-click Computer Management

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Figure 14-20 Windows Computer Management combines several administrative tools into a single easy-to-access windowCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning. See pg.693 for better view

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Figure 14-21 Use the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window to change items on the Start menuCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Microsoft Management Console (MMC)• Program file: mmc.exe (let’s create one, see page 694)

– Windows utility to build customized console windows• Console is a single window containing one or more

administrative tools

• Snap-ins are individual tools in a console

– C:\users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools

Default location for the console file

24Figure 14-22 An empty console. Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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Event Viewer• Eventvwr.msc or

• Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer– Tool for troubleshooting problems with Windows,

applications, and hardware– Also a Computer Management snap-in

• Manages logs of events– Three most important views of logs

• Application log

• Security log

• System log

Event Viewer (cont’d.)

• Logs new to Windows Vista– Custom Views– The Setup log– The Forwarded Events– The Applications and Services Logs– The Subscriptions log

• System log: most important log other than security– Records three error event types

• Information, warning, and error events

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Event Viewer (cont’d.)

• Click log to view

• Save time reviewing logs by using filters– To view most significant events when troubleshooting

check Critical and Error under Event level

• Avoid ballooning log file– Set size limit– Specify what happens when log reaches this limit

• Event viewer is most useful in solving intermittent hardware problems

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Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Perfmon.msc (another MMC snap-in)– Collects, records, and displays events, these events are

called Data Collector Sets

• Windows XP– Monitor called Performance Monitor or System Monitor

• Starting the monitor– Use Administrative Tool applet in Control Panel– Open Computer Management Console– Enter perfmon.msc in Vista Start Search box or XP Run

box

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Reliability and Performance Monitor (cont’d.)

• Contains three monitoring tools– Performance Monitor provides real-time view of

Windows performance counters– Reliability Monitor provides historical data showing

stability– Data Collector Sets utility collects data about the

system

• Viewing system diagnostics data as a report– Right-click System Diagnostics and select Latest

Report from shortcut menu (See pg. 704-705)

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The Registry Editor

• Difficult problems might require editing or removal of a registry key

• Registry organization– Registry is;

• Database designed with a treelike structure (i.e., hierarchical database)

• Contains configuration information for Windows, users, software applications, and installed hardware devices

– Registry built in memory at startup• Windows uses current hardware configuration and

information taken from files

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The Registry Editor (cont’d.)

• Registry organized into five treelike structures– Each segment called a key– Each key can have subkeys

• Subkeys can have more subkeys and can be assigned one or more values

– Data is organized in hive files • Different from organization in registry keys

• Five files stored in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder

• Each hive is backed up with a log file and a backup file, stored in same place


• For Windows Vista:

• C:\users\username\Ntuser.dat holds the preferences and settings of the currently logged on user.

• Windows XP: uses two files to store information about current user

• C:\Documents and Settings\username\Ntuser.dat

• C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Usrclass.dat

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Figure 14-36 The Windows registry is logically organized in an upside-down tree structure of keys, subkeys, and values.

HKEY_PERFORMANCE_DATA does not use a hive (Does not appear in the editor because data is not stored in this key. This key is used only as a pointer to performance data provided by Windows so that applications that monitor Windows performance can easily access this performance data)

Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Figure 14-37 The relationship between registry subtrees (keys) and hivesCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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• Five keys:– HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)

• The most important key, contains hw, sw, and security data, Device Manager reads data from HKLM\Hardware

– HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC)• Contains PnP information about hw configuration for

startup

– HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR)• Determines which application is open when user clicks

twice on the file. Process relies on the file’s extension to determine which application to load.

The Registry Editor (cont’d.)– HKEY_USERS (HKU)

• Contains data about all users and is taken form the Default hive

– HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU)• Contains data about the current user. The key is built

when a user logs on using data kept in theHKEY_USERS key and data kept in the Ntuser.dat file of the current user

– Device Manager reads data from the HKLM\HARDWARE key to build the information it displays about hardware configurations. You can consider Dev. Mgr. to be an easy to view presentation of this HARDWARE key data

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• Before editing the registry– Back up registry

• Use System Protection to create a restore point

• Back up a single registry key just before editing the key

• Make an extra copy of the C:\Windows\System32\config folder

• For Windows XP, back up the system state

– Back up and restore individual keys

• Edit the registry with Registry Editor (regedit.exe)

• There is no undo feature in the Registry Editor, and no opportunity to change your mind once the edit is made.


• Use System Protection to create a restore point: Keeps information about the registry. If System Protection is turned on, Vista automatically makes a daily backup of the registry hive files in:– C:\Windows\System32\config\regback

• Back up a single registry key just before you edit the key

• Make an extra copy of the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder

• For XP, back up the System State

• XP stores the backup of the registry hives in the C:\Windows\repair folder

• 2K stores in C:\Windows\repair\regback folder

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Improving Windows Performance

• Assuming Windows is starting with no errors– Use 11 step-by-step procedures

• Search for problems affecting performance

• Clean up Windows startup process

• Trouble starting windows– Address those errors first before addressing

performance• See Chapters 15 and 16

Improving Windows Performance• Step 1: Perform routine maintenance

– Verify critical Windows settings, updates are current– Clean up and defrag hard drive– Check hard drive for errors– Disable and remove unwanted startup programs– Back up data

• Step 2: Check if hardware support the OS– Vista Windows Experience Index designed to measure the

overall performance of a system• Start, right click Computer, Properties, Windows

Experience Index

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Step 2 (cont.)

– Vista Upgrade Advisor: checks compatibility– To make sure that all hardware or software installed on the

system is compatible with Windows Vista, use the Vista Upgrade Advisor

– www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

– Also, run System Information Utility (msinfo32.exe)– Info about processor, its speed, RAM, freespace– XP CD, run D:\I386\Winnt32 /checkupgradeonly

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Figure 14-41 Use the Windows Experience Index to get a snapshot of a computer’s performance and identify potential bottlenecksCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Figure 14-43 The Performance monitor tracking CPU performanceCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Improving Windows Performance• Step 3: Check for performance warnings

• Vista tracks issues that are interfering with performance.– View warnings in Windows Experience Index window

• Advanced tools

– Clicking an issue• Displays dialog box describing the issue

• Gives suggestions to resolve it

– Investigate each issue one at a time– Tools to assist in troubleshooting are listed in

Advanced Tools window(see pg. 714-715)

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Figure 14-44 Vista provides these warnings and tools to improve Vista performanceCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Figure 14-45 Windows reports four issues that are affecting performanceCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Improving Windows Performance (cont’d.)

• Step 4: Check the reliability monitor– Determine if a problem with hardware or software

installation is affecting performance– Determine when time problem started

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Figure 14-48 Use Reliability Monitor to search for when a problem beganCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

Improving Windows Performance• Step 5: Disable the indexer for Windows search

• The Windows indexer is responsible for maintaining an index of files and folders on a hard drive to speed up Windows searches

• The indexing service has a low priority and only works when it senses that the hard drive is not being accessed by a service with a higher priority– Therefore it may cause problems – See (page 717-719)

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• Step 6: Disable the Vista Aero interface– Uses memory and computing power

• May require memory or video card upgrade or leaving interface disabled

• Right click the Desktop, select Personalize, click Window Color and Appearance, click Open classic appearance properties for more color options. Under Color scheme, select Windows Vista Basic, click Apply

• Step 7: Disable the Vista Sidebar (pg. 720-721)– Might see slight performance improvement– Sidebar hold mini applications called gadgets

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• Step 8: Plug up any memory leaks– Use Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Click down arrow on the Memory bar

– Use Task Manager Processes tab• Click View and Select Columns

• Verify Memory Private Working Set, Handles, and Threads columns are checked

• Watch values over time for increases

– Solving memory leak• Obtain update or patch from program manufacturer’s

Web site


• Step 9: Consider disabling the Vista UAC box– Might slightly improve performance

• Disabling not recommended

• UAC box can protect your system against users making unauthorized changes and against malware installing itself without you knowledge

