Windows 2000 “TWEAKS”                      May 2001

Version 1.0

 Not to be modified w/o approval of D. M. LaBorde

   The Windows 2000 Operating System (OS) platform is based on Windows NT. This platform offers (among other things) greater file flexibility, stability (fewer crashes), security and use of memory over previous versions - Windows 98 & ME. This guide was not developed to explore or educate readers on all the fundamentals of the Windows 2000 operating platform but rather explore optimization (tweaks) to make it more functional for Video Editing (VE). Although Win 2000 (Win2K) is better suited for high-end processing (such as video editing) there are a number of issues that can manifest making one believe it is not stable for such use. There are many complaints about Premiere “slowdowns” after lengthy edit sessions, etc. I hope to at least address and in some cases remedy the problems that might surface on specific hardware systems. Given the number of problems that have surfaced in Video Editing forums (related to Win2K); I have devoted a whole section of frequently posted problems and potential “workarounds and/or fixes (solutions) relating to hard drive transfer rates. Most of this actually pertains to hardware issues, drivers and interaction with Windows 2000 OS. 

System Performance and Preparation (“Success is in the details”)

The more RAM you have - the better. With today's memory prices you might want to optimize your current memory system. Video users should have at least 256 MB RAM to get decent performance using Windows 2000. My test have shown that Premiere 6.0 responds much better with at least 384MB of RAM but 256MB (with proper tweaks) is achievable and effective in “RealTime” editing. I will explain this further in this document. The latest DirectX 8.0a and 8.0bda patch were used and very responsive / stable.

Before doing any significant number of “tweaks” it is advisable (and actually beneficial to performance success) to do a number of preparatory items.  This places the OS in a more responsive- receptive mode for “tweaking”.

   1.) Do a disk scan and repair to clear up bad sectors.
   2.) Do a (system) disk defrag to compact and un-fragment data.
   3.) Scan registry for fragments and compact (compress). To do this safely and effectively programs such as SystemSuite or Easy Cleaner or Norton Utilities. They are much better than tools in Windows. Compressing removes any unused space, making the registry file smaller & faster.

Some of the “tweaks” outlined here involve editing the registry. This may scare individuals that are not familiar with doing this. It is not difficult and the only real concern is to verify (double check) entries before exiting.    On the next page I list the procedure for backup.  Do not be afraid; I really doubt that you will need this but it doesn’t hurt to be safe.   In the appendix there is a section on how to use the disk should your system fail.

            Last but not least.   Win2000 affords much more flexibility and with this comes more complexity.  There are specific tweaks that vary with hardware, editing methods and/or software used.   I cannot give exact settings for each scenario but hopefully I give you the information and “how-to” test, monitor and make the right judgement to set the proper value or setting.   Many of these “hints” give you a method to test and quantify results.  Trust me; you are going to need this stuff and might as well take time to read thoroughly.  I suggest this not because I wrote it but because Win 2K is that complex when integrated with a video editing system.  There are a lot of options and they do work -  you just have to decide what is right for you.

Backup

Customizing the various system Services settings and registry can be hazardous at times. So before you even start messing with them you should prepare an ERD (Emergency Repair Disk). Although it’s highly unlikely you’ll need this, it never hurts to be prepared. You can use the Windows 2000 Emergency Repair feature to fix problems that may be preventing you from starting your computer. This includes problems with your registry, system files, partition boot sector, and startup environment.    You may not be able to use the emergency repair process to fix your system unless you have created an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD). To make an ERD :

1.      Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools then Backup.

2.        Select the Emergency Repair Disk option in the Welcome tab & also “tick” backup your registry (This is where any changes you make to the system Services are stored).

“The TWEAKS”

   The easy one first – It is easy but is going to take a few minutes to explain and go down the list.  However, it will be fruitful (every little-bit counts).

1.)   Administrative Services -   Like previous versions of Windows NT, Windows 2000 also uses System Services. These allow support for other Programs/Hardware, etc. to run correctly.    You can configure them to improve system security, etc. By default Windows 2000 automatically runs many of these services & consumes more memory than it actually may need for your particular needs (e.g. If you don't intend to use Task Scheduler or Fax Service, then why waste memory running them automatically)  The list contained is rather long and I only give a brief synopsis of what each is.  By doing this you will reduce the amount of memory consumed by the Services program (services.exe).   I note specific differences should you require network connection (if not will instruct you to set these to manual).

In my case with default installation settings System Services showed 28 items and they were using about 4.5 MB of memory. After customizing the Services (mostly setting to manual) memory consumption for services.exe was reduced to 18 items down to 3.0 MB of memory (25 %).

