Windows Update: Do you really need it?
OK, we've finished installing Windows XP, drivers, libraries and patches. The next step is optional, so you don't have to do it. If your PC's connected to the Internet (either via a network / LAN or through a dial-up / broadband connection), it might be a good idea to check whether or not there's any new (small) patches to Windows XP. To do this, just open the Start Menu by clicking 'Start' and choose the 'Windows Update' icon. This will connect your PC to the Windows Update part of Microsoft's website. Windows will automatically check whether or not there are new patches and display a list so you could see what patches will be downloaded to your PC. Choose only the patches you need (basically any critical / security patches). That's it then, you've completed your first Windows XP installation. Congratulations!Configuring your copy of Windows XP
Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? You've just completed your Windows XP installation, complete with drivers and patches. We just have to do some leftover housework to keep your Windows XP clean, fast and tidy. Let's start with those drivers first, since they're the ones that affects the performance of your PC. If you remember, basically we've installed drivers for the chipset, sound card, network card and graphics card. So we will go about them in that order.Motherboard Chipset Drivers
There's usually not much to configure when it comes to chipset drivers. Basically they came down to configuring the motherboard's IDE controller driver. So if you're using the newer boards that uses PCI Express and paired it with a S-ATA hard drive or RAID array, you don't have to do this. We'll start with the IDE controller driver first. Right click on the 'My Computer' icon, which you'll either find in the Start Menu or on the desktop. Choose 'Properties' and left click, this will bring up the 'System Properties'. Pick the 'Hardware' tab and left click on the 'Device Manager' button, this will bring up the Device Manager. You should a list with several items, one of them should be 'IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers'. Left double click on it to show a drop down list / tree. Now double click on the items usually named 'Primary IDE Channel'. This will bring up another window that show's that particular peripheral's properties. There should be an 'Advanced Settings' tab on that window, select it. Basically, you want the options to be 'Auto Detection' and 'DMA if available'. Make the appropriate changes and repeat this for the 'Secondary IDE Channel'. What this options does is tell Windows XP to use the fastest method possible when accessing and writing data to your IDE hard drive(s) and CD / DVD-ROMs.
Graphics card
You still remember what we talked about monitor's resolutions before right? If you haven't done so, apply the resolution you want for your monitor. To do this, right click on your desktop to bring up a context menu. Choose 'Properties' and you'll see a window called 'Display Properties' appears. Choose the 'Settings' tab, here you'll see a slider you can use to change your resolution. There's also a drop down menu to select the color depth, just use the 'Highest (32 bit)' here.
Left click on the 'Advanced' button to bring up another window. Depending on your graphics card, you'll probably see all kinds of tab on this window. Remember what we talked about refresh rates? Choose the 'Monitor' tab and you'll see a drop down list of refresh rates you can use. Pick the refresh rate you're comfortable with (or the highest one). Generally, this number runs from 60 Hz to 120 Hz, don't choose higher than 120 Hz. Click apply, you might see your monitor flicker - this is normal. What's not normal is if your monitor gone blank. Press the 'Escape' key if it does. What just happen is that you pick a too high refresh rate for your monitor (on that resolution). Choose a lower one until you find a refresh rate that works for you.
Now, this is where things gets a 'little' interesting.
For ATI users
For those with an ATI graphics card, choose the 'Display' tab. It's here that the graphics card list all the output available - your monitor(s), TV and flat panel display. Choose your monitor by clicking on the appropriate button. This will bring up another window showing your monitor properties. You could set the 'Maximum Resolution' and 'Maximum Refresh' for your monitor here. Consult your PC monitor's manual about the values your monitor supports. If you have a PC monitor that supports DDC, these options will be automatically set for you. The next option we want to set is the 'Refresh Rate Override'. What this function do is set the refresh rate for your monitor when you're playing games. You would want this set to 'Same as desktop'.
Next, click on the '3D' tab. In this tab, you can set options that alter the image quality and performance of your graphics card when playing 3D games or running 3D applications. These games and applications uses two standard: Direct3D or OpenGL. The general settings are the same for both, you could toggle which standard you want to customize by choosing either Direct3D or OpenGL. For most users, using the slider is easier - just choose 'Balanced' to pick the best combination of quality and performance. You'll notice that moving the slider to the 'High Quality' and 'Optimal Quality' settings activates features such as Anti Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering. Like we've said before, these features provides higher quality images (in 3D games and applications) but comes with some performance penalty. If your games and application offer these options in-game, it's better to apply it there. These options are basically for older games and applications that doesn't support these feature directly.
For NVIDIA users
For those of you with a NVIDIA graphics card, choose the tab with your graphics card's name on it. On the left slide menu, choose, Refresh Rate Overrides sub menu. Make sure you choose 'Override refresh rate', otherwise the resolution's list will be greyed out. Choose the resolution you will be working on, and choose the appropriate refresh rate. As the resolution go higher, make sure you do not choose a refresh rate higher than what your monitor support.
Next, choose the Performance and Quality Settings sub menu. You can apply a default global profile for all 3d games and application, or you could apply them per application. As a general guide, moving the slider to the left means less quality but faster performance. You don't have to change any of these if you have a modern graphics card. But if you have an old GeForce4 or below, you could choose a faster setting to allow playable frame rates in newer games.
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