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WinDOwS ©Tricks - Part 16
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The 1-31-01 Updated Win9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE:


CPU PRIORITY
[UPDATED 1-31-2001]


Courtesy of Thomas Tompkins (thomast@ns.sympatico.ca, ICQ# 3001681).
Windows 95/98/ME users ONLY:
"Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS

In the right hand pane create a new DWORD Value called "CPUPriority" (no quotes) -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK to save.
This will speed things up by using the fastest priority to the CPU when opening any program, and works on 99% of the PCs I've tried it on.
To reset to Windows 9x/ME default type 3 or delete this Value altogether.
To see your system's real time performance type 0 (NOT recommended by Microsoft!).
In some cases this Registry BIOS key is absent, because enabling the BIOS power management feature (APM) and the Win9x/ME ACPI BIOS extentions may disable it!
Make sure there is a Plug and Play BIOS item listed in Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager -> System devices.

Here are other DWORD Values (Decimal) you can use to tweak your CPU Priority even further (under the same Registry key above):

PCIConcur = 1 (enabled)
FastDRAM = 1 (enabled)
AGPConcur = 1 (enabled) [if your video controller is AGP based].
These settings speed up hardware specific operations by allowing installed devices to use extra CPU cycles: PCI, AGP and/or DRAM based I/O transfers from the motherboard interface/bus/bridge (PCI, AGP, DRAM) [-> to the motherboard chipset/bus/bridge where applicable] -> to the CPU, and the other way around."

MEANING:

"CPUPriority" DWORD valid Decimal values:

0 = The foreground (active) app/game is assigned exclusive CPU cycles (real time priority). WARNING: Use with caution!
1 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from a few more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
2 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from even more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
3 = All apps/games/TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs share same CPU cycles (default, same as "CPUPriority" absent from Registry).

Windows NT4/2000/ME/XP/2003 users ONLY:
"This Registry hack might fix your CPU Priority if you don't have a PnP BIOS.
Recently I got a new motherboard and CPU: a P3 1 GHz with 512 MB RAM and an AX34 Pro II black PCB mobo.
When I loaded Windows I noticed I now have ACPI BIOS, and I found out that this new Registry setting overrides the first one (see "CPUPriority" above), increasing CPU priority by 50 to 100%.
Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl

or create it if not present: right-click on an empty spot -> select New -> Key -> paste "PriorityControl" (no quotes) into the type-in box -> click OK to save.
Now highlight this key, and in the right hand pane create a new DWORD [REG_DWORD] Value called "Win32PrioritySeparation" (no quotes) -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK to save.
When this baby is set to 1, the foreground (active) application has more CPU power than the background (inactive) apps (if any), and if you set the value to 2, you get even more power to the foreground app:

0 = Foreground and background applications equally responsive.
1 = Foreground application more responsive than background.
2 = Best foreground application response time.
The maximum value allowed is 26 (Hex) or 38 (Decimal).
Play around with these values till you find your own "sweet spot".
BEWARE: Higher settings will drag down system resources considerably, especially when doing something big, like saving a huge Photoshop file, but hey, it saved it pretty darn quick. :)"

More info:

MS Win2000 Registry Reference: "Win32PrioritySeparation"
Snakefoot's WinNT4/2000/XP Tweak 13
MSKB: "REG: CurrentControlSet, PART 1"
"Inside MS Windows 2000, 3rd Edition: Chapter 6: Processes, Threads and Jobs (continued)"
MS Win2000: "Change performance of foreground and background programs".
FEEDBACK:

Some PCs powered by AMD K7 (Athlon) CPUs and AMD compatible chipsets may NOT have the \VxD\BIOS Registry key installed, and therefore canNOT use the "CPUPriority" setting. :( [Thank you Peter (phtran@geocities.com)!]
"CPUPriority works fine on my PC: AMD K6 450 MHz + 3DNow and Viatech MVP3 chipset." [Thank you Julian (craniel@netscape.net)!]
"I have used the "CPUPriority" setting of 1 on my E-machine box: AMD K6-2 500 MHz (upgraded), Win98 original. For some reason it reverted itself to 0!"
[Thank you Greg (xxxooo27@ix.netcom.com)!]
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The 2-2-00 Win9x/IE4 Registry ©Trick in REGISTRY.TXT, part of W95-11D.EXE: