1. Stop ‘last access update’

Whenever you access a folder on a NTFS drive, Windows XP updates that folder and all subfolders with a time stamp with the date of last access. Sometimes, this can slower windows performance.

To change this, open REGEDIT ( Start -> Run -> ‘regedit’ ) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem Create a new DWORD value ( right click -> new -> DDWORD Value ) called ‘NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate’ and set the value to ‘1?
2. Disable unnecesary naming convention

For each file created, windows xp use one additional name for MSDOS compatibility: 8 character name followed by a “.”, then 3 characters for the extension. If you don’t intend to use DOS only software, this is waste of memory.
To change this, open REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem Change the value of the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation key to ‘1?

3. Prevent windows to move operating data on virtual memory

By default, windows xp do periodically checks to move its essential driver and kernel files to the virtual memory ( page file ). This obviously slower performances. This should be done only if the system is low on physical Memory.
Open REGEDIT.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. Select the DisablePagingExecutive value to ‘1? 4. Disable Performance counters

Windows XP has a performance monitor utility, to track several areas of your PC, including CPU and hard drive. Whenever you do something on your PC, these performance counters tracks everything. These processes from the background makes main processes to run slower.

To change this, you need to download Extensible Performance Counter List utility

First download and install the utility, then run the Exctrlst.exe utility, found in ‘c:\program files esource kit\’

Select each line in the ‘Extensible performance counters’ window and clear the ‘performance counters enabled’ button below. You must do this separately for each counter.
5. Remove page file from system drive

The operating system can use virtual memory when there is more data that can be stored on physical memory. The Virtual memory is on hard drive, this means is slower than standard memory. What we can do to improve performance is to remove the page file from the drive where operating system is installed on, and put it on other drive.

To do this, right click on “my computer” and select “Properties”, Select the ‘advanced’ tab. Under ‘performance’ choose the ’settings’ button. Select the ‘advanced’ tab again and under ‘virtual memory’ select ‘change.’

You will get a list with all drives, with page file allocated on each.
6. Create a permanent Page file.

Follow the instructions from the previous tip and select the same value for minimum and maximum size. This prevents operating system to resize page file.
7. Optimize your page file size

By default, windows xp select the page file to 150% of physical memory, but if you have more than 512 physical memory, it’s hard to believe that your operating system will need that amount of virtual memory. Change your page file to the same value as your physical memory is ( RAM ), but, if you have less than 512, leave it at 150%. You can do this using the steps at previous tip.
8. Defrag page file with PageDefrag utility

We all know that defragmentint hard drive is a good idea, but windows xp defragmentation utility can’t defragment files that are already in use, for example page file ( virtual memory ). For this you can use a freeware tool called Page Defrag This tool is simply to use, just select all files you want to defragment and press Start.
9. Set priority for important programs

If you are using more applications at the same time, but you focus on a single application, you can change the priority for that application to boost its performances. By default, all applications are set to normal priority level. To change this, press CTR+ALT+Del to open Task Manager and select the application you want to rise the priority. On the right-click menu select Go To Process. Press right click on the proccess and select Set Priority. You will have many proority levels. The higher you set priority above normal, the more CPU time the program will steal from other applications when you are multitasking.
10. Check your hard drives with scandisk

Defragmenting hard drive can improve performances, but it can’t touch bad sectors or lost clusters.

Because of this, it is a good idea to run XP’s built in error checking utility on your drives once in a while. This utility will scan your disks for errors and optionally attempt to correct them.
Open ‘my computer.’

Right click the hard disk you wish to check and select ‘properties.’

Choose the ‘tools’ tab and under ‘error checking’ select the ‘check now…’ button.

Check both options. You will need to restart the computer to do the full disk check.

Your disk will be fully checked for errors upon reboot, but be aware that this can take quite a while.

11. Make Windows to unload DLL files after closing a program

“DLL” stand for Dynamic Link Library. DLLs are files that containt data and functions needed by windows. Every piece of windows will require some libraries, and will link to them. For faster access, windows cache the libraries into memory, but after the program that uses them is closed, the memory is not cleared. The following registry tweak will make windows to remove DLL’s from memory if they are not used.
To do this run REGEDIT.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.

