InformAction Forums

(Split as O/T from this thread. -- Tom T.)

The dragon-related warning and check box was in about:config; apologies for the ambiguity.

Those hidden results of boredom can accumulate in time and reduce performance I would think. How did you rid of all but 900 MB? Can I do that with Windows 7? I have some things installed here which I need but if I can rid of unnecessary Windows baggage I will.

Identities Infinite wrote:The dragon-related warning and check box was in about:config; apologies for the ambiguity.

Is that the one that shows the first time a user visits about:config? Warning that it voids the warranty, and you promise to be careful? I thought we were still talking about the spam post with its gold-acquisition signature. (Another case where quoting the specific comment being replied to helps, although I know it's not the most convenient thing for you.)

How did you rid of all but 900 MB?

Principally by using Slimming Down Windows XP: The Complete Guide, over a period of two years or so, including a lot of trial and error, and a few recoveries from disasters. No one size fits all. This guy doesn't have a LAN, a router, and apparently, not even a printer. So one must adjust the advice to one's own situation, and make frequent full-disk-image backups with a bootable recovery disk.

I also found a few things that he did not, as he apparently liked IE, for example. So I got rid of the IE files that are not needed by Windows itself, which is about half or more.

All of this is undocumented, and not for the faint of heart. And honestly, no matter how good JAWS is, I don't think it would be advisable to do without sight. I kept a detailed changelog, had to reverse many changes, sometimes got Blue Screen of Death or can't boot. If one feature breaks, it may be very difficult to diagnose, or even to be aware of the break, using JAWS. Some problems didn't show up until a few weeks after the change was made.

Incidentally, about 200 MB of that was the full-disk-image backup program itself, and I kept the native install of Firefox 2 for diagnostic and testing purposes even after installing Fx 3. (Mozilla themselves will tell you that capital F small x is in fact their own standard abbreviation for Firefox, although some here use FF.) So the meat - OS, programs, and personal stuff -- is more like 680 MB. I prefer the full-disk backup over System Restore, partly because the latter is a space hog, and partly because if your hard drive dies, as they will do, how do you get to System Restore in the first place? I just had the shop install a new HD (standard abbreviation? - also "Harley-Davidson" motorcycles, laugh), took it home and painted it with the backup image, and in ten minutes, I was back to where I was when that backup was made. No reinstalling of everything, etc.

Can I do that with Windows 7? I have some things installed here which I need but if I can rid of unnecessary Windows baggage I will.

If there is a similar guide for Windows 7, I am not aware of it. I have never used Win 7, and would be reluctant to advise anyone else to remove things, not knowing their personal situation, even on XP. Those who choose to follow that Guide do so at their own risk, of course.

This is one of many reasons that I stick with XP. I've put so much time into de-bloating it, that to start all over with a new, larger system... naah.

You may be able to disable some unneeded Services, which could speed up boot time, save CPU and RAM, etc. I used a guide by a guy named Black Viper, and was comforted to read later that Steve Gibson, who wrote the DNS testing tools discussed elsewhere, also used that guide. His home page is http://www.blackviper.com/ The Windows 7 version is at http://www.blackviper.com/2010/12/17/bl ... gurations/

You can always re-enable any Service that proves to be required. Nonetheless, please don't use that information except at your own risk. I can't take responsibility for the consequences, nor give support for any problems that arise.

I will stay on the safe side and leave things as they are although I will read that guide for a little opinion-based possible education. The nice thing about Windows 7 is you can remove [not completely delete] non-used features such as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Centre and Player, DVD Maker , IIS and its components, .NET Framework and lots more. I did notice a slight decrease in disk space usage when I did that plus I removed the indexing function since I hardly search for files. That saves resources not to mention I use Auslogics BoostSpeed so I have the daily defragmenter plus I defragment the registry monthly. The accessibility is meagre but I manage. This thing never runs slowly [e.g. hangs or acts sluggishly]. I have had this laptop for about 3 years and took full advantage of upgrading to Windows 7 when the internal hard drive failed on 25 May 2011 [think that was a Wednesday]. I really do not agree with updating hardware as soon as another update surfaces or software depending what it is but Windows 7 surprisingly gets my seal of approval. Microsoft seriously needs to restore the Stereo Mix found in XP. That is my sole hang-up.

Identities Infinite wrote:The nice thing about Windows 7 is you can remove [not completely delete] non-used features such as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Centre and Player, DVD Maker IIS and its components,

I completely deleted all of the .exe, .dll, and all other files found to be unnecessary, though of course saved backup copies of them to flash drive, and to read-only CD for more permanent storage. Also saved the entire directory structure in GUI form (vs. disk-image form) before beginning. So it's easy to put things back if needed. I also don't usually unregister them, so if replaced, they work immediately, perhaps after a reboot.

.NET Framework

Which I refused when MS Update first offered it, and deleted when a more recent machine came with it pre-loaded, and have never missed having it. Only some scamware or bloatware seems to need it; it's hugely bulky, prone to vulnerabilities as are most MS products, so basically, the less stuff from MS, the better I feel. IMHO. YMMV.

I removed the indexing function since I hardly search for files.

I search for files, but not by keyword, which is where indexing is useful. Searching by file name, type, date, size, etc. doesn't require indexing. And you're right, Indexing Service is a resource-hog. IMHO. YMMV.

I have the daily defragmenter

Probably overkill. Also, when making full-disk-image backups, one can add incremental backups that are much smaller and faster than the first full backup. Defragging puts things in different places on the drive, so an incremental backup has to record all of that, making it almost as large as a full backup.
I defrag only before making a new full backup. If you keep your computer free of junk, both system-created and user-created, defragging doesn't have to be quite so often. I wrote a batch script that cleans a lot of useless log files, etc. that are missed by CCleaner. If your garage isn't jammed with stuff, you don't have to rearrange it so often, laugh. IMHO. YMMV.

plus I defragment the registry monthly.

Also probably overkill, unless you're installing and removing programs at a prodigious rate. Have you ever looked at the size difference before and after? The first time, yes, but afterward, by keeping a clean machine, the difference is maybe 1 MB or less of total space allocated to Registry. Not enough to make any significant performance difference, so maybe a few times a year. Everything is my humble opinion only, and everyone's opinion may differ.

I have had this laptop for about 3 years and took full advantage of upgrading to Windows 7 when the internal hard drive failed

Which means you presumably had Vista before. Given all the bad press about Vista, and the fairly good buzz on 7, that seems like the smart thing to do.

When XP retail sales were to be discontinued, I bought a machine OEM-preloaded with Vista, but with XP "upgrade rights". (MS calls them "downgrade rights".) Which I immediately used. So I have a working copy of XP in use, and if/when it becomes impractical, can go back to Vista, or use that to get the less-expensive upgrade vs. XP to 7 or 8 or whatever.