Homework = Performance

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You play online? Add this to your poker glossary!: PC Management

Since a while have more and more problems here and there with my PC, some support teams suggest me to scan, inspect, clean and so on... as usual...

Since few weeks i start to look for new PC, new technology, new stuff and realise one thing after few weeks, i knew more about actual generation hardware than what i own...

So then start looking about info about my PC, all my components, their potential and restriction... Then my mother board's pamphlet became my bible...

Then i got a HUGE SHOCK....

My PC detect my CPU AMD at start up, but one problem here, i bought a AMD 2400+ not a 1800+ ^^ What the hell!!!

The fact is, since 7 years i had to ask few time to "repair" my PC at shop or at some friends or something... Not sure all those guy, to not say one of those, read my whole mother board books... Not sure they set the Bios in right way... Not sure they desinstall the old driver... Not sure they know more than me about what i have...

Since one week i stop to think about new PC or overclocking this one... and just start to think about to get the max of what i have...

With all notes i took during last month, it took me 2-3 days to "re-setup" my PC. I adjusted my CPU and memory frequency (from 100mhz and 100mhz to 133mhz and 180mhz).

My PC correctly detect a AMD 2400+ instead an 1800+ now (NOTE: Am not talking about overclocking here, but just about to get what you suppose to have, only).

With some kinda good drivers management tools i fix a lot of shared/conflit/old/useless installed drivers TV/ USB/ Printer/ WebCam/Joystick and all shit you can imagine connected to your PC even those you cant imagine but got the drivers somewhere on CD or website by mistake.

With some NVidia driver i increased the data flux from my "old" IDE (but new) hard drive

With another driver tool i make i backup files of all my usefull operating drivers

I got a real clean disk tool too (wich one can delete and back up all REAL old and useless path/extension/dll in windows and register)...

And...

All that to say that now, I got 5Go free more space on hard drive (25% was crap), instead eating 100% of my ressource system (like windows do at start up) PO5 now take less 50% of my ressource and both RAM and CPU work together and better...

Opening PO5 take 2-3 sec, instead 15-20sec, my DB is all loaded in 10-15 sec instead... the time... it take... to make... a coffee!?... PO5 closes in a sec or two (shut down pop up window include)

I even sucessfully added a bunch of old HH to my DB, some saved HH that i wasnt able to import before cause i thougt my DB was too huge and pushed PO to crash.

Knowing that PO prefer import HH more than delete some, i volontary import one session of few hands in my main DB just with the goal to delete it after it, (this task ever cost me an hard drive before), yeah am gambler, but PO pass the test!

Yeah my system is old, but since i planed to use it only for poker (and build another one later for another use) it have no reasons to need more, and nothing explain all problems (minor and big) i got recently except that i never did my homework before. Since now no one will touch my PC no more!

I did it, and i'll do it again, it saved me money and it will pay me off.

Everything works fine! The fact is... I wonder what am doing here at 4:00am ...

Ok, lets fine some fish now, cause i still have projects for their money

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For Windows XP

click Start/Execute then type: cmd

For Vista

Click search (or research), type cmd then click Ctrl + Maj + enter (Maj = BIG LETTERS in french) cause you have to open your cmd by administrator way. cmd = command pannel i think, so other windows version, just try to find your cmd pannel

Now, for all windows, in your cmd pannel you see something like:

User/Your Name>

Type (no space):SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

Click enter, so now you see:

User/Your Name>SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

User/Your Name>

Now type (no space):devmgmt.msc on second line

Now you see:

User/Your Name>SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

User/Your Name>devmgmt.msc

Click enter...

Now you see your "devices" pannel, click on "show" (in bar menu above) and select show hidden "devices"

Now, you see all "devices" you have installed (or ever installed) on your PC with their drivers, in black its your GOOD devices/drivers, in grey its your non-use devices/drivers (old) click on those in grey and click uninstall for all...

UNINSTALL all GREYish, KEEP black one...

Done!

I gain 5Go of HDD free space and save power with this!

To save more energy, if you dont use USB devices for example, you can disable all USB port in your BIOS without any danger...

Hope my bad english didnt confuse you...

P.S. Maybe you want to keep those drivers somewhere before the uninstall, for future use, get DriverBackUp and make a backup just before, or save those manually, somewhere (CD, other HDD)...

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For what i read here and there, Google Chrome eat a lot of RAM (can use up to 99%). If you dont know how your exploitation system manage your memory (virtual, cache, pagefile (swap zone) and RAM) you probably better to uninstall Chrome.

Note: Not all Windows version use memory in same way... If you comfortable with memory management, you can try to find a way for this issue, if not, just uninstall Chrome...

Thats what i had to say for Chrome...

