Are the listed registry settings relevant?

N

Nekonaro

New Member
Hello everyone, I'm asking about these settings, since many people still use them in their tweaks. I want to find out their relevance, since some of them were used back in windows XP

Bash: 
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" /v "AlwaysUnloadDll" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "DisablePagingExecutive" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "LargeSystemCache" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PriorityControl" /v "IRQ8Priority" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "IoPageLockLimit" /t REG_DWORD /d "2147483648" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" /v "HeapDeCommitFreeBlockThreshold" /t REG_DWORD /d "262144" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" /v "DontVerifyRandomDrivers" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" /v "LongPathsEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel" /v "CacheAwareScheduling" /t REG_DWORD /d "3" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel" /v "MaximumSharedReadyQueueSize" /t REG_DWORD /d "128" /f

Bash: 
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Scenarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity" /v "Enabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel" /v "DisableExceptionChainValidation" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel" /v "KernelSEHOPEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "EnableCfg" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "MoveImages" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" /v "ProtectionMode" /t Reg_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\FVE" /v "DisableExternalDMAUnderLock" /t Reg_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard" /v "EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity" /t Reg_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceGuard" /v "HVCIMATRequired" /t Reg_DWORD /d "0" /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v "NoDataExecutionPrevention" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" /v "DisableHHDEP" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Perhaps someone will have some recommendations on how to improve system performance without much fanaticism.
 
Can't comment on #1 (random collection of tweaks).

#2 disables W10/11 kernel security for improved performance. Many virtualization features exist to sandbox system-level processes or drivers, and prevent exploits from spreading past the infected process. There's obviously a perf penalty to this, especially games that install anti-cheat drivers or whatnot. Normal desktop apps don't trigger any real drag.
 
What a great thread for an opportunity to teach lurkers with, you made my day!

Nekonaro, I have to commend you for taking the time to ask, instead of just blindly applying them. So often people will just take 100 keys and apply without a second thought. I constantly come across huge lists of tweaks like these on the internet and many of them are snakeoil, they either don't work for the OS they are being applied to, or the keys never worked, or they don't do what people think they do.

The red flag for me when I come across lists of reg keys is that 99% of the time there are zero comments. This tells me that the people don't really know what they do and they didn't actually test them in any sort of proper way. The best way to figure this stuff out is to just research it and test it yourself. I'll give an example on how to get started doing that, the right way. Type the following into Google, exactly as shown, even with the quotes:
"AlwaysUnloadDll" site:learn.microsoft.com

The site can be replaced with other reputable sources, such as:
site:tenforums.com
site:admx.help

AlwaysUnloadDll
The first 2 Google links give you good information straight from the official source. This key is infamous because it was always misunderstood and also installed wrong. If you notice in Microsoft's example they don't actually show you how to enable the key, this is because the contributors that typed up that page are also confused and don't know how to use it either. I remember this vividly since the XP days, because there was always 2 very different ways it was installed, and only 1 of them actually work. Honestly, I can't remember now which one is the right way because it has been too long. Anyway, no further discussion needed on this one, even though there are more myths to discuss about it, because it was deprecated after 2000/XP and is no longer a thing. Instead, now people use things like intelligent standby list cleaner to clear out loaded memory that is unused, or you just reboot the computer.

LargeSystemCache
Another one on that list which people don't seem to know actually has a user-interface. This is the same as changing the advanced performance settings page within Windows for (adjust for best performance of) "Background services" rather than the default of "Programs". So once again people don't really know what they are doing here either, they just saw "Large cache" and assumed it increases performance across the board. According to sites like TweakHound he claims this actually causes problems for some situations as well as benchmarking.

Virtualization
In the second set of keys, many of those deal with virtualization and windows security. Again, these are the wrong way to go about it. If you don't want virtualization on your computer then just turn off virtualization in the bios. If you are seeking high performance then virtualization needs to be disabled at the deepest level (bios) rather than in Windows that way you get it all, and don't miss anything. Other relevant settings are in the user interface in the Windows Security app and can be toggled there, and this way you can be sure they are actually the correct keys. Use a registry compare tool to capture them yourself by toggling options on/off, rather than rely on the inaccuracy of the internet.

Anyway I'm not gonna comment on everything because every time I see a list filled with known deprecated keys, I just walk away. It's not worth your time. Do yourself a favor and instead learn how to create your own list of tweaks that actually apply to the OS and version you are using, so you aren't adding stuff that was deprecated in the 2000/XP era. Use this tool to get started RegistryChangesView.

