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- ; SiSoft Sandra - Performance tips internal information file
- ;
- ; WARNING: Do not mess up this file! But you can delete it if you want...
- ;
- ; Compiled for SiSoft Sandra by Adrian@sisoftware.demon.co.uk
- ;
- ; Credits: C.A.Silasi, P.Kinnaly, P.B.Madsen
- ;
- ; Adrian
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- [Tip]
- ; Warnings
- 1=Please read the help file and make sure you know what you're doing before proceeding.
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- ; CPU & BIOS Tips
- 200=SMBIOS/DMI Interface not supported. Check for a BIOS update.
- 201=System BIOS is too old. Check for an update.
- 202=CPU too slow. Windows runs optimally on 5x86 class or better CPUs.
- 203=Use a Plug & Play system BIOS. Check for an update.
- 204=Generic CPU. Some high-performance games may have problems.
- 205=A MMX processor is recommended for modern multimedia applications and games.
- 206=Intel Pentium floating-point bug detected! Ask Intel for a replacement.
- 207=A SMBIOS/DMI 2.3 or later compliant BIOS is recommended. Check for a BIOS update.
- 208=BIOS does not support the EDD (Enhanced Disk Drive) specification. Check for an update.
- 209=PC is not NEC PC98 compliant.
- 210=Mainboard supports faster CPUs, so the CPU can be upgraded when needed.
- 211=BIOS is flash-able and socketed so it can be upgraded when needed.
- 212=BIOS can be shadowed so check whether it is.
- 213=BIOS cannot be updated (flashed). All new mainboards should support this function.
- 214=BIOS is flash-able but surface-mounted. An unsuccessful flash may be fatal.
- 215=CPU temperature is too high!
- 216=CPU fan has failed! Check it.
- 217=Enable ECC on L2 cache for stability.
- 218=A 3DNow! processor is recommended for modern multimedia applications and games.
- 219=A SSE processor is recommended for modern multimedia applications and games.
- 220=The CPU Serial Number is enabled.
- 221=The CPU Serial Number is disabled.
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- ; Video Tips
- 300=Unknown monitor. Install the driver for the monitor (or similar model) for optimum performance.
- 301=Install more video memory. Modern video cards need 4MB or more for optimum performance.
- 302=Use at least 256 colours. 16 colour modes may be incompatible with modern applications.
- 303=Use a 32-bit colour depth instead of 24-bit for better performance if available.
- 304=A desktop resolution of at least 640x480 is required for modern applications.
- 305=Use a 32-bit Windows video driver. Check for a driver update.
- 306=Use a Plug & Play/DDC compliant video driver. Check for a driver update.
- 307=Video acceleration is not fully enabled. Enable it and see if it works.
- 308=A VESA video BIOS may be required for DOS games. Check for a VESA TSR emulator.
- 309=A VESA 2.0 video BIOS may offer better performance/support. Check for an update.
- 310=DirectDraw support is required for Windows games or multimedia titles. Install DirectX.
- 311=Direct3D support may be required for Windows games or multimedia titles. Install DirectX.
- 312=OpenGL support may be required for 3D rendering applications or games. Install OpenGL.
- 313=Font smoothing reduces video performance.
- 314=Video BIOS is too old. Check for an update.
- 315=Use a 16-bit colour palette instead of 15-bit for better performance/support.
- 316=Use a Energy Star (DPMS) power saving monitor.
- 317=Video card is not VGA compatible. DOS VGA programs may be adversely affected.
- 318=A larger/better monitor is recommended for this video mode. Consider reducing the resolution.
- 319=A refresh rate of at least 75Hz is recommended. Increase it if possible.
- 320=The hardware cursor is disabled. Check that it was not disabled by mistake.
- 321=Enable the Linear Frame Buffer for maximum performance. See the driver manual.
- 322=Turn off screen savers. Use the monitor power saving mode.
- 323=Remove the desktop wallpaper to save memory and improve performance.
- 324=You are running the driver that came with Windows. An updated driver may be available from the video adapter manufacturer.
- 325=Turn off window animation to reduce delays.
- 326=Turn off animated cursors to conserve memory and improve performance.
- 327=Reduce colour depth to improve video performance. 16-bit may be enough.
- 328=Reduce resolution to improve video performance.
- 329=Use True Colour (24/32-bit) for video playback if available.
- 330=Use small icons to maximise usable desktop space.
- 331=Use small fonts to maximise usable desktop space.
- 332=Use a Plug & Play/DDC compatible monitor and video adapter.
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- ;Printer Tips
- 400=Printer driver is obsolete. Check for an update.
