Problem
How should I "tweak" my operating system to get better performance from Forensic Tools?
Resolution
Windows Power Settings
Run the following command from the Windows Command Prompt with Admin rights to set the power plan to “High Performance” on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2:
C:\> powercfg /s scheme_min
Reference:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc748940(v=ws.10).aspx
Microsoft Indexing Service
Run the following commands from the Windows Command Prompt with Admin rights to disable the Windows Indexing Service on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2:
C:\> dism /online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:Indexing-Service-Package
C:\> sc config WSearch start= disabled
Reference: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824822.aspx
8.3 Filenames
Run the following command from the Windows Command Prompt with Admin rights to disable the creation 8.3 filenames on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2:
C:\> fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 1
Reference: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff633453(v=ws.10).aspx
Last Access
Run the following command from the Windows Command Prompt with Admin rights to disable updates to the Last Access timestamp on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2:
C:\> fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1
Note: This modification requires a reboot to take effect.
Reference: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785435(v=ws.11).aspx
Cause
A number of Windows “tweaks” are available to improve the performance of the software and potentially prevent issues.