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Tech Tips / Windows XP / Performance Monitoring and Optimization

Learn the (non) value of disabling QoS

Numerous Internet sites feature tips and tricks on the optimization of Windows XP, and most of them promise huge performance gains. However, a lot of optimization tricks actually do very little to improve performance.

For example, some sites recommend that you turn off the Quality of Service (QoS) RSVP feature because it supposedly reserves 20 percent of the network bandwidth. Turning off this service, they say, will improve network performance.

Unfortunately, disabling QoS RSVP doesn't do much. QoS isn't even used in most home networks; Microsoft enabled it by default on Windows XP Professional to make the deployment of QoS in enterprise environments a bit easier.

Are you still concerned about it reserving 20 percent of the network bandwidth? Don't be. This percentage refers to the bandwidth limit that can be used by QoS applications. It doesn't mean that your other applications will only be able to use the remaining 80 percent.