Create a new key named ‘AlwaysUnloadDLL’ and set the default value to equal ‘1.’
12. Thaw your desktop

Probably you have experienced at least once “Desktop Freezing”. You tell windows to do something and everything will move very slow. When this is happening, means that windows need a refresh. Press CTR+ALT+DEL to open task manager. Select “Processes” tab, and find “explorer.exe”, select it and press end process. Without closing task manager, select “New Task” from “File” menu, and there type “explorer.exe”. The desktop will load again, without closing any application.
13. Speed up mouse movement

Windows applies an acceleration to the mouse by default. This means when you move the mouse, the pointer will start slowly and accelerates with continual movement. In games you will probably need better speed.

To remove mouse acceleration: open up REGEDIT and navigate to ‘hkey_current_user\control panel\mouse’

Change the value of ’smoothmouseXcurve’ to the following:
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
00,a0,00,00,00,00,00,00
00,40,01,00,00,00,00,00
00,80,02,00,00,00,00,00
00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00

Then change the value of ‘SmoothMouseYCurve’ to the following:
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
66,a6,02,00,00,00,00,00
cd,4c,05,00,00,00,00,00
a0,99,0a,00,00,00,00,00
38,33,15,00,00,00,00,00
14. Disable the themes service

If you are not a fan of the appearance of Windows XP, there is an easy way to turn it off and go back to the more sober and traditional Windows style. Simply disable the ‘themes’ service to restore a classic windows desktop appearance.

To do this, right click on ‘my computer’ and select ‘manage.’

In the computer management windows, expand ’services and applications’ and select ’services.’

In the right hand window, highlight the ‘themes’ service. Right click it and select ‘properties.’

In the ’startup type’ dropdown box, select ‘disabled.’
15. Remove the desktop picture

If you need to have a picture on the desktop, don’t do this, but if you choose performance against appearance, you can remove desktop picture which slows windows start-up.

Right click on an open area of the desktop and select ‘properties.’

Select the ‘desktop’ tab and in the ‘background’ window, highlight ‘none.’ Press ‘ok.’ v

Think we’re just pulling your leg? Nope, every computer in the PCstats labs that gets tested goes through this same step before we run a single benchmark.
16. Change to the NTFS file system

If you are using Windows XP, is a good idea to change the filesystem for your partitions to NTFS. It will improve security and data security, but also it can improve speed of your system.

If you are using two operating systems, and one of them is Windows 9x/Me or other OS which can’t read NTFS, don’t change it, else, you don’t have any reason to keep your partition to FAT32.

Right click on ‘my computer’ and select ‘manage’

From the computer management window, expand storage and select ‘disk management.’

Using the ‘file system’ column of the upper pane of this window, you can easily check what file system each of your logical drives is using. Make a note of this information.

Now open a command prompt window by going to ’start un’ and typing ‘cmd’

To convert a disk to NTFS, type ‘convert (drive letter): /fs:ntfs’

So for example, if you were going to convert your C: drive, you would type ‘Convert c: /fs:ntfs’ at the prompt.

17. Perform a manual Application and Boot file Defrag

Windows XP has a feature to defragment application and operating system boot time by moving important files to the edges of hard drive for faster disk access.

Depending on your system, this can give a slight performance boost to data access from the affected drive.

Open command prompt (’start/run’ and type ‘cmd’).
Type ‘defrag (drive letter): -b’
The process may take a few minutes to complete.
18. Disable the hibernation feature

Windows XP’s hibernation option allows a computer to copy its current memory contents to the hard drive before shutdown, allowing the system to resume operations exactly where it left off when it was powered down. To do this, it reserves space on the hard drive equal to the amount of physical memory present. If you do not plan to use the hibernation feature, you should ensure that it is disabled, or you are wasting disk space.
To disable hibernation:

Go to ’start/control panel/performance and maintenance/power options.’

