Paging File on Second HDD

ReadyFreddie

What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.

You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use of a
spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth gaining
for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you will always be
a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy heights of
success.

However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer to
several questions:

1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?

2. What is the computer make and model?

3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ReadyFreddie wrote:
> Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
> comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
> moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
> improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops, write
> ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
> improvement was a complete unknown.
>
> After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
> trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
> you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil' Dave's
> post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to making a
> critical mistake is significant enough that I should just "leave it
> alone?"
>
> My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
> not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
> I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
>
>> ReadyFreddie
>>
>> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
>> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
>> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
>> pagefile as it is.
>>
>> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4 mb.
>> This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System Restore is
>> 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to
>> 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk space.
>>
>> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase performance.
>>
>> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
>> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
>> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
>> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
>> http://www.ccleaner.com/
>>
>> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
>> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
>> offers backup before removal.
>>
>> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
>> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
>> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
>> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer so
>> that they can easily be re-entered.
>>
>> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
>>
>> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp
>> for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
>> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
>> System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Gerry
>> ~~~~
>> FCA
>> Stourport, England
>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
>>>
>>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
>>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
>>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
>>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
>>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
>>>
>>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
>>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might see
>>> a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it appears
>>> that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless I add RAM,
>>> replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to avoid.
>>>
>>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
>>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased my
>>> primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It appears
>>> that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my primary
>>> drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't understand why
>>> that might improve performance. Can you elaborate on your
>>> recommendations?
>>>
>>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data around
>>> every day, I don't really understand completely the things you
>>> suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the degree of
>>> performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel comfy trying
>>> them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice like me. But thanks
>>> for your recommendations.
>>>
>>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
>>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
>>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
>>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty of
>>> memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
>>> So Thanks!
>>>
>>>> ReadyFreddie
>>>>
>>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
>>>>
>>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
>>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
>>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should retain
>>>> a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive. You
>>>> should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile partition
>>>> and I would make it a
>>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested should
>>>> ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be maintenance
>>>> free.
>>>>
>>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
>>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
>>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
>>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
>>>>
>>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
>>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
>>>>
>>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition
>>>> which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click
>>>> your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore.
>>>> Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings but this time find
>>>> the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and
>>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and
>>>> exit.
>>>>
>>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
>>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
>>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
>>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
>>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
>>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the same
>>>> time look at the number of days history is held.
>>>>
>>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive. Change
>>>> to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer place the
>>>> cursor
>>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global and
>>>> move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid letting it
>>>> get too full as if it is full and you delete a file by mistake it
>>>> will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
>>>>
>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp
>>>> to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files. Also
>>>> select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk
>>>> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the
>>>> latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>>>>
>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
>>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
>>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
>>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
>>>> existing file.
>>>>
>>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
>>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
>>>> set it to overwrite.
>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>>>>
>>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
>>>> of folders.
>>>>
>>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel, Internet
>>>> Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move Folder.
>>>>
>>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook Express
>>>> Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
>>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
>>>>
>>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
>>>>
>>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the Microsoft
>>>> Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents folder. For
>>>> Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight Documents,
>>>> click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to Tools,
>>>> Options, General and change default file path.
>>>>
>>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
>>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
>>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
>>>> powertoys, from here:
>>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
>>>>
>>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll down
>>>> to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the Change
>>>> Location button.
>>>>
>>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
>>>> reinstall.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Regards.
>>>>
>>>> Gerry
>>>> ~~~~
>>>> FCA
>>>> Stourport, England
>>>> Enquire, plan and execute
>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
>>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
>>>>> HDD is only about half full.
>>>>>
>>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
>>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
>>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
>>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
>>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage virtual
>>>>> memory, or could I specify a paging file size myself and squeeze
>>>>> a little more out of this poor old nag?
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there anything else I could move to the second drive to get
>>>>> even a smidgen improvement in performance? -Thanks!

The computer is a Gateway desktop, model on the invoice is simply Performance
1800. I bought it in July 2001. Has Intel P4 1.8GHz processor, 512MB RDRAM
PC800 memory. Primary hard drive is described as 40GB 7M Ultra ATA.

As for the second hard drive, can I get the needed info through software or
do I have to take it out of the PC it's in now and read a label?

