Windows VistaInside Out :Windows VistaInside Out Chapter 20 - Performing Routine Maintenance Last modified 10-17-07 11 am


Maintenance :Maintenance Check your disks for errors. Defragment your hard disks. Make sure that you have enough space on your hard disk Perform regular backups


Editions :Editions Backup Utility in Vista Home Basic and Home Premium lacks these features: Cannot create a Complete PC Backup Cannot back up to a network drive Cannot automatically schedule backups The other things in the chapter are the same for all editions


Checking Disks for Errors :Checking Disks for Errors Disk errors can prevent files from opening, or cause blue-screen errors Windows can recover automatically from many disk errors, especially on drives formatted with NTFS Windows Check Disk utility, chkdsk.exe, does a more thorough test Two versions of this utility Graphical version that performs basic disk-checking functions Command-line version that provides more options


To Check for Errors :To Check for Errors Open Computer Right-click the drive Properties Tools tab Check Now


To Check for Errors :To Check for Errors Automatically Fix File System Errors Equivalent to Chkdsk /F Scan For And Attempt Recovery Of Bad Sectors Automatically repairs file system errors too, even if other box is not checked Equivalent to Chkdsk /R If you simply want a report of file system errors without making changes, leave both boxes unchecked


Checking System Volumes :Checking System Volumes If you selected the Automatically Fix File System Errors On a drive with open files The disk check occurs the next time you start Windows


It Can Take a Long Time :It Can Take a Long Time Once started, the Check Disk operation cannot be stopped except by pressing your computer’s power switch On very large drives (60 GB and larger), the full disk check can takes hours or even days to complete.


Windows 9x :Windows 9x Check Disk runs automatically if the file system is "dirty"— data was not properly read or written NTFS disks don’t get dirty as much as FAT32 ones To see if your disk is dirty, use this command chkntfs d: See link Ch 20a


Command-line Check Disk :Command-line Check Disk At an Administrator Command Prompt Chkdsk d: Scans disk d: in read-only mode, displaying drive status but not making any changes Switches /F fix any errors /V verbose /R Identifies bad sectors and recovers information from those sectors if possible


Chkdsk in the Windows Recovery Environment :Chkdsk in the Windows Recovery Environment Only two switches are available for Chkdsk in the Windows Recovery Environment /P Performs an exhaustive check of the current disk. /R Repairs damage on the current disk.


Defragmenting Disks for Better Performance :Defragmenting Disks for Better Performance On a freshly formatted hard disk, Windows writes a file in contiguous clusters (in order) Reading and writing go faster with contiguous clusters


Defragmenting Disks for Better Performance :Defragmenting Disks for Better Performance As you delete files and save new ones, the files get fragmented Scattered them over the hard disk into many noncontiguous pieces Disk Defragmenter rearranges files so that they’re stored in contiguous clusters


Automatic Defragmentaion :Automatic Defragmentaion On the Tools tab in a drive's Properties sheet Click "Defragment Now" Runs once a week automatically in Vista


Third-Party Defragmenters :Third-Party Defragmenters See link Ch 20b for a free third-party defragmenter that is claimed to be 10 times faster than Vista's built-in one contig.exe and PowerDefragmenter


Command-Line Version Defrag :Command-Line Version Defrag defrag d: where d is the drive letter switches: -a Analyzes -r Only consolidates file fragments below 64 MB in size (default) -w consolidates all file fragments, regardless of size


Disk Defragmenter Limitations :Disk Defragmenter Limitations Must have at least 15 percent free for complete defragmentation You cannot defragment a volume that has errors First run chkdsk d: /f The Disk Defragmenter does not defragment files in the Recycle Bin Empty the Recycle Bin before defragmenting


Managing Disk Space :Managing Disk Space Clear out temporary files that you no longer need Uninstall programs you don’t need Uninstall Windows components you don’t need Delete documents you don’t need On NTFS volumes, use real-time file compression


Disk Cleanup :Disk Cleanup If you click a "low disk space" warning, this tool opens automatically To start it manually Right-click drive icon in the Computer window, Properties, on General tab, "Disk Cleanup" Cleanmgr.exe at a command prompt


More Disk Cleanup Options :More Disk Cleanup Options Deleting System Restore points and backups can save space, but it's dangerous


NTFS File Compression :NTFS File Compression Compression and ZIP files can be used to save space, as we already covered in an earlier chapter


Backup :Backup The Windows Vista Backup utility In Control Panel Home Editions don't offer "Complete PC Backup" option


Two Kinds of Backups :Two Kinds of Backups Back Up Files wizard Backs up personal files, not programs or system files Windows Complete PC Backup Creates an image of your entire system drive and other drives you specify Not available in Home Basic or Home Premium editions


Backup Status and Configuration :Backup Status and Configuration Another way to manage backups Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools


