Situation:
You want to configure your Windows 95/98/Me system to run at peak efficiency, or you are troubleshooting system/software problems.

Solution:
This document contains a number of configuration changes that can be made to Windows 95/98/Me to ensure that it runs efficiently, and that no system settings are preventing Windows from using its resources effectively. It is not intended to resolve any specific problems, although in some cases it will resolve problems caused by incorrect settings.

The following topics are covered in this document:  (You may click on the links below to jump ahead)

• How to check the hard drive for problems
• How to check for programs that load at startup
• System settings in the Config.sys file
• System settings in the System.ini file
• System settings in the Win.ini file
• Temporary files
• Virtual memory

 
How to check the hard drive for problems  [Back to menu]

Problems with the hard drive, such as bad sectors, can cause problems when running any software.  In addition, a badly fragmented hard drive can cause programs to run slower than expected.  Please closely follow the instructions in each section for the best results, as well as to avoid any additional problems.

NOTE: The following instructions are for ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter that are provided with Windows.  You may view more detailed instructions on these two important programs by visiting our section on them.

ScanDisk
ScanDisk is a Windows utility that examines hard drives for errors, damage, or defects, either to data or to the physical drive.  We recommend that you check for such problems before you make any of the system changes discussed in this document.

Please follow these steps to run ScanDisk:

• 1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.
• 2. Select the drives that you want to scan.  (You can select more than one drive by holding down Ctrl while you click a drive.)
• 3. Select the type of test that you want to run.  A Standard test examines only the data on the hard drive, while a Thorough test also examines the physical surface of the drive.  We recommend that you perform a Thorough test. (This should also be done monthly, while we recommend you perform a Standard test weekly.)
• 4. Click Start to begin the scanning process.  Depending on the size of the hard drive, and the speed of the computer, a Thorough scan can take several hours.

Disk Defragmenter
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that organizes the way files are stored on the hard drive.  A hard drive is composed of many sections, known as "sectors".  Frequently, as files are written to the hard drive, they are divided into noncontiguous parts.  This slows down the system because the file must be retrieved from different locations before it can be used.  It also wastes space and increases the chances of files becoming damaged.  Disk Defragmenter reassembles these file fragments so that each file is in only one location.  We recommend that you run Disk Defragmenter before you make any of the system changes discussed in this document.

Please follow these steps to run Disk Defragmenter:

• 1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
• 2. Select the drives that you want to defragment.  You can select either a single drive or All hard drives.
• 3. Click OK to begin the defragmentation process.  Depending on the size of the hard drive, the amount of fragmentation, and the speed of the computer, this process may take several hours.  In some cases, you may want to run Disk Defragmenter overnight.

 
How to check for programs that load at startup  [Back to menu]

When you install programs, they may configure themselves to load along with Windows.  You may not know they are loading because they may run in the background.  This can become a problem as more programs load with Windows and, therefore, reduce the amount of resources available to other programs.

Within the program
You can prevent most programs from loading with Windows through an "Option" or "Properties" menu within the program.  Configure the program so that it does not load with Windows (or at Startup), and then restart the computer.

From the StartUp folder
Some programs create shortcuts in the StartUp folder to load with Windows.  Follow these steps to move the shortcuts to a different location and see whether this solves the problem:

• 1. Right-click Start, and then click Explore.  An Explorer window opens with the "\Windows\Start Menu" folder selected.
• 2. In the left pane, double-click the Programs folder.
• 3. Click the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
• 4. Type Backup of StartUp and then press Enter.
• 5. In the left pane, click the StartUp folder.  The shortcuts that are displayed in the left pane are programs that start when Windows starts.
• 6. Drag and drop each shortcut to the "Backup of StartUp" folder that you just created.
• 7. Exit Windows Explorer, and then restart Windows to test.

From the Windows registry
Some programs load from the Windows registry.  You can temporarily prevent these from loading for testing purposes.  For detailed instructions on how to do this, please see our section covering this topic.

 
System settings in the Config.sys file  [Back to menu]

Settings in the Config.sys file can sometimes be configured incorrectly when programs - particularly older Windows or DOS programs - are installed.  If they are not set correctly, then they may be limited by Windows default settings.  Follow these steps to ensure that the Config.sys file is optimized:

• 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
• 2. Type sysedit and then click OK.  The System Configuration Editor opens.
• 3. Click the Window menu, and then click C:\CONFIG.SYS.
• 4. Scroll down, if necessary, and look for a line that starts with FILES=.  If one does not exist, enter it according to these guidelines:
  
  • If the computer is not on a network, or if it is on a network with less than ten other computers, then type the following and then press Enter:

    FILES=200
    

  • If the computer is on a network with ten or more other computers, then type the following and then press Enter:

    FILES=250

• 5. Look for a line that starts with BUFFERS=.  Change it, or if it does not exist, then add it, so that it matches the following, and then press Enter:

  BUFFERS=80,0

• 6. Look for a line that starts with STACKS=.  Change it, or if it does not exist, then add it, so that it matches the following, and then press Enter:

  STACKS=12,256

• 7. Make sure that the following line exists; if it does not, then add it as shown:

  DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /M:1
  (The /M:1 switch commands Himem.sys to identify the processor.)

