ABSTRACT
COMPUTER PERFORMANCE REPRESENTS A TOPIC that in one area is very similar to a discussion of the weather-that is, many people can be expected to talk about both topics. However, unlike the weather, which is normally beyond one’s control, one does have some latitude when it comes to tailoring the performance of a computer system. By changing hardware components, adding additional memory, swapping a fixed disk for a faster one, and tuning software components, one can usually enhance the performance of a computer. Unfortunately, until recently it was difficult to evaluate the benefits derived from changing hardware or modifying software settings. Fortunately for Microsoft Windows NT users, this operating system includes a built-in performance monitor that can be used to determine the existing level of performance of a computer, as well as for ascertaining the impact of hardware and software changes. Thus, by understanding how to use the Windows NT built-in Performance Monitor utility-either by itself to ascertain the performance of various computer components or in conjunction with hardware and software changes-one obtains the ability to evaluate the performance of an NT computer. In doing so, one might be able to determine that a simple and easy-to-perform operation may be all that is required to eliminate a performance bottleneck, alleviating the necessity to replace or upgrade an existing computer. Thus, in addition to providing a mechanism to examine the level of performance of existing hardware and software, the use of the Windows NT Performance Monitor may enable one to postpone or avoid an expensive equipment upgrade.
