Operating System Tweaks: Windows 2000/XP

Boot & Shutdown Speed Tweaks

These tweaks address some of the larger causes of slow Windows boot up and shutdown times.

Disable the “nVidia Driver Helper” Service

This relatively new feature has been included with some of the more recent Detonator driver packages. What does it do? That’s where it gets hazy. There is no solid definition of what it is or what it does, and it is even left off of nVidia’s web site. The only thing that is definite about it is that can slow down boot and shutdown times considerably.

Here’s how to disable it. Go to Start > Run and type services.msc. Set the startup value of the “nVidia Driver Helper” service to “Manual” or “Disabled”.

Slow Boot Caused By Networking

If you are experiencing a long pause after getting to the desktop before you can really do anything, a network feature is probably the culprit.

In XP, go to Control Panel > Networking Connections. In 2000, go to Control Panel > Networking and Dial-up Connections. Right click on your Internet connection and click “Properties”. Uncheck “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Network” and hit apply and OK. Windows 2000 machines will need to reboot before continuing. Go back into “Properties” and re-check the box, hit apply and OK and reboot if needed. Hopefully, you will notice a boost in speed after booting to your desktop.

Turn Off Terminal Services

If you are experiencing slow shutdowns, one tweak you can try is turning off Ternimal Services. If you do not use remote desktop, fast user switching, remote assistance or the terminal server, then proceed with this tweak.

Go to Start > Run and type services.msc /s. Find “Terminal Services” on the list and double click on it (If it’s not there, it isn’t installed). Change startup type to “disabled” or “manual” and click OK.