Tips for optimizing TCP/IP and the Pagefile

Computer Help and Discussions Software
1

I am going to help you optimize your Internet settings and pagefile today!

First off is the pagefile. You want it to be contiguous (not fragmented). What you do is you run Defraggler, consolidate your freespace, and then go to control panel, system and security, system, advanced system settings, advanced tab, settings under performance, advanced, change under virtual memory.

Click custom size and put in the Microsoft recommended number (which is 1.5x the amount of actual RAM you have) as the initial size and the maximum size.

What this does is prevents the pagefile from expanding randomly and breaking it up.

Next is your TCP/IP settings.

Simply go to speedguide.net and download their TCP Optimizer (http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php). Or, if you are unsure about the safety of using this program, you can manually enter the changes it does yourself under the broadband registry tweaks section.

If you do use the optimizer (which I have. I have used this website for over 14 years), keep in mind that you must first select your precise connection speed (there is a speed analyzer at http://www.speedguide.net/speedtest/), then click "optimal settings" to load in the new values. THEN click apply.

Enjoy!

-Asphyxium

2

Sorry but downloading a TCP optimizer is not something I would do, or recommend others to do.

You are telling to people to change certain settings on their pc, but to be honest people here don't even know you and you are expecting them to do what you say.

I doubt if that is going to happen just yet :)

3

TCP optimizers don't do squat on broadband connections from what I've noticed, the only time I barely noticed them working "as advertised" was way back on old Dial-up.

I have my pagefile managed by Windows itself, and have no issues with it.

If you're going to try "tweaks" have a very good escape plan to undo anything you may not like:

* Registry backups with ERUNT

* System Restore Points made

* Disk Image of the entire system drive where Windows is installed.

4

You are greatly mistaken about this website. Also, you act as though I am suggesting only an executable when in fact all of the options of the program are available for manual introduction into the system through the registry tweaks page, which I recommended for those not willing to try the program.

This is not some stupid "Internet accelerator". This is a true optimization of all the network settings in Windows.

I suggest you actually look into what I am saying before you jump to conclusions.

For example, enter an administrator elevated command prompt and type "netsh int tcp show global". You will see a listing of features.

Windows has a very conservative TCP Auto Tuning algorithm implemented by default. The RWIN is not increased very fast to, I believe, reduce TCP overhead. In order to adjust your autotuning, you must disable Windows Scaling Heuristics, which enforces the conservative policy.

Type "netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled".

Then type "netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal". Note that "normal" is NOT on by default and that the Windows Scaling Heuristics default settings ARE conservative.

Next up you can improve throughput by enabling CTCP, a congestion control provider.

"netsh int tcp set global congestionprovider=ctcp"

This setting must be applied every time Windows starts, so create a text file with the 3 letter extension "cmd" and have it contain the previously mentioned text and place it in your startup directory (google it to find out how).

You definitely want to enable TCP Chimney Offload, which is disabled by default. It offloads some network processes to your network card instead of going to your processor.

Type "netsh int tcp set global chimney=enabled".

This is a sample of the things this program and that registry tweak article provide.

Again, this is not some crappy "Internet accelerator". This is the real deal, people. I guarantee results. It's not as necessary as it was back in the Windows 9x days, when Microsoft set the MTU setting for dial-up modems and your transfer rates took a major toll, but it's worthwhile. You should at least enable the features disabled by default in the TCP global settings (there are more features to enable in direct registry editting).

Also, Adavari is right about backups. The TCP Optimizer has backup functionality built-in, but you probably won't be using it until you become acquainted with speedguide.net like I have. I recommend a simple system restore.

Edit: If you are involved with a server, there is an undocumented feature in Windows 7 to protect against distributed denial of service attacks. It is found in the registry tweaks section.

And if you are a gamer, you can decrease latency at the cost of a few kilobytes a second by disabling Nagle's algorithm, which delays transmission of small packets of data and then sends them out as larger packets to increase transfer speed.