Go to the ‘hibernate’ tab and uncheck the ‘enable hibernation’ check box.
19. Disable automatic sensing on network cards

This tweak may help your performance by reducing occasional ’slowdown’ periods of heavy CPU access for no apparent reason. By default, Windows XP automatically assesses the speed of your network card(s) and sets them accordingly. Apparently this process occurs at regular intervals, which can cause your system to slow occasionally. To remedy this, you can manually set the ‘media type’ of your network card to the correct value.

Right click on ‘my computer’ and select the ‘hardware’ tab.
Open ‘device manager.’

Find and highlight your network card(s). Right click it and Hit ‘properties.’

Go to the ‘advanced’ tab and highlight ‘media type.’ In the ‘value’ drop down box, select the correct speed for your network card. Press ‘ok.’

20. Use the prefetch switch to load applications faster

Windows XP’s media player has a little extra command included in its shortcut, the ‘/prefetch:1? switch. This helps the application load slightly faster. You can try out this possible performance boost on other programs by editing the shortcuts to the program in question.

To see an example, right click on windows media player shortcut and select Properties.

It should look like this: “C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe” /prefetch:1
Right click the shortcut and hit ‘properties.’

In the ‘target’ box, put ‘/prefetch:1? at the end of the line.
Press ‘ok.’

Note that this may cause loading errors in some programs. If it does not work, simply remove the /prefetch:1 entry from the shortcut.
21. Set DMA mode for all drives.

When Windows XP is installed, hard disks and CD drives may occasionally be set to the PIO mode for transferring data, which is slower than the default DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode used by all modern drives. A quick check of your drive settings can find and correct this error, allowing your drives to perform at their maximum.

To check and correct your hard drive and CD drive transfer settings right click ‘my computer’ and select properties, then the ‘hardware tab’ then the ‘device manager’ button.

Expand ‘IDE ATA\ATAPI controllers’ highlight ‘primary IDE channel’ and hit the ‘properties’ button.

Go to the ‘advanced settings’ tab, and ensure that the transfer mode is set to ‘DMA if available.’

Repeat the above steps for the secondary IDE channel.
22. Do a Windows repair install

If you have serious problems with XP performance, or you get errors, some system files can be damaged.

A repair installation re-writes all essential Windows XP system files and re-detects all hardware without affecting the registry, current desktop settings or user data stored on the hard drive. This is the only way short of a full installation that can recover from errors caused by installing a different motherboard in an XP system, for example.
To perform a repair installation:
Boot the system from your XP CD.

Choose the ‘press enter to set up Windows XP now’ option.

Press F8 to skip through the EULA (though if you haven’t read it before, you should now. See our legal article for details as to why.
Now press R to begin a repair installation.

Your system will go through the entire XP install process, but will not attempt to replace any of your existing data. It will simply reinstall the vital system files, fixing any that are corrupted or missing.
23. Stop hard disks spinning down

By default, windows xp spins down the hard drive after 20 minutes of inactivity to save power. This case cause serious delays if you want to use computer after this amount of time.

To disable hard disks spinning go to ’start/control panel/performance and maintenance/power options.’

Set the ‘turn off hard disks’ drop down box to ‘never.’ Click ‘ok.’
24. Reduce recycling bin reserved space

By default, Windows XP reserves 10 percent of each hard drive to store deleted files in the recycling bin. This is a bit excessive. Actually it’s a lot excessive, unless you habitually delete files a gigabyte in size or more. Fortunately, there is an easy way to reduce the amount of hard disk space that is reserved for the recycling bins on each drive.

Right click on the recycling bin and select ‘properties.’
Choose the ‘global’ tab.

The slider shows the percentage of each drive that is reserved by the recycling bin. Reduce this to a more appropriate amount, like 2-3% or more depending on the size of your drives. The larger the drives, the smaller the number you should use. If you wish to configure each drive independently, check the ‘configure drives independently’ button and adjust the slider to the desired amount in each of your hard disk’s tabs. The advantage to doing things this way instead of using the ‘global’ setting is that you can see the actual amount of space on each drive that is being reserved.