Backup Destinations :Backup Destinations An internal hard drive It's recommended not to use another partition on the same hard drive Vista is installed on, because a disk failure will destroy the backups An external hard drive USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) A shared network location This option is not available for Complete PC backups Not available for Vista Home Basic Removable media, such as writable CDs or DVDs The Backup program will prompt you to swap media as needed


Windows VistaInside Out :Windows VistaInside Out Chapter 21 - Tuning Up and Monitoring Performance Last modified 10-15-07


Editions :Editions All of the tools described in this chapter are available in all editions of Vista


Performance Monitoring Tools :Performance Monitoring Tools Static snapshots System Health Report Windows Experience Index Reliability Monitor Real-time data Windows Task Manager Resource Overview Performance Monitor


Performance-enhancing Technologies :Performance-enhancing Technologies SuperFetch Adjust caching to match the way you use your computer ReadyBoost Uses a USB 2.0 flash memory stick or other external memory to cache ReadyDrive Supports hybrid hard disk drives Containing nonvolatile flash memory (NVRAM) as well as conventional rotating disk media


Basic Strategies for Improving Performance :Basic Strategies for Improving Performance Ensuring that you have adequate RAM Ensuring that you have an adequate virtual-memory configuration Using ReadyBoost Managing startup programs Keeping your disks defragmented Maintaining adequate free space on your disks Avoiding tweaks of dubious value


Adequate RAM :Adequate RAM “Windows Vista Capable” is 512 MB, intended for Vista Home Basic “Windows Vista Premium Ready” is 1 GB, intended for the other editions of Vista Double that RAM for better performance


Resource Overview :Resource Overview In "Reliability and Performance Monitor" If Memory is often above 60%, get more RAM A lot of hard faults also indicate a lack of RAM Off the top of the graph frequently


Hard Faults :Hard Faults A block of memory needed by the operating system has to be fetched from the page file on the hard disk A high number of hard faults means that virtual memory is being used a lot, which slows performance drastically Solution: get more RAM


Virtual Memory :Virtual Memory A file on disk that is used to store data when RAM is full Also called the "page file" or "swap file" Starts at 1.5x the size of physical RAM On the root of the system volume


Virtual Memory Settings :Virtual Memory Settings Start, right-click Computer, Properties Advanced System Settings In System Properties, on the Advanced tab, in the Performance section, click Settings In Performance Options, click the Advanced tab Click "Change"


Page File Management :Page File Management If you have a second disk drive, you may get better performance by putting some page file space there Don't bother if you have two partitions on the same physical hard drive Leave some page file on the system drive for crash dumps


ReadyBoost :ReadyBoost Flash memory offers lower seek times than hard disks A USB flash memory stick can cache small files faster than a hard disk Performance improvement seems small if you have 1 GB or more of RAM See links Ch 21a-21d


Managing Startup Programs :Managing Startup Programs Too many startup programs slow a machine


Keeping Your Disks Defragmented :Keeping Your Disks Defragmented By default, Vista defragments your disk automatically each week You shouldn't need to do anything further


Maintaining Adequate Free Space on Your Disks :Maintaining Adequate Free Space on Your Disks Disk Cleanup can help


Page File Myths :Page File Myths With 1 GB or more RAM, you should eliminate the swap file Windows wasn't designed to run without a swap file Creating a swap file of a fixed size improves performance This was true on 1990s-vintage hardware, but not any more


Prefetch Folder :Prefetch Folder The Prefetch folder contains an index to segments of frequently used files This speeds up performance Don't turn it off It doesn't need to be manually cleared—it does that automatically


Taking Performance Snapshots :Taking Performance Snapshots The Windows Experience Index The System Diagnostics Report The Reliability Monitor


Windows Experience Index :Windows Experience Index Start, right-click Computer, Properties Windows Experience Index


System Diagnostics Report :System Diagnostics Report Logo, PERF, Performance Information and Tools, Advanced Tools, Generate a System Health Report


Monitoring Performance in Real Time :Monitoring Performance in Real Time Task Manager Resource Overview A component of the Reliability and Performance Monitor Performance Monitor A component of the Reliability and Performance Monitor


Windows Task Manager :Windows Task Manager Ctrl+Shift+Esc Performance tab shows CPU and memory usage Options, Always on Top to control window's placement


Page File Fraction :Page File Fraction Fraction is (Page file currently used) / (Physical Memory + Page File)


Processes Tab :Processes Tab By default, only the processes directly controlled by the user are shown "Show processes from all users" to see them all


Process Information :Process Information For each process, Windows Task Manager shows: Image Name (the name of the process) PID (Process ID) User Name (which user started the process) CPU (% currently using) Memory (Private Working Set) The amount of memory the process requires to perform its regular functions


Select Columns :Select Columns View, Select Columns to customize Task Manager


Resource Overview :Resource Overview Logo, REL, "Reliability and Performance Monitor" Four graphs Details by process below


Performance Monitor :Performance Monitor For Advanced System Analysis