Vista 64-bit and 8GBs of memory.

[XJ.]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

PS: I think ATINUT could be right about ReadyBoost being used before the total system memory. I am going to test that further one day. Only thing, the system pagefiles if you need it or not. So, it may help in the short run, but, maybe not in the long hall situations. Does that make sense?

That's and artifact from the original NT 3.1 paging code. One of the elements that Vista and earlier incarnations of the NT kernel use if a FIFO buffer. FIFO's are subject to Bedlay's anomaly which leads to constant paging. The paging system is more complicated than that, but it is the source of some of it's problem.

Most Unix like OSes used time stamped pages - so they can use Least Recently Used or other variants to make sure that only older page files get paged out and only if the OS is running out of physical memory. That's why Linux (when you have allot of RAM) basically never pages out. I believe that NT 3.1 needed to run on MIPS based cpus, and they didn't have the ability to time stamp pages back then.

[TI99]

Thanks for this forum thread! All your entries made me start investigating Superfetch, prefetch, and swap files again since I went to 8gig. The single best thing for me was to disable Superfetch service. Windows boots up quicker to the actual point were I can open an application. Word and especially a large excel sheet just fly open now. Best of all my hard disk actually stops working after these apps open, it used to continually run. The hard disk life was probable extended years.
Some programs have problems with 8gig however. ATI Catalyst Control Center 8.12 will not recognize video cards with over 4gig and some other test programs have problems. I think they will all catch up when more people go beyond 4gig.

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by TI99

Thanks for this forum thread! All your entries made me start investigating Superfetch, prefetch, and swap files again since I went to 8gig. The single best thing for me was to disable Superfetch service. Windows boots up quicker to the actual point were I can open an application. Word and especially a large excel sheet just fly open now. Best of all my hard disk actually stops working after these apps open, it used to continually run. The hard disk life was probable extended years.
Some programs have problems with 8gig however. ATI Catalyst Control Center 8.12 will not recognize video cards with over 4gig and some other test programs have problems. I think they will all catch up when more people go beyond 4gig.

9.1 loaded fine w/ 12GBs. I think that was a 8.12 bug.

I have Superfetch: Allow Only Program Files to Preload. I have the memory, I want to use it.

Prefetch: Cache Boot Files Only. Best tweak I ever made.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

9.1 loaded fine w/ 12GBs. I think that was a 8.12 bug.

I have Superfetch: Allow Only Program Files to Preload. I have the memory, I want to use it.

Prefetch: Cache Boot Files Only. Best tweak I ever made.

chuckbam; is this tweak still worthwhile in your opinion I'm hearing a lot of conflicting views about this? also... in relation to Vista; superfetch IS prefetch right?, there is no separate prefetch service?

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

chuckbam; is this tweak still worthwhile in your opinion I'm hearing a lot of conflicting views about this? also... in relation to Vista; superfetch IS prefetch right?, there is no separate prefetch service?

In my opinion Yes, Yes and Yes!

On a capable system, the constant writing to the Prefetch folder will not increase performance. That is good for your P3 notebook w/ 512MBs.

I also disable Windows Search Service and the Scheduled Task CrawlStartPages.

The other day I reloaded Vista, I did not make the changes till I was done with some updates. My Prefetch folder was so large, I could not believe my eyes. That was a hole bunch of HD activity. I deleted that mess promptly and re-booted.


- Superfetch: Allow Only Program Files to Preload
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ PrefetchParameters > EnableSuperfetch > Set Value: Hexadecimal Value Data = 1


- Prefetch: Cache Boot Files Only
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\
PrefetchParameters > EnablePrefetcher > Set Value: Hexadecimal Value Data = 2

.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

...
The other day I reloaded Vista, I did not make the changes till I was done with some updates. My Prefetch folder was so large, I could not believe my eyes. That was a hole bunch of HD activity. I deleted that mess promptly and re-booted...

Thinking that through tho... if we're doing a reload of Vista then there will be a lot of files that have been touched (ie: during the install)... so that might explain why the folder grew so much...

but over the next few days that should shrink shouldnt it? as your usage becomes regular

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

Thinking that through tho... if we're doing a reload of Vista then there will be a lot of files that have been touched (ie: during the install)... so that might explain why the folder grew so much...

but over the next few days that should shrink shouldnt it? as your usage becomes regular

Now it will not need to do that shrinking (needless) process. I have done that myself. I don't give a hoot about HD space, only the processing activity needed to do it.