5

what has always put me off about optimisers and accelators and that bunch of products is the underlying principle of why would any developer release a hobbled bit of software.

surely they would want to make whatever they do, do it as fast as possible.

and where they have somehow limited some action, there must be a 'for the greater good' reason behind it.

well, that's what i've always hoped...

as to the first point raised by Asphyxium

Click custom size and put in the Microsoft recommended number (which is 1.5x the amount of actual RAM you have) as the initial size and the maximum size.

What this does is prevents the pagefile from expanding randomly and breaking it up.

i can see that preventing the pagefile from changing size but how does it prevent it from fragmenting?

6

I have used SpeedGuide's TCP optimizer in the past. It's been awhile and I don't remember precisely the problem I had, slow connections I think. I tried to find my old post but no luck. Anyway, the optimizer will show current settings and recommended settings. I selected recommended and lit the fuse and everything was OK again. The optimizer makes a backup so you can go back if you like.

7

In response to MTA's post, having a dynamic pagefile means that it starts out at an initial size which is adequate for the operating system. This data is placed contiguously in one location on the disk. As you add programs, the need for more virtual memory increases and the system adds more pagefile to compensate. This new data is placed in a different location on the disk from the rest of it, which causes the HDD spindle, I believe its called, to have to search across the disk for data.

Microsoft actually recommends placing a pre-defined pagefile on a new partition on a secondary physical disk which is rarely used for maximum performance.

And thank you larry for backing me up on the legitimacy of this program. I know you shouldn't trust an executable from a website you don't know about, but if you feel inclined to trust anyone's word, this one's legit. Simply look over the website and you will see that it's a legitimate resource.

I have found that when everything is working fine with a clean install, using this program or these registry tips increases the response of the loading of web pages. I also know that it helps my system to divert network processes to my network adapter rather than my processor.

8

@asphyxium,

you didn't elaborate on how a static sized pagefile remains unfragmented.

obviously if the file size is dynamic, as the size changes so can it's location.

my thought is, even a static sized file still has a chance of becoming fragmented.

9

I do not know, MTA. All I know is this is Microsoft's claim. Pehaps it has to do with a built-in design of how the pagefile updates itself.

10

@asphyxium,

you didn't elaborate on how a static sized pagefile remains unfragmented.

obviously if the file size is dynamic, as the size changes so can it's location.

my thought is, even a static sized file still has a chance of becoming fragmented.

First, defragment your hard drive. This not only defragments your existing files, but more imprtantly in this case, makes your free space contiguous. When you create the custom size page file in System Properties, this contiguous free space should allow the page file to be contiguous. Making the initial size and maximum size the same, makes the page file permanent, therfore it will not expand.

11

I tried a TCP optimizer in the past, but I did not notice a substantial difference in the results.

Therefore, I never use it.

12

If you implement the changes the TCP Optimizer involves, web pages will load faster. It also is helpful to enable the options that divert network processes from your CPU to your network adapter. This is a component of said change.

13

The pagefile advice in the first post is incomplete and (IMO) inaccurate. Doing just those steps will not save you from having a fragmented pagefile. You could already have a fragmented pagefile and those steps will not change that. You need to turn the pagefile OFF, then defrag your drive (to make plenty of contiguous space) and re-enable the pagefile to a set size. As for the 1.5x RAM recommendation, as far as I'm aware that recommendation dates back to the introduction of XP. Are you seriously suggesting someone with 16GB RAM should set a 24GB pagefile!!!

I have used TCP Optimiser in the past, on XP. I never noticed any difference but think it has some validity on older OS versions, I don't think it's necessary on Vista/7/8 though (purely my opinion)

14

Click custom size and put in the Microsoft recommended number (which is 1.5x the amount of actual RAM you have) as the initial size and the maximum size.

I remember reading that recommendation back in 1999 when RAM was pricey. :) I tried it in 2000 on my Win98SE with 384MB RAM — significantly slowed down the pc.

RAM is faster than paging. The larger the Paging File, the more your computer is susceptible to thrashing. I have my (6GB RAM) Win7 Paging File set to 32-512MB for best performance.

btw, Winapp runs his computer with no paging file. :D

15

Are you seriously suggesting someone with 16GB RAM should set a 24GB pagefile!!!

that's what i wondered when i first went to 8gig RAM, surely Windows doesn't need a 12gig (using the 1.5x recommendation) pagefile.

mind you, i set it that way anyway.

but i was thinking there must be a break-even point. is there some point where the cost of maintaning a very large pagefile negates the potential performance benefit?