- 401=Printer resolution may have been set too low. Check settings.
- 402=Print quality may have been set too low. Check settings.
- 403=Print to an EMF data type to improve printing speed.
- 404=Use print spooling to regain control of the computer sooner.
- 405=Use printer's built-in fonts for faster printing.
- 406=Use a lower resolution to increase printing speed.
- 407=Optimise Postscript print driver settings.
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- ;WinSock Tips
- 500=Update to WinSock 2.0 or later for better performance.
- 501=Remove the IPX/SPX protocol if it not used to conserve memory.
- 502=16-bit WinSock stack not found. Legacy applications may not work.
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- ; Sound Card Tips
- 700=No sound drivers are installed! Games or multimedia titles may not run at all.
- 701=No wave recording driver installed. Sound recording is unavailable.
- 702=No wave playback driver installed. Games or multimedia titles may not run at all.
- 703=No MIDI input driver installed. External MIDI devices are not supported.
- 704=No MIDI playback driver installed. MIDI playback is unavailable.
- 705=No mixer driver installed. Sound devices are muted.
- 706=No auxiliary driver installed. Some sound devices may be unavailable.
- 707=8-bit sound devices are obsolete. Use a 16-bit sound device for better sound quality.
- 708=Mono sound devices are obsolete. Use a Stereo sound device for better sound experience.
- 709=Low sample rate device. Use a 44.1kHz sampling device for better sound quality.
- 710=Driver may be obsolete. Check that it is the latest version.
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- ; Mouse tips
- 800=Uninstall Accessibility Features if you don't use them to conserve memory.
- 801=DOS mouse driver version is obsolete. Check for a mouse driver update.
- 802=Double-click speed may have been set too low.
- 803=A mouse with wheel is recommended for better control.
- 804=A USB or PS/2 mouse is recommended.
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- ; Keyboard tips
- 900=Uninstall Accessibility Features if you don't use them to conserve memory.
- 901=Non-standard keyboard detected. Check that this is correct.
- 902=The Keyboard.sys driver is required for non-US systems in DOS mode.
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- ; APM tips
- 1100=Disable APM from the BIOS if you don't use it. Performance may improve.
- 1101=Using APM on desktops may result in reduced performance or delays.
- 1102=Clock slowdown may reduce performance.
- 1103=Battery level is low. Find a mains supply!
- 1104=An APM BIOS Ver 1.02 or later may offer better performance/support. Check for a BIOS update.
- 1105=Drive spin-down time may be too low. Generally a value of 30-60 min is recommended.
- 1106=Drive spin-down may be unnecessary on desktops or while on AC power.
- 1107=System does not support ACPI. Check for a BIOS update.
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- ; PCI & AGP tips
- 1200=A PCI BIOS Ver 2.10 or later offers better performance/support. Check for a BIOS update.
- 1201=Early versions of hardware may contain bugs or incompatibilities.
- 1202=Device does not support bus mastering.
- 1203=VGA palette snooping seriously reduces video performance. Disable it if you don't need it.
- 1204=Slow device. Bus efficiency may be reduced.
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- ; Windows Tips
- 1300=Enter your company name or "Home" instead of "Unknown".
- 1301=Enter your name or licence holder's instead of "Unknown".
- 1302=Double-Buffering is only needed for real mode SCSI devices.
- 1303=DoubleSpace & DriveSpace are only needed if you use disk compression.
- 1304=Install the MS-Plus! pack or Internet Explorer 4.0+.
- 1305=Restart Windows. Running it for too long may reduce performance.
- 1306=Shrink the Win.ini configuration file. Remove orphaned entries.
- 1307=Clean-up the registry. Remove orphaned entries by running RegClean.
- 1308=Boot without the Windows logo to reduce boot delay.
- 1309=Set task-bar to auto-hide to maximise available desktop space.
- 1310=Install the Windows 95 OSR1 patch (950a+).
- 1311=Upgrade to Windows 98.
- 1312=Shrink the System.ini configuration file. Remove orphaned entries.
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- ; Ports Tips
- 1400=An 16550AF+ UART is recommended for good Windows comms.
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- ; Processes Tips
- 1600=Program was written for an older version of Windows. Check for an update.
- 1601=Program consumes a large amount of memory.
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- ; Modules Tips
- 1700=Module was written for an older version of Windows. Check for an update.
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- ; Drives Tips
- 1800=Increase free disk space. Some programs may run out of disk space.
- 1801=Disk compression may reduce performance or introduce incompatibilities.
- 1802=Large cluster sizes waste disk space. Break drive into smaller partitions or use FAT32.