If I understand correctly and everything is compatible, is your idea to
reformat and repartition the second drive, then move my personal data and
files to it - freeing up space on my primary drive? In novice terms, how will
that specifically improve my performance?
--
ReadyFreddie


"Gerry" wrote:

> ReadyFreddie
>
> What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
> result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.
>
> You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
> gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use of a
> spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
> suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth gaining
> for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you will always be
> a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy heights of
> success.
>
> However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer to
> several questions:
>
> 1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?
>
> 2. What is the computer make and model?
>
> 3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?
>
> --
>
>
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> > Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
> > comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
> > moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
> > improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops, write
> > ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
> > improvement was a complete unknown.
> >
> > After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
> > trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
> > you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil' Dave's
> > post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to making a
> > critical mistake is significant enough that I should just "leave it
> > alone?"
> >
> > My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
> > not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
> > I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
> >
> >> ReadyFreddie
> >>
> >> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
> >> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
> >> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
> >> pagefile as it is.
> >>
> >> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4 mb.
> >> This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System Restore is
> >> 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to
> >> 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk space.
> >>
> >> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase performance.
> >>
> >> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
> >> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
> >> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/
> >>
> >> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
> >> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
> >> offers backup before removal.
> >>
> >> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
> >> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
> >> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
> >> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer so
> >> that they can easily be re-entered.
> >>
> >> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
> >>
> >> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp
> >> for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
> >> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
> >> System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope this helps.
> >>
> >> Gerry
> >> ~~~~
> >> FCA
> >> Stourport, England
> >> Enquire, plan and execute
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
> >>>
> >>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
> >>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
> >>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
> >>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
> >>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
> >>>
> >>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
> >>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might see
> >>> a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it appears
> >>> that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless I add RAM,
> >>> replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to avoid.
> >>>
> >>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
> >>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased my
> >>> primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It appears
> >>> that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my primary
> >>> drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't understand why
> >>> that might improve performance. Can you elaborate on your
> >>> recommendations?
> >>>
> >>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data around
> >>> every day, I don't really understand completely the things you
> >>> suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the degree of
> >>> performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel comfy trying
> >>> them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice like me. But thanks
> >>> for your recommendations.
> >>>
> >>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
> >>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
> >>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
> >>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty of
> >>> memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
> >>> So Thanks!
> >>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie
> >>>>
> >>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
> >>>>
> >>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
> >>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
> >>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should retain
> >>>> a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive. You
> >>>> should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile partition
> >>>> and I would make it a
> >>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested should
> >>>> ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be maintenance
> >>>> free.
> >>>>
> >>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
> >>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
> >>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
> >>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
> >>>>
> >>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
> >>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition
> >>>> which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click
> >>>> your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore.
> >>>> Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings but this time find
> >>>> the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and
> >>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and
> >>>> exit.
> >>>>
> >>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
> >>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
> >>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
> >>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
> >>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
> >>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the same
> >>>> time look at the number of days history is held.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive. Change
> >>>> to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer place the
> >>>> cursor
> >>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global and
> >>>> move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid letting it
> >>>> get too full as if it is full and you delete a file by mistake it
> >>>> will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
> >>>>
> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp
> >>>> to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files. Also
> >>>> select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk
> >>>> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the
> >>>> latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>>>
> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
> >>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
> >>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
> >>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
> >>>> existing file.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
> >>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
> >>>> set it to overwrite.
> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
> >>>>
> >>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
> >>>> of folders.
> >>>>
> >>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel, Internet
> >>>> Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move Folder.
> >>>>
> >>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook Express
> >>>> Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
> >>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
> >>>>
> >>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
> >>>>
> >>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the Microsoft
> >>>> Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents folder. For
> >>>> Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight Documents,
> >>>> click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to Tools,
> >>>> Options, General and change default file path.
> >>>>
> >>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
> >>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
> >>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
> >>>> powertoys, from here:
> >>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
> >>>>
> >>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll down
> >>>> to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the Change
> >>>> Location button.
> >>>>
> >>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
> >>>> reinstall.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Regards.
> >>>>
> >>>> Gerry
> >>>> ~~~~
> >>>> FCA
> >>>> Stourport, England
> >>>> Enquire, plan and execute
> >>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
> >>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
> >>>>> HDD is only about half full.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
> >>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
> >>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
> >>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
> >>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage virtual
> >>>>> memory, or could I specify a paging file size myself and squeeze
> >>>>> a little more out of this poor old nag?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Is there anything else I could move to the second drive to get
> >>>>> even a smidgen improvement in performance? -Thanks!
>
>
>

I was email-notified of your response to my most recent post, but when I
looked at your post it wouldn't highlight and there was no visible text.
Either something went wrong with it or you're entering text while I'm
watching it.