Or if you cannot be bothered, then find a set of tweaks that at least look like good effort and testing went into them, because they have individual comments on each key and you can easily verify if they are actually doing something, such as the 500+ keys I put into the tweaks folder in my Optimized Image Guide for W10 21H2. You don't have to blindly apply the reg files, instead right-click and select "Edit" and then you can manually sift through and find the ones you want to try. Test them yourself and look at the comments I wrote on each of them individually to know what to look for in the user interface, and Google them to learn more. The vast majority of the stuff on the internet today is garbage, and was still garbage even on XP. The one huge red flag you'll notice about all the sites that list these tweaks, is that there are rarely any benchmark screenshots or proof of testing, nor can they explain what they do.

Be sure to use tools like Task Manager, LatencyMon, and benchmarks, such as TimerBench, to check and see if the changes you make are positive.
 
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Nekonaro said:
Perhaps someone will have some recommendations on how to improve system performance without much fanaticism.
Click to expand...
My "usual suspects" tweaks for any OS.
Barebone Services and Scheduled Tasks, disable winevt channels and autologgers, windows logon entries(use autoruns).
Within seconds of logon windows flatlines and stays there until i do something. see my ltsc barebones services thread around here somewhere.
 
A word of caution about autologgers. I've been testing these (disabled) on my build all week, to try and solve the Nvidia thread issue, and while they do come with some big positives, they also come with big negatives. Just something people need to be aware of is all, I'm not saying they are good or bad.

It was fantastic to finally figure out where a lot of the memory usage was coming from (disabling all autologgers gave me like ~200 more memory back) but it came in the consequence of making a lot of testing tools no longer able to work properly as they rely on the various performance counters and logs to function. This makes me worried that other stuff we're not aware of is probably breaking too, perhaps in how Windows manages gaming related tasks or benchmarks, and so I'm on the fence on these. I wouldn't rule them out entirely yet, but I think they need to be more thoroughly vetted and definitely don't apply across the board for all users. There's probably a sweet spot, where there are some that can be safely disabled for everyone, while others should remain on.

But yes I do agree that task scheduler and autologgers are primarily responsible for the OS background activity, along with Indexer, Sysmain, and Defender.

Edit: also stuff in Windows breaks too, for example some Settings pages now hang/freeze, and in places where Windows uses these autologgers to pull data, such as in the "Data Usage" page in the network settings, it no longer logs that data and causes issues.
 
Hellbovine said:
A word of caution about autologgers. I've been testing these (disabled) on my build all week, to try and solve the Nvidia thread issue, and while they do come with some big positives, they also come with big negatives. Just something people need to be aware of is all, I'm not saying they are good or bad.

It was fantastic to finally figure out where a lot of the memory usage was coming from (disabling all autologgers gave me like ~200 more memory back) but it came in the consequence of making a lot of testing tools no longer able to work properly as they rely on the various performance counters and logs to function. This makes me worried that other stuff we're not aware of is probably breaking too, perhaps in how Windows manages gaming related tasks or benchmarks, and so I'm on the fence on these. I wouldn't rule them out entirely yet, but I think they need to be more thoroughly vetted and definitely don't apply across the board for all users. There's probably a sweet spot, where there are some that can be safely disabled for everyone, while others should remain on.

But yes I do agree that task scheduler and autologgers are primarily responsible for the OS background activity, along with Indexer, Sysmain, and Defender.

Edit: also stuff in Windows breaks too, for example some Settings pages now hang/freeze, and in places where Windows uses these autologgers to pull data, such as in the "Data Usage" page in the network settings, it no longer logs that data and causes issues.
Click to expand...
There are three autologgers that need to stay enabled I found, when removed those three I had issues instantly. Once kept I have not had one issue. Will let you know sometime tonight hopefully what they were
 
One task in particular breaks typing on 1809 if disabled but its name escapes me but it is posted here somewhere, either in the scheduled tasks thread or one of the ltsc threads.

Edit - found it, TextServicesFramework\MsCtfMonitor
 
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Clanger said:
One task in particular breaks typing on 1809 if disabled but its name escapes me but it is posted here somewhere, either in the scheduled tasks thread or one of the ltsc threads.

Edit - found it, TextServicesFramework\MsCtfMonitor
Click to expand...
Yes I have done this before since there was so much confusion online about it. Test, noticed I couldn't type, restore lol
 
AlwaysUnloadDll in the (pre)XP days was a reg Key with default (string) value of 1. I think it's depreciated long ago.

IRQ8Priority is depreciated, if it ever existed, that is.

IoPageLockLimit is depreciated after XP.

LongPathsEnabled is Win10 and later, but I couldn't imagine why would anyone want to limit themselves to short paths. AFAIK there is no performance penalty with enabling it.

The last two from #1, I don't know them. Others from #1 are fine. Same for #2, I think most of them are fine if you like that philosophy of disabling Microsoft's "security" (and I like that philosophy a lot :)).
 
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