Skuzzy, Have you built your new system?

[Kermit de frog]

I keep forgetting to write down the BIOS settings I ended up with.  Not that it would do anyone any good.  Every computer overclock is a bit different.  I ended up with a 571Mhz FSB and a multiplier of 7 putting the CPU right at 4Ghz.  The RAM is also at 571Mhz.  So, it runs a 1:1 ratio.

Time from the start of the Windows XP boot screen to my login is just under 4 seconds.  Yep, she is a quick one.  Part of the boot speed is from not using the onboard sound chip in favor of my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum.  Onboard sound chips add a lot ot time to the boot process.  I hate slow boot times.

Been running with this configuration since I built it and it has been rock solid stable.  No volt changes from stock either.  It posts up frame rates consistently above 200FPS (disabled vsync for frame rate testing) in the current release of Aces High (V2.14.3) with all the advanced options on.

Holy cow, how did you get a 4 second boot time from logo to login?

[Skuzzy]

A lot of it had to do with not using an onboard sound chip.  Those freaking Realtek drivers add approximately 15 seconds to your boot time.

Another part of it is running a really lean system.

The rest is just good old fashion speed.

[Max]

A lot of it had to do with not using an onboard sound chip.  Those freaking Realtek drivers add approximately 15 seconds to your boot time.

So is it OK to trash the Realtek drivers if you're using a sound card?

[Skuzzy]

Trash them and disable the onboard sound, if you have an add-in sound card.

Oh, and I never load the Creative utilities.  Just drivers.  Your computer will be a much happier camper without those Creative nightmares.

[Max]

 

[Getback]

Creative utilities, uhg! Had to restore may system because of them.

[Skuzzy]

Oh yeah, Creative utilities put them in the same league as Roxio.  Ever messed with a computer which had both installed?  I was ready to get the old bulk eraser out of the dust bin.

I have to figure these companies are simply fortunate most computer users are ignorant about how things should work, or said companies would have been litigated out of existance by now.

[Max]

Skuzzy -

After deleting the two Creative programs that appeared under CP > Add/Delete software, I still find a Creative program folder in the Program section of my hard drive. Tried to delete THAT only to get a "no access allowed..."
screen message.

So how do you banish the Creative stuff into cyberspace?

[Ghastly]

Honestly Max?  I don't think you can, at least not easily.  If you've installed the utilities, in my experience they generally leave pretty significant pieces of themselves behind even when you de-install them.

After deinstalling everything that I could from Creative, I'd boot up in safe mode and clear the folder, and then everything I could see that was from Creative in the registry, then reinstall just the drivers - but I'm not going to suggest that someone else do so.

<S>

[Skuzzy]

Sorry Max, I completely missed this post.

Max, if you made the mistake of installing Creative's utilities, then be prepared to re-install the OS to get rid of them.  They do manage to mangle a computer pretty well.

[Max]

So what you guys are saying..."it's like Norton...once you install them; they're buried until your HD fries".