• 8. Close the Config.sys file, and save the changes when prompted.

 
System settings in the System.ini file  [Back to menu]

The System.ini file is another place where configuration settings can affect how your system performs.  Please follow the instructions in each section to ensure that the System.ini file is optimized.

Real Mode (16-bit) drivers
This is most frequently seen on computers that have been upgraded from older operating systems.  In this case, the System.ini file may contain references to old 16-bit drivers that can cause problems with newer, 32-bit programs.  Follow these steps to remove these 16-bit drivers:

NOTE: Skip steps 1 and 2 if the System Configuration Editor is already open.

• 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
• 2. Type sysedit and then click OK.  The System Configuration Editor opens.
• 3. Click the Window menu, and then click C:\SYSTEM.INI.
• 4. Click the Search menu, and then click Find.
• 5. Type 386enh in the Find box, and then click Next.
• 6. You should see [386enh] selected.  (You may have to scroll down to see it.)  On the lines following this, look for text that begins with device=.  If any line that begins with device= does NOT have an asterisk (*) directly following the equals (=) sign, type a semicolon (; ) and a space at the beginning of the line.  This is called "commenting out" the line, and it will prevent Windows from loading that driver.  (It also enables you to reenable them in the future by simply deleting the space/semicolon.)

  Here is an example:

  In this sample System.ini file, the second line of the [386Enh] section, device=mydriver,
  does not have an * as does device=*dynapage.

  [386Enh]
  device=*dynapage
  device=mydriver

  Comment out the device=mydriver line by typing a semicolon and then a space to the left of the line, so that it looks like:

  [386Enh]
  device=*dynapage
  ; device=mydriver

  7. Click the File menu, and then click Save to save your changes.  Close the System.ini file, or, (recommended), go on to the next section.

• 1. With the System.ini file open, click the Search menu, and then click Find.
• 2. Type vcache in the Find box, and then click Next.  You should see [vcache] selected.  (You may have to scroll down to see it.)
• 3. In the [vcache] section, look for the following:

  [vcache]
  Minfilecache=512
  Maxfilecache=6144
  Chunksize=512
  

  • If these lines do not exist, then add them exactly as shown.
  • If they do exist, but the numbers are not the same values as shown, then change the numbers so that they do match the values shown.
    
• 4. Close the System.ini file, and save the changes when prompted.

 
System settings in the Win.ini file  [Back to menu]

In some cases, 16-bit programs can also load from the Win.ini file.  Follow these steps to check this:

NOTE: Skip steps 1 and 2 if the System Configuration Editor is already open.

• 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
• 2. Type sysedit and then click OK.  The System Configuration Editor opens.
• 3. Click the Window menu and then click C:\WIN.INI.
• 4. In the [Windows] section, look for lines that start with load= and run=.
• 5. If there is anything following load= or run=, comment out these lines with semicolons.  Please see the instructions in the previous section for how to do this.  For example:

  If the Win.ini file now has:

  [Windows]
  load=c:\cctrol.exe
  run=c:\wizard\wiz.exe

  then type a semicolon and a space before each line so it is:

  [Windows]
  ; load=c:\cctrol.exe
  ; run=c:\wizard\wiz.exe

• 6. Close the Win.ini file and save the changes.

 
System settings in the Autoexec.bat file

NOTE: Skip steps 1 and 2 if the System Configuration Editor is already open.

• 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
• 2. Type sysedit and then click OK.  The System Configuration Editor opens.
• 3. Click the Window menu and then click Autoexec.bat
• 4. Check for, and if necessary, add the following line:

  SET DOS16M=2

  This line should be added as the first line before any other lines in the Autoexec.bat file.  Its function is to extend memory in DOS for strings of information over 64 characters in length.

• 5. Close the Autoexec.bat file and save the changes.

 
Temporary files  [Back to menu]

Windows programs often need to temporarily store information on the hard drive.  This is almost always done when installing software, but occurs at other times as well, for example when reindexing a database, extracting compressed files, or when using some programs such as Microsoft Word.  This information is saved in a designated "Temp" folder.  In some cases these files will have the ".tmp" extension.  Windows - or the program which created them - is supposed to delete these files when they are no longer needed.  Because this does not always happen, large numbers of temporary files can accumulate in the Temp folder.  This can slow computer operation and cause other problems.  In addition, corrupted temporary files can cause installation failures or, in some cases, can cause programs or the computer to stop responding.

To prevent this, you should regularly clean out files (and subfolders) that have accumulated in the C:\Windows\Temp folder.  In some cases, you should change the location of the Temp folder.  Please follow the instructions in each section to do this.

Enable show all files
Follow these steps to make sure that Windows is set to show all files:

• 1. Start Windows Explorer.
• 2. Click the View menu, and then click Options or Folder options.
• 3. Click the View tab, and then uncheck, if necessary, "Hide file extensions for known file types".
• 4. Click Show all files, and then click OK.

