Windows XP, Vista Help » Vista Tips & Tweaks

Use ReadyBoost And Flash Drive To Add Memory

admin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:51:03 +0000

Is your computer running a tad slow? Do you need to speed up Windows, games, or videos? Windows can access the RAM (memory) hundrends of times faster than it can fetch something off the hard drive. This makes software you are currently using, or have recently used, run at optimum speeds. However, Windows Vista is very resourse heavy itself and running software on top of that requires a great deal more RAM memory than was needed with Windows XP. The solution is fairly simple…add more memory. You can buy additional memory cards just about anywhere and prices have dropped significantly. But, there are a few reasons why this may not be the optimal solution.

It’s fairly easy to install a memory card to a desktop, but it can be more difficult for less experienced users to add memory to a laptop. And, what if you’ve used up all your additional memory slots, but still don’t have enough? My previous computer was a Sony Vaio desktop and only came with one additional slot. The same holds true with my new Toshiba Satellite. Not to worry, there’s an easy way around all this and it may be sitting right next to your computer, taking up space, and it’s called a USB flash drive.

You can use ReadyBoost with a USB flash drive to instantly and very easily add more memory, making your computer and software run faster. It’s basically a matter of plugging the flash drive in and clicking a couple of buttons and Bammo…you have added additional RAM to your computer. To be honest, this is actually the whole purpose of ReadBoost.

To use ReadyBoost, both the flash drive and your computer must have USB 2.0 or higher.

Now, plug a flash drive into your computer’s USB jack. The AutoPlay dialog box should open.
Click “Speed up my system” in the flash device’s Properties dialog box.
Turn on “Use this device”.
Try out your most resource heavy game.

You computer will now use the flash drive in addition to its own built-in RAM, and you should get a speed boost.

Here is some additional information you should know:

ReadyBoost will work with other memory cards like SD and Compact Flash cards from digital cameras, but only if you computer has a buit-in card slot. You can not use external card readers.
Not all flash drives will work with ReadyBoost. You’ll need to look at the drive’s package and see if there’s a Vista ReadyBoost logo.
You can only use one flash drive per computer.
ReadyBoost works only with memory gadgets with capacities from 256 MB to 4GB.

The amount of speed boost you get depends on how large the flash or other drive is. You’ll need to use the same size USB flash drive as the memory in your computer. In other words, if your computer has 1GB RAM, you should use a 1 gig flash drive. Using smaller flash drives will greatly reduce the amount of speed boost you get from ReadyBoost.

Finally, remember that the flash drive can not be used for storing files after using it for memory until you change the settings in the Properties dialog box, or until you reformat the drive.

Here’s a good video a young man made about Vista ReadyBoost:

Which Programs Are Safe To Disable In MsConfig

admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:19:07 +0000

So you want to make your computer run faster, increase your frame rate for gaming, and boost your Internet surfing speed? Good idea and a good way to start is by disabling unnecessary programs from running upon startup through msconfig. We are not all “computer geeks” however, and we are not always sure which programs are safe to disable. Well, there is one link that will help users of any experience level to determine which ones are safe.

First, fire up msconfig.exe, then navigate to Sysinfo.org. There you simply type in the name of anything in your msconfig list and they’ll tell you all about the software in question.

I typed in RAID Event Monitor, which is in my list, and got this:

iaanotif.exe
IAA Event Monitor User Notification Tool – part of Intel? Application Accelerator – “a performance software package for desktop PCs using select Intel? chipsets” that “replaces the ATA drivers that come with Windows with drivers optimized for desktop and mobile PCs.” If you use the RAID version it’s required to notify you if a RAID 1 disk has failed

Now I know if it’s safe to disable this tool. Pretty cool eh?

How to disable User Account Control in Windows Vista

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:43:23 +0000

When I first fired up Windows Vista, about 4 months ago, I quickly noticed this little box (User Account Control) popping up asking me if I wanted to continue whenever I started a program. At first, I thought there must be some purpose for it, but I have yet to see it. When I click on my ccleaner icon, it means I want to use ccleaner. I don’t need to go to the extra step of waiting for Windows to bring up the prompt and clicking Continue. It didn’t take long to figure out that this was just another useless feature like the Windows sidebar, so I set out to get rid of it.

Well, I easily found the solution with a quick Google search. Simply Open up Control Panel, and type in user account into the search box. You’ll see the link for “Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off”. Click it. Uncheck the box, and reboot your computer. No more annoying User Account Control prompt.

Tweaking the Windows Vista clock

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:20:04 +0000

Here is one tip for getting a little extra functionality from the Vista clock on the taskbar. As simple as that clock is, many users need to keep track of time in multiple time zones.Fortunately, you can do that right within your taskbar. Right-click your clock on the taskbar and select Adjust Date/Time. Select the Additional Clocks tab and then determine whether you need one or two additional clocks; then select which names and time zones you require.

The next time you hover your mouse over your time, you will see the other time zones you have configured. This is a great tool for travelers who like to call home or business employees who have offices and clients in other zones. You could also set up gadgets in the Windows Sidebar to show you multiple times in different zones. You are welcome to choose whichever method you like best.

Tip: Control the View in the Notification Area. In the bottom-right corner of your screen are several notification icons, including the time, volume, networking, and power options. With additional applications that you install, this area can really grow out of control, but usually you can alter the icons that appear. In XP you could set the notification bar to not show items that were inactive. In Vista you can still do that, but you can also hide the clock, volume, network, and power options. One reason you might decide to hide the clock is that you don’t need two clocks on your system. If you have the Windows Sidebar running a clock, you don’t need the one at the bottom.

Windows Vista Sidebar – Group Policy Settings

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:07:08 +0000

The Windows Sidebar is neither friend nor foe. It’s an option. And it can be disabled. For administrators, the big question might be “how can I disable it throughout my domain?” The two sets of Group Policy settings are the computer level and the user level. Either one works, but disabling the Sidebar at the computer level ensures that all users sitting at the system have the policy applied.

To change the Group Policy for Windows Sidebar, go to the Group Policy Object Editor (using gpedit.msc from the Run dialog box). Open either Computer Configuration or User Configuration settings, under Administrative Templates; then, under Windows Components, look for Windows Sidebar. You’ll see the following settings:

Override the More Gadgets Link—By default, the Windows Sidebar directs users to the Microsoft-provided gadgets. If you would like your users directed elsewhere, you can establish that change here by enabling the setting and providing the alternative location. If you leave this unconfigured or disable it, users are simply directed to the default site.
Turn Off Windows Sidebar—The Sidebar is turned on by default (unless your hardware cannot support it and then it will be disabled). You can force it to be turned off by configuring this setting in your policies.
Disable Unpacking and Installation of Gadgets That Are Not Digitally Signed—Gadgets can be packaged up as compressed files being signed digitally or not. You can configure this policy setting to ensure that all compressed gadget files will not be unpackaged or installed unless they are digitally signed.
Turn Off User Installed Windows Sidebar Gadgets—No doubt users will want to install gadgets of their own, and many gadgets are being created these days. If that doesn’t bother you, you can leave this setting alone. If you don’t like the idea of any user being able to add any gadget he chooses, configure this to disable user-installed gadgets.

To turn off the Sidebar for your own personal system, you can always select Control Panel, Appearance and Personalization, Windows Sidebar Properties and then deselect the Start Sidebar when Windows Starts option.