My primary drive is a Western Digital WD400BB 7200rpm drive. I actually have
3 drives on my other PC, one of which is not being used, and that's the one
(defined as F) that I plan to remove and use as my secondary. I don't know
how to determine its spin speed. It appears to also be a WD drive, different
model number. Maybe I can find the speed on WD's Web site - I can't seem to
find it by viewing Properties for the drive).
--
ReadyFreddie


"Gerry" wrote:

> ReadyFreddie
>
> What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
> result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.
>
> You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
> gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use of a
> spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
> suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth gaining
> for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you will always be
> a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy heights of
> success.
>
> However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer to
> several questions:
>
> 1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?
>
> 2. What is the computer make and model?
>
> 3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?
>
> --
>
>
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> > Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
> > comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
> > moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
> > improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops, write
> > ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
> > improvement was a complete unknown.
> >
> > After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
> > trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
> > you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil' Dave's
> > post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to making a
> > critical mistake is significant enough that I should just "leave it
> > alone?"
> >
> > My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
> > not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
> > I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
> >
> >> ReadyFreddie
> >>
> >> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
> >> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
> >> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
> >> pagefile as it is.
> >>
> >> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4 mb.
> >> This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System Restore is
> >> 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to
> >> 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk space.
> >>
> >> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase performance.
> >>
> >> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
> >> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
> >> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/
> >>
> >> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
> >> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
> >> offers backup before removal.
> >>
> >> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
> >> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
> >> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
> >> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer so
> >> that they can easily be re-entered.
> >>
> >> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
> >>
> >> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp
> >> for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
> >> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
> >> System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope this helps.
> >>
> >> Gerry
> >> ~~~~
> >> FCA
> >> Stourport, England
> >> Enquire, plan and execute
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
> >>>
> >>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
> >>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
> >>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
> >>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
> >>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
> >>>
> >>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
> >>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might see
> >>> a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it appears
> >>> that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless I add RAM,
> >>> replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to avoid.
> >>>
> >>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
> >>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased my
> >>> primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It appears
> >>> that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my primary
> >>> drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't understand why
> >>> that might improve performance. Can you elaborate on your
> >>> recommendations?
> >>>
> >>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data around
> >>> every day, I don't really understand completely the things you
> >>> suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the degree of
> >>> performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel comfy trying
> >>> them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice like me. But thanks
> >>> for your recommendations.
> >>>
> >>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
> >>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
> >>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
> >>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty of
> >>> memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
> >>> So Thanks!
> >>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie
> >>>>
> >>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
> >>>>
> >>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
> >>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
> >>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should retain
> >>>> a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive. You
> >>>> should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile partition
> >>>> and I would make it a
> >>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested should
> >>>> ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be maintenance
> >>>> free.
> >>>>
> >>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
> >>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
> >>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
> >>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
> >>>>
> >>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
> >>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition
> >>>> which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click
> >>>> your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore.
> >>>> Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings but this time find
> >>>> the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and
> >>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and
> >>>> exit.
> >>>>
> >>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
> >>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
> >>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
> >>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
> >>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
> >>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the same
> >>>> time look at the number of days history is held.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive. Change
> >>>> to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer place the
> >>>> cursor
> >>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global and
> >>>> move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid letting it
> >>>> get too full as if it is full and you delete a file by mistake it
> >>>> will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
> >>>>
> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp
> >>>> to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files. Also
> >>>> select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk
> >>>> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the
> >>>> latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>>>
> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
> >>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
> >>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
> >>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
> >>>> existing file.
> >>>>
> >>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
> >>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
> >>>> set it to overwrite.
> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
> >>>>
> >>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
> >>>> of folders.
> >>>>
> >>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel, Internet
> >>>> Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move Folder.
> >>>>
> >>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook Express
> >>>> Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
> >>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
> >>>>
> >>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
> >>>>
> >>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the Microsoft
> >>>> Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents folder. For
> >>>> Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight Documents,
> >>>> click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to Tools,
> >>>> Options, General and change default file path.
> >>>>
> >>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
> >>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
> >>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
> >>>> powertoys, from here:
> >>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
> >>>>
> >>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll down
> >>>> to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the Change
> >>>> Location button.
> >>>>
> >>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
> >>>> reinstall.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Regards.
> >>>>
> >>>> Gerry
> >>>> ~~~~
> >>>> FCA
> >>>> Stourport, England
> >>>> Enquire, plan and execute
> >>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
> >>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
> >>>>> HDD is only about half full.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
> >>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
> >>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
> >>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
> >>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage virtual
> >>>>> memory, or could I specify a paging file size myself and squeeze
> >>>>> a little more out of this poor old nag?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Is there anything else I could move to the second drive to get
> >>>>> even a smidgen improvement in performance? -Thanks!
>
>
>