Before doing anything you should make sure you have the latest system components, & any other relevant updates installed. This will ensure all Services are displayed & in some cases may even fix issues with some of them.   To make a quick check of your where your are : hit “cntrl-alt-delete” and select the “Task Manager” tab.   Look down at the bottom at the number of processes and also services.exe (amount of memory) and also Mem Usage at the bottom.  Make a note of these. (also note processes are higher in the picture below i.e. not 18 as the capture services were open to copy this)

Begin by logging on as Administrator. This will give you access to all the Services available in Windows 2000. To load the Services Utility, click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, then Services (You may also be able to access it via Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Services if you enabled Administrative Tools to be displayed on the Start Menu).  Below is a display of the Services utility.

This Utility lists all the Services that are available on your system. In particular look at the Startup Type tab, this attribute is the most important one & is the one we will modify. Three options are available & they are listed in the following section.

Disabled, Automatic or Manual?   There are 3 choices for each particular service available.

1.        Disabled. - This makes sure the Service is not started while loading Windows 2000. If it is needed it cannot be started either until you set the Startup Type to Automatic/Manual & Reboot, or Start the service. This will help decrease boot time.

2.       Automatic. The Service is automatically initiated while loading Windows 2000. This can increase boot time.   Certain Services must be set to Automatic in order for Windows 2000 to function correctly.

3.   Manual. The Service is not started while loading Windows 2000, if needed; it can be initiated. This will help decrease boot time but system performance may degrade slightly while the Service is initiating – Note this is no big deal.

In order to change the Startup Service - enter the Properties of the respective Service. Right click on the Service in question & select Properties.

From the Startup type drop-down menu you can choose the Services Startup type. Select Apply after you have made your selection for the change to take effect. Select Ok to return to the Services Utility. NOTE – In most cases I recommend that you set a Service to Manual rather than Disabled (As discussed earlier the only difference is that a Service may be started if needed, rather than not at all). That said, as you'll discover later on in this guide there are certain instances were it can be preferable to select Disable rather than Manual.

Dependencies (“one last thing to know - then we change stuff”)

A Dependency is a relationship of reliance between 2 or more resources that makes it necessary for them to run in the same group on the same node. In relation to Services, some are dependant on others to run correctly. To find out whether or not a Service is dependant on others, Right click on the Service in question & select Properties. Next select the Dependencies tab.

Depending on what dependencies a Service has, it can effect your ability to change a Services Startup type to Disable or Manual without the Service being automatically initiated anyway. As a result this tab can help your Troubleshooting process if a problem arises after disabling a particular Service that is dependant on it.

            To make this document easier to use and resource I have included the list of services and settings to change in Appendix VI (page 37).   I would suggest you go down the list (one-by-one) to make the setting changes.   Afterward go back to the Task Manager.   Should there be a problem with start-up after making the changes refer to Appendix II on what to do.  Note – nothing should happen but operator entry error, etc. can occur and I list method to correct in the Appendix II (Emergency restoration of Services or Registry).

2.) Testing, monitoring & troubleshooting – To adequately assess your system and troubleshoot you need to understand tools and methods available to do this.   In fact you can learn how to determine how much resource an editing program (such as Premiere) needs / utilizes and what load fluctuations occur.   Windows 2000 has an excellent monitoring tool within the Task Manager and Administrative Tools.   Everybody’s system and editing needs are different; so you’re going to have to learn how to use these tools.   I could build an editing system, boot it up, let you edit with it and send it home with you.   Later you would wonder “what the heck happen ?”, everything seems to have gone south!!!  The poor editing/capture makers, programmers, “turnkey” suppliers and installers get falsely blamed.  Well at least sometimes it is not their fault.   There are answers why this can and will happen.  

                You will learn how to monitor and adjust things according to your editing style / needs, equipment and software.   This is not difficult and once you learn the basics, very time saving.  The two basic monitoring systems will be the Performance section of the Task Manager and Performance log initiated in the Administrative Tools Section.   In Appendix III I give the details on how to setup the Performance log.   I advise you do this so that it can be utilize later in editing sessions for optimum “Tweaking”.   The actual Performance Monitor is easy to setup.   First hit “cntrl-alt-delete”.   The task manager screen will appear.

Select the Performance Tab - Here you will see CPU usage, memory usage and number of processes running.   We will discuss all of this in detail but we must build a foundation of how to use the properly.   Note you can use this while editing but open it before loading the editing program (e.g. Premiere).  It utilizes a small amount of resources but not enough to have a significant impact on performance.   I wouldn’t routinely do this but in beginning do so to get your system optimized (“tweaked”).

            To wet your appetite look at the display below.   It was taken after booting Premiere 6.0.   Notice the differences from it and the one above taken just after Windows boot-up.  Notice the difference before and after  (327.8 Meg minus 92.7 meg = 235.1 added).   We will discuss this in a moment under memory usage.  Note 1024 bytes = 1 Mega byte &  Physical RAM = 512 MB.

