Speed ​​up Windows Vista

The following article is a step-by-step guide to optimizing the performance of Windows Vista systems. Let's TipsMake.com find out!

1. Use ReadyBoost to speed up the system

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If you have high-speed USB, you can improve performance by using this USB to increase RAM inside your computer. If the computer has an integrated memory card reader, you can also use this tip to increase performance with a backup memory card from a digital camera or other device.

When plugging a USB or memory card into a PC, a pop-up window appears asking what you want to do with the device.

Near the end of the list is the option "Speed ​​Up My System using Windows ReadyBoost" . Just follow the prompts on the screen!

You can also access this option by right-clicking on the device in Windows Explorer and selecting Properties. There will be a tab at the top of the Properties window called "ReadyBoost".

2. Delete computer wallpaper

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Although it looks good, computer wallpaper can slow down system performance, especially if users are using high-resolution digital photos.

To use a simple color background instead, right-click the desktop and select "Personalize" from the pop-up menu.

Next select the "Desktop Background" option and on the following screen, open the "Location" drop-down list .

Select "Solid Colors" from the list and select the color you want to use.

3. Turn off the Aero effect

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One of the things that makes Windows Vista different from the previous version is the use of Aero effects, with a transparent window pane, 3D window flip and preview of the open window's taskbar. Although they look good, they use a considerable amount of system resources. If not necessary, turn off this effect to significantly increase computer speed.

You can turn off the Aero effect from the same "Personalize" screen used in the previous tip. This time, select the option called "Window Color and Appearance" .

At the bottom of the screen, select "Open classic appearance properties for more color options" .

On the following screen, select "Windows Vista Basic", "Windows Standard" or "Windows Classic" to turn off the Aero effect. Select Apply when done to preview the results. If satisfied, click OK. If not, click Cancel to restore the factory settings.

4. Turn off Sidebar

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Another new feature in Windows Vista that consumes a lot of resources is that Sidebar appears along the right side of the desktop. If you want to maximize all windows on your desktop, you can even see this Sidebar only when you start your computer for the first time. After it 'hide' in the background and consume memory!

To turn off Sidebar, just right-click anywhere on the screen.

From the pop-up menu, select "Properties", then uncheck the box at the top that says "Start Sidebar when Windows starts" and click OK. Then right-click again and select "Close Sidebar" to close the current Sidebar.

The next time you start Windows, the Sidebar will no longer appear.

5. Turn off unused services

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Windows Vista comes with a lot of processes, also known as "service", which are automatically set to launch every time Windows is turned on. Many of these services are never used by the average user and can be safely disabled. By following the instructions in this tip, you can prevent those services from running at startup but still allow them to be run if necessary.

Click the Start button and enter "services.msc" in Search. Admin permissions are required to run this program, so if you don't log in with admin rights, when the Services program appears at the top, right-click on the program and select "Run as administrator" .

In the Services window , scroll through the list of services in alphabetical order and double-click on the service you want to change. In the middle of the screen is a drop-down list labeled "Startup type:". Select the "Manual" option to prevent the service from automatