There are so many programs that will tweak your TCP/IP settings. The truth is changing your MTU or time to live (TTL) settings will only do so much. Windows XP is already set for broadband connections so there is really not much to do.. Most of the time regular use, installing programs and updating your computer will slow down your computer. In this tutorial we will show you how to maintain a better performing computer for broadband use.
Step 1: Increase DNS Cache
When you connect to the internet the 'www-whatever-com' is translated into a number that looks like 192.222.12.4. These translations are stored in your DNS cache. With the translations of web addresses cached your computer does not have to look to the web as much for information so this will speed up your internet browsing. This little how to will show you how to increase your DNS cache for Windows XP.
Go to the start menu and select run. In the run dialog box type regedit and click on OK. Once in the registry editor go to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServices
DnscacheParameters. Add the following D-words and values:
"CacheHashTableBucketSize" dword: "00000001"
"CacheHashTableSize" dword: "00000180"
"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit" dword: "0000fa00"
"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit" dword: "0000012d"
Once complete close the registry editor and restart your computer. Thats it.
Step 2: Increase the number of allowed TCP/IP connections.
Microsoft decided to release service pack 2 for Windows XP as a major security update. With all of the bad press they have been getting with Windows XP security issues it wasn't a bad idea. One of the things Microsoft had decided to do was limit the number of TCP/IP connections allowed at one time to ten. We would show you how to manually edit your limit of connections in Windows XP but we will visit that another time and give you a direct link to the utility that does it all for ya. Remember that this is just for Windows XP service pack 2.
Step 3: Update Your Network Card Drivers.
It is always good to keep windows up to date. In the case of drivers it is best to go with what works. try to update your driver for better performance. If it does not work as well just roll back the driver. How do you do that? In Windows XP you have the ability to roll back your drivers on demand to an older working one. To access the rollback driver feature just right-click on my computer and go to properties. In the properties go to the hardware tab and click on the device manager button. Right-click on the piece of hardware you wish to roll back the driver for and go to properties. Click on the driver tab and click on the roll back driver button.. A wizard will pop up and just follow the steps in the wizard and you will be set.
Step 4: Keep a tidy ship.
The less your computer has to keep track of the less time it will take to browse your network or the internet. Windows already takes steps to clean things up for you but this may not be to the extent that you may like. Here are a few steps to take to clean up your computer so your network or internet browsing will be running smooth.
First make sure you are only running what you need. If you go to My Computer and click on My Network Places. In My Network Places click on the view network connections. Right-click on a local area connection and go to properties. In the properties you will see the network components that you have installed. The components I would keep is client for Microsoft networks, file and printer sharing, and internet protocol (TCP/IP). I would recommend checking with your internet service provider and see what is really needed to connect to the internet. To remove the ones that you don't want just remove the check marks and click on OK.
Secondly it is always good to clear your temporary internet files. You can do this by going into Internet Explorer. Once in Internet Explorer go to the tools menu and internet options. Once in the Internet Options click on the delete files button. If you have a lot of files to delete your computer may act like it is frozen for a bit but once done just click on OK and exit Internet Explorer.
Last but not least it is good to flush your DNS cache from time to time. I know we showed you earlier how to expand your DNS cache size so why would you want to delete it? If there are entries in the DNS cache that your computer does not use it is taking the time to search through the unneeded stuff to the needed entries. To flush your DNS you go to the start menu and then nun. In the run command type in "cmd" and click on OK. This will open a dos prompt. In the dos prompt type in "ipconfig /flushdns" and press enter. That's it.
Step 5: Clean and Defrayment your Hard Drive.
When you make a request for a file on your network or the internet your computer has to write the file to your hard drive. If you have a slower preforming hard drive your network performance will suffer. The best way to keep your hard drive in shape is to Clean and defrayment your hard drive regularly. Here is how it is done. Go to my computer. Right-click on your C drive and select properties. In the properties click on the tools tab. Click on the defragment button. To clean up your hard drive go to the start menu and in the accessories under the programs folder you will find the System Tools. In the system tools click on disk clean up.
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