Law Enforcement Software
Law Enforcement Software
CrimeStar was developed using several advanced Microsoft software development tools. The following information describes the ways you can optimize Windows and CrimeStar for your own use.
Configuring the Operating Environment & Memory
An effective way to optimize CrimeStar performance is to get the best use of your computer's hardware and environment. This topic addresses how to use memory effectively and how to get the best performance from your hard disk.
The most effective way to optimize your system for CrimeStar is to provide it with as much Random Access Memory (RAM) as possible. CrimeStar can take advantage of enormous amounts (up to 4 GB) of computer memory. As well as providing memory, you can optimize the performance of CrimeStar by closing all other running applications on your computer. To get the best use of your computer's memory while running Crimestar software, follow these general guidelines:
• Do not run any other Windows applications while CrimeStar is running.
• If you have less than 2 GB of RAM, do not use a RAM drive.
• Use only those memory-resident programs needed for operation.
To increase the number of applications that you can run simultaneously, Microsoft Windows supports virtual memory by swapping segments of code (code that is the least recently used) from RAM to the hard disk in the form of a swap file. As a rule, the default settings in Windows for managing virtual memory meet the requirements of most users; these settings are recommended.
Note The swap file does not improve Crimestar RMS performance and is not a substitute for more RAM. If you do need a swap file, make sure you create a permanent swap file rather than a temporary swap file.
Simplifying the Display
You can free video memory for CrimeStar by simplifying the way windows and screen backgrounds are displayed.
• To free memory for running applications, use a color or a pattern for the desktop background instead of wallpaper.
• Use the lowest-resolution display that is practical for you; the higher resolution the display, the more memory your computer requires and the slower your graphics and user-interface elements appear. For VGA compatible displays that use an extended mode driver, such as Video 7 or 8514, using the standard VGA driver ensures faster display performance (but lower resolution and less color support).
Managing Your Hard Drive
By managing your hard drive, you can improve overall product speed.
Disk input/output performance degrades significantly when a disk drive is nearly full. If your disk drive has little free space, you can increase CrimeStar performance by removing unnecessary data or by purchasing a larger capacity drive. The more free disk space available, the more likely it is that contiguous blocks of disk space are available. CrimeStar uses this space for changes and additions to database, table, index, memo, and temporary files. Increasing free disk space therefore improves the performance of any functions that change or add to your files. More disk space also decreases the time required to read those files in response to your queries.
• Periodically use a utility to defragment your hard drive. This process increases query and update performance by reducing disk thrashing. Never defragment a solid state Drive (SSD).
Optimizing Files and Directories
The way that Windows and CrimeStar manage files on disk can greatly affect the performance of your application. As a directory becomes increasingly congested with entries, the operating system takes longer to find files. How fast your system can search its directories is a function that is not under the control of Crimestar software.
To correct this situation, you must reduce the number of files in your directories. To reduce the number of files in your directories and speed up file search times, try the following:
• Make sure directories and subdirectories contain fewer than 200 files.
Crimestar software creates temporary files for a variety of activities. For example, Crimestar RMS creates temporary files during editing, indexing, and sorting. The more efficient the operating systems is at locating and using these files the faster Crimestar software will perform.