Computer Management Tools in My Computer
Russ Bartels has an interesting observation about giving XP the performance tools found in Vista:
"Great job; however, you missed one that I have used for a long time. In Windows 2000 and XP, you can right-click My Computer and select Manage to see a great selection of these tools. This would be a good addition to your directory of niche tools."
The Computer Management window brings together many Microsoft Management Console snap-in controls that would otherwise have to be launched individually. (These Microsoft controls can be recognized in the Windows System32 folder by their .msc extension.) This windows gives you access to a couple of tools that I recommended on Jan. 10.
If you want to add Computer Management to your collection of tools, the executable file name to create a shortcut to is compmgmt.msc. Alternatively, you can open the Computer Management window by clicking Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools, Computer Management.
If you don't see the Administrative Tools option on your Start menu, try this: Right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Click Customize.
If you're using the Classic Start menu, check Display Administrative Tools in the list at the bottom and click OK.
If you're using the default Start menu, click the Advanced tab, and scroll through the Start menu items list until you see System Administrative Tools. Select whether you want it to appear on the All Programs menu or both the All Programs menu and the Start menu. Then click OK twice.
Although the items on the Administrative Tools menu are about system maintenance and configuration, a few of them (like Services and Performance) can also be useful for tweaking system efficiency.
Some MS utilities that aren't in Windows
Reader Ken McLeod draws attention to a couple of useful Microsoft products that don't come with Windows:
"1. Replace Task Manager (ugh!) with Sysinternals' Process Explorer. There are a number of other Sysinternals utilities for users and developers alike. They're so good, Microsoft bought them up.
"2. Use BootVis to manage startup. It has an optimizing feature that optimizes startup and improves startup time quite dramatically. I use it after every new install."
Thanks, Ken. Process Explorer (kind of like a Task Manager on steroids) and the other Sysinternals utilities are available from Microsoft's TechNet site.
BootVis, a tool designed to help you improve the startup time of Windows XP, was originally developed within Microsoft, but the company no longer offers it at the Microsoft.com site. However, you can get it from the BootVis page of Major Geeks and other software-download sites.
Be aware that there is a controversy over whether BootVis is needed to optimize a machine's startup time. Microsoft posted an explanation on Feb. 12, 2004, stating that BootVis is for developers and doesn't improve performance for end users. Windows XP, for example, automatically runs a boot optimization every three days.
Windows Secrets
"Great job; however, you missed one that I have used for a long time. In Windows 2000 and XP, you can right-click My Computer and select Manage to see a great selection of these tools. This would be a good addition to your directory of niche tools."
The Computer Management window brings together many Microsoft Management Console snap-in controls that would otherwise have to be launched individually. (These Microsoft controls can be recognized in the Windows System32 folder by their .msc extension.) This windows gives you access to a couple of tools that I recommended on Jan. 10.
If you want to add Computer Management to your collection of tools, the executable file name to create a shortcut to is compmgmt.msc. Alternatively, you can open the Computer Management window by clicking Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools, Computer Management.
If you don't see the Administrative Tools option on your Start menu, try this: Right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Click Customize.
If you're using the Classic Start menu, check Display Administrative Tools in the list at the bottom and click OK.
If you're using the default Start menu, click the Advanced tab, and scroll through the Start menu items list until you see System Administrative Tools. Select whether you want it to appear on the All Programs menu or both the All Programs menu and the Start menu. Then click OK twice.
Although the items on the Administrative Tools menu are about system maintenance and configuration, a few of them (like Services and Performance) can also be useful for tweaking system efficiency.
Some MS utilities that aren't in Windows
Reader Ken McLeod draws attention to a couple of useful Microsoft products that don't come with Windows:
"1. Replace Task Manager (ugh!) with Sysinternals' Process Explorer. There are a number of other Sysinternals utilities for users and developers alike. They're so good, Microsoft bought them up.
"2. Use BootVis to manage startup. It has an optimizing feature that optimizes startup and improves startup time quite dramatically. I use it after every new install."
Thanks, Ken. Process Explorer (kind of like a Task Manager on steroids) and the other Sysinternals utilities are available from Microsoft's TechNet site.
BootVis, a tool designed to help you improve the startup time of Windows XP, was originally developed within Microsoft, but the company no longer offers it at the Microsoft.com site. However, you can get it from the BootVis page of Major Geeks and other software-download sites.
Be aware that there is a controversy over whether BootVis is needed to optimize a machine's startup time. Microsoft posted an explanation on Feb. 12, 2004, stating that BootVis is for developers and doesn't improve performance for end users. Windows XP, for example, automatically runs a boot optimization every three days.
Windows Secrets
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