After you have de-fragged the drive that the Swap File resides on, re-enter:

Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Performance/Virtual Memory

At this point, uncheck “Disable Virtual Memory”. Now that you have cleared the system of the old Swap File settings, you must define the new settings. Set the minimum and maximum size of your swap file to fixed values based on these calculations:

64 MB installed RAM = 128 MB Swap File
128 MB installed RAM = 192 MB Swap File
192 MB installed RAM (or higher) = 256 MB Swap File

*Note: Set the minimum and maximum to the same value.

An advanced trick used by many PC users, is to set up the Swap File on the outer portion of the hard drive’s surface, where the drive’s stylus can read up to 60% more information on a single rotation of the platter. Watch an LP spin on a turntable, and see how far the needle travels on the outer portion of the record vs. the inner section…a hard drive works exactly the same way.

No USB, Serial, or Parallel Port devices? Shut Em’ Down!
If you are not using any devices on your USB, serial, or parallel ports in your setup, go to the BIOS and disable the them. If you don’t currently use them, closing them down will reduce additional IRQ assignment and unnecessary accessing by the system buss. In many cases, this is an easy way to resolve IRQ conflicts.

More than one is a crowd
Turn off any programs that are set to load upon bootup. Often Windows will activate a variety of programs on startup (anti-virus, system monitoring, etc.). While convenient for the standard PC enthusiast, this will draw extra processing power away from your audio recording/playback. Go to Start/Run/ open MSCONFIG, and then select the Startup tab. Uncheck everything except for your System Tray.

For reference before you do this, right click on My Computer, choose Properties, and click on the Performance tab. Note your available system resources before the preceding operation, and then when you have completed the process. It will more than likely result in the reclaiming of 10%-40% of your systems available resources, resulting in a faster bootup, and improved performance.

The Computer’s Role
By default, Windows will set the role of your computer as a “Desktop” computer. This is a safe, all encompassing setting for a general windows based computer. In dealing with demanding hard disk I/O functions, and the huge audio data streaming through the system, it is necessary to shift a bit of the system’s muscle to handle this specific need.

To change this setting, right click on “My Computer” and choose “Properties”. Select the “Performance” tab, and next choose the “File System” tab. There is a box that will allow you to change the role of your computer, change this to “Network Server”.

Highly accelerated graphics cards
Unlike modern 3D gaming, the computer audio world does not rely upon highly accelerated graphics. This being the case, it is not only unnecessary, but often detrimental to the overall performance of your system due to the high demands of the card on system timing. Unless you are doing graphic intensive A/V production, going with a less accelerated graphics card (4-16 Mb of onboard RAM) will actually improve the performance of your audio specific system.

Display Bit Depth
Reducing the bit depth you are utilizing on your system will free up additional processing muscle.

Most audio programs do not need to be running 32 bit True Color, so try running 16 bit High Color, or 24 bit True Color settings. As always, see what works and looks the best for particular situation. Right click anywhere on your desktop, select “Properties”, then select “Settings”. You will need to re-start after making changes. Screen savers and power management As a rule, don’t implement screen savers and power management functions.

These features will consume resources at the most inopportune times. In general, try to avoid having anything running in the background that can draw processing power away from the primary objective…recording audio. This includes not only screen savers and power management, but also virus protection and system monitoring.

Modems
Having a modem on the PCI buss, especially a voice modem, can lead to conflicts and confusion within some programs which may attempt to recognize the device as a sound card. If you are able to dedicate a second machine for your internet needs, this is most certainly the best way to go. In some cases where the user only has one PC available to them, it is necessary to have internet access on the system that you are running your audio software applications. It is generally recommended that if you must have a modem on your DAW, that you utilize an external one that takes advantage of a serial connection. Another solution is to disable the device in the Device Manager when it is not being used.

Specify and Simplify
If it is at all possible to set up a dedicated “audio only” system, this is most definitely the most preferable option. By limiting and controlling what goes into the computer hardware and software wise, you will reduce the potential for conflicts and simplify the process of troubleshooting any problems or conflicts that do arise. Many times hardware and software specific to audio recording will not “play nicely with others”, and usually prefers to be the king of the sandbox. If it is at all possible, leave the gaming, Internet and other “home computing” needs to a separate system.