Windows Optimizations - For GameEx

[vsilvalopes]

Hi Everyone !

My idea with this topic , is with the help of the user base of GameEx to create some sort of default Windows install for GameEx.

Why I´m talking about it.

I´ve spended 10 months building an HTPC with GameEx and Xbmc.

But I´m not satisfied with Windows boot times and program loading times.

I have an Core 2 Duo (2,9 Ghz) , 2GB RAM in an Asus Motherboard with 1 TB HardDisk.

And Boot time takes up to 1 minute to start GameEx.

I´ve already made a LOT of custom Windows installs with Nlite , but no sucess at all.

Always stuck in 1 minute boot time..

What I´m looking foward to is to share experience with this community.

And togheter we can build , a perfect build of Windows to use in cabinetes/HTPCs.

So , anybody have any sort of Speeding Up Windows ? Speeding up Boot time ? Shrinking it down ?

Thanks to everyone !

[Tom Speirs]

Im not going to chime in other than say I think this is a good post. Im an avid user of nlite too. The best way Ive increased boot times is to use a faster hard disk. One other tip though is to disable unused devices in the BIOS, such as COM, LPT, Firewire etc.

[vsilvalopes]

Im not going to chime in other than say I think this is a good post. Im an avid user of nlite too. The best way Ive increased boot times is to use a faster hard disk. One other tip though is to disable unused devices in the BIOS, such as COM, LPT, Firewire etc.

I agree with you Tom.

I´ve already done this.

My Hard Disk is a fast one (3GB/s) But the problem is within Windows.

But my goal with this thread is to buy "THE ONE NLITED WINDOWS TO RULE THEN ALL"

I´ve saw in other forum , A custom build called Tiny XP.

I will try it tonight. It´s seems to be pretty small and fast.

And if this was made with Nlite , we can dig into the configs.

[greatflash]

I agree with you Tom.

I´ve already done this.

My Hard Disk is a fast one (3GB/s) But the problem is within Windows.

But my goal with this thread is to buy "THE ONE NLITED WINDOWS TO RULE THEN ALL"

I´ve saw in other forum , A custom build called Tiny XP.

I will try it tonight. It´s seems to be pretty small and fast.

And if this was made with Nlite , we can dig into the configs.

Tiny XP is not that quick, also, turn off (remove) all the extraneous software that is installed with it.

Windows loads/starts a lot of drivers/code when booting. A lot of this can be disabled in msconfig. There is a ton of stuff you can (google) find online to tell you what services do what and stop the ones that your HTPC does not require. This can shave <10 secs off boottime.

Also, the bios will spend a while setting stuff up and can (on some boards) take 10+ seconds. Things like inits for Raid, searches for network boots (also, networking is a great msconfig disable if not needed), ulp - floppy!

Also, hibernate is perhaps one of the quickest ways to start, but this depends on ram size. The larger the ram the slower it will be.

Any findings you have would be a great help to others that boot into GameEx.

I will just make a note that a Win7 system is a great start for speed of boot. I have not looked, but I am sure there is a way to reduce the install in the same way as XP and Vista.

Also, remember that all resident software (Daemon tools, antivirus - NOT Mcafee/Norton PLEASE, etc) all take there little chunk out of loading time and slowdown HD access during boot (Norton for example)

[Tom Speirs]

This is basically what I do when I install an OS.

1. Remove unused hardware in BIOS.

2. Nlite - including hot fixes, and removing unused services. Remove hardware from the windows install also such as floppy. Remove other crap.

3. Install what you need only.

4. Disable any services left over. eg. if your using a fixed IP you dont need DHCP.

5. Use regedit to remove any "Run" entries.

6. Stop all services, kill processes, then run a defrag, then again.

7. Reboot.

Unfortunatly there is no nlite for windows 7 yet, but I agree it boots nice, and runs pretyy well too.

[Raitsa]

I am using a stripped Windows7 called Tiny7 rev01. Its made by the same guy who has made all the TinyXP´s. Its really fast and the installation files fit on a CD. Highly recommended. can be found from lots of sites for testing, one is ***********

Edited March 3, 2010 by TSpeirs
Please don't mention Warez sites.

[stigt]

Just upgraded to a new laptop with an Intel SSD for windows...what can I say....WOW.

Booting in approximately 10-15 seconds.

Arjen

[Draco1962]

I agree with Tom regarding stripping down to the barest essentials with device drivers and services, regardless of the Windows version. with an HTPC, a dvd drive is a definite requirement, while running a game cab soley for emu gaming, you can probably get by with and external drive connected via USB when you need to make necessary updates.

Other considerations are selection anti-virus/malware products that assume a smaller memory "footprint" without sacrificing effectiveness (assuming you are going for a full HTPC as opposed to a standalone cab with minimal or no web access - in which case, would negate the need for anti-virus/malware as any updates could be scanned and moved via an external drive to it).

IMO, I don't know that there can be a one-size fits all installation as each person's needs vary. Variances may be dictated by OS, hardware, etc. That is why I was attracted to to GameEx as a frontend. I have flexibility built-in to make it whatever I want it to be (HTPC with ability to retro game, etc or stand-alone game cab with or without jukebox, or... well, I think you get the idea.

It may be possible to come up with some basic configuration recomendations based upon broader build categories and more specific configurations within these categories based upon OS and/or hardware considerations. Such would make my job easier in developing my system, having spent quite a few hours pouring through the forum threads for ideas, workarounds, and troubleshooting advice.

[twotone8]

sliver x has a great rundown of what he's done in the 'cabinets using gameex' thread, halfway down the 11th page. for OS, he mentions that he's using

"OS: Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. BBLean also replaces Explorer as the shell."

i've done some digging and apparently this version of windows is extraordinarily light and functional. you might have some luck there.

[Tempest]

FYI - If you want to link directly to a post in the forums, right-click the post # on the right (In your case #9), Copy shortcut, and paste.

Like this: http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=8384&view=findpost&p=62456

Of course you can make a hyerlink out of it as well. Like This