Boost gaming performance; Gothic players read this

I forgot all about doing this ever since I bought my current gaming system. Most people know about this method - how many of you are not doing it?

Some of you will have heard of "Black Viper" - he was the guy renowned on the internet for offering tutorials on this. Sadly, he disappeared a few years back - if you Google 'BlackViper' you'll see what I mean.

Hardware profiles.

Now, let's be honest here, are you a gamer?
Does your PC creak and groan with some games?
Are you using a 'gaming' hardware profile for the PC you play games on? If not, read on.

For those people who know about this who have never tried it due to being unsure - it is very, very easy to do. Google it to find out more.

Due to Gothic III being very, very, resource hungry - I tested this trick that I haven't used on my current gaming PC before. The thing is playing like a dream now. However, bare in mind my PC met the recommended requirements for Gothic III, but still creaked a bit.


Right, let's get your PC up to speed:

I'd advise creating a cheeky restore point

Note my system is WindowsXP (SP2) - might be some differences with yours.

Right click 'My computer'
Click the 'Hardware' tab
Select 'Hardware Profiles'
You will probably have one entry 'Profile 1 (Current)'
Copy it and rename the copy as 'Gaming' (or whatever)
Keep the default one as first in the list - this means when you turn your PC on Windows will know to select this one if you don't make a choice.
'Okay' everything and all is done.
Don't do this yet, but when you reboot your computer, Windows will ask you which profile to run.

Now, currently, 'Gaming' is just a copy of your current profile.
Your next port of call is: 'Control Panel/'Administrative Tools'
Double click 'Services' or 'Services Shortcut'.
Now you have a list of all the services currently on your machine - running or not, active or disabled.
Now be careful here - Everything about this is pretty easy - however, I'd advise creating a cheeky restore point.
You can double click each one and take a look at it - you'll notice in the middle of the pop-up window 'Startup Type' - Do not change these settings
Instead, click on the 'Log On' tab at the top
Look - your new 'Gaming' profile is there
Now you can proceed to click on the 'Gaming' profile's name - (leave the default one alone)
You can set each service to either be 'Enabled' or 'Disabled' for your 'Gaming' Profile.

Now, you may not trust me - but there are a lot of pages on the internet that will advise you what you can disable - such as this one: http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/windows_xp_services.php

My PC is not a server or on a network - it is just a stand-alone PC so I disabled the following:

Remember to only disable by clicking via the name of your 'Gaming' profile

You may have some unique entries that relate to software running on your PC - such as a virus checker and other utility software - I have disabled all utility software for my 'Gaming' profile.

All of the following are disabled in my 'Gaming' profile (technically, I could do a couple more) - some are disabled in my normal profile too, but I am not going to talk about that - just concentrate on your 'Gaming' profile Note: my 'Gaming' profile was intended for non-internet gameplay - technically, you could have 2 'Gaming' profiles for offline and online play:

Remember, they still all work when you reboot and choose your 'Normal' profile. You can always try one or two and test it if you are unsure.

Alerter
Automatic updates
Clipbook
COM+ Event System
COM+ System Application
Computer Browser
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Distributed Transaction Coordinator
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
Help and Support
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Net Logon
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Network Provisioning Service
NT LM Security Support Provider
Performance Logs and Alerts
Portable Media Serial Number Service
Print Spooler
QoS RSVP
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
Remote Access Connection Manager
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
Secondary Logon
Security Accounts Manager
Security Center
Server
Smart Card
SSDP Discovery Service
System Event Notification
Task Scheduler
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telephony
Terminal Services
Themes
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
WebClient
Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration


Now, with the above disabled, reboot your PC and choose your 'Gaming' profile.

When Windows starts up there may be left-overs of some applications - my Antivirus still attempts to load, but fails - etc, etc.

Just do the old, 'Ctrl, Alt and Tab' to bring up the 'Task Manager' and kill of any processes that you won't need for gaming.

Note, if you are unfamilar with the entries in the 'Profiles' list then Google them - I basically kill as much as possible and you soon remember which ones you can automatically kill.

The end result - a PC that plays like it just got upgraded!

Gothic 3 does now actually play blatantly more smoothly for me.

I'll be reading through this again when it is posted to spot any errors.

Probably best to read through the following (and other similar pages on the internet)

http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/windows_xp_services.php

Just to be sure that you know what you are shutting down and why you are doing it.

The list I posted is just what I disabled with prior knowledge of how it would affect my own system.

I didn't disable everything that was suggested to on the overclockersclub page.

hey thanks man, I should try this profile business out for myself :)

Yeah, looks like something I should do aswell..

Lol, Evak- you never did this before? This is how I manage to break the rules and have new stuff running on old PC's. kind of like turning off most of windows.

I wonder if vistas "Os-Shutdown" when a game starts is similar?

Have to say I haven't done it recently so thanks for that Puki :)

"puki" - leader of the forum.

Half the community has been in here and Larged their computer.

Oh, yeh.

I might just take over from that "Black Viper" boy - I mean the internet is full of this stuff, however a new leader is required. Who better than the leader of this community to step forward - dripping with Large.

G3 is very laggy on my PC and I'm highly frustrated. This has nothing to do with my PC, but with the crappy game engine. Shame on PB! :/

My computer is large enough...

No, seriously- I don't have enough room for it.....