The following are basic steps you can take to optimize windows for use with the Q10.

Disable windows system sounds: Sounds such as the “ding” when a window appears, or the chimes that play when windows boots are example of windows system sounds. The majority of these sounds are encoded at low resolutions inappropriate for use with the Q10. In addition, they can potentially disrupt a recording session. To disable system sounds, go to the Windows Control Panel, and select “Sounds & Audio devices” (in some versions of windows, this menu may be called “Sounds & Multimedia” or “sounds”) Go to the SOUNDS tab, and under schemes, select “no sounds” Be sure it actually says “No Sounds”, as opposed to being blank.

Pull extraneous programs from startup: Without you knowing, Windows may have several programs configured to automatically start & run in the background. These programs eat up valuable computer resources, and may conflict with Pro Audio software. To remove programs from startup, go to START | RUN. In the OPEN: dialog, type MSCONFIG and click OK. This will take you to the system configuration utility. Go to the STARTUP tab, and remove checkmarks from all entries. However, if you are on Windows 98/ME, keep the checkmark in “Scan Registry”. Removing checkmarks from these entries will not remove the programs altogether, it simply stops them from running in the background at all times. You can still use the programs when needed. As practical as it may seem to keep utility programs such as Norton in startup, these sort of programs tend to be the most disruptive on pro audio PCs. After using MSCONFIG for the first time the rebooting, windows will inform you that the System Configuration Utility is in use. Instruct Windows to “not show this message again” and proceed. Note: Windows 2000 does not come with an MSCONFIG utility, but it is available as a free download. Online, use a search engine to look up “msconfig2k” to find several sites hosting this program.

Create alternate hardware profiles for audio use and standard computer use: This is performed differently depending on the version of windows installed. Consult your Windows documentation for exact steps on how to do this. When you create multiple hardware profiles in Windows, you will be asked which profile you want to use every time you boot the computer. After creating a new device profile for the Q10, you can access device manager and disable any device you don’t use while working with audio. Although the Q10 is quite good at coexisting with other devices, disabling Network Adapters, Modems, Consumer Soundcards, etc will help free up resources for audio, and reduce the chances of unwanted interruptions.

In Windows XP, reduce video priorities: Windows XP is a graphics heavy OS, but these graphics use resources that are better off allocated to Audio software. Go to the windows control panel, select SYSTEM, and select the ADVANCED tab. Under PERFORMANCE, click SETTINGS. Select “Adjust for best performance”.