• Step 10: Consider using Vista ReadyBoost– Flash drive or secure digital (SD) memory card used

to boost hard drive performance• Acts as a buffer to speed up access time

– Best for hard drive less than 7200 RPM– Windows automatically tests device qualifications

• 256 MB to 4 GB, 256 MB free space, 2 MB/sec of throughput. See pg. 723 for more information. 48


• Step 11: Clean windows startup– Verify startup programs kept to a minimum

• Check startup folders in Windows XP

• Check Software Explorer in Windows Vista

– Cleaning Windows startup• Use Safe Mode and MSconfig to find out more about

the problem

• Disable or uninstall programs causing problems

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• Step 11: Clean windows startup (cont’d.)• To find out if programs and services are slowing down Win.

Start up, boot the system in Safe mode and watch to see if performance improves

– Observe performance in Safe Mode• Improvement indicates nonessential program issue

• Time a normal startup and a Safe Mode boot

• Significant difference: reduce Windows startup to essentials

• No improvement indicates problem with hardware device, critical driver, or Windows component

Improving Windows Performance• Step 11: Clean Windows startup (cont’d.)

– Use MSconfig to find startup program affecting performance

– You can use the Msconfig utility to zero in on the service or other program that is slowing down startup.

• Recommended strategy: half-again search

– Disable or uninstall background processes and startup programs

• Permanently manage a service

• Use services console or Windows component responsible for the service

• Investigate service with good search engine

• Reboot and test51

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Figure 14-60 Strategy to identify the program(s) causing the problemCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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• Step 11: Clean Windows Startup (cont’d.)– Check for unwanted scheduled tasks– Task Scheduler that can be set to launch a task or

program at a future time, including at startup• Verify Task Scheduler contents

• Review details of all scheduled tasks

• Look for hidden tasks

• Disable suspect tasks, test, and delete as necessary (pg. 725-726)

How To Manually Remove Software• Manually uninstall

– Programs refusing to uninstall or giving errors when uninstalling

– Use as a last resort• Try program’s uninstall routine which can be accessed

from the Vista Programs and Features applet in control panel, the XP Add Remove Programs Applet tin the Control Panel, or a utility in the All Programs menu

• Manually delete program’s files

• Manually delete registry entries (Caution, back up first!) (pg. 732-733)

• Remove program from All Programs menu

• Restart PC and watch for errors

• Fix orphaned entry (as necessary, from Msconfig to find out how the program is set to start, this entry point is called orphaned entry) (pages 734-735) 54

How To Manually Remove Software See following in pages 736-737

• Keys causing an entry to run only once at startup

• Check each key in the list below and move on to the next list– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunOnce– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunServiceOnce– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunServicesOnce– HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunOnce55

How To Manually Remove Software (cont’d.)

• Group Policy keys affecting startup– HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

Policies\Explorer\Run– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

Policies\Explorer\Run

• DLL programs key– Normal: do not delete unless positive– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad

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• Keys applying to all users and hold legitimate startup entries– Do not delete unless you suspect it to be bad

• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\Run

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

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• Entries pertaining to background services– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunService– HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

RunServices

• Key containing value named BootExecute– Normally set to autochk

• Causes system to run a type of Chkdsk program

– HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager

• Several others cause various problems at startup58

Monitor the Startup Process

• Third-party tools monitoring startup changes– WinPatrol by BillP Studios (free)

• Runs in background

• Monitors registry changes, startup processes, IE settings, and system files

– Antivirus software

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Figure 14-72 WinPatrol by BillP Studios alerts you when the startup process is about to be alteredCourtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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Summary

• Tools to optimize Windows– Task Manager– System Configuration Utility (MSconfig)– Services console– Computer Management console– Microsoft Management Console (MMC)– Event Viewer– Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Registry is organized into five treelike structures– Registry Editor

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Summary (cont’d.)

• To troubleshoot a sluggish Windows system– Follow 11 steps

• Manually remove software– Try program’s uninstall routine– Manually delete the program’s files– Manually delete registry entries– Remove the program from All Programs menu– Restart PC and watch for errors– Fix orphaned entry (as necessary)

• Use third-party tools monitoring startup changes