ReadyFreddie

You will not get significant improved improved performance. I thought I
had already made that clear! You also led me to believe you had a spare
hard drive but you now say this drive is in another computer. I think we
are both wasting our time.

http://support.gateway.com/s/manuals/servers/eseries/8507852.pdf

--



Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ReadyFreddie wrote:
> The computer is a Gateway desktop, model on the invoice is simply
> Performance 1800. I bought it in July 2001. Has Intel P4 1.8GHz
> processor, 512MB RDRAM PC800 memory. Primary hard drive is described
> as 40GB 7M Ultra ATA.
>
> As for the second hard drive, can I get the needed info through
> software or do I have to take it out of the PC it's in now and read a
> label?
>
> If I understand correctly and everything is compatible, is your idea
> to reformat and repartition the second drive, then move my personal
> data and files to it - freeing up space on my primary drive? In
> novice terms, how will that specifically improve my performance?
>
>> ReadyFreddie
>>
>> What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
>> result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.
>>
>> You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
>> gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use
>> of a spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
>> suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth
>> gaining for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you
>> will always be a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy
>> heights of success.
>>
>> However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer
>> to several questions:
>>
>> 1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?
>>
>> 2. What is the computer make and model?
>>
>> 3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Gerry
>> ~~~~
>> FCA
>> Stourport, England
>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>>> Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
>>> comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
>>> moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
>>> improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops,
>>> write ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
>>> improvement was a complete unknown.
>>>
>>> After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
>>> trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
>>> you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil'
>>> Dave's post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to
>>> making a critical mistake is significant enough that I should just
>>> "leave it alone?"
>>>
>>> My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
>>> not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
>>> I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
>>>
>>>> ReadyFreddie
>>>>
>>>> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
>>>> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
>>>> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
>>>> pagefile as it is.
>>>>
>>>> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4
>>>> mb. This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System
>>>> Restore is 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would
>>>> reduce it to 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk
>>>> space.
>>>>
>>>> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase
>>>> performance.
>>>>
>>>> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
>>>> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
>>>> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
>>>> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
>>>> http://www.ccleaner.com/
>>>>
>>>> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
>>>> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
>>>> offers backup before removal.
>>>>
>>>> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
>>>> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
>>>> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
>>>> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer
>>>> so that they can easily be re-entered.
>>>>
>>>> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
>>>>
>>>> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk
>>>> CleanUp for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System
>>>> Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all
>>>> but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>>
>>>> Gerry
>>>> ~~~~
>>>> FCA
>>>> Stourport, England
>>>> Enquire, plan and execute
>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>
>>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>>>>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
>>>>>
>>>>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
>>>>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
>>>>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
>>>>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
>>>>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
>>>>>
>>>>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
>>>>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might
>>>>> see a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it
>>>>> appears that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless
>>>>> I add RAM, replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to
>>>>> avoid.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
>>>>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased
>>>>> my primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It
>>>>> appears that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my
>>>>> primary drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't
>>>>> understand why that might improve performance. Can you elaborate
>>>>> on your recommendations?
>>>>>
>>>>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data
>>>>> around every day, I don't really understand completely the things
>>>>> you suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the
>>>>> degree of performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel
>>>>> comfy trying them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice
>>>>> like me. But thanks for your recommendations.
>>>>>
>>>>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
>>>>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
>>>>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
>>>>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty
>>>>> of memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
>>>>> So Thanks!
>>>>>
>>>>>> ReadyFreddie
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
>>>>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
>>>>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should
>>>>>> retain a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive.
>>>>>> You should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile
>>>>>> partition and I would make it a
>>>>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested
>>>>>> should ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be
>>>>>> maintenance free.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
>>>>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
>>>>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
>>>>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
>>>>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C
>>>>>> partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb.
>>>>>> Right click your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select
>>>>>> System Restore. Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings
>>>>>> but this time find the slider and drag it to the left until it
>>>>>> reads 700 mb and
>>>>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK
>>>>>> and exit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
>>>>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
>>>>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
>>>>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
>>>>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
>>>>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the
>>>>>> same time look at the number of days history is held.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive.
>>>>>> Change to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer
>>>>>> place the cursor
>>>>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global
>>>>>> and move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid
>>>>>> letting it get too full as if it is full and you delete a file
>>>>>> by mistake it will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
>>>>>> CleanUp to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet
>>>>>> Files. Also select Start, All Programs, accessories, System
>>>>>> Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all
>>>>>> but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
>>>>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
>>>>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
>>>>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
>>>>>> existing file.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
>>>>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
>>>>>> set it to overwrite.
>>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
>>>>>> of folders.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel,
>>>>>> Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move
>>>>>> Folder.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook
>>>>>> Express Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
>>>>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
>>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the
>>>>>> Microsoft Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents
>>>>>> folder. For Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight
>>>>>> Documents, click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to
>>>>>> Tools, Options, General and change default file path.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
>>>>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
>>>>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
>>>>>> powertoys, from here:
>>>>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll
>>>>>> down to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the
>>>>>> Change Location button.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
>>>>>> reinstall.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Regards.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Gerry
>>>>>> ~~~~
>>>>>> FCA
>>>>>> Stourport, England
>>>>>> Enquire, plan and execute
>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>>>>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
>>>>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
>>>>>>> HDD is only about half full.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
>>>>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
>>>>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
>>>>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
>>>>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage
>>>>>>> virtual memory, or could I specify a paging file size myself
>>>>>>> and squeeze a little more out of this poor old nag?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Is there anything else I could move to the second drive to get
>>>>>>> even a smidgen improvement in performance? -Thanks!

I'm sorry for misleading you. The other drive is a spare that I can remove
from another PC and use in mine as a secondary.

I'm afraid it wasn't clear to me that I wouldn't see much improvement. I've
gone back through the posts and that statement still eludes me. I won't
bother you with this any more - will leave everything as is.
--
ReadyFreddie


"Gerry" wrote:

> ReadyFreddie
>
> You will not get significant improved improved performance. I thought I
> had already made that clear! You also led me to believe you had a spare
> hard drive but you now say this drive is in another computer. I think we
> are both wasting our time.
>
> http://support.gateway.com/s/manuals/servers/eseries/8507852.pdf
>
> --
>
>
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> > The computer is a Gateway desktop, model on the invoice is simply
> > Performance 1800. I bought it in July 2001. Has Intel P4 1.8GHz
> > processor, 512MB RDRAM PC800 memory. Primary hard drive is described
> > as 40GB 7M Ultra ATA.
> >
> > As for the second hard drive, can I get the needed info through
> > software or do I have to take it out of the PC it's in now and read a
> > label?
> >
> > If I understand correctly and everything is compatible, is your idea
> > to reformat and repartition the second drive, then move my personal
> > data and files to it - freeing up space on my primary drive? In
> > novice terms, how will that specifically improve my performance?
> >
> >> ReadyFreddie
> >>
> >> What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
> >> result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.
> >>
> >> You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
> >> gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use
> >> of a spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
> >> suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth
> >> gaining for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you
> >> will always be a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy
> >> heights of success.
> >>
> >> However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer
> >> to several questions:
> >>
> >> 1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?
> >>
> >> 2. What is the computer make and model?
> >>
> >> 3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope this helps.
> >>
> >> Gerry
> >> ~~~~
> >> FCA
> >> Stourport, England
> >> Enquire, plan and execute
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >>
> >> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>> Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
> >>> comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
> >>> moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
> >>> improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops,
> >>> write ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
> >>> improvement was a complete unknown.
> >>>
> >>> After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
> >>> trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
> >>> you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil'
> >>> Dave's post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to
> >>> making a critical mistake is significant enough that I should just
> >>> "leave it alone?"
> >>>
> >>> My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
> >>> not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
> >>> I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
> >>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie
> >>>>
> >>>> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
> >>>> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
> >>>> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
> >>>> pagefile as it is.
> >>>>
> >>>> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4
> >>>> mb. This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System
> >>>> Restore is 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would
> >>>> reduce it to 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk
> >>>> space.
> >>>>
> >>>> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase
> >>>> performance.
> >>>>
> >>>> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
> >>>> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
> >>>> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
> >>>> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
> >>>> http://www.ccleaner.com/
> >>>>
> >>>> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
> >>>> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
> >>>> offers backup before removal.
> >>>>
> >>>> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
> >>>> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
> >>>> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
> >>>> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer
> >>>> so that they can easily be re-entered.
> >>>>
> >>>> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
> >>>>
> >>>> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk
> >>>> CleanUp for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System
> >>>> Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all
> >>>> but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Hope this helps.
> >>>>
> >>>> Gerry
> >>>> ~~~~
> >>>> FCA
> >>>> Stourport, England
> >>>> Enquire, plan and execute
> >>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>>>
> >>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>>>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
> >>>>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
> >>>>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
> >>>>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
> >>>>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
> >>>>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might
> >>>>> see a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it
> >>>>> appears that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless
> >>>>> I add RAM, replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to
> >>>>> avoid.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
> >>>>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased
> >>>>> my primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It
> >>>>> appears that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my
> >>>>> primary drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't
> >>>>> understand why that might improve performance. Can you elaborate
> >>>>> on your recommendations?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data
> >>>>> around every day, I don't really understand completely the things
> >>>>> you suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the
> >>>>> degree of performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel
> >>>>> comfy trying them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice
> >>>>> like me. But thanks for your recommendations.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
> >>>>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
> >>>>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
> >>>>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty
> >>>>> of memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
> >>>>> So Thanks!
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> ReadyFreddie
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
> >>>>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
> >>>>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should
> >>>>>> retain a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive.
> >>>>>> You should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile
> >>>>>> partition and I would make it a
> >>>>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested
> >>>>>> should ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be
> >>>>>> maintenance free.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
> >>>>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
> >>>>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
> >>>>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
> >>>>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C
> >>>>>> partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb.
> >>>>>> Right click your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select
> >>>>>> System Restore. Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings
> >>>>>> but this time find the slider and drag it to the left until it
> >>>>>> reads 700 mb and
> >>>>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK
> >>>>>> and exit.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
> >>>>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
> >>>>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
> >>>>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
> >>>>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
> >>>>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the
> >>>>>> same time look at the number of days history is held.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive.
> >>>>>> Change to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer
> >>>>>> place the cursor
> >>>>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global
> >>>>>> and move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid
> >>>>>> letting it get too full as if it is full and you delete a file
> >>>>>> by mistake it will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
> >>>>>> CleanUp to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet
> >>>>>> Files. Also select Start, All Programs, accessories, System
> >>>>>> Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all
> >>>>>> but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
> >>>>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
> >>>>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
> >>>>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
> >>>>>> existing file.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
> >>>>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
> >>>>>> set it to overwrite.
> >>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
> >>>>>> of folders.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel,
> >>>>>> Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move
> >>>>>> Folder.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook
> >>>>>> Express Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
> >>>>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
> >>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the
> >>>>>> Microsoft Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents
> >>>>>> folder. For Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight
> >>>>>> Documents, click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to
> >>>>>> Tools, Options, General and change default file path.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
> >>>>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
> >>>>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
> >>>>>> powertoys, from here:
> >>>>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll
> >>>>>> down to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the
> >>>>>> Change Location button.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
> >>>>>> reinstall.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> --
> >>>>>> Regards.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Gerry
> >>>>>> ~~~~
> >>>>>> FCA
> >>>>>> Stourport, England
> >>>>>> Enquire, plan and execute
> >>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
> >>>>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
> >>>>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
> >>>>>>> HDD is only about half full.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
> >>>>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
> >>>>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
> >>>>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
> >>>>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage

Western Digital hard drives have a physical label that note their model
number. Some digits towards the end on the label may not be used for
seeking their actual model number at the Western Digital website. Western
Digital has 2 websites that are virtually identical.
www.westerndigital.com
www.wdc.com

You're obviously using all ide drives. Pay attention to the jumper
settings. WD has master alone, master w/slave, slave, and cable-select.
-----
Dave

Similarities between Enron originated money crisis
and todays current economical crisis.
Same banks too big to fail that invested in Enron then and bad mortgages of
today.
The mindset of Enron keeping its false books, and the mindset of todays' bad
mortgage balance sheets before all was exposed.
Lack of conscience then and now.
President G. W. Bush
"ReadyFreddie" <ReadyFreddie.DeleteThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EED33FB2-776A-4EC8-AA7E-1B36E8B7C2EB@microsoft.com...
>I was email-notified of your response to my most recent post, but when I
> looked at your post it wouldn't highlight and there was no visible text.
> Either something went wrong with it or you're entering text while I'm
> watching it.
>
> My primary drive is a Western Digital WD400BB 7200rpm drive. I actually
> have
> 3 drives on my other PC, one of which is not being used, and that's the
> one
> (defined as F) that I plan to remove and use as my secondary. I don't know
> how to determine its spin speed. It appears to also be a WD drive,
> different
> model number. Maybe I can find the speed on WD's Web site - I can't seem
> to
> find it by viewing Properties for the drive).
> --
> ReadyFreddie
>
>
> "Gerry" wrote:
>
>> ReadyFreddie
>>
>> What Lil' Dave's has suggested is another way to achieve a similar
>> result. Althought I would suggest a slight modification.
>>
>> You need not introduce a second hard drive to achieve a performance
>> gain. What it achieves is to give you more disk space and makes use of a
>> spare hard disk that otherwise would not be used. What is being
>> suggested is not overcomplicated and would be experience worth gaining
>> for the future. Unless you learn by taking easy steps you will always be
>> a novice and most of us aspire to achieving the dizzy heights of
>> success.
>>
>> However, to assess how easy it will be I think we need you to answer to
>> several questions:
>>
>> 1. Is your computer a desktop or a laptop?
>>
>> 2. What is the computer make and model?
>>
>> 3. What is the size, make and model of the spare hard drive?
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Gerry
>> ~~~~
>> FCA
>> Stourport, England
>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>> > Gerry, thanks for your involvement in this discussion. I value your
>> > comments highly. At the outset, one of my speculations was that
>> > moving the paging file and personal files/data to a second HDD would
>> > improve overall performance by reducing the number of read ops, write
>> > ops, and related seek ops on my primary drive. The amount of
>> > improvement was a complete unknown.
>> >
>> > After all the dialog, it appears that accomplishing this is not a
>> > trivial task and a good part of it is beyond my ability. So.... do
>> > you think it's reasonable (also taking into consideration Lil' Dave's
>> > post of 2/1/2009) for me to conclude that the exposure to making a
>> > critical mistake is significant enough that I should just "leave it
>> > alone?"
>> >
>> > My other point is that even a significant amount of improvement may
>> > not justify the work required. What do you think about that? Perhaps
>> > I should just sit tight and save for a new PC.
>> >
>> >> ReadyFreddie
>> >>
>> >> The pagefile suggestions will not make a significance difference to
>> >> performance. If you add the second hard drive to increase available
>> >> disk space. If you do not need extra disk space then leave the
>> >> pagefile as it is.
>> >>
>> >> The suggestions regard disk space should have yielded more than 4 mb.
>> >> This suggestion alone "The default allocation to System Restore is
>> >> 12% on your C partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to
>> >> 700 mb." should have provided 4 gb extra free disk space.
>> >>
>> >> What are you doing for housekeeping? This will increase performance.
>> >>
>> >> An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a
>> >> more thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for
>> >> each user profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
>> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
>> >> http://www.ccleaner.com/
>> >>
>> >> With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
>> >> should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
