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Windows Tweaks

11/1/2001 7:35 AM
Howard	Windows Tweaks Windows Audio Recording Optimizations. Win 95/98/98SE/ME Many of these have been gathered over the past 3 or 4 years, others have been arrived at through trial and error. -standard disclaimer- Use at your own risk! (Basics) For all versions of Windows. * WinME specific. ** See VIA chipset tweaks at end of file. 1. Turn off auto-insert notification on all CD-CDR drives. 2. Disable any screen savers. 3. Disable the energy saving features (sleep modes) on monitor and hard drives. 4. DeFrag your hard drives. 5. Limit your graphic card's bit depth to 16-bit. 6. Remove or disable programs running in the background. After booting the system use Ctrl-Alt-Del and check the task list. Best case scenario is to only have "Explorer" running. Virus checkers, schedulers, task monitors,..etc..etc are a no-no! Some hardware (MIDI Timepiece for one) installs software that runs in the system tray. Better to remove this and create an icon, running the program only when needed. I have Systray disabled on my system. If preferred, Ctrl-Alt-Del can be used to quit tasks before each audio session. 7. Disable System Sounds. They can hog the Soundcard output(s) thus preventing audio Apps from using them. Go to Start / Settings / Control Panel / Sounds /Multimedia. Select scheme "No Sounds". Choose 8. Depending on the motherboard's chipset, USB may present a problem. If you're not using USB disable it. Check your BIOS and see if there's a disable/enable toggle. If not, go to Control panel / System / Device manager and scroll down to USB. Select properties and select "disable in this hardware profile". 9. Try not to install any software other than that which you need for your Audio work. You can always create another profile in Windows for other uses. Microsoft Office 2000 in particular has been known to cause problems. 10. Disable Effects. Location: Control Panel / System / Display. Select "Effects" Tab....... shut them all off! (exception: 11. ME/98SE? Disable Automatic Updating. This prevents Windows from trying to find updates for itself if you use the internet. It also stops it asking you annoying questions. Go to Start / Settings / Automatic Updates / and disable Automatic Updates. 12. WinME Disable system RESTORE. Location: Right click on "My Computer", select properties. Select "File System" then "Troubleshooting" tab. Disable System Restore is at the bottom. 13. Add the following line to your System.ini file so it looks as follows: [386 Enh] ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 This makes the system use RAM more often rather than the Virtual Memory. - Note: Do not use this option if you have less than 128MB of RAM installed. - Note #2: I've never used this one mainly because I've limited the size of my swapfile to 128 megs, -see below-. No disk compression (on any drives) No RAM doubling software. Note: All of these are not necessary... however, the above list goes a long way in helping Windows run efficiently. ============================================================================= (Controlling the Windows Cache Systems) Set up a permanent swapfile. -Note: This is a personal preference, many decide to let Windows manage the swap file. I prefer to have minimal disk access and as my system is used mainly for audio, a permanent swapfile suits my needs. Go to control panel / performance / virtual memory and disable it! Reboot and defrag your system hard drive. Reboot, go to control panel / performance / virtual memory and select "let me specify my own memory settings." You can use any amount (up to 2.5 times the size of your RAM), however, it is recommended that the smallest amount you can get away with be used, 128Megs is a good place to start. Set both, minimum and maximum values the same. Ok, that done, reboot again.Your system drive will now have a permanent swapfile usually located in the root directory of your system drive. ================= Some have recommended turning off the write behind cache, this is one I've never tried as most of the recent audio software seems to bypass the write behind cache. ================= The Windows read cache (RAM CACHE or VCACHE) This setting is found in the Windows/System.ini file WIN_98/ME differs from earlier versions of Windows in that it can execute data/programs stored in the VCACHE. There's been a lot of discussion on the size of the VCACHE settings but everyone agrees the VCACHE needs to be limited in size when using audio (DAW) software. Basic theory: The VCACHE is the amount of RAM Windows allocates for storing data that is currently being used or recently accessed. To see the VCACHE in action simply open and close the same program a couple of times. The second and third time the program is opened, execution is instantaneous as the program data is being held in the VCACHE. ================= I experimented and ended up with this setting on a system with 128 Megs of RAM, again this entry is found in the system.ini file. Look for a blank [vcache] header and enter the Min/Max values directly below it. Double the Max cache if you're running with 256Megs or more. [vcache] MinFileCache=4096 MaxFileCache=24576 ================= PCI (AGP) cards hogging the bus. Still encountering noise when scrolling windows or clicks and pops in audio files (often introduced when a Window scrolls or redraws) 1. Drop the video acceleration down a notch or two. (If you're not having problems leave it at max acceleration.) Also, this tweak is mainly for systems using PCI bus video. 2. See if the video drivers offer an option to disable bus_retries. Note: New systems often have BIOS settings that offer extended control of the PCI bus. * (See VIA chipset tweaks at the end of this file) ================= For EIDE user with DMA/UDMA Check "hard disk controllers" in the Device Manager. Some versions of Windows failed to install bus_master drivers when an Intel Pentium processor was not present, even if the mainboard was fitted with Intel controller chips. Regardless of the processor and controller chips, bus-mastering drivers need to be installed and DMA enabled for EIDE drives to be used as audio drives. It is also best to have a dedicated hard drive for audio, this drive should not be sharing the IDE bus with an older drive or a CD-ROM-CDR. ================= * = WinME specific **VIA Chipset Tweaks Use Latest 4 in 1 drivers. (WinME's default drivers do not need to be replaced) Update your motherboard's BIOS. Some Via Chipsets have been problematic when used for audio recording. This may be caused by the BIOS defaults selected by the Motherboard manufacturer. Check your current BIOS and see if a selection for "Master Read Cache" is available. This is the one that can help eliminate bus noise (crackles & pops) when enabled. Suggested settings. MasterReadCache = Enabled Latency Timer = 0 Delay Transaction = Enabled/Disabled (experiment) If the Master Read Cache is not available in your system's BIOS and audio recording/playback is still problematic you might want to visit: http://www.viahardware.com/download/viatweak.shtm You will find a link to WPCREDIT. This is a program that can modify BIOS settings on the fly. (providing your VIA chipset is supported) Read up on it. Howard p.s. Just in case we ever get drivers... Here's a page of WinXP tweaks. http://www.timos-welt.de/cubase/xp_tips_e.htm