16

I don't use a pagefile either. 16GB of RAM does the job nicely; and RAM isn't really that expensive any more.

17

"RAM is faster than paging. The larger the Paging File, the more your computer is susceptible to thrashing."

From what I have read, disabling the pagefile is a bad idea. I have read claims that many Windows programs rely on the pagefile regardless as to how much memory you have. Disabling it to increase performance is a myth.

From technicallyeasy.net:

"For years people have been talking about how to manage the Windows pagefile, and now the discussion changed to talking about if you should disable the Windows pagefile.While your computer may have a lot of memory, and the pagefile may seem useless, but it is an important aspect in the operation of the Windows operating system. Disabling the pagefile may actually hurt you more than it helps you."

From howtogeek.com:

'For years, Windows tweaking people have tried to convince everybody that if you disable the pagefile, you’ll get a big performance boost. One of our readers did a ton of testing to prove that this is not true.

Reader Eric did comprehensive testing using various test suites, boot and shutdown, and other testing to see whether disabling the page file break your system or give a performance boost.

Conclusions:

  • You can run Windows without a pagefile if you have enough RAM.
  • There’s pretty much zero benefit to disabling the pagefile.

You should definitely check out the full (very long) article for all the details.

The Windows 7 Pagefile And Running Without One (http://www.tweakhound.com/2011/10/10/the-windows-7-pagefile-and-running-without-one/) [TweakHound]"

As far as fragmenting the pagefile from within, I am simply acting on the word of Microsoft in this matter. They claim a contiguous pagefile (the block dedicated to paging being contiguous) is an unfragmented one.

As for the recommended size of the pagefile, this is, right or wrong, the recommended size for a Windows 7 64-bit computer. I agree that a very large pagefile is pointless. I simply used the Microsoft recommendation to be safe from overly critical people.

Also, *I believe* disabling the pagefile doesn't work because you must reboot to effect the change and upon reboot, Windows will automatically create a new pagefile for you. I could be mistaken but I recall that happening.

Edit: Also, if you do not notice a difference between a fresh install of Windows 7 and Speedguide's modifications, you are not attentive to detail. I noticed web pages appear to load much more quickly.

Some people think there is no appreciatable difference between 32 bit and 64 bit processing. 64 bit processes twice as many bits of data per clock cycle.

I understand that most people don't notice these things but I do because I greatly appreciate and have taken note of the difference between a 32 bit web browser and a 64-bit one.

Again, perhaps you are skeptical because you only know of the difference between an improperly set MTU and a modern OS's broadband-oriented MTU setting. You should, however, consider going through the TCP Global Settings options (Netsh commands <http://www.speedguide.net/articles/windows-7-vista-2008-tweaks-2574>) and see if it makes a difference. I guarantee that web pages will load more quickly.

18

I've also read that disabling the pagefile might cause some problems, though I haven't seen any yet on machines where pagefile is disabled.

I've changed my pagefile from my SSD to HDD and set it to 6144MB (I've 8GB RAM). On older/slower machines I usually set the pagefile to x1,5 RAM.

I also wouldn't recommend "TCP optimizers", unless maybe if you know exactly what you are doing. I've tried some "optimiser" long time ago and also didn't notice any difference. Might've even run into some problems. :D

19

You cannot produce a memory dump without a page file. Also moving the page file to another drive will not produce a memory dump as it needs to be on the system drive.

Personally I just let Windows manage it.

20

I have to agree with Hazelnut on this one.

You can run a computer with no page file, but the first thing that your getting if/when/you ever run out of RAM due to many possible scenarios involving large numbers of tabs open in your web browser/video editing/multiple simultaneous apps running, is that you will bluescreen.

Yes, I agree. RAM is cheap & fast. But I let Windows manage mine because I have seen blue screens with 0 pagefile (I ran out of RAM).