I get impatient waiting for my Vista PC to boot up. I could just leave the machine in sleep mode, but going long stretches without rebooting can cause problems of its own.
Instead of relying on sleep mode to get my workday started faster, I make it a habit to open Windows' list of start-up apps on a regular basis to determine whether any rogue programs have slipped in, slowing my start-ups unnecessarily. It seems that every time I check the list, some entry catches me by surprise.
To view your start-up apps in XP, click Start > Run, type msconfig.exe, press Enter, and click the Startup tab. You can follow these steps to open the System Configuration utilities' Startup tab in Vista as well, but I recommend you use Windows Defender's Software Explorer instead. To open Software Explorer, press the Windows key, type windows defender, and press Enter. Then click Tools > Software Explorer, and choose Startup Programs on the Category drop-down menu.
On my Vista laptop, Microsoft dominates the list with nine entries. HP, the machine's vendor, is next with six start-up programs, though they're listed in five different entries, one of which isn't labeled as belonging to HP but rather as "Publisher Not Identified." The file name is "HPHCScheduler.exe" and it's stored in an HP folder, so it's not hard to guess who's responsible for it.
Select entries in Vista's Software Explorer to get more information about your start-up apps.
(Credit: Microsoft)As I worked my way through the Microsoft section of the start-up list on my Vista laptop, two entries caught my eye: Microsoft Media Center Tray Applet and Microsoft Userinit Logon Application. (The other Microsoft start-up apps were OneNote, Windows Explorer, Windows Defender, and four Rundll32 host processes--all either required by Windows or chosen explicitly by me to start automatically.)
I searched the name of the Media Center Tray Applet--ehtray.exe--and learned that it is used for viewing TV and other video. I also found out that it isn't essential and will start automatically when Media Center requires it, so the program doesn't really belong in my start-up list.
A similar search of the file name userinit.exe for the Userinit Logon Application made it clear that this is an essential Windows file that needs to start automatically. The program manages the boot sequence.
Figuring out what to do with the HP programs was tougher. The first two entries were for CyberLink's QuickPlay, a media player with functions similar to Windows' own Media Player, and Quick Launch Buttons, which activate the keyboard's multimedia controls.
HPHC_Scheduler.exe wasn't identified as an HP program in Software Explorer's start-up list, but it's associated with the HP Health Check Scheduler, the company's own built-in diagnostic utility. Likewise, the "hpwuSched Application" (which checks for updates from the company) and two HP Wireless Assistant utilities are worth retaining as auto-start apps.
After you've worked through your list of start-up apps, check your currently running processes. In Software Explorer, select Currently Running Programs on the Category drop-down menu. In XP, you can view the programs running on your PC by pressing Ctrl-Shift-Esc or Ctrl-Alt-Delete to open Task Manager and then clicking the Processes tab (not the Applications tab).
The entry that caught my eye on this list was "HpqToaster.exe." Like HPHC_Scheduler.exe, the program was not identified as an HP app but was stored in an HP folder. I searched the Internet for an explanation of this file but found out only that it may be a "gateway" utility used by other HP programs.
There's a good chance that "HpqToaster.exe" serves a valuable purpose and poses no risk to the security of my system, but I'll never know for sure. I don't understand why hardware and software vendors make it so difficult for their customers to figure out exactly what programs are running on their systems, and why they sometimes--or always--run without you starting them.
In researching these mystery executable files, I saw repeated references to problems related to them, such as security vulnerabilities with HP's Quick Launch Buttons. On the long list of Windows enhancements I'd like to see is a file-name library that describes what each executable file does and why you do--or don't--need it.
After I compared three popular desktop-search programs a couple of weeks ago, the folks at Google contacted me about a couple of inaccuracies in that post. I had thought that because local files are listed above Web sites when you use Google to search in your browser, the ads that appear on the results page are related to the content of the local files. In fact, Google keeps an index of your local files on its servers only when you enable the Search Across Computers feature, which is off by default. And even then, the index disappears once the search results are delivered. Otherwise the index of your local files resides only on your machine.
The post also stated that Google Desktop Search slows down your PC as it creates and maintains its index of local files. That may be true on Windows XP systems, though the impact is greatest when you install the program and it creates its initial index, but on Vista the search tool uses the OS's own Indexing Service. I use Google Desktop Search on my four-year-old XP machine, and when I uninstalled the program as part of my testing, it appeared to me that the system ran faster, though I didn't perform any precise measurements.
The upshot is that after the initial index, Google Desktop Search affects system performance about the same as any other always-on application (most of which are represented by icons in your system tray). Nor does it pose more or less of a security risk than the other desktop programs you use. (I still prefer Copernic Desktop Search for its easy customization options and clear interface.)
