®® Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 9 Evaluating System Performance

XP Objectives Examine RAM, virtual memory, and the paging file View virtual memory settings Monitor changes in system performance with Task Manager Use Resource Monitor to evaluate system performance Create a system health report Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 92

XP Objectives Use Performance Monitor to track performance changes on your computer Analyze, save, and print performance measurements Use Resource and Performance Monitor to examine memory usage Examine Windows ReadyBoost and SuperFetch Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 93

XP Memory Usage Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 84

XP The Importance of RAM and Virtual Memory Affects the performance of a computer Paging file is used for supplemental RAM – Maximum size is three times the amount of installed RAM – Virtual memory Memory is used: – For the operating system and startup programs – Each time you open an application or other program Windows cannot always reclaim originally allocated memory – Memory leak Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 95

XP Viewing the Paging File Locate pagefile.sys Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 96

XP Examining Virtual Memory Settings Right-click the Computer icon, click Properties, click the Advanced system settings link Under Performance, click the Settings button, and then click the Advanced tab Under Virtual memory, click the Change button Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 87

XP Using Windows Task Manager to View System Performance Right-click an empty area of the taskbar, and then click Start Task Manager Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 98

XP Using Windows Task Manager to View System Performance Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 99 Paged kernel memory is that portion of kernel memory that can be paged, or swapped, to disk so other programs can use that memory Nonpaged kernel memory is available only to the operating system, and these pages cannot be paged to disk. A thread is an object within a process that executes instructions A handle is an ID that uniquely identifies a resource, such as a file or Registry setting, so a program can access that resource

XP Using Resource Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Displays information about the use of CPU, disk, network, and memory resources Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 910

XP Using Resource Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Resource Monitor can also: – View processes that are using the CPU – View processes reading and writing to files on disk – View processes and their memory usage Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 911

XP Using Resource Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 812

XP Creating a System Health Report You can use Resource and Performance Monitor to create a system health report Right-click the Computer desktop icon, click Properties, click the Performance Information and Tools link in the System window, click the Advanced tools link, click the Generate a system health report link Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 913

XP Creating a System Health Report Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 914

XP Creating a System Health Report The System Health Report also allows you to: – View information on startup programs – View Hot Files that cause the most disk I/O Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 915

XP Memory Usage Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 816

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance A performance object is a broad category that contains a set of related performance counters for measuring the performance of some aspect of your computer system A performance counter is a specific option for measuring the performance of an object – An instance allows you to sample a performance counter in a specific way From the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Performance Monitor Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 917

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 918

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance You can add performance counters by clicking the Add button on the Performance Monitor Toolbar Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 919

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 920

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Monitor your computer’s performance as you open an application Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 921

XP Using Performance Monitor to Evaluate System Performance Comparing changes in memory usage Additional options on the Performance Monitor toolbar include: – Change graph type button – Properties button – Update Data button – Delete button Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 922

XP Using Resource and Performance Monitor to Examine Memory Performance Reliability and Performance Monitor also provides information on the current memory usage by reporting on the values of key performance counters – Generate a system health report Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 923

XP Using Resource and Performance Monitor to Examine Memory Performance Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 924

XP Using Reliability and Performance Monitor to Examine Memory Performance Preview the System Diagnostics Report using the Print Preview feature You also may be able to export the performance data to Microsoft Excel Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 925

XP Using ReadyBoost with Superfetch Windows ReadyBoost uses high-speed storage space on a flash drive to boost the performance of your computer by storing cached data on the flash drive, including the paging file Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 926

XP Using ReadyBoost with Superfetch Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 927

XP Using ReadyBoost with Superfetch Superfetch determines how you use your computer, and then preloads the programs so that they are available when you need them – Also performs other important functions when the computer is idle Background processes Windows Vista for Power Users Tutorial 928