I set-up Vista so that when my computer is idle the HD is not running all the time. I do not disable any error reporting features because I read them all.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

Now it will not need to do that shrinking (needless) process. I have done that myself. I don't give a hoot about HD space, only the processing activity needed to do it...

Well, once you had cleared the folder out then I think it should then align properly to your usual usage over the following days... wouldnt it?

just trying to work through this to understand ...

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

Well, once you had cleared the folder out then I think it should then align properly to your usual usage over the following days... wouldnt it?

just trying to work through this to understand ...

What usual usage?

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

What usual usage?

I mean as you use the system normally over the next few days the prefetch should enumerate and store the correct files that you are using.

What I'm saying is that I think that right after a new install the prefetch will be full of all the installation apps and files... which would definetly slow the system down and thrash the disk during load.

If we clear out the folder after installation and give it a few days to sort then we see the benefit.

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

I mean as you use the system normally over the next few days the prefetch should enumerate and store the correct files that you are using.

What I'm saying is that I think that right after a new install the prefetch will be full of all the installation apps and files... which would definetly slow the system down and thrash the disk during load.

If we clear out the folder after installation and give it a few days to sort then we see the benefit.

perhaps, But this folder becomes Gigantic! What is the size of your's? A computer with a modern HD can find your file with little effort. If you remain logged on, the information is in Superfetch (RAM). Prefetch just keep writing and writing and writing.

The slowest component on my system is the HD. I want it to work on only what I am commanding it to do. And, the idle process on Vista are just CRAZY IN MY OPINION.

[zapionics<alt>]

I just did a fresh install, loaded up all my apps including Office 2007 and its currently sitting at 55MB allocated (33 MB actual).

After installing office 2007 and doing a reboot the disk thrashed for about 2 minutes non stop and startup was very slow. (probably indexing and prefetch)

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

I just did a fresh install, loaded up all my apps including Office 2007 and its currently sitting at 55MB allocated (33 MB actual).

After installing office 2007 and doing a reboot the disk thrashed for about 2 minutes non stop and startup was very slow. (probably indexing and prefetch)

You will read all kind of conflicting information on these tweeks. I think that Vista has a load all set-up that needs to be modified to meet your needs. I believe that that is the reason for the bad opinion of Vista. You need to have a little knowledge to set it up properly. If not to just install it. There has been times, it took me a while just to get it on a computer. I have installed or attempted to re-make Vista usebale 100s of times for myself and others.

These are the setting I like. I have tested the throughly. Someone else may disagree or you may read something different. I am not going to try to change someones thinking.

After a good amount of study, I believe that the Prefech on Vista makes this OS compatible with more older or slower computers (maybe even an Atom setup)..

As to Indexing and search. I don't understand why MS is pushing Search. It seems that they want you to be able to search anyplace any time. The drive should be continually indexing everything you do. I don't want any of it. First, I put my files to known locations. When I search a drive that is not indexed, I find things very rapidly. I don't want my hard drive indexing everything. I know they must have a reason but, I don't want it. ie8, short cuts anyplace on the screen- not for me!

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by chuckbam

...These are the setting I like. I have tested the throughly. Someone else may disagree or you may read something different. I am not going to try to change someones thinking.

Well experience is a lot more reliable than theory. If this thing continues to thrash in the next week I'll give the tweak a go. I appreciate your experience with it.

Originally Posted by chuckbam

...As to Indexing and search. I don't understand why MS is pushing Search. It seems that they want you to be able to search anyplace any time. The drive should be continually indexing everything you do. ...

I also had indexing off the past few months without a hitch anyway but I'm curious to see if it settles down.

The problem is that Windows is predicated on a hierarchical data base structure which means that intrinsically things can become hard to find as our categorisation requirements change over time.

I'd rather they focussed on a relational approach than persisting with this... but thats another topic.

[chuckbam]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

[/b]

Well experience is a lot more reliable than theory. If this thing continues to thrash in the next week I'll give the tweak a go. I appreciate your experience with it.



I also had indexing off the past few months without a hitch anyway but I'm curious to see if it settles down.

The problem is that Windows is predicated on a hierarchical data base structure which means that intrinsically things can become hard to find as our categorisation requirements change over time.

I'd rather they focussed on a relational approach than persisting with this... but thats another topic.

I needed to look up the definitions of both hierarchical and relational data base. And, I will not say I fully understand it. But, maybe Windows needs a desktop version that has a little wizard (optional) and asks you a few questions of how you are going to use the OS.