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Memory Management

For me, i note that when i play poker, its better to select performance for cache files instead for programms (config pannel/system/advanced/performance/parameter/advanced/memory, and select cache in middle of the pannel) This way, if your DB is in the cache you'll get more performance in data transmision (DB to tables, tables to DB)

I didnt try the performance's options (programm or background services) just above the memory options, but my little finger say to me that background services could help PO5 Hud too, but have to test it...

If you selected cache system performance, and have a decent swap zone, maybe you'll be better to ask to windows to put all your drivers and systems information on your RAM, yes you can! But i'll not giving that tips here, too tricky cause too many windows version, and this is done in register, but you can read about DisablePagingExecutive... When disabled, your drivers and system info stay on RAM (quicker PC)

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Windows defrag tools work like idiot, it take all your files on your hard drive and put those together to save space... You saved space yeah, but what about the organisation in files?

JKDefrag work in better way, especialy if we have database and/or a lot of personal files (text, music, picture...)

What JK Defrag do? First it leave a free space at begin of your hardrive (where the reading is faster for your computer) so Windows can put what he need in this free space, then JKDefrag defrag all application system and put those in zone 1 (right after the 1st free space zone)

Just after zone 1, JKDefrag left a second free space zone, for windows again, after that section free space zone, JKDefrag defrag in zone two, this zone contain files you use often, but non usefull for system. Then, a 3rd free zone space is left for windows again and finaly you get zone 3, where all big files, DB or any files you almost never use.

But more, JKDefrag dont defrag all files!!!, if he cant find enough place to put together 2 parts of one files, he will wait until the next defrag, in this way, you avoid to get a DB in 56 parts with usual defrag, cause this one have just one goal, compact all your files at begin of your Harddrive, no matter how! But Defrag is brigther than this, yeah you'll find fragmented files (but not unmovable), until he'll find good spot for...

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With MYDefrag* (not JKDefrag mentionned above) you can almost see all each clusters on your harddrive, you can mouse over a colored dot (files) and you'll get the name and the path for that file.

Yesterday i found my bigger DB was colored in red (unmovable) and was in few parts, and unfortunatly, i wasnt able to defrag it (cause red).

Here's what i did...

I start MYDefrag and lunch ANALYSE tool ONLY, i zoom on and found my fragmented red colored DB, put my mouse on it and MYDefrag told me the path for that file (C:docu and setting/MY NAME/PO etc...)

So i got there, find that file and i COPY it, then i went to MY DOC folders and create a folder named "test" and pasted the copy of my DB there... I came back to the original file (in C: Docu.../MY NAME/PO) and delete my DB (now i have 2 copy DB, one in test folder, one in recycler)...

I re-lunch MYDefrag (for ANALYSE), i found my corrupted DB, but the path is C:/Recycler now, cool! thats what i want! I click on recycler to clean it, re-open MYDefrag and miracle! No more fragmented DB colored in red.... One thing left to do, go back to test folder, click on my DB, then click on Edition/move file in bar menu and put that "one block" files where was my original DB!

Now PO5 open my DB faster then before...

I did the same thing with LongHud.log file in PO5 folder for same issue, it was in 175 (red) fragments, and it work!


*NOTE 1: Carefull if you usually use KJDefrag, cause MYDefrag work like the windows defrag, but its still usefull for his analyse. If you defrag with MYDefrag or windows defrag, you'll undo what JKdefrag just did!!!

*NOTE 2: MYDefrag is so good in analysing that you may find some (red colored fragmented) system files, the path for those files look like C:\$Extended... If you see the $ in the path, its the root path system, even if you dont usually see those files from usual defrag, you still can fix the "problem"

The fact is, those files is the windows journal system ( UsnJrnl $ or LogFile $) but you can delete and recreate that journal many times as you wish... Here's the way...

But you need the Fsutil.exe file, available on windows XP CD but maybe its already on your system in C:/windows/system32, if yes, well, you dont need the Windows XP CD (NOTE: Even with windows 2000 or vista, you can copy that file on your HDD from the XP CD)

Open your cmd (start/execute then type:cmd) then you'll type (no space at begin) fsutil usn deletejournal /D "driveletter" driverletter is where your files is, if its on C: you type:fsutil usn deletejournal /D C or if its on F, you type:fsutil usn deletejournal /D F and your journal is gone, with all fragmented files....

To recreate your journal system file, open your cmd then type:chkdsk /f, when you'll reboot your PC, you'll excute a checkdisk and windows will recreate the missing journal.

If you didnt checkdisk since a while, dont be surprise, it may take 20 minutes or even more, so why not maximize the operation? Click right on your C: (or F: or..) click on property then click on tools (you see windows defrag and scandisk) click "verify now" on scandisk section and check repair/fix/recover boxes, the chkdsk will be executed at your next PC reboot and your journal will be recreated if needed, but dont forget to delete your journal before (if needed, see above)!

If you have problem with your PC, fix those problem first before deleting your journal, maybe you'll need informations in this journal to fix your problem, but if you just have a fragmented files problem, this will resolve it fast ans sweet.