The magic of Windows XP hardware configuration file

Speaking of hardware configuration files, many friends have ignored its role in Windows XP, in fact, if used properly, can greatly improve the efficiency of the system.

What is a hardware configuration file?

A hardware configuration file is a series of instructions that tell Windows which devices should be started when starting the computer and which settings are used in each device. When the user first installs Windows, the system automatically creates a hardware configuration file named “Profile 1”. By default, all the Windows installed in the “Profile 1” hardware configuration file are enabled on this computer. On the device.

From the "System Properties" "Hardware" dialog box, you can see that there is a "Hardware Profile" button, click to open the window shown in Figure 1, available The list of hardware profiles available on the local computer is displayed in the Hardware Profiles list.

Function of Hardware Profiles

Load only device drivers in hardware profiles

Under "Available Hardware Profiles", use the arrow buttons to make the default The set hardware profile is moved to the top of the list so that only the hardware devices enabled in the selected profile are loaded when Windows starts. Once the hardware profile is created, we can use Device Manager to disable and enable the device in the configuration file so that the device's drivers are not loaded the next time the computer is booted, which increases system startup speed.

Quickly switch between different working environments

As mentioned above, we can create multiple different hardware profiles at the same time to suit different working environments, as long as the "hardware configuration file selection" Select the “Wait for the user to select the hardware profile” item on the section. When you start the computer later, the “Hardware Profile” selection menu similar to the multi-boot menu will appear. You can switch between different working environments at any time.

For laptop users, hardware profiles are very useful because most laptops are used in mobile situations when users move laptops from one place to another. The hardware configuration file allows the user to change the device used by the computer. For example, we can create multiple hardware profiles for different occasions, which is very convenient to switch.

Increase startup speed

If you have not created multiple different hardware profiles, or if you want to automatically load the default hardware profile during startup without displaying the list items, then "Hardware Enter "0" in "Seconds" in the Profile Selection section. Of course, even if you still select a different hardware profile from the list, just press and hold the spacebar at startup to display the list.

Restore Default Configuration

If the hardware changes exceed a certain limit, Windows XP may require the user to reactivate the system, which is very troublesome. However, if we backed up the original hardware configuration file each time we installed or changed the hardware, just click the "Copy" button from the window in Figure 1, and then type in the "Copy Configuration File" dialog box shown in Figure 2. The new file name is fine. When there is a problem in the future, you can re-import the previously backed up hardware configuration file.

It should be noted that the above operation must be logged in as the system administrator.

Clearing redundant hardware information in the system

If you frequently plug in and unplug hardware devices due to some needs, the process of repeatedly installing drivers will leave a lot of hardware registrations in the system. Information, when the system starts up, it will repeatedly communicate with these non-existent devices, which will slow down the system. How to clear these redundant hardware information?

Very simple, we can delete the "Profile 1" hardware configuration file, and then re-create a new hardware file, this is the new system. To be on the safe side, don't delete it right away. Click the "Copy" button to back up (Profile 2), then rename it, for example to "Profile", then restart the computer. The following prompt will appear: < Br>

Windows Cannot determine what configuration your computer is in select one of the following:

1.Profile

2.Profile 2

3.None of the Above

The "1" and "2" here are the hardware configuration files that already exist in the system. Of course, we choose "3", so that Windows can re-detect the hardware, and the screen will appear " "Detect hardware" dialog box, and prompts "When you start the computer with the new configuration, Windows must make some adjustments. This process takes about a few minutes", the "Configuration Settings" dialog box will appear later, prompting " Windows has successfully set up the configuration of the new computer, its name is Profile 1", click the "OK" button, and then you can reinstall the drivers for the hardware device.

Note that after rebooting the system, remember to delete the two hardware configuration files except Profile 1, otherwise you will still be asked which configuration file to use when booting.