4.) A “Quirk” of Windows 2000 - I mention this early as it can cause significant problems. Windows 2000 comes with an abundant of drivers for all kinds of devices (hardware).   These are included to make install of Win 2K possible without removing PCI cards, etc.   The drivers are generic in nature even though many will actually have the device’s manufacturers name (e.g. Promise Fasttrak or HighPoint, etc.).  The problem is that many of these do not work and have been modified.   The “quirk” in Windows 2000 is that - often an individual can think that they are installing the latest driver and yet Win 2K actually installs the generic driver contained in the system drive (C:\WINNT) folder.   The key when loading drivers is to watch the install window to see where Windows is accessing the drivers (during the actual load sequence).   The Display on the next page highlights this.   If you see Win2K revert to the driver in the system folder you may have to check the box “Install one of the other drivers”.  This sometimes doesn’t work and the only option is to find the generic driver (ID during the load) and relocate or delete it.

            It is advisable that you go and check each hardware component driver to insure you have the latest version (even though – you think you loaded the right one).   To do this – right click My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager > Double click on each device – select the Driver Tab and look at the version & date.

We will now work though various system principles such as hard drives, memory, etc.  We work in sequential steps to better understand how to “tweak” & troubleshoot.

5.) Hard Drives-  “This is oh so very important to video editing”.   The various video editing forums are riddled with problems ranging from dropped frames to poor transition / filter operation to “lock-ups”.   Many of these are the result of poor hard drive performance.   The hard drives themselves are typically more than adequate and many performed admirably when used on Windows 98 or ME.   Many users are confounded why drive performance deteriorates when they upgrade to Win 2000.   Some of these problems are the result of drivers, Win 2000 itself and/or poor setup.  Last but not least; problems can be hardware, the drive themselves to the cables, etc.   For those “unaware” I proceed with a little background (for expert videographers this is not long and it never hurts to review things).  There is a big default problem that Win2K has that impacts UDMA mode.  We will discuss this-“so keep look-out".

            DMA (Direct Memory Access) allows your Hard Drives or CDROMs to access memory directly, thereby freeing up CPU resources.  You can enable DMA on a per channel basis, and all devices on that channel have to be DMA capable, but most drives these days are (although some CDROMs may not be).

To enable DMA, right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Device Manager, click on Device such as "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers."  Double-click on the controller you want to enable, and in the properties window that appears, click the Advanced Settings tab.  Each device has a "Transfer Mode" that you can change to "DMA if available."  Choose that setting to enable DMA.

