//I've noticed many people have been disappointed with their XP once it was installed - This is a work in progress. Go easy on me, I am woefully unfamiliar with wikis. Contributions would be appreciated.// =====Getting the Most From Windows XP===== ====Attention==== //Please be sure to read throughly and completely before attempting to edit your Windows settings. Additionally, links are provided throughout the guide in order to **aid** you in making the best decision.// ====Windows XP on the EEE PC==== Windows XP contains many services and programs which many people rarely use. Some of these programs or services, such as the indexing service, may not be particularly helpful or necessary for Windows XP to fully function on the EEE PC. With this in mind, the following guide is written, hopefully, to suggest ways to intelligently optimize the performance of your Windows XP. Ideally to obtain an optimal combination of functionality and performance you would need to make your own customized nLited Windows XP. While it is not necessary to nLite one's Windows operating system, it is recommended. There is a in-depth guide to nLiting Windows [[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:nlitexp| here.]] After freshly installing Windows XP onto the EEE PC, it is not uncommon to see 1Gb or less available storage on the EEE PC's 4Gb [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive| SSD]] and while I assume that the 2G will offers even less space after a Windows installation this guide will refer to the 4G model - though this should not matter much because XP can be put on all four EEE 701 models. =====Saving Space on the SSD===== ====Pagefile==== [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagefile#Paging_in_Windows_NT_line| Paging]] is, in a simple sense, space on the HDD, or in the case of the EEE PC - the SSD, used by the operating system in a fashion similar to RAM. While 512mb of RAM is sufficient to run Windows XP (In fact, my old desktop has 128mb of RAM and runs an XP decently) pagefiling is automatically set to a recommended level by Windows. To disable pagefile simply right-click on the "My Computer" icon and click "Properties" to bring up the "System Properties" window. From here the user can see there are a variety of tabs along the top of the window, select the "Advanced" tab then push the settings button under performance. It should look something like this:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic2.jpg}} Along the top of the performance option window there are three tabs - select the advanced tab.\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic3-1.jpg}} By selecting the "No paging file" option the user can recover the space which would otherwise used as virtual memory. It is possible to set a custom range of space to be used as virtual memory. After selecting an amount of space, or no space, to dedicate to pagefile, push the "Set" button. To save the changes, Windows will reboot. **Note:** It is a very bad idea to try to put the Swap file on an SDHC card. Windows by default won't let you place the swap file on removable media. The SD reader is a lot slower than the internal SSD, and infintly slower than RAM. It is also pointless to try and put a swapfile on a RAMDrive as it defeats the point. Also some programs (like Photoshop) may whine without a page file. ====Add/Remove Windows Components==== To add or remove Windows components, simply open the control panel and open "Add/Remove Programs." On the left hand side of the Add/Remove window there is column with four options. Clicking the third one will bring up the Add/Remove windows for Windows programs. The button is circled in red below:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic10.jpg}} A word of warning: only remove programs you don't use and if you want to put a removed program back on it will require the windows disc. While you are in the "Add/Remove Programs" window - it is a good opportunity to check for any other unused programs you may want to remove. Often when you are installing a new program there will be additional programs such as browser toolbar or promotionals attached. These are often overlooked - an example is posted below:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic11.jpg}} This is a picture of a window during the Winamp installation process. Many people click "next" without reading the information above. Not only are these extra programs a nuisance - they are a waste of space. ====File Compression==== Additional space can be saved by disk compression. There are many [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=758| threads]] that discuss this [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewpoll.php?id=15709&p=1|subject.]] To compress a file and its sub-directories, right click on the target folder and click properties. Under the "General" tab click the "Advanced" button. This should bring up a window displaying an option to compress the selected folder.\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic9.jpg}} The C: Drive can also be compressed to save space:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic8.jpg}} Some files on the C: will not compress. DO NOT compress everything, this may cause certain programs and hardware to not work or work improperly. Use your best judgment. ====System Restore==== [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_restore|System restore]] is a service that allows a user to roll back Windows XP to pre-established "restore points". Windows will automatically allocates a certain percentage of the SSD for restore points. It is possible to reduce the amount of space reserved for system restore or it can be disabled altogether. To access system restore right click on "My Computer" and click on properties. Under the "System Restore" tab adjust the slider to increase or decrease the space reserved for system restore.