>> >> offers backup before removal.
>> >>
>> >> When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
>> >> History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one
>> >> has irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
>> >> recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer so
>> >> that they can easily be re-entered.
>> >>
>> >> Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.
>> >>
>> >> cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp
>> >> for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
>> >> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
>> >> System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hope this helps.
>> >>
>> >> Gerry
>> >> ~~~~
>> >> FCA
>> >> Stourport, England
>> >> Enquire, plan and execute
>> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> >>
>> >> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>> >>> Wow, this certainly has stirred up a lot of dialog.
>> >>>
>> >>> As you mention in a subsequent reply to SC Tom, there aren't a lot
>> >>> of folks around with the depth of knowledge to carry off all these
>> >>> changes. I did decrease the default allocations for the things you
>> >>> mentioned and did the other stuff. I may see a slight improvement,
>> >>> but it isn't much (didn't expect anything to knock my socks off).
>> >>>
>> >>> I started this on the premise that if I decreased the load on my
>> >>> primary HDD by moving the paging file to a second drive, I might see
>> >>> a performance increase. After digesting all the comments, it appears
>> >>> that what I see is probably all I'm going to get - unless I add RAM,
>> >>> replace the processor/MB, etc. That's what I wanted to avoid.
>> >>>
>> >>> I was looking for a quick way to get a little more oomph. I think
>> >>> that's what I got, thanks to your suggestions Gerry. I increased my
>> >>> primary drive's free space by about 4MB - not bad at all. It appears
>> >>> that all your suggestions focus on freeing up space on my primary
>> >>> drive, right? From a novice's perspective, I don't understand why
>> >>> that might improve performance. Can you elaborate on your
>> >>> recommendations?
>> >>>
>> >>> Because I don't install HDDs, define partitions, or move data around
>> >>> every day, I don't really understand completely the things you
>> >>> suggest in your second paragraph or have a feel for the degree of
>> >>> performance gain I might see, so I really don't feel comfy trying
>> >>> them. Too much exposure to mistakes for a novice like me. But thanks
>> >>> for your recommendations.
>> >>>
>> >>> I freed up a lot of space on my primary drive. Guess I'll have to
>> >>> wait until my budget permits me to get a new PC. I think that even
>> >>> though I surf the Web, use email, and do word processing, I'll opt
>> >>> for a gaming-oriented PC with a powerful graphics card and plenty of
>> >>> memory. Hopefully, the other apps will be happy.
>> >>> So Thanks!
>> >>>
>> >>>> ReadyFreddie
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Are the read / write speeds for each drive the same?
>> >>>>
>> >>>> It would best if you partitioned the second drive. Create two
>> >>>> partitions. The first say 1.5 gb to take your page file and the
>> >>>> second should take up the remainder of the drive. You should retain
>> >>>> a fixed 50 mb min = max pagefile on the first hard drive. You
>> >>>> should not put any other files in the dedicated pagefile partition
>> >>>> and I would make it a
>> >>>> 1.4 gb min = max pagefile. Doing it the way I have suggested should
>> >>>> ensure both pagefiles are contiguous and they will be maintenance
>> >>>> free.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Leave the Windows and programme files on the first drive. Apart
>> >>>> from these you can move as many of the other files as you want to
>> >>>> the second drive. Your objective you be to ensure that you have
>> >>>> always a minimum of 20 / 25% free disk space on each drive.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> There are many other options for increasing free disk space on a
>> >>>> Windows partition if you have another partition / drive.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition
>> >>>> which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click
>> >>>> your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore.
>> >>>> Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings but this time find
>> >>>> the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and
>> >>>> exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and
>> >>>> exit.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Another default setting which could be wasteful is that for
