NBR Vista Tips and Tweaks Guide

I have not experienced this problem so can someone suggest a wording I can place as a caveat so those using the program have a heads up? Is it as simple as the fact that your rebooted machine starts with numlock on and you need to turn it off?

 

Thank you both so much! Everything's fixed, and I don't have to do a clean install (just spent all of yesterday working on one).

 

nic's fix worked.

 

It seems to me that AutoMz has stopped my computer from being able to play media (music in iTunes, DVDs in Media Center). This is a fresh reformat and AutoMz is the only program I've used to tweak Vista. I used the more aggressive option to tweak my computer, though now I'm trying to restore my old settings from within AutoMz and it's been hanging at 100% for several minutes now. I'm not going to be using this program again.

 

THANKS, this worked great but now i cant turn on the Num Lock after booting. What shpuld i do?

 

With the Ultimante tweaker, what processor would I have (see below for Notebook) and how do I find out what modem I have?

 

@Jewperman: For processor I just picked detect, it's the second to last choice.

I did the TMM tweak but when I restart I am still seeing the flash. When I go back to task scheduler it still shows as disabled. Here is a screenshot of how I have it set: http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/tcl16/Capture.jpg

Did I do something wrong? The flash I am seeing turns the screen black for about 2 seconds and then flashes white in the center of the screen. After the flash it shows the glowing vista circle.

 

jewperman:

For your processor, choose (Intel Core 2 Duo (E6600-670)...that is the most recent without going to the extreme processors and works fine. As far as your modem goes, you need to have a basic understanding of whether you have a plugin regular phone modem, DSL, cable or higher. Its not in your laptop, but rather, the connection used for your internet.

TL293:
What you are describing is normal and is the change between the black background (w/nolight) and the black background when the LED turns on. I am not familiar with the white in the center of the screen but it is normally followed by the Vista ORB.

 

Thanks, how long does the tweaking take?

 

10 minutes or so.

 

little problem with the shut down:

with profile high performance no problem!

with profile power saver, it exits windows, shut down the lcd, but the power leds stay on! if I force the shut down, the next boot it detects an unexpected shut down; but I found out that if I turn on the bluetooth (nothing happened) and then turn it off, the notebook shuts down correctly! what does it mean?? any advice?

thanks

 

I have never encountered this but wonder if you have any USB peripherals attached that may cause it. Similarly, if I have my Ipod plugged in (because its 64bit and I havent installed Itunes I think) it hangs on the start up and shutdown at times.

My fix is simply to not have the Ipod plugged in since Im not an Itunes lover and dont want to install that program.

 

nothing plugged in

 

Check your advanced power settings. Perhaps when you think you're shutting down, you're in face putting the computer to sleep, or in hibernation, thus having to "force shut down".

 

Hey there Flamenko, great topic here. I tried out most of the points you suggested, however i got stuck on point number 6 with the index searching option.
I did everything as you stated, yet when i click on apply i got this message


I clicked on cancel and still the box was left unticked, however i left it ticked (and it went back to the error message). Should i worry about that? Or should i just go to ignore and let it be? I've noticed that the search option part when you click start does go a bit slower but i rathered it like before.

Also, for point number 3, i put in the number value of 5000, so 5 seconds right...i was wondering, does putting a lesser value than the initial 20 000 put more stress or pressure on the system to shut down faster?

Thanks.

 

mo way I'm sure I'm shutting down! only with power saver there is the issue

 

Userable...

Yes...ignore all and 5000 = 5 seconds. If your system has an adverse effect, change it to longer. I don't recall anyone having experienced any problems with this stressing the system out.

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

thanks for this flameko
I have applied these tweaks what should i expect my shutdown/startup time to be?

 

It is different for everyone but there are alot of success stories if you read through the post. I cut my sons startup time in his new Compaq in half...similar with shutdown.

 

How many times do/can you do this? Is once enough?

 

Once is enough but Scud has suggested that it should be done when your system changes. I would give a good example as being recently I installed a brother MFC-465CN Multifunction Centre (fax/printer/copier/scanner/ice dispenser).

I ended up running the defrag once again to make sure everything was perfect. No harm.

 

Will running a 3rd party defrag have any effect on this? I defrag my hdd about every 2 days or so with JkDefrag. What I'm saying is, I ran the batch file, it did its thing. But then I also ran Jkdefrag. Would the Jkdefrag have any effect on how the bootfiles were previously arranged by the batch file?

 

Once is enough, but it needs to be done again if you add or change anything that runs at system startup. A new driver or a new application that loads at boot time would all be reasons to rerun the bootfile defrag.

You asked if another defrag app would mess up what this defrag does. I can't say for sure, but they might. So, just run this process again after you run another defrag app. It runs very quickly, and only affects the bootfiles so doing it can't hurt.

Gary

 

Thank you Gary.

 

Thanks for the guide Flamenko. Its nice to find a guide that not only lists the tweaks but also includes the how and why.

 

Be careful when using "WaitToKillServiceTimeout". That's the MAX time the system will wait for a process, and if you set it too low it will just kill them without giving them time to SAVE THE DATA they are using. Using this option can cause serious DATA LOSS, depending on what the service might be doing.