\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic7.jpg}} It is possible to disable system restore altogether. Reduce or disable system restore at your own discretion. ====Recommended Programs==== This is a list of programs that show alternatives to their more popular Windows counterpart. Third party programs are often smaller, faster, contain no bloatware, and are free. FW = Freeware ==Productivity Applications== * [[http://www.abisource.com/|Abiword]] (FW) open source word processing software similar to Microsoft Word. Comparatively small. * [[http://www.jarte.com/|Jarte]] (FW) Lightweight simple word processor capable of importing Word 2003 / 2007 formats. * [[http://www.openoffice.org/|Open Office]] (FW) open source productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office. * [[http://www.softmakeroffice.com/|Softmaker Office 2006]] (FW) Free (closed sourced) word processor and spreadsheet. Smaller RAM and disk footprint than Open office, excellent compatibility with Office 2003 formats. ==Educational Software== * [[http://www.padowan.dk/graph/|Graph]] (FW) A free graphing programs. * [[http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Home-Education/Freshney-Periodic-Table.shtml|Periodic Table]] (FW) The periodic table of elements with images, properties, etc. ==Utilities/Misc== * [[http://www.7-zip.org/|7-zip]] (FW) alternative to Winzip * [[http://www.pidgin.im/|Pidgin]] (FW) IM client not unlike AIM but more versatile and w/o ads. * [[http://www.deepburner.com/|Deepburner]] (FW) alternative to Nero, Roxio, etc. * [[http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php|Foxit]] (FW) alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader * [[http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer|PDF-Xchange]] (FW) Alternative to Adobe Reader with annotation / markup tools * [[http://www.utorrent.com/|uTorrent]] (FW) very small bittorrent client * [[http://www.vonnieda.org/software/vpod|vPod]] (FW) alternative to iTunes - //vpod works **only** as a music transfer utility// * [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=8808|Eeectl]] Read the linked thread to get a better understanding of this powerful utility. Allows the user to control CPU clock speed, fan speed, and screen brightness. It also shows internal temperature. Be sure to understand the risks of overclocking. ==Multimedia== * [[http://www.download.com/PhotoScape/3000-2192_4-10703122.html|PhotoScape]] (FW) Photo editing software. Can make .gif animations and convert RAW images into JPEG. ==Audio Players== * [[http://www.mediamonkey.com/|Media Monkey]] (FW) alternative to iTunes. For a more through comparison of iPod management software look [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_iPod_Managers|here.]] * [[http://www.winamp.com/player|Winamp]] (FW) media (audio) player * [[http://www.quinnware.com/|Quintessential Player]] (FW) * [[http://sheepfriends.com/?page=billy|Billy]] (FW) Incredibly light pure audio player ==Video Players== * [[http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/news.html|Myplayer]] (FW) lightweight visual/audio media player. Alternative to Windows Media Player. Codecs built-in. * [[http://www.gomplayer.com/download.html|Gom Player]] (FW) visual/audio media player. Alternative to Windows Media Player. Codecs built-in. * [[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/|VLC media player]] (FW)\\ \\ *//Note: Most of the above media players can play both audio/visual files - they are not necessary constrained by the categorization above.// For many more recommendations please check This rather large forum Thread: [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=10387|Must have Utilities for WinXP on Eee?]] Feel free to add programs to the list (preferably freeware with no bloat). =====Optimizing Performance===== ====Windows XP Visual Style==== One of the easiest ways to reduce memory and cpu usage in Windows is to alter its looks. To adjust the visual style of Windows XP for best performance, simply right-click on My Computer, click properties, go to the advanced tab, click on settings under performance and adjust the visual effects for best performance. It should look like this:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic1.jpg}} The minimalistic view doesn't look good for some, but the slight boost of performance is appreciated by others. ====Indexing Service===== [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Indexing_Service|Indexing service]] is a service which runs in the background without user input and maintains an index of most of the computer's files in order to facilitate file searching. There has been many concerns about the lifespan of the SSD and has led some to believe disabling indexing service may increase the longevity of the SSD. While this is debatable, indexing service is a largely unnecessary service on the EEE PC. To disable indexing service go to "My Computer" and right-click on the C drive. It should look something like this:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic6.jpg}} You can see in this picture the box of the very last option, allow indexing service, is left unchecked. This will turn off indexing service. ====System Configuration Utility==== You can access the system configuration utility by typing "msconfig" in run in the start menu. There is a thread discussion the system configuration utility [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?pid=83250|here.]]\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic4.jpg}} Once you press enter the following window should appear:\\ \\ {{http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/Noinlair/eeeuser/pic5.jpg}} Along the top of the "System Configuration Utility" window there are six tabs. In the "Service" and "Startup" tab you can choose to disable certain services or programs. It is not recommended that you disable a service if you don't know what it does. For example, the service "Print Spooler" is used to load files into memory for printing. Do not disable this if you use a printer often. The other tabs should be left alone. If you make changes to the system configuration utility Windows will prompt you to restart. [[http://www.portabilite.info|rio sosh]] [[http://www.obtenir-rio.info|bouygues]]