Decrapifying a PC

[kayagum]

Last night, I took PC Decrapifier (http://pcdecrapifier.com) for a spin, and it took out some really annoying programs and services off of my recording PC, especially some of the stuff HP preloaded on my machine.

That's the best spring cleaning I've done in a while, but it only gets me more motivated to clean up.

General questions to the crowd:

(a) What utilities have you liked to streamline your PC for recording?

(b) What resource hog(s) would you recommend removing for recording? Don't just say "everything"- name the names (e.g. iTunes).

(c) Merits on keeping/eliminating multiple DAWs and device drivers on the same machine, from a performance standpoint?

[vvv]

A lot depends on yer OS, etc.

Me: CCleaner, UDefrag, Empty Temp Folders, and I use MS Security Essentials and Windows 7 Firewall control, all onna XP Pro PC.

Crap like I-Tunes and even Chrome (which I use - but I immediately disable updating upon doing same) is constantly polling for updates, etc. For that matter, so is Windows. I turn off all auto-shite, do it manually.

FWIW, in my experience, most anti-virus are the worst offenders in terms of PC resources. A few years ago, Norton was approaching being a joke. I changed to MSE, and while I confess I did get a root-kit last year, it caused me to re-install, which was great because I really stripped down my system from all of the un-necessary crap I'd built up, not the least of which was DAW plugs.

[kslight]

My only Windows computer is a fresh install set at "maximum performance" (in Windows settings) which disables a lot of stupid stuff, I disabled WiFi, all antivirus/etc, and I don't connect it to the internet. I did not install any unnecessary programs. Avid has a set of guidelines for optimizing your computer on their support site. For a relatively old laptop, it runs pretty well.

[accordion squeezist]

no connection to internet
uninstall all browsers
uninstall Windows Media Player (I use Resonic Alpha) What a difference!
I'm using XP and Tracktion2, for which there is no service for, with no problems. Rock solid for eight years.

[Bro Shark]

Use Reaper.

[jhharvest]

I've used the TweakHound guides with success before.

That said I run Os X these days and I never need to worry about anything like that.

[vvv]

www.blackviper.com/‎ is also a good tweak site.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

I changed to MSE

you did what now?

[vvv]

Microsoft Security Essentials

[MoreSpaceEcho]

yes, i know....twas a joke....

[digitaldrummer]

+1 = no connection to the internet...

[Bro Shark]

This thread is highlighting a whole 'old' way of thinking that needs to die. We should be online -- that's how you get plugins and updates. That's how you transfer files to clients, etc. With today's insane RAM counts, solid state drives and all the rest of it, that old way of thinking (strip your PC to bare essentials so PT and its ilk and take it over with their poorly coded, lumbering Titanicware) is totally irrelevant going forward.

IMO.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

you can have your work computer online. i don't mind walking the thumb drive 10 feet to the office computer.

[vvv]

Also, as stated, I'm running XP Pro onna 7 y.o. computer that greatly benefits from the tweaks.

[kslight]

Well this thread is called Decrapifying a PC... My Mac is online.

My PC is not my primary computer and uses old software that updates are no longer available for on all accounts (except Windows XP, I guess...but those are just "security fixes" that don't matter since I'm offline) so it really doesn't make any sense to put it online. It is strictly a traveling workstation. Since its an older PC disabling WiFi/MSE/antivirus/etc ABSOLUTELY makes a remarkable difference in performance. Still not as fast as my Mac, but doesn't creak along for most tasks either.