Boost performance by tweaking Vista's indexing options
Just because the Vista version Google's desktop-search tool uses the same indexer as the OS doesn't mean you can't improve its performance by deciding for yourself what file locations it should include in its index. Click Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Indexing Options. Choose Modify > Show All Locations, and uncheck the folders and storage devices you want to exclude. When you're done, click OK to return to the Indexing Options dialog box.
Uncheck the locations you want to exclude from Vista's index of local files.
(Credit: Microsoft)You can also exclude specific file types from the index by clicking Advanced > File Types, and unchecking the entries you want the index to skip.
Tell Vista's indexer to exclude file types by unchecking their entry in the Advanced Indexing Options dialog.
(Credit: Microsoft)Entries under the Index Settings tab let you index encrypted files, move your index to another location, rebuild it, or restore its default settings. After you click OK, you may be warned that "Indexing speed is reduced due to user activity."
Change the location of your index file and make other index tweaks via Vista's Advanced Indexing Options dialog box.
(Credit: Microsoft)Another way to disable indexing of a particular drive is to right-click it in Windows Explorer or other folder window, choose Properties, and uncheck "Index this drive for faster searching." The fastest way to disable Vista's built-in search entirely is to press the Windows key, type services, arrow down to Services, and press Enter. Double-click Windows Search, choose Disabled in the Startup type drop-down menu, click OK, and close the Services window.
Disable Vista's automatic search service by choosing Disabled under Startup type in its Properties dialog box.
(Credit: Microsoft)Monday: use Google Docs to create and manage your NCAA basketball tournament pool.
On Monday I described some simple ways to improve the performance of Windows XP and Vista. Since there's no such thing as a too-fast Windows PC, I'm returning to the subject with a handful of additional Windows speedup tips.
Disable remote services: If you never need to access the system over a network, nor have anyone else do so (for help troubleshooting a problem, for example), you can free up some Windows resources by turning these features off. In Windows XP Pro, click Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance (in Category view) > System > Remote, uncheck the options under Remote Assistance and Desktop Sharing, and click OK (note that these settings aren't available in XP Home).
To disable these remote features in Vista, press the Windows key and type system, press the down arrow until System is highlighted, and press Enter. Click Remote settings in the left pane, and under the Remote tab in the System Properties dialog box, uncheck the option under Remote Assistance. In the Remote desktop section, click Don't allow connections to this computer, and click OK.
Disable remote-access features in the System Properties dialog box to improve Windows' performance.
Deactivate System Restore: If you prefer to use a backup method other than the one built into Windows, you can disable this feature. Just keep in mind that if you go completely backup-less, you'll lose data. Maybe not today, and maybe not next week, but someday. Eventually Windows and your applications will crash--guaranteed.
In Windows XP you can shut off System Restore by clicking Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance (in Category view) > System > System Restore. Check Turn off System Restore, and click OK. Next, return to Control Panel and choose Administrative Tools > Services, click or double-click System Restore Service, select Stop, and close the window.
Disable System Restore in Windows XP by checking this option in the System Properties dialog box.
Do the same in Vista by pressing the Windows key, typing backup and restore center, and pressing Enter. Click Create a restore point or change settings in the left pane, uncheck your hard drive under Automatic restore points on the System Protection tab, click Turn Off System Restore at the scary warning, click OK, and close the Backup and Restore Center.
Turn off unneeded apps in the system tray: Most of the start-up apps that have slipped their icons into your system tray are superfluous. To disable them, right-click the icon, choose its Settings option (it may be called something similar), and uncheck the option to start the program with Windows.
Lose the themes: If you followed the advice in my previous post to set Windows for best performance in the Visual Effects dialog box, you disabled themes, but you didn't stop the service associated with them. In XP, click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services, click or double-click Themes, and choose Stop.
Vista's Aero interface is one of the few things that most people (including me) like about the operating system, but you can improve your system's performance by going with the old-style Windows look. To do so, press the Windows key, type personalization, and press Enter. Click Theme, choose Windows Classic in the drop-down menu, click OK, and close the Personalization applet.
Shut down Vista's Aero interface by choosing Windows Classic in the Themes drop-down menu of the Personalization dialog box.
Uninstall the Windows components you don't use: In XP, click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, choose Add/Remove Windows Components in the left pane, uncheck the components you can do without (MSN Explorer is a prime candidate), click Next and then Finish when the components are removed, and close Add or Remove Programs.
To get rid of these space-wasters in Vista, press the Windows key, type programs and features, press Enter, click Turn Windows features on or off in the left pane, uncheck the options you don't need, and click OK.
Monday: move your e-mail out of Outlook and onto your hard drive or other local storage.
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