For Transfer Mode you should select DMA if available. PIO Only is much slower than DMA transfer rates & the Page File (discussed later) benefits from a faster data transfer rate, assuming the hard drive(s) support it. Click Ok & reboot your system for the changes to take effect. NOTE – If you have no other IDE devices on an IDE channel, then selecting None will reduce boot time. There are actually 3 Ultra DMA modes available : Ultra DMA 100 has a maximum bus transfer of 100 MB/sec, Ultra DMA 66 has a maximum bus transfer of 66MB/sec which is twice the bandwidth of Ultra DMA 33 (33 MB/sec). Test have shown that sustained rates between the three are not necessarily that much different on many MOBO. Much of this depends on Bus speed, processor and the like. What is different between each is the burst rate and bandwidth. The higher you go; the higher burst rate and increased bandwidth. To adequately get these kind of transfer rates, special 80 pin cables are used versus the standard 40 pin. Watch “tweaks are coming” A.) Windows default for DMA - There are 2 very important items regarding this. First -Win2K requires a “fix” to operate in DMA-5 mode (100 ATA drives). You can obtain this on the Microsoft sight at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=22161. Second – This is very important - Windows 2000 defaults UDMA mode to UDMA-33 not 66. Regardless to what you have in your Bios and what you have selected in device manager; the mode will not be greater than 33. This will impact any on-board IDE connected drives. This includes any second-party drivers like HighPoint, etc. Separate PCI UDMA & RAID cards are not affected as they have a Bios and control method separate from the MOBO Bios. To select to UDMA-66 mode you have to go into the registry and edit it. To repeat - you must go to My Computer icon -> click Properties -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager -> IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers item -> select Primary and/or Secondary IDE Channel Properties -> click Advanced Settings tab -> look under Transfer Mode for the "DMA if available" setting (you must also have "Ultra DMA Mode" active in the window that says Current Transfer Mode for this to work). Registry change - Again this is not difficult or harmful, just pay attention to your entry. To make the registry edit do the following : (You must be logged on as Administrator to be able to do this) To activate the ATA/66 (UDMA/66) setting, you need to go to Start > Run – Type Regedit : Goto : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000 Note that the "0000" key above might show as "0001", "0002" or "0003" on your machine, depending on your particular hardware settings. Select the key appropriate for your Bus Master IDE controller. Click on Edit > New and create a new DWORD Value, call it "EnableUDMA66" (no quotes), click in outside area to see if it is labeled right then right-click on it, go to modify and type 1 in the Decimal box to (select Decimal not hexadecimal) enable ATA/66 (UDMA/66) support. To disable it, change the Decimal value to 0, or delete the "EnableUDMA66" Value altogether. Reboot when done. B.) Disable Paging Executive - By default, Windows 2000 will allow portions of the operating system code and some drivers from physical RAM to the paging file. If these drivers or code are needed after they are paged out, the system slows or stops while they are read back into memory from the paging file (this is by design ). If you have ample amounts of RAM (> 384 MB) you can use the following Registry setting to keep these items up in memory: Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Key: System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management Name: DisablePagingExecutive Right click & Modify - Value: 1 A value of 1 disables paging of system code and drivers, a value of 0 (default) allows them to be paged to disk. I would try this one if you find you are having problems with long edit sessions (slowdowns and system monitor shows high paging file usage). If not having problems I wouldn’t do. Specific Hard Drive Transfer Problems – Many Win 2000 Up-graders have experienced all kind of transfer degradation. In Appendix IV I have listed a number of forum post from the Web. There are many “work-arounds” and actually some variations in fixing the same problem. Those with problems should not pass this up. Personal Example - I had an experience with a Windows 2000 upgrade involving HighPoint UDMA-66 on-board controller. Under Win 98/ME the controller worked flawlessly. I had DVD and CD-ROM R/W drives on IDE #2 port (ATA-33), nothing on IDE #1 and IDE#3 contained the UDMA system drive. In the MOBO Bios; the IDE#3 was set for UDMA-66 and for initial boot. My Audio drive was set on IDE # 4 and for UDMA-66. After loading Win 2K and HPPT Win 2K drivers the system would not boot. After changing Bios on HPPT to ATA-33 mode the system would at least boot and drive test revealed that the drives on both IDE #3 & #4 were actually running at PIO speeds (10MB/sec). When I tested the editing system it was sluggish. It would do Real Time 3-D flex transitions from the Matrox RT-2000 but when I tried Organic wipes the system would hang (will become obvious later why). The video drives were on a RAID (PCI) controller and after loading Win2K drivers they tested just fine ( 29 - 31 MB/sec). I loaded the UMDA-66 fix in the registry and then switched the system drive to the IDE #1 port (ATA-33). The system booted fine and the System drive then tested reasonable for ATA-33 mode. The Audio drive (on the other HPPT UDMA-66) then tested very close to the RAID. The system drive is adequate for editing using UDMA-33 especially when paging file is placed on the outer area of the disk (will explain later). There are fixes to get the system drive back to the HPT port and that can also be found with others in Appendix IV. With regards to File format and Fragmentation we will discuss these after exploring paging files and memory as these also have an impact. Hard Drive Testing - With recent problems associated with Win2K and hard drive transfer rates, I believe it is important to discuss (briefly) ways to test and troubleshoot drive transfers. There are numerous articles about transfer rate, differences in read-write mega-bits and mega-bytes. We will not discuss that here. There are three tools I have used to measure and troubleshoot. If you are using the Matrox system it comes with a disk benchmark test program. It is very efficient and can analyze – simulate disk operation up to “x”% full. The problem is that it takes time to do this and if data is already on the disk it is not as accurate. There have also been some reported problems of inaccurate results when using Win 2K. I have, however used it intermittently to test drives. I simply initiated the test and looked at the instantaneous results for a few seconds rather than wait for the full test. You can get a good understanding of performance with regards to major transfer problems (UDMA mode versus PIO,etc.)   Inst. Rate Audio UDMA-66 There is also another little nifty little program that I frequently use. It is free and can be found on the Canopus Web site. The test is called RexTest. You can run it on any drive and only takes about 15 sec. to do the Read / Write test. I use this for quick troubleshooting and run it often to just test how drives are behaving before starting an editing session. Beware - this test gives a general snapshot look at disk performance. If disk is fragmented you may get a fluctuation in results and you may have to run 2 or 3 times to understand better. In a way this is good as it indicates a defrag is probably in order. RAID – ATA66 Video Drive   The third program you might consider HDTach. This program is $49 and is used in detailed test. It is very good if you routinely do troubleshooting. Hard drive setup – “One last setting to check” Open My Computer, right click on the hard drive(s), select Properties. Select the Hardware tab. Now highlight the desired hard drive & click the Properties button. Finally, select the Disk Properties tab & SCSI Properties, where applicable. The following options can improve Hard drive performance. NOTE - Some of those options may, or may not be availabl