There is a default my.cnf that comes with mysql (4+5) that will make mysql run a bit quicker if you have 2+ gig of ram There is also my-huge.cnf, or my-medium.cnf depending on your hardware setup. Check the contents of these my*.cnf files for the one that's right for you. If you've got mysql 4 (and not mysql 5), then you can use the following code in your /etc/my.cnf: Press 'i' to enter insert mode, then paste: Press ctrl-c to exit insert mode. Then press shift-Z shift-Z to save and quit. Restart mysqld: Redhat: FreeBSD: http://help.directadmin.com/item.php?id=44