Windows XP Registry Tweaks

[equk]

It's not often that I post about windows

So for my first post on the subject I thought I'd post this, mostly taken from my website.

I'm going to trust you understand the registry, the use of .reg files and the possible consequences of your actions.

Disabling Services:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

; EQUK WINDOWS XP TWEAKS

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;Alerter

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Alerter]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Automatic Updates

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Background Intelligent Transfer Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BITS]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;ClipBook

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClipSrv]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Help and Support Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\helpsvc]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;ICF/ICS

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;IMAPI CD-Burning Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ImapiService]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Indexing Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CiSvc]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;IPSEC

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PolicyAgent]

"Start"=dword:00000003

;Messenger Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;NVIDIA Helper Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NVSvc]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Performance Logs & Alerts

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SysmonLog]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Remote Desktop Help Session Manager

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RDSessMgr]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Remote Registry Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteRegistry]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Routing and Remote Access

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;SSDP Discovery Service (Universal Plug'n'Play)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SSDPSRV]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;System Restore

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\srservice]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;TCP/IP Helper

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LmHosts]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Universal Plug'n'Play Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\upnphost]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;UPS

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UPS]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Windows Time Service

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time]

"Start"=dword:00000004

;Wireless Zero Configuration

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WZCSVC]

"Start"=dword:00000004

System Tweaks:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

; EQUK WINDOWS XP TWEAKS

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;Speed up opening of My Computer and Explorer

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stisvc]

"Start"=dword:00000004

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]

"NoNetCrawling"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

"NoRemoteRecursiveEvents"=dword:00000001

;Optimize the Windows Server Service (1=minimise memory, 2=balance, 3=max netw. throughput)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters]

"Size"=dword:00000002

;Force Windows to Unload DLLs from Memory

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AlwaysUnloadDLL]

"Default"="1"

;Enable UDMA-66 Support (WARNING: Newer MOBOs only, intel chipsets)

;Speeds up drives

;[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000]

;"EnableUDMA66"=dword:00000001

Networking Tweaks:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

; EQUK WINDOWS XP TWEAKS

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;Speedup network logon/boot

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system]

"SynchronousMachineGroupPolicy"=dword:00000000

"SynchronousUserGroupPolicy"=dword:00000000

;Speed up the internet by improving DNS resolution

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]

"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001

"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180

"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000fa00

"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000012d

Security Tweaks:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

; EQUK WINDOWS XP TWEAKS

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;Disable Admin Shares

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters]

"AutoShareServer"=dword:00000000

"AutoShareWks"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanworkstation\parameters]

"AutoShareServer"=dword:00000000

"AutoShareWks"=dword:00000000

;Restrict anonymous access

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]

"restrictanonymous"=dword:00000002

;Set Maxcached Sockets 0

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]

"MaxCachedSockets"=dword:00000000

;Disable SMB

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters]

"SmbDeviceEnabled"=dword:00000000

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

; MANUAL TWEAKS

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

;HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Rpc

;Value: DCOM Protocols

;Remove ncacn_ip_tcp

;HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters\NullSession Pipes\

;NullSessionPipes > Delete all value data INSIDE this key

;NullSessionShares > Delete all value data INSIDE this key

I normally use these reg files after installing from a custom slipstreamed XP SP2 Disc (with firewall, win update & sec centre removed).

You will notice on the system tweaks the UDMA for intel is commented, this is for people who have different chipsets. Just uncomment for intel chipsets.

The files can be downloaded from my site:

disable-services.reg

sec-tweaks.reg

network-tweaks.reg

system-tweaks.reg

 

[PP Mguire]

To disable services you dont need to mess with the registry You can either go to

Control Panel/ Admin Tools/ Services or

Start/ Run/ msconfig/ services tab (need restart)

Disabling almost half my services is one of the first things i do (after driver install)

 

[equk]

To disable services you dont need to mess with the registry You can either go to

Control Panel/ Admin Tools/ Services or

Start/ Run/ msconfig/ services tab (need restart)

Disabling almost half my services is one of the first things i do (after driver install)

Or simply download a reg file and double click on it

 

[PP Mguire]

If it disables everything you put up there i wouldnt want to. It disables i thikn 1 or 2 things i need. It also dosent disable print spooler which i dont need ect. Nice easy for lazy people though, nice file.

 

[Toxcity]

Whats the network tweaks like?

Having alot of lag atm!

 

[PP Mguire]

Yea, i used the network tweaks and it just kept on accessing my router and Windows almost froze :eh:

 

[equk]

Yea, i used the network tweaks and it just kept on accessing my router and Windows almost froze :eh:

haha

All the network tweaks do mainly is speedup DNS resolution. So it wouldn't effect your network like that (as it only tweaks the cache). It also stops windows from syncing the network on logon(which drops a lot of network traffic).

 

[mrapoc]

Whats that about intel in the system tweaks? I dont quite get wot ive gotta do for my p5b dlx (tis a newer motherboard)

 

[PP Mguire]

Well when i took it off it stopped. Eh ill just leave it alone.

 

[equk]

Whats that about intel in the system tweaks? I dont quite get wot ive gotta do for my p5b dlx (tis a newer motherboard)

here's a link to the intel reg file

It's the same as the other one with the UDMA bit uncommented I am using it on my P5W without problems. Altho I'm not sure it's needed for the newer drivers/chipsets

 

[mrapoc]

broken link?

 

[equk]

broken link?

Soz, changed it now

 

[mrapoc]

All seems good apart from windows update doesnt work without automatic update

 

[equk]

All seems good apart from windows update doesnt work without automatic update

you can always change stuff back in control panel

If you go into Control Panel > Admin Tools > Services

you can enable the automatic update service.

I found it a lot easier to setup those reg files once I knew what I wanted disabled as next time you re-install all you need to do is double click on them and restart. Instead of going thru it manually.

 

[mrapoc]

Ok thanks, it starts quicker now

Is there a way to automatically disable processes once they become idle?

I start with something like 30, within 10 mins of normal use its now on 40

 

[PP Mguire]

Depending on what it is just end the task. Of course, if your running that many programs it could be vital thing. IE virus scanner, interwebz, spyware scanner, ect. Sometimes if you have that many programs you need its inevitable to get a low process count.

 

[equk]

Last time I booted into windows I had 51 processes and it wasn't sluggish

Bit of a generalisation (as I said in the other topic) to say if you have 30+ processes windows is slow.

Depending on what it is just end the task. Of course, if your running that many programs it could be vital thing. IE virus scanner, interwebz, spyware scanner, ect. Sometimes if you have that many programs you need its inevitable to get a low process count.

inevitable? do u not mean impossible or unlikely?

Impossible to avoid or prevent

^ is that not the opposite to what you meant?

If you have loads of programs like antivirus etc may be inevitable that you will have a high number of processes (not a low number)