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2. Minimize Programs running in the background. The icons at the bottom-right of
the screen, next to the clock (mostly) represent programs that are running in the
background. This will include virus protection spy-ware protection etc. While
recording, it is advisable to exit from these. Right-clicking any of these icons will bring
up a menu. If there is a Close, Exit, or Quit option for any of these icons, choose it
so that you have exited out of any background programs. You can double-check
what applications and processes are running by looking at the Applications and
Processes tabs of the Task Manager. To access the Task Manager, press
Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then click Start Task Manager.
3. Turn off Automatic Updates. It can be a good idea to turn off any scheduled tasks.
The last thing you want is for a 150MB update to start downloading in the middle of a
recording session. Open the Windows Updates control panel. Then, on the left-
hand side of the window, click Change Settings, then choose Never check for
updates. This means that its up to you to manually check for updates yourself. All
you have to do is either revisit this Control Panel, or go to
windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
4. Turn off wireless networking. Wireless networking can sometimes interfere with or
interrupt recording. Wireless cards in computers automatically scan the airwaves for
available networks. This takes up some of your system resources, and can
sometimes hurt performance. If a removable wireless networking card is being used
on a laptop, the card can simply be removed. If you are on a wireless network, and
the card is internal, you can disable the card in the device manager while you record.
Its easy to turn back on when you're not recording.
5. Set your Power Options to High Performance. In the Power Options, Control
Panel, choose High Performance. Then click Change plan settings button, and set
Put the computer to sleep to Never. Then click Save Changes.
For additional tips on optimizing Windows Vista, check out this
Macintosh Optimization Tips
1. Turn off System Sleep. In the Energy Saver System Preferences Panel, select the
Sleep tab, and set the option titled Put the computer to sleep when its inactive for
to Never.
2. Turn off Hard Disk Sleep. In the same System Preferences Panel, uncheck the
option titled Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible.
3. Turn off AirPort. In the upper-right of the screen, next to the clock, click the AirPort
icon, and select Turn AirPort Off. The airport automatically scans the airwaves for
available networks. This takes up some of your system resources, and can
sometimes hurt performance. Its easy to turn back on when you're not recording.
4. Turn off Bluetooth. In the Bluetooth Preferences Panel, uncheck On, and uncheck
Discoverable. Its easy to turn back on when you're not recording.
5. Turn off Time Machine. If you use Time Machine to back up your computer (which
is a great idea), turn it off when you're recording. Your Mac may pick some
inconvenient times to start a backup. Select the Time Machine System Preferences
Panel, set Time Machine to OFF. Its easy to turn back on when you're not recording.
6. Turn off unnecessary startup items. In the Accounts System Preferences Panel,
under Login Items, uncheck any items you don't need open everytime your system
boots.
7. Quit any unnecessary applications. When recording, make sure to exit out of any
programs unrelated to your current project. This will free up the most memory
possible for your recording apps. You can monitor how much of your computer's
resources any program is using with the Activity Monitor Utility (located in
Applications > Utilities).
excellent
article.
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