11/1/2001 7:35 AM

Howard

Windows Tweaks

Windows Audio Recording Optimizations.
Win 95/98/98SE/ME

Many of these have been gathered over the past 3 or 4 years, others have been arrived at through trial and error.
-standard disclaimer- Use at your own risk!

(Basics) For all versions of Windows.

* WinME specific.
** See VIA chipset tweaks at end of file.

1. Turn off auto-insert notification on all CD-CDR drives.

2. Disable any screen savers.

3. Disable the energy saving features (sleep modes) on monitor and hard drives.

4. DeFrag your hard drives.

5. Limit your graphic card's bit depth to 16-bit.

6. Remove or disable programs running in the
background. After booting the system use
Ctrl-Alt-Del and check the task list.
Best case scenario is to only have "Explorer" running. Virus checkers, schedulers, task monitors,..etc..etc are a no-no!
Some hardware (MIDI Timepiece for one) installs software that runs in the system tray. Better to remove this and create an icon, running the program only when needed. I have Systray disabled on my system. If preferred, Ctrl-Alt-Del can be used to quit tasks before each audio session.

7. Disable System Sounds.
They can hog the Soundcard output(s) thus preventing audio Apps from using them. Go to Start / Settings / Control Panel / Sounds /Multimedia.
Select scheme "No Sounds". Choose

8. Depending on the motherboard's chipset, USB may present a problem. If you're not using USB disable it. Check your BIOS and see if there's a disable/enable toggle. If not, go to Control panel / System / Device manager and scroll down to USB.
Select properties and select "disable in this hardware profile".

9. Try not to install any software other than that which you need for your Audio work. You can always create another profile in Windows for other uses. Microsoft Office 2000 in particular has been known to cause problems.

10. Disable Effects. Location: Control Panel / System / Display. Select "Effects" Tab....... shut them all off! (exception:

*11. ME/98SE? Disable Automatic Updating. This prevents Windows from trying to find updates for itself if you use the internet. It also stops it asking you annoying questions. Go to Start / Settings / Automatic Updates / and disable Automatic Updates.

*12. WinME Disable system RESTORE.
Location: Right click on "My Computer", select properties. Select "File System" then "Troubleshooting" tab.
Disable System Restore is at the bottom.

*13. Add the following line to your System.ini file so it looks as follows:
[386 Enh]
ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1

This makes the system use RAM more often rather than the Virtual Memory.
- Note: Do not use this option if you have less than 128MB of RAM installed.
- Note #2: I've never used this one mainly because I've limited the size of my swapfile to 128 megs, -see below-.