Note that files larger than the recycling bin’s capacity on a given drive are deleted for good. Windows XP will warn you when this condition occurs.
25. Enable write caching on hard disks

Enabling hard drive write caching will make transferring of data between hard drives and memory more efficient. If you have a hot-swappable drive rack, or if you expect your PC to be shut down incorrectly, don’t enable it.

To enable write caching right click on my computer and select ‘properties.’

Select the hardware tab, then ‘device manager.’ From the device manager window, expand ‘disk drives’ and highlight your hard disk. Select ‘properties’ then the ‘policies’ tab.

Check the ‘enable write caching on the disk’ box.

Repeat the above steps for all hard drives in your system.
26. Defragment your hard disk(s)

Probably you heard this many times, and if you don’t like to do things that you only hear, i will explain what is happening when you defragment your drives.

When an operating system writes data onto a hard drive, it will generally attempt to place the data on the drive as sequentially as possible, in order to facilitate faster retrieval of the information. Over the operational life of the drive, various factors can cause data to become scattered, or fragmented, over the surface of the drive.

This does not mean it cannot be read, since the file system retains a table which links each cluster (the smallest unit of storage available on a hard drive) of data with the other clusters on the disk that contain data for a particular file.

Fragmentation does slow down drive access considerably though, since the drive has to constantly seek for a new disk location to piece a file it is reading together from the fragmented clusters, rather than just being able to grab it off the disk in one continuous stream of data. Factors that can cause fragmentation include incomplete uninstalls of software, system crashes while the disk is in use, improper shutdown of the operating system, etc.

Defragmentation is the process of reassembling the data on the disk into coherent and sequential order, making disk access easier and faster. If your drive has gone a long while without being defragmented, you may find that this process restores a lot of zip to your Windows install. All recent versions of Windows include a built-in defragmentation utility.

To access this utility in Windows XP, go to ’start\programs\accessories\system tools\disk defragmenter.’

To begin with, you need to analyze your hard disk(s) to see if defragmentation is needed. Select a drive and hit the ‘analyze’ button. This could take a little while depending on the amount of data on the drive.

Once the analysis is finished, you will have a graphical representation of your disk’s level of fragmentation. See the pic below for an example of a highly fragmented drive (red indicates fragmented files).

Windows will also inform you if it recommends defragmenting the drive. You must have 15% of the drive free in order to fully defragment it. Anything less will result in only a partial re-ordering of the files. You may need to delete a few things to obtain this free space.

To defragment the drive, select it and hit the ‘defragment’ button. Note that depending on the size of the drive and the level of fragmentation, this can take a long time. It’s a good thing to leave overnight, since you should not run anything else while doing the defrag.
27. Turn off the indexing service

Windows XP have a feature to index all the files and directories on your PC. This tool helps when you search for a file on your computer, but if you don’t use search a lot you can disable it to improve performance.

To turn off file indexing go to Control Panel\Add/Remove Programs\Windows Components. and uncheck ‘Indexing Service.’

This Article was provided by ArticleGold: Article Directory

If you read this article, chances are you need to download new drivers for your video card.
It could be that you have problems with your graphic card, or that you bought a new card, and are not sure that the drivers included are the latest ones.
Either way, I think this article can help you out.
First of all, updating a driver is not as easy as you might think.
It is very important to always have compatibility in mind before you start looking for a driver for your video card.
If you get to the right source and download the wrong drivers, you will only end up with more problems than before.
If you end up at the wrong source for drivers, things could get even worse.
ASUS EAH5850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 graphics card
Image by Michael Thorne

First, lets talk a little about what a video (graphics) card really is.

