Fix PC Errors Blog

Last time I covered the first two Task Manager tabs, Applications and Processes. In this post I will explain the other three tabs, Performance, Networking and Users.

Performance Tab

The Performance tab is the executive summary of the Processes tab. Where the Processes tab can show you what processes are running (and the resources they are consuming), the Performance tab gives a high-level look at your system resource usage - most importantly, how much physical memory is available for programs.

The CPU Usage and CPU Usage history sections are straightforward. The first is a graph of how much CPU the computer is using at the moment and the second is a line graph of CPU usage over a given period of time (by default, each grid is ten seconds). If you are getting slow performance, and the CPU history shows a lot of usage, or is pegged at 100%, it’s a clue to look at the Processes tab to see what process (or processes) are using so much CPU. Under normal usage there should be some spikes but the processor should never be pegged at 100% for any length of time.

The PF Usage graphs are similar in purpose to the CPU graphs, but they relate to page file usage, or more accurately, virtual memory usage. These graphs show how much memory you are using on your computer. If they ever get close to the top you will have performance issues and eventually program crashes. Again, you should check out the Processes tab to see what programs are using a lot of memory.

If you commonly find that you are close to the maximum amount of available memory, you can increase the size of your page file. Right-click on My Computer, click Properties and then choose the Advanced tab. In the Performance section, click Settings and choose the Advanced tab in the window that appears. In the Virtual Memory section, click Change. You will see there are three options for paging file size:

1. Custom size - you can set the upper and lower limits
2. System managed size - Windows sets the size of the page file
3. No paging file - No page file is used at all

The typical recommendation is the amount of physical memory multiplied by 1.5. So if you have 1GB of RAM, you should set your page file size to about 1536MB (one GB of RAM is 1024MB). If the recommended size in the Total paging file size for all drives is close to this amount you can just use that instead. If you set the Initial size and Maximum size the same, you will prevent Windows from changing the page file size on its own, which is a huge performance hit in most cases, and is typically done at the worst possible time - when you need more virtual memory.

If you already have a page file that is 1.5 times the size of your physical RAM and you are still running out of virtual memory, you need to buy more RAM. You also may want to consider an x64 version of XP or Vista, which allows you to use RAM beyond the 4GB limit that 32-bit Windows systems have. It’s also possible to turn off the page file, if and only if you have enough physical RAM. The next section can help you determine if that is possible.

Totals, Commit Charge and Memory

The Totals section of the Performance tab simply displays the total handles (files or registry keys being accessed by programs), threads (individual parts of programs that are using the CPU) and processes (executables) on your computer. If any of these get extremely high you can go to the Processes tab and add the appropriate column (Handle Count for handles) to see which process is using the most.

The Commit Charge and Physical Memory sections are the most vital to determining the performance of your computer. Modern CPUs are usually fast enough to handle most computing tasks without breaking a sweat. Games and video editing software may tax a computer but Office, money management suites and Internet browsing should never be a problem, and unless you’ve filled up your hard drive without realizing it, the last remaining performance culprit is memory.

The Commit Charge section has three parts:

1. Total - the current total of memory being used by programs
2. Limit - the maximum amount of memory that can be used before a program will crash
3. Peak - the highest usage of memory since the computer has been turned on

The Physical Memory section also has three parts:

1. Total - the total amount of physical memory (RAM) in your computer
2. Available - the amount of physical memory available for programs
3. System Cache - the amount of physical memory being used for open files

If your peak commit charge is bigger than the total physical memory, it’s time to consider more physical RAM, especially if you do a lot of multitasking. If you only occasionally open a lot of programs then you will probably be fine. If after an intensive multitasking session on your computer, your peak commit charge is only half of your available RAM, you can consider reducing or eliminating your page file. To be sure, check your peak commit charge every time you are ready to log off your computer for a couple weeks. Be aware though, that if you run out of physical memory your programs will crash, although this goes the same for physical memory plus the page file as well.

The Kernel Memory section typically does not offer much performance information, but if the numbers are high you may have too many drivers or buggy drivers taking up a lot more memory than they should be.

Networking and Users

The Networking tab is new to Windows XP. For the most part it doesn’t help much with performance troubleshooting, but like any other graph, if it is maxed out you have a problem. Unlike the other tabs, there isn’t an easy way to determine what processes are using up your bandwidth. If you have more than one PC at home, you may experience a slow Internet connection if the other PC is using up too much bandwidth, and you can check the Networking tab on that machine to be sure.

The Link Speed column indicates how fast the network link is. If you have a wired link, it’s probably 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps (or 1Gbps). If you have broadband, your Internet link speed is probably in the 1.5 Mbps to 10 Mbps range - well under the limit for your network adapter. If you are transferring files from one computer to another though, you can max out a 100 Mbps link.

The Users tab will be available if you have Fast User Switching turned on. I always turn this off as it is the biggest performance killer besides a massive spyware infection if you actually have multiple people using your PC, and if you don’t, then you don’t need Fast User Switching anyway. Basically it will tell you how many users are connected to your PC and from which computers.

If you share files in a dorm environment, you may have a lot of connections on your computer which impacts performance. You can view the same information in the Users tab by right-clicking on My Computer, clicking Manage and selecting Shared Folders. Underneath you will see three more folders:

1. Shares - folders that are shared on your computer
2. Sessions - users logged into your computer
3. Open Files - files that users have opened

If you’ve got a lot of people connected you can kick them all off by right-clicking on their session and disconnecting them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 at 8:05 pm and is filed under PC Optimization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.