 

Hi, first time poster, but I wish I had something better to say! All of the other tweaks in this guide (or the ones I've done, which have been quite a few) work well, except that one that I've quoted. It keeps running and running -- it's been over three hours since I first started it! The two lines keep repeating in the command window, and I don't know what to do. Is this normal?

 

The two lines keep repeating??? Exactly what do you mean? In ne command window you see the same two lines repeated over and over? How quickly does each new set of two lines appear? Every second? Every minute? Every ten minutes? Did you download the batchfile, or create your own? It should run only one time and then the command window should disappear.

Do this. Open task manager (right click the task bar and select "Task Manager"), enable "Show Processes from All Users". Look for the two defrag processes (defrag.exe and dfrgntfs.exe) in task manager. Then kill the command window. Now wait for the two defrag processes to disappear from task manager.

Gary

 

Yes, the same two lines that were in the batch file repeated over and over. The first time it happened, it probably took twenty minutes, but then the times after that were much shorter. This is just a guess, though. I'm not positive of the exact time. And, I created my own. I didn't think to check the guide for the link to download the batchfile. I just did what you said and killed the command window, waited for the two processes to disappear, and then I restarted my computer. It seems to be running the same (but I think it started up much faster). I hope I didn't cause any damage to my hard drive?

I found and downloaded the batchfile a few seconds ago, and I checked for the differences between that and the one I created. In the downloaded one, after the two lines, I think there was a space created by hitting the enter key. There was no space in the one I created. Could that have been the reason?

Thank you so much for your quick reply!

 

No even if the batch file ran multiple times it won't hurt a thing. Killing the command window and then waiting for the two processes to disappear also didn't do ANY harm at all.

The first time I would expect it to take 20 minutes or sow. The subsequent times it would have been much faster as there was nothing to do.

For the life of me I can't understand WHY the batch file you created would repeat itself. What did you name the batch file? Oh wait! You didn't call it "defrag.bat" did you? If so that MIGHT explain why it repeated.

Do me a favor and try running MY batch file and tell me what results you get.

Gary

 

Yep, I named it exactly that. I guess that was the reason! I went to run it, and I think I may have just double clicked it without thinking. The process started to repeat (unless I clicked the defrag.bat file again, which I hope I wasn't THAT stupid..) so I killed the command window and waited for the processes to disappear.

Then, I ran the downloaded batch file (the proper way!) at 3:05. Around 3:08, the next line popped up, and a minute later the box was gone.

 

That is EXACTLY why it repeated. The first line of the batch file tells Vista to think everything is idle. The second line runs the defrag program. But in your case because the batch file was named defrag.bat, it ran the BATCH fie again not the defrag program.

But, it gets more interesting. There is a built in task to run the defrag app using the same parameters I use in the batch file. That built in task will run, when it realizes Vista is idle. So in YOUR case the first line told Vista it was idle and the AUTOMATIC task kicked in and ran the defrag application. Once it was done the batch file ran the second line, which in your case caused the batch file to restart!

Mystery solved. As they say in the NBA, no blood, no foul! ...big ol' grin...

Bottom line we accomplished what we intended, that is your bootfiles were reorganized as they should have been, and your machine boots a bit faster.

Gary

P.S. I will make a note in the message NOT to name the file defrag.bat!

 

Once again, great job Flamenko.

And thank you for all your efforts at consolidating such good info.

My boot time (granted on SSD) went from 59 seconds (power button press to logon prompt) down to 34 seconds.

Oh, and after l log on, the desktop loads (all tray icons, processes...everything!) in 11 seconds.

Repped.

 

Tx and repped back.

 

I have followed Flamenko's excellent postings for a while now. From other threads, I managed to tweak my XP system to a boot time of under 30 seconds, vastly improving its performance. I have ordered a new system with Vista installed, so I've been browsing this thread too. When I read his remarks about AutoMz Ultimate Tweaker, saying it works for XP as well, I thought to give it a go.

Bad move.

I'm pretty cautious with these tweaks, so I backed up the registry as the program suggested, and I let it go on the weakest (most conservative) optimisation. It did some thinking, suggested I reboot, and that's the last I saw of my beloved desktop. The computer froze at a black screen and refused to budge. Booting up in safe mode and last known good configuration did not change anything. Booting with command prompt gave me a list of drivers, with it freezing on the last one: "agp440.sys". Note that at no stage did it ask or suggest that it would change my drivers. I don't see the point of the backup that I did with AutoMz Ultimate Tweaker, as I can't recover it.

OK, I'm XP so why post on this thread? Because the suggestion is that this is a really good program for Vista and XP. However, I disagree . Thanks to excellent advice on other XP threads, I had a very sweet XP system going, so I wonder what extra improvements this program might have made - perhaps minimal? Given that it failed first time, and looks like no recovery possible, perhaps the Vista tweaks given by Flamenko are sufficient. They are similar to the XP tweaks and it sounds like they give similar improvements to performance. So I'd suggest giving AutoMz Ultimate Tweaker a miss, at least for now.