A graphics card is a small peace of hard ware attached to the motherboard of the computer.
This cards efficiency is what determinates the quality of all graphic tasks your computer works on, like games, videos and pictures. as you understand having a quality video card that runs at its optimum capabilities is a must!
There are two kinds of slots available on computers for the video card.
They are called PCI slots, and AGP slots.
In my opinion the AGP slots are better, since it is of a newer, more advanced technology,
so it is faster than the PCI slots, and this helps your computer run better and complete tasks more efficiently.
However, keep in mind that the type of graphic card you coose depend on the type of
computer you have, since some computers dont have an AGP slot.
Also, it is imortant to know that all AGP slots are not created equal, so speed varies from computer to computer, even with the same type of video card.
Now, since you are here, chances are that the rpoblem is not with the hard ware, the graphics card it self , but probably with the software, the drivers
.
If this is the case, don't panic, I will show you step by step what you should do right now!
First, open up your device manager.
(If you don't know where it is, then just search for it in the search tab of your computer that pops up when you press the start button)

then open up the device manager by double clicking on it, and see what the current status of your graphics/video card drivers.
If everything is in order, you should see a green check mark right next to it.
But if you see an exclamation point, then you have to work to do my friend :-)

The first thing you should try to do is click on the graphic cards action tab, and the update device button.
If the drivers are easily attainable via windows update this should be enough.
If, however, you added your video card at a later stage, things could become a little more tricky.
In this case you have to download the newest drivers via the video cards manufacturers site.
first note down the making and model of your video card, as well as the manufacturer.
Then its time to go to look for the right drivers for your video card.

Hit your favorite search engine and search for the manufacturers home page.
Always make sure you are at the manufacturers official site when you use this method.
When you find it, look for downloads or support.
This is usually where the manufacturers have drivers for their products available for download.
Unfortunately every site is different, so you are on your own here.. :-)
When you find the downloads, make sure you download the correct driver for your video card, but also for your operation system (XP,VISTA).
Make sure that you remember where you download the needed driver.
(I always download it to my desktop, its always easier to find it there, and you can always move it later)

Now, all you have to do is to go back to the device manager and find the video card.
double click on it and then click on the upgrade driver button.
Browse to your desktop (or to where you downloaded your new driver) and update your drivers.
If your computer ask you to restart it, its always better you do it right away, to make sure all the new components are installed correctly.
Thats it, your done!
Happy video watching today!

Janne

This Article was provided by ArticleGold: Article Directory

The basic purpose of a health insurance software is to make insurance shopping a pleasurable and easier experience for the customers. For the agents and health insurance professionals, it should help them serve their clients better and faster.
basic functions of health insurance software are:

- Simplify insurance claims
- Frees up resources that are then used for serving the clients better
- Develop new products and solutions

There are various insurance softwares that cater to varied insurance needs such as basic record keeping, plan comparisons, claims processing, etc.

All health insurance software, though, have the following basic features:

- They speed up the claim process by reducing the paperwork
- Computerized records ensure that medical billing and insurance errors are almost nil
- Productivity and efficiency is improved that leads to increased customer satisfaction

Some of the basic softwares that an insurance company should incorporate in its web portal are:

1. Quote Engine: A quote engine will help a potential customer to find out all the health plans of the insurance company that are in accordance with the needs of the customer. A quote engine provides the insurance company an opportunity to showcase their products and services.
2. Comparison tool: Quote comparison is one the basic step before a customer decides on a plan. A comparison tool is a good way to advertise that if they shop from that particular portal, they will get the best value for money.
3. A basic record maintaining software that stores the administrative data of every client of the insurance company and every application that the company receives.
4. An Electronic Health Record (EHR) software that maintains the medical history of every client and which can be used as reference when deciding claims

It is not just about accessing the software, but a health insurance company should have careful considerations in mind before its decides to go in for any software on its internet platform.

• Make sure that the insurance software is HIPAA compliant. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act sets certain regulations and all insurance softwares should be HIPAA compatible.
• With the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act getting enforced, the new softwares also have to be in accordance with the new federal reforms.
• It should be easy to update the healthcare insurance software according to the latest premium rates and insurance regulations.

Healthcare insurance softwares are an important tool for insurance professionals to serve their clients efficiently. They help a great deal in knowing and purchasing of health plans and faster processing of applications and claims making the lives of consumers, brokers and insurance companies easier.
By: Shaun Mike
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Shaun Mike is well known authority on health insurance in the US. He is currently looking to expand his expertise to health insurance.
www.hcentive.com