In my previous article, I gave tips how to use MSCONFIG to make your computer startup faster. So today, I’ll show you how to use BootVis.

What is BootVis? BootVis is a tool that allow you to check how fast your Windows XP takes to boot and then you can optimize the boot process with BootVis. BootVis was formerly a Microsoft product and now the Microsoft is no longer providing it.

This is what the Microsoft site has to say about BootVis:
Bootvis.exe is a performance tracing and visualization tool that Microsoft designed to help PC system designers and software developers identify performance issues for boot/resume timing while developing new PC products or supporting software.

Please note that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users. Contrary to some published reports, Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system’s boot or resume performance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe are built into Windows XP. These routines run automatically at pre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operating system.

But i wonder why people still looking it. In my opinion, people still looking it because they just want to try to using it and this tool maybe can help them to reduce their Windows Xp boot time. I also still use it to help me to make my computer faster. My own pc boot time was reduce from 80 seconds down to 33 seconds. It is not much but I think it’s not bad at all. So today I decide to explain how to use BootVis to make your computer faster (boot faster).

1. First download BootVis from www.soft32.com

2. Double click the BootVis icon to start BootVis.

3. To optimize the boot sequence, firstly you need analyze the boot sequence. So click File > New > Next Boot + Driver Trace to analyze the boot sequence.

4. The dialog ask you how many times you want BootVis analyzing the boot sequence and then click OK. Usually 1 repetition is enough for BootVis analyzing the boot sequence. After clicking button OK your Windows XP will reboot.

5. After reboot has been complete, BootVis will appears showing you a graph about your boot sequence timing.

6. So now select Trace > Optimize System menu. After clicking on Optimize System, your system will reboot again.

7. After this dialog appears, the BootVis will take a few minute to complete the optimalisation and your system is optimized.

I hope this article can help you how to use BootVis to make your computer boot faster and in my next article I’ll show useful tips to make your computer faster than ever before. :)

My Tips:

• Re-run BootVis after installing new driver or software on your computer.

• Realtek High Definition Audio for Vista/2000/XP/2003 v1.82
  The latest drivers for your Realtek HD Audio.
  (tags: Drivers Audio )

A friend of mine was commenting today on a common scenario that a lot of us run into. When you’re actively working on a project, you often times have several tabs open in your browser solely related to that work: some API documentation, a couple versions of a site you are working on, a google spreadsheet, a project resource/status page, and things of that sort.

When you change gears to work on something else, you might have another entirely different set of pages that you keep open all the time. If you juggle several projects at the same time, it can be a nuisance (not to mention a waste of time) to constantly be closing and opening all those windows throughout the day. (more…)

api documentation, bookmarking, constantly, Firefox, functionality, google spreadsheet, Internet, new folder, safari, tabbed browsing, tabs, Web

McAfee , owner of the popular Anti-Virus Tool has released its top 10 security issues for 2008, which include recurring online threats and a rise in communications-related threats relating to VoIP…

[Learn More]

As many of us move forward from Windows XP or prior beta versions of Windows Vista to the final RTM version, I thought this little tip might be in order. You may be aware that Windows Vista includes a number of different ways to upgrade a computer, from a straight in-place upgrade (insert CD, run setup and choose upgrade) to Windows Easy Transfer, which allows you to copy settings, programs and data from an old setup a fresh shiny new OS environment. In doing this, it’s not unusual to find some folders that can’t be accessed, even by an administrator, because their ACLs were set for accounts with SIDs that applied to an old partition.

How do you take it back? -> The secret lies in two command-line utilities, one ancient, the other completely revised for this release. Respectively, these are takeown (which takes ownership of a file or directory) and icacls (which sets new ACLs on that directory). I created a small batch command on my system called itsmine.cmd, as follows:

takeown /f %1 /r /d y
icacls %1 /grant administrators:F /t

From an elevated command prompt, you can run a command such as itsmine D:\hard_to_delete and this will reset ownership and ACLs on the hard_to_delete directory such that a command like rd /s D:\hard_to_delete should work.

In Windows Vista x64, the 32-bit edition of Windows Media Player 11 (WMP 11) is set as the default Windows Media Player. This is done to avoid and reduce any compatibility issues or problems that may arise with codecs or other DirectShow related plug-ins or add-ons that majority of them still built for 32-bit operating system. However, if you decide to use the 64-bit version of WMP11 with your 64bit version of Windows Vista, especially now that more and more codecs support 64-bit computing platform, and a x64 FFDShow codec which can decode virtually any audio or video media files has been released, you can use a few easy methods to launch 64 bit WMP11 or simply switch, change or swap the system default media player to x64 Windows Media Player, and revert back to x86 version when you need to.

By default, the 32-bit WMP 11 x86 is located at path of %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Windows Media Player, and 64-bit WMP11 x64 is located at folder of %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player. So the first method to use 64-bit Windows Media Player is by launching WMP from its x64 location.

Press the Start button, type %Programfiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe and press Enter. Alternatively, you can create a shortcut with target and location set to the above, and place the shortcut on the Desktop or in Quick Launch for easy access.

Second method: You need to perform 2 steps each to swap to 64-bit version or to undo the change back to 32-bit version WMP. The unregmp2.exe command (first step) changes the operating system shortcuts to point to WMP 64bit, while the second registry step changes the file associations default program to WMP64-bit, which determines which program will be used when you double click on a media file.

Open an Elevated Command Prompt, type unregmp2 /SwapTo:64 and press Enter.
Then, open the Registry Editor (regedit), then navigate to the the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe. Set the registry subkey Path to be %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Windows Media Player, and the (Default) subkey to “%ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe” (include quotes).

To undo the x64 change, open an Elevated Command Prompt, type unregmp2 /SwapTo:32 and press Enter.
Then, open the Registry Editor, and reset the value for registry subkey of Path and (Default).