Lastly, I badly need help to undo this! All my data is backed up, but I'd still like to get my computer going. I'm on the road, and won't be able to use my XP disk for 2 days, but any suggestion is welcome. System is a Dell Inspiron 8600 with 1 MB RAM and XP SP2.

And I'm thinking I should carry with me when I travel a boot disk just in case. Can you create one after all this optimisation, that includes all the hard work that's been done? Can you boot from a USB drive, or a partition on your hard drive? That would be convenient, any problems you could change the BIOS to load from a seperate partition to get your computer back.

Thanks for your suggestions. BTW, new system is Dell XPS 1530 with SSD, I am really looking forward to it. But I need my much loved Inspiron too!

 

Thanks! Repped.

 

Sorry, finger trouble at net cafe...

 

Just thought I would take an opportunity to apologize for those who had problems with Auto TweakMZ; it has been removed. I had used the program for months without a problem on several systems but, once brought here, observed that some were having adverse side effects because of it. This pertains specifically to the last post above as well as a number of others who experienced log on problems after using the program.

Again apologies and thank you for the feedback. The tweak has been replaced with ScuderiaConchiglia' command line that serves much the same purpose and has been found very safe.

 

Postscript: No USB devices were in at the time (I've been reading on the web where this might be the problem). Indeed it's a pretty basic laptop, nothing added at all except the 1 Gig RAM

 

I would suggest giving the thread a bit to be read and someone will assist with respect to this. Unfortunately, I cannot assist here.

 

So I have a dead laptop (see about 5 messages back) after using a (formerly) recommended program on this thread, which seems to hang on loading a driver (agp440.sys).

From google the actual driver is a bit of a red herring.

I've tried removing the bluetooth and CD drive, disabling boot from anything else except the hard drive, and I've run Dell diagnostics on the whole system, including a lengthy check of the HDD.

Still unable to get computer started; it still hangs at "agp440.sys". From google many have it hang a couple of drivers early at "mup.sys" (the point at which it hangs seems to be irrelevant). Most were able to fix it by removing USB devices, or by running chkdisk. I've done as much as I can with the first, but I can't get to a command prompt to run chkdisk. How do I interrupt the boot sequence to get a command prompt? I've tried boot in safe mode with command prompt but this is where it hangs.

Would really appreciate some help here.

BTW, just spent an hour and a half reading entire thread. I can find only one other person with the same problem, and no information on how to solve it. This is only a few pages back from here, so for anyone else with the same issue no need to go too far back.

 

AutoMZ blows. My internet connection has been screwed up since I ran that program. Random disconnects and slowdowns.

Other than that, great tutorial!! But you should remove AutoMZ, IMO.

 

AutoMZ seems to be a hit or miss program. Before bringing it here I installed it and used its power optimization in my 64Bit Vista Ultimate, my wifes XP desktop as well as two other Vista machines, two of these with password control.

I have never had a problem in any way, shape or form on any of these machines and I will concede I use this as regular maintenance.

Further, I have received several very positive comments on several aspects of the software, most importantly, how it speeds up just about everything including decreasing startup & shutdown times with improved internet access. There have been a few negative which have been documented here however, these appearing to have some serious ramifications.

AutoMZ removed... and Scuds defragmenter recommended. It will decrease your startup time and appears to be very safe.

 

I confirmed! no problem with autoMZ for me. it works fine! great improvement. there's only a thing: it is autoMZ that causes the NUM LK activation at startup, but it's quite easy to remove

I suggest to keep the program with a warning in the first page.

works great for me!

 

I have just reinstalled a second time and on the "turn windows options on and off" tweak, it only brings up an empty box. My user name is an admin. It worked last time I reinstalled just fine.

Am I missing a driver or program?

 

So is AutoMZ good or not? I have used it a few times, and no problems for me... Im worried now...

 

If it does not cause you problem in the beginning. You should be fine, at least, for as far as i know.

 

Jewperman,

I use the powerful optimization method of AutoMZ and am very happy with it. I have had nothing but success with it as you seem to have as well.

Others had had less luck and this seems to be restricted to those using it that require Windows logon. It was removed in consideration of these few.

 

And that last sentence is the most important... "as far as we know". I would put ZERO trust in a programmer who makes such a STUPID move as to turn on the numlock key at boot time as part of his tweaks. If he did this, what the hell else did the idiot do? He didn't document ANYTHING his app does so we have no clue what else he screwed up.

Sorry, but I am on a rant about this application and others of its ilk. Undocumented tweaks are potentially dangerous and are doing a grave dis-service to users, especially novice users. Users are blindly trusting these apps, some written by a first time programmer who pirated a copy of Visual Studio and now think they are god's gift to the operating system world and know how to change an operating system to make it work better. As I have said before would YOU trust a first year med student to perform brain surgery? Put your trust ONLY in tweak apps that document precisely what they do! Rant mode off...

Now having said that Flamenko is doing his best to preview and test these tweak apps to try to separate the wheat from the chaff. This one, unfortunately, snuck through because the testing regimen didn't happen to include a login password that used a key in the numlock pad. As they used to say on "Hill Street Blues"... be careful out there!

Gary