- 1803=Increase max. disk cache. It should be at least 25% of system memory.
- 1804=Decrease min. disk cache. It should be at most 25% of system memory.
- 1805=Change typical role to 'Network Server' to improve disk performance.
- 1806=Change typical role to 'Mobile Computer' to increase usable memory.
- 1807=Increase read-ahead buffer size to improve disk performance.
- 1808=Large cluster sizes waste disk space. Break drive into smaller partitions or use NTFS.
- 1809=Reduce CD-ROM cache size to increase usable memory.
- 1810=Use a 32-bit Windows disk driver. Check controller settings as well.
- 1811=Turn off troubleshooting options. Performance may be adversely affected.
- 1812=Reduce Recycle Bin size. Free drive space is low.
- 1813=Scan drive for errors at least weekly.
- 1814=Optimise drive at least monthly.
- 1815=Change typical role to 'Desktop Computer' to improve performance.
- 1816=Check CD-ROM cache optimise pattern setting to improve CD-ROM performance.
- 1817=Backup drive at least weekly.
- 1818=Scan drive for viruses at least weekly.
- 1819=Image drive at least weekly.
- 1820=Update virus definition files at least quarterly.
- 1821=Label (name) drive.
- 1822=DMA transfers improve performance. Enable it if possible.
- 1823=SCSI drives usually offer higher performance.
- 1824=Empty the Recycle Bin. Free drive space is low.
- 1825=Consider compressing the drive. Compress or delete unneeded files to increase free space.
- 1826=Clean your drive of unneeded files to increase free space.
- 1827=Adjust BIOS drive settings. Performance may improve.
- 1828=Increase CD-ROM cache size to improve CD-ROM performance.
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- ; DOS Memory Tips
- 1900=Increase free base memory. Remove DOS device drivers/TSR programs from the configuration files.
- 1901=EMS support may be required for older DOS games or applications.
- 1902=DPMI support may be required for new DOS games or applications.
- 1903=Increase free DPMI memory. See DOS program settings.
- 1904=A EMS page-frame is required for compatibility with EMS 3.2 or older DOS applications.
- 1905=Load DOS into HMA (High Memory Area).
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- ; Windows Memory Tips
- 2000=Install more memory. Windows runs optimally on machines with 16MB RAM or more.
- 2001=Low system resources. Close down some applications or restart Windows.
- 2002=Memory load is at 200%. Close down some applications.
- 2003=Use a larger swap file or install more memory. The swap file usage is over 90%.
- 2004=Swap file is too large. The swap file should be around 2.5 times system memory.
- 2005=Use a fixed-size swap file. This is faster than a variable-size swap file.
- 2006=Increase free base memory. Remove DOS device drivers/TSR programs from the configuration files.
- 2007=Use a 32-bit swap (page) file driver. Check that the drive uses a 32-bit driver.
- 2008=Move swap file to a disk with more free space.
- 2009=Disable/Uninstall memory compressor to improve performance. Install more real memory.
- 2010=Update the memory manager. It appears to be obsolete.
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- ; DOS Dev Tips
- 2100=EMM386 may not be needed. Remove it.
- 2101=QEMM may be incompatible with some programs. Remove it.
- 2102=SETVER is not needed. Remove it.
- 2103=DoubleSpace compression may reduce performance or introduce incompatibilities.
- 2104=DoubleBuffering is only needed for DOS SCSI disk devices. Turn it off if not needed.
- 2105=DOS SoundBlaster drivers are no longer needed. Remove them.
- 2106=DOS SCSI drivers are no longer needed in Windows. Remove them.
- 2120=DISPLAY is not needed. Remove it.
- 2121=ANSI may not be needed. Remove it.
- 2122=DOS CD-ROM drivers are no longer needed in Windows. Remove them.
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- ; DirectX Tips
- 2200=DirectX support is required for multimedia titles or games. Install DirectX.
- 2201=DirectDraw support may be required for Windows games or multimedia titles. Install DirectX or check for a video driver update.
- 2202=Direct3D support may be required for Windows games or multimedia titles. Install DirectX.
- 2203=DirectSound support may be required for Windows games or multimedia titles. Install DirectX or check for a sound driver update.
- 2204=DirectPlay support may be required for multi-player Windows games. Install DirectX.
- 2205=DirectX version is obsolete (DDv2 not supported). Install DirectX 5 or later.
- 2206=DirectX driver does not support Direct3D. Install DirectX 5 or later.
- 2207=Video card does not have 3D accelerated hardware. Consider upgrading.