>> >>>> temporary internet files, especially if you do not store offline
>> >>>> copies on disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending
>> >>>> on your attitude to offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or
>> >>>> 2%. In Internet Explorer select Tools, Internet Options, General,
>> >>>> Temporary Internet Files, Settings to make the change. At the same
>> >>>> time look at the number of days history is held.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> The default allocation for the Recycle Bin is 10 % of drive. Change
>> >>>> to 5%, which should be sufficient. In Windows Explorer place the
>> >>>> cursor
>> >>>> on your Recycle Bin, right click and select Properties, Global and
>> >>>> move the slider from 10% to 5%. However, try to avoid letting it
>> >>>> get too full as if it is full and you delete a file by mistake it
>> >>>> will bypass the Recycle Bin and be gone for ever.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp
>> >>>> to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files. Also
>> >>>> select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk
>> >>>> CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the
>> >>>> latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System
>> >>>> Information, Tools, Dr Watson and verify that the box before
>> >>>> "Append to existing log" is NOT checked. This means the next time
>> >>>> the log is written it will overwrite rather than add to the
>> >>>> existing file.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> The default maximum size setting for Event Viewer logs is too
>> >>>> large. Reset the maximum for each log from 512 kb to 128 kb and
>> >>>> set it to overwrite.
>> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>> >>>>
>> >>>> You can generate more space in the system partition by relocation
>> >>>> of folders.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> For Temporary Internet Files select Start, Control Panel, Internet
>> >>>> Options, Temporary Internet Files. Settings, Move Folder.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> To move the Outlook Express Store Folder select in Outlook Express
>> >>>> Tools, Options, Maintenance, Store Folder, Change.
>> >>>> http://www.tomsterdam.com/insideoe/files/store.htm
>> >>>>
>> >>>> How to Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder:
>> >>>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310147
>> >>>>
>> >>>> You may also need to change Default File locations in the Microsoft
>> >>>> Office programmes you choose to move the My Documents folder. For
>> >>>> Word go to Tools, Options, File Locations, highlight Documents,
>> >>>> click on Modify and change file path. For Excel go to Tools,
>> >>>> Options, General and change default file path.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> My Documents is one of a number of system created Special Folders
>> >>>> including My Pictures and My Music. These can more easily be
>> >>>> relocated using Tweak Ui. Download TweakUI, one of the MS
>> >>>> powertoys, from here:
>> >>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
>> >>>>
>> >>>> In TweakUi select My Computer, Special Folders. You can scroll down
>> >>>> to see the full list of Special Folders to the left of the Change
>> >>>> Location button.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> You can move programmes but to do this you have to uninstall and
>> >>>> reinstall.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> Regards.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Gerry
>> >>>> ~~~~
>> >>>> FCA
>> >>>> Stourport, England
>> >>>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> >>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> ReadyFreddie wrote:
>> >>>>> Because of the economy, I'm forced to keep using a vintage PC -
>> >>>>> 1.8GHz P4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, and Windows XP Home Edition. The
>> >>>>> HDD is only about half full.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> It is an old workhorse and I'd like to try improving its
>> >>>>> performance a bit if possible. Would I gain anything at all by
>> >>>>> installing a second hard drive (surplus from another PC) and
>> >>>>> moving the paging file from the C: drive to the second one? If
>> >>>>> yes, would it be best to I let Windows continue to manage virtual
>> >>>>> memory, or could I specify a paging file size myself and squeeze
>> >>>>> a little more out of this poor old nag?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Is there anything else I could move to the second drive to get
>> >>>>> even a smidgen improvement in performance? -Thanks!
>>
>>
>>