[demlak]

hi there... i was searching for a guide that shows, how to optimize windows 7 for use with XBMC..
cannot find one.. there is no one?

maybe in this new thread, we are able to give hints and summarize them to a usefull guide to optimize windows and it´s services for a great XBMC usage..

we have to find a stable balance between performance and usablity..

i don´t need the following services.. and disabled them:
-indexing service
-print spooler
-User account control (UAC)
-some Unused Windows 7 Features
-autodefrag (background defrag)

i got some of those tips from this guide: http://www.computingunleashed.com/speed-...de-to.html

i also tried to disable aero theme.. but in my environment, the performance of windows AND XBMC was descreased after disabling the aero theme.. i don´t know why.. but that´s what happened here..


what about you? any tips/tricks? please only selfmade experiences.. no hearsay..

thx a lot

[jhsrennie]

You're unlikely to make much difference to the performance on Win7 unless your PC is already marginal, in which case upgrading your PC is the best fix (memory is the only thing that usually makes much difference). By all means try disabling the services you mentioned, but don't expect fireworks.

I've seen various reports of the effect of Aero. Some people disable it and some leave it enabled. Do whatever works best for you.

JR

[demlak]

well.. windows 7 is a desktop OS that should fit the most requirements, that are possible.. it´s an everyone OS...

concurrently this means a bunch of features/services that are not needed by users with a specific requirement.. users like us.. with a HTPC..

also: many users don´t use a high-end system.... lot´s of ATOM CPUs..

also there are optimizations for use of different boot-media.. like SSD or USB-Key.. and so on..

i thought other people would be thankfull for hints to optimize their environment.. i would be thankfull for nice tricks..

[jhsrennie]

I use Win7 on a Revo 3610 with an Atom 330.

You can stop services if you want, but you won't notice any improvement in speed because those services won't be putting any significant load on the system (apart possibly from memory if your PC doesn't have much memory). You can use an SSD disk and that will indeed speed up starting Windows and XBMC, and it should speed up thumbnails etc. Whether it's worth the extra cost is up to you. In my Atom I use a standard 5,400 rpm disk and XBMC seems to work fine, though I must admit that Windows takes a while to start.

The best speed tip I know is to completely wipe the hard disk and install a fresh copy of Windows. This is especially so if the OS was installed by the manufacturer because they usually add lots of junk. In Win7 just leave all the install options at the defaults and that will give you a pretty slick install.

JR

[The_Dogg]

I agree with jhsrennie, I have the same setup but I added an SSD to my revo. I also went trhu a few guides on windows 7 services, I did disabled all unnecessary services and did not notice any performance boost. The SSD helped with the thumbnails and the booting ( but my htpc is on 24/7 so it doesn't really matter to me).

I still have performance issues with xbmc, but I have to spend a little time investigating on it.

[demlak]

well... well... well...

old post.. i know.. but problem still exists:

i think, it´s not a problem of diskspeed... when i use openelec.. or ubuntu+xbmc.. on an old 20gb HDD plugged into USB slot, xbmc runs much more liquid than win7 on internal sata drive..

also i saw, xbmc under windows slows down, after a few hours of using other software.. like browser or games.. by just switching to them without quitting xbmc...

i think it´s a problem of windows, that some data in ram, that is not used frequently, is send to virtualdisk or something like this.. but this is just an idea..

i need windows because of some needed programs.. switching to another OS is impossible for this machine...

still no one out there, who has some hints?

greets
demlak

[gibxxi]

Not related directly to HTPC's, but check out:

http://www.sevenforums.com

It's a user community that's centered around everything Win-7, and there are a number of handy tutorials and optimization guides there. Nothing that will apply specifically to HTPC users, but then again, every user's requirements differ.

Take what you want, leave what you don't.