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John Barnett
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Snap And Pop Performance Adjuster For Windows XP
Making a pc run faster isn’t exactly rocket science. It can, however, be a monotonous and time consuming chore. As most users are aware, Windows XP really hogs resources and this inevitably slows down the pc’s response. Add to this the fact that downloading free software, much of which may be riddled with spyware, malware and viruses, and you have the ideal ingredients for a pc disaster.
Getting a pc to be more responsive is a matter of eliminating start up blockages; increasing or, at least, optimizing memory; reducing graphics to a bear minimum, and turning off as many of XP’s fancy effects as is possible. Achieving this requires the changing of general and registry settings and even then there is no guarantee that the pc will race along like a Ferrari. Snap n Pop performance adjuster for Windows XP is basically a Start time enhancer and Memory stabilizer capable of optimizing the system and thus enabling faster start up and faster software response times.
Getting Started Snap n Pop is downloadable directly from the developer. At the time of purchase an ‘unlock’ code is issued enabling you to activate the software ready for use. While the actual installation takes but a few minutes you will need to be logged on to the Internet for activation and installation to proceed. (See Fig 1)
Fig 1: Product Access Code Dialogue Window After inputting the Snap n Pop access code the software will install. Once installation is complete simply clicking the SNP icon on the desktop opens the application and you can begin the optimization process. The Dragon Roars Snap n Pop’s main interface, with its somewhat gothic look, isn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the box but it is functional. (See Fig 2)
Fig 2: Snap n Pop Main Interface Although the main interface contains a varied selection of performance enhancements they actually rely, mostly, upon features already available within Windows XP. The Clean Files option, for instance, simply launches the Windows Disk Cleanup utility. The Recycle option, again, simply empties the recycle bin. General performance is catered for by the Maximum Performance and Graphics and Performance icons. The Maximum performance option really cuts the system down somewhat in order to boost the general performance. As I said at the beginning of this review one of the quickest ways to increase performance is by reducing graphic effects. Clicking the Maximum performance button does just that, by simply replacing the fancy Windows XP theme with that of the more mundane Windows Classic theme. Obviously there is an increase in performance because you don’t have fancy sliding menu’s etc. The Graphic & Performance icon, however, provides the best performance and appearance for your system. Okay there may be a slight reduction in speed but, frankly, this is negligible. Remaining icons optimize the Internet connection for Gamers (Bandwidth icon), General Surfers (Connection icon) and install the excellent freeware spyware application SpyBot Search and Destroy. The Need for Speed Strangely, though, apart from minor tinkering, the main interface isn’t actually where the major optimization is done, which really makes thing a little confusing. To fully optimize the system, that is to enable the Start time enhancer and Memory stabilizer, you need to look in the notification area on the windows taskbar. Here you will see a small SNP icon. Right click on this and you are presented with four options: · Restore Snap n Pop · Restart Computer · Power Boot up · Normal Boot up The main two options necessary for full optimization are the Power boot up and Normal Boot up. The Power boot up is perhaps the most performance conscious. However, the downside is it rids the notification area of most of the application icons that generally start up as the pc boots up. The power boost, and consequently, the faster boot up is due to the fact that everything but the bear essentials have been disabled in order for the pc to boot up faster. Consequently any options you normally need from the notification area will require starting manually. If you need the icons in the notification area to be present, then it is recommended that, after the final boot up using the power boot option, you next click the Normal boot up option. Any icons initially removed should then automatically be reinstalled. Initially the Power boot up option must be used on three consecutive occasions to enable the system to become fully optimized. This, unfortunately, can be somewhat time consuming. The Proof of the Pudding Okay optimization is rather time consuming, but it isn’t as time consuming as it would be if you were to attempt the operation manually. Just think of all those registry settings requiring adjustment! Once the optimization has finally been completed you can actually see the results of your efforts. In order to review this product effectively it was necessary to do a ‘before and after’ comparison. It was also necessary to ensure that data was available for an almost idle system and for one fully loaded (by loaded I mean with a number of applications running simultaneously). For the test a total of 20 copies of Microsoft Word and 20 copies of Microsoft Excel were run simultaneously and checks were made on the available memory response. Fig 3 below shows the performance figure ‘before’ Snap n Pop was installed on the pc.
Fig 3: Original Performance Levels In Fig 4 you will see the performance figures after 20 copies of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel were loaded. Once again these figures are ‘prior’ to Snap n Pop being installed and the system optimized.
Fig 4: Loaded Performance Prior to SNP Installation The table below gives a clearer comparison
Table 1: Un-Optimized Available Memory Figures Figure 5 (below) shows what happens after SNP has been installed and the whole system has been optimized
Fig 5: Normal Performance After SNP Optimization Finally figure 6 shows the loaded performance levels.
Fig 6: Loaded Performance After SNP Optimization As you can see there is a large snatch back of memory after SNP optimizes and stabilizes the computers memory. In each event all pages of the test applications (Word, Excel) were fully open. The next stage of the test was to follow the developers instructions, that being to minimize every single window and watch the available memory climb back up as Snap N Pop started grabbing the resources back. This achieved, again the developer’s instructions were to maximize every open window, the result was that, rather than the available memory levels dropping they actually stabilized to slightly below the loaded figures quoted in table 2.
Table 2: Optimized Memory Figure Verdict I have to admit that I was very dubious about the claims of this software, but after a few teething troubles it actually showed its worth and proved that it could optimize and stabilize the system, thus allowing both the pc and all applications to start faster. Snap n Pop performance adjuster runs quietly in the background so it is simply a case of ‘set it and forget it’. If your system appears sluggish and needs that extra boost Snap n Pop performance adjuster is certainly worth considering.
CLICK HERE: To Get Your Computer Speed System Now!
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Any questions Mark T owner Snp 386-259-1355