No disk compression (on any drives)
No RAM doubling software.

Note: All of these are not necessary... however, the above list goes a long way in helping Windows run efficiently.

=============================================================================

(Controlling the Windows Cache Systems)

Set up a permanent swapfile.
-Note: This is a personal preference, many decide to let Windows manage the swap file. I prefer to have minimal disk access and as my system is used mainly for audio, a permanent swapfile suits my needs.

Go to control panel / performance / virtual memory and disable it!

Reboot and defrag your system hard drive.

Reboot, go to control panel / performance / virtual memory and select "let me specify my own memory settings."

You can use any amount (up to 2.5 times the size of your RAM), however, it is recommended that the smallest amount you can get away with be used, 128Megs is a good place to start. Set both, minimum and maximum values the same. Ok, that done, reboot again.Your system drive will now have a permanent swapfile usually located in the root directory of your system drive.

=================

Some have recommended turning off the write behind cache, this is one I've never tried as most of the recent audio software seems to bypass the write behind cache.

=================

The Windows read cache (RAM CACHE or VCACHE)

This setting is found in the Windows/System.ini file

WIN_98/ME differs from earlier versions of Windows in that it can execute data/programs stored in the VCACHE.

There's been a lot of discussion on the size of the VCACHE settings but everyone agrees the VCACHE needs to be limited in size when using audio (DAW) software.

Basic theory: The VCACHE is the amount of RAM Windows allocates for storing data that is currently being used or recently accessed. To see the VCACHE in action simply open and close the same program a couple of times. The second and third time the program is opened, execution is instantaneous as the program data is being held in the VCACHE.
=================
I experimented and ended up with this setting on a system with 128 Megs of RAM, again this entry is found in the system.ini file. Look for a blank [vcache] header and enter the Min/Max values directly below it.
Double the Max cache if you're running with 256Megs or more.

[vcache]
MinFileCache=4096
MaxFileCache=24576

=================

PCI (AGP) cards hogging the bus.

Still encountering noise when scrolling windows or clicks and pops in audio files (often introduced when a Window scrolls or redraws)

1. Drop the video acceleration down a notch or two.
(If you're not having problems leave it at max acceleration.) Also, this tweak is mainly for
systems using PCI bus video.

2. See if the video drivers offer an option to disable bus_retries.

Note: New systems often have BIOS settings that offer extended control of the PCI bus. ** (See VIA chipset tweaks at the end of this file)

=================

For EIDE user with DMA/UDMA

Check "hard disk controllers" in the Device Manager.

Some versions of Windows failed to install bus_master drivers when an Intel Pentium processor was not present, even if the mainboard
was fitted with Intel controller chips.

Regardless of the processor and controller chips, bus-mastering drivers need to be installed and DMA enabled for EIDE drives to be used as audio drives.

It is also best to have a dedicated hard drive for audio, this drive should not be sharing the IDE bus with an older drive or a CD-ROM-CDR.

=================

* = WinME specific

**VIA Chipset Tweaks

Use Latest 4 in 1 drivers. (WinME's default drivers do not need to be replaced)

Update your motherboard's BIOS.

Some Via Chipsets have been problematic when used for audio recording. This may be caused by the BIOS defaults selected by the Motherboard manufacturer. Check your current BIOS and see if a selection for "Master Read Cache" is available. This is the one that can help eliminate bus noise (crackles & pops) when enabled.

Suggested settings.

MasterReadCache = Enabled
Latency Timer = 0

Delay Transaction = Enabled/Disabled
(experiment)

If the Master Read Cache is not available in your system's BIOS and audio recording/playback is still problematic you might want to visit:
http://www.viahardware.com/download/viatweak.shtm

You will find a link to WPCREDIT. This is a program that can modify BIOS settings on the fly.
(providing your VIA chipset is supported) Read up on it.

Howard

p.s. Just in case we ever get drivers...
Here's a page of WinXP tweaks.

http://www.timos-welt.de/cubase/xp_tips_e.htm

11/1/2001 9:33 AM
anonymous	Hey, thanks for re-posting that Howard. I was meaning to grab a copy from the other forum and post it here somewhere myself, but you've saved me the trouble. Are you actually using a Core2 successfully with Windows ME? I've been wondering if maybe that might be my problem. --tboy

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