• 1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.  A DOS window opens.
• 2. At the prompt, type set and then press Enter.
• 3. Look for lines that start with TEMP= and TMP=.  By default both will - and should - point to the same location, for example, C:\Windows\Temp.  Write down the path and file name that is shown.  (If they point to different locations, then you must clear out both folders when following the instructions in the next section.)
• 4. Type exit and then press Enter.

WARNING: If your TEMP or TMP variables point to one of the following locations, then DO NOT follow the instructions in this section.  Instead, proceed to the section titled Problems with Temp locations.

• A program folder (C:\Dos or C:\Windows)
• The root of the C drive (C:\)

• 1. Exit all programs, and then restart the computer.
• 2. Start Windows Explorer, and then navigate to and select the folder whose location you wrote down in the previous section, for example, C:\Windows\Temp.
• 3. Making sure that you are looking in the Temp folder, examine the contents of the right pane and do one of the following:
  • Delete any files and subfolders within this folder.  In most cases, this is the recommended action.  Files and folders that were placed there by Windows or Windows-based programs were not meant to be permanent and can be safely deleted.
  • Move the files to a different location.  If you are not sure that the files or folders were placed there by Windows or Windows-based programs, move them to a different folder, or, (recommended) external media such as a floppy disk.  (In most cases, this is not necessary.  However, because some unzip programs offer to unzip files to the Temp folder by default, and in some cases files may have been download or stored there, if you are not sure of the contents, we suggest that you move them instead of deleting them.)
• 4. Repeat the above process for the Tmp folder, if it is different from the Temp folder.

Problems with Temp locations
By default, Windows places the Temp folder in C:\Windows\Temp.  Other locations, such as C:\Temp, or even another drive, are perfectly acceptable as long as there is room on the drive.  There are, however, several locations - most often seen on older, upgraded computers - that can cause serious problems.  They are:

• C:\DOS (In this case, files are actually being placed directly in the \DOS folder).  This is a poor location, as it becomes difficult to remove leftover files when they are mixed with files that should remain there.
• C:\ (That is, there is no Temp folder; all temp files are being placed in the root of the C drive.)  Because the root of the hard drive, by design, can only hold a limited number (512 maximum) of files, placing temp files in this location can cause programs to stop working.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
• 2. Type sysedit and then click OK.  The System Configuration Editor appears.
• 3. Click the Window menu, and then click C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT.
• 4. Look for the lines that start with SET TEMP= and SET TMP=.
• 5. Change them to read:

  SET TEMP=C:\Windows\Temp
  SET TMP=C:\Windows\Temp

  NOTE: If Windows is installed to a different location, then change this accordingly, so that both point to the Temp folder that is located in the folder where you have Windows installed.

• 6. Exit the System Configuration Editor, and save the changes when prompted.
• 7. Restart the computer.

 
Virtual memory  [Back to menu]

Even computers with large amounts of RAM (memory) do not always have enough memory for every function.  To work around this problem, Windows uses a portion of the hard drive for temporary memory storage.  This is called virtual memory, also known as a swap file.  This file is used to hold data for which there is not currently room in memory, as well as data that Windows is not currently using, but may need again soon.  Because of this, you need a virtual memory allocation even if you have large amounts of RAM in the computer.  The swap file can be placed on any local drive; we recommend that you have at least 100 MB of free space on this drive.

How to create a permanent swap file
By default, Windows will use whatever free space is available for its swap file.  This is inefficient, and can slow down the computer, especially if the hard drive is highly fragmented.  (See first section for information on defragmenting the hard drive.)  It can also be misleading; when it is not in use, it does not take up space, so you may be led to believe you have more space than you will have when programs are running.  To avoid this, you can create a permanent swap file with a fixed size.  The recommended size of a swap file is 1.5 times the size of the physical RAM, so if you have 64 MB of RAM, a good swap file size might be 160 MB.

NOTES:

• There is a limit to this, however.  Computers are being manufactured with ever increasing amounts of RAM.  If you have 512 MB of RAM, for example, you do not need 1.25 GB of virtual memory.  In most cases, setting the virtual memory to a maximum of 200 MB will prove sufficient.
• If you are going to be performing operations that will use far more RAM than you actually have, such as computer-aided design (CAD) or heavy graphical rendering such as creating computer animation (3D), you may want to let Windows manage the virtual memory, so that the swap file can grow as large as needed.

• 1. Run ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter before changing virtual memory settings.  (Please see the first section for instructions.)
• 2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
• 3. Double-click System, and then click the Performance tab.
• 4. Click Virtual Memory.
• 5. Click "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings."
• 6. Select the hard drive that you want to contain the swap file.  Make sure that you select a drive with enough free space.  If you have more than one physical hard drive, we recommend that you select the fastest drive if possible.
• 7. Set the Minimum and Maximum to the same size.

  
  

• 8. Click OK. You will see a warning about changing your virtual memory settings.  As long as you have followed the previous instructions, this can be disregarded.  Click Yes.

  
  

• 9. Allow Windows to restart the computer.