- 2208=Bank-switching reduces performance. Enable the Linear Frame Buffer.
- 2209=Too little free memory for Direct3D. Increase video memory or reduce display resolution/colour depth.
- 2210=DirectInput support may be required for multimedia titles or games. Install DirectX.
- 2211=No hardware colour-space conversion support.
- 2212=No hardware stretch support.
- 2213=No hardware overlay support.
- 2214=No mip-mapping support.
- 2215=No texture-mapping support.
- 2216=No Z-buffering support.
- 2217=No dithering support.
- 2218=No alpha-blending support.
- 2219=No perspective-correction support.
- 2220=No transparency support.
- 2221=Driver is not certified.
- 2222=No fog support.
- 2223=DirectX version is old (DD4 not supported). Install DirectX 6 or later.
- 2224=DirectX version is old (D3Dv3 not supported). Install DirectX 6 or later.
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- ; Modem (Comms Devs) Tips
- 2300=Modem does not seem to be PnP.
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- ; Mainboard Tips
- 2500=Slow Windows system. Install more memory or upgrade the CPU.
- 2501=Lack of L2 cache greatly reduces performance. Install some.
- 2502=Pipeline-burst cache improves performance. Replace it.
- 2503=512KB of L2 cache is recommended for large memory systems. Some memory may not be cached.
- 2504=1MB of L2 cache is recommended for very large memory systems. Some memory may not be cached.
- 2505=System does not support memory error detection. Some memory errors may go unnoticed.
- 2506=System does not support memory error correction. System will stop if memory errors are found.
- 2507=Mainboard has too few memory slots. Upgrading the memory may be difficult or expensive.
- 2508=All memory slots are full. Upgrading the memory may be difficult or expensive.
- 2509=Front side bus speed seems low. Increase it while keeping the CPU speed constant.
- 2510=Chipset may not be able to cache all the physical memory installed.
- 2511=Some memory slots are free so the memory can be easily upgraded.
- 2512=USB Host is obsolete. Some USB devices may not work.
- 2513=AGP Bus is unused. Replace the current video card with an AGP one.
- 2514=Memory read timing is high. Performance may be low.
- 2515=Memory write timing is high. Performance may be low.
- 2516=SDRAM, BEDO or EDO memory is recommended for optimum performance.
- 2517=60ns or faster memory is recommended for optimum performance.
- 2518=Mainboard temperature is too high!
- 2519=One of the system fans has failed!
- 2520=PCI bus speed is too high. Reduce FSB speed.
- 2521=AGP bus speed is too high. Reduce FSB speed or FSB/AGP multiplier.
- 2522=SDRAM or RDRAM memory is recommended for optimum performance.
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- ; SCSI Tips
- 2600=SCSI version does not adhere to ANSI. Probably EIDE/ATAPI device.
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- ; Font Tips
- 2700=Too many fonts. Consider removing some of them.
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- ; 3D Video Tips
- 2800=Update to a later version of Glide. Install Glide 3 or later.
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- ; Dial-Up Tips
- 2900=No phone number specified. Possibly incorrect data.
- 2901=Use IP header compression if possible.
- 2902=Use software compression if possible.
- 2903=Use PPP framing protocol instead of SLIP.
- 2904=Consider a script file to speed up access if the connection supports it.
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- ; CPU Bench Tips
- 5000=CPU utilisation is too high. Close all running programs.
- 5001=Low Dhrystone index. Check APM settings, cache settings and BIOS settings.
- 5002=Low Whetstone index. Check APM settings, cache settings and BIOS settings.
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- ; Video Bench Tips
- 5100=Low Video index. Close all running programs.
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- ; Drives Benchmark Tips
- 5200=Increase Free Space. Test result may be inaccurate.
- 5201=Low Disk index. Check drive & controller settings.
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- ; CD Benchmark Tips
- 5300=A 600MB+ VideoCD or DVD is recommended for thorough testing.
- 5301=A 600MB+ data disk is recommended for thorough testing.
- 5302=To test VideoCD/DVD performance, use a VideoCD or DVD.
- 5303=To test data read performance, use a data CD.
- 5304=Low CD-ROM index. Check drive & controller settings.
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- ; Memory Bench Tips
- 5400=Low memory index. Check BIOS memory read wait states.
- 5401=Low memory index. Check BIOS memory write wait states.
- 5402=Low cache index. Check CPU cache settings.
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- ; CPU Multi-Media Bench
- 5500=No MMX support, integer test was executed on the ALU.
- 5501=No 3DNow!/SSE support, floating-point test was executed on the FPU.
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