The procedure for optimizing Windows 95 begins with the installation of the operating system. The very best way to install Windows 95 is to a freshly formatted hard drive. It is even recommended by some that you reformat your hard drive for a fresh install on a yearly basis. This may be to much trouble for some but with the right backup and maintenance procedures this is a fairly easy task.
It is best to prepare for this procedure in advance while your computer is still in good operating condition. Eventually, you will have to reformat and reinstall Windows 95 so it is best to be prepared. The first step in this procedure is to prepare a boot disk that includes your CD-ROM drivers. Getting the computer to recognize the CD-ROM is usually the most aggravating problem with a freshly formatted hard drive. This problem is eliminated if your CD-ROM drivers are on the boot disk.
For complete instructions on making a boot disk with your CD-ROM drivers click here.
The first thing to check in starting the optimization process are the settings in System Properties. Click Start/Settings/ControlPanel/System. Go to the performance tab and you should see a line there that says "Your System is Configured for Optimal Performance". If you see a line about some drives using DOS Compatibility Mode then you will have to make sure you have installed 32 bit protected mode drivers. The most common cause of this is the CD-ROM using a real mode driver.
While still in System Properties click the tab for Device Manager. You will see a list of all hardware devices in your computer. There should be no red X's or exclamation points by any of these entries. If there is you will have to find the cause of the conflict. There are only a very few instances where a conflict here is acceptable so you will want to eliminate all conflicts before you proceed any further.
Rather than give troubleshooting procedures here, if you have a conflict, fill out the problem report and send it to me. Send Problem Report
The next step involves setting up the file system and virtual memory settings. Before proceeding any further let me explain a little about memory requirements for Windows 95. The "minimum requirements" for running Windows 95 are a 486 processor with 8 B of RAM. Now, that does not mean you can operate Windows 95 on a computer with a Pemtium 200 and 8 MB of RAM. The RAM requirements increase with the processor speed. Here are the requirements that I feel are necessary for a smoothly operating Windows 95.
On all of the systems I have worked with you will notice a drastic improvement in performance up to 16 MB of RAM. There will be noticeable improvement with additional RAM from 16 to 32 MB. There will be added benefits of additional RAM from 32 to 64 MB. For Windows 95 there is little need for an excess of 64 MB of RAM because of the way Windows 95 caches the memory. This is not true with Windows NT. The more the better.
Make sure you have sufficient RAM installed in your computer. This is the best performance enhancement you can have for Windows 95. To further optimize and increase your performance you will need to tweak the file system settings a little. For complete instructions on these settings click here
To get the best performance and stability out of Windows 95 you need to insure that you have the latest version installed. There are 3 versions of Windows 95.
A word of caution about the updates. If you have already installed Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01 you need to uninstall it before upgrading from Windows 95 4.095 to Windows 95 40.95a. If you install these updates with IE 4.0 installed your system will fail to boot!
It is important to keep the drivers for your computer hardware up to date. Manufacturers are constantly updating their drivers to correct minor bugs and introduce enhancements to their product. The most important drivers that you need to keep track of are Video and Sound Card drivers. This is especially true if you have one of the newer versions of one of these cards. Other drivers are occasionally available such as printer, modem and network drivers. Bookmark the Web Sites of all your computer hardware manufacturers and check their site occasionally for updated drivers. If you have a "factory built" computer it is wise to check their site for your particular model to see if any updates are available. One word of caution here. Occasionally BIOS updates are available. It is suggested not to update your BIOS unless you are having a particular BIOS problem. Follow the manufacturers recommendation.
Here are some other things you can check into to be sure you computer is performing at peak efficiency.
To maintain the performance you have discovered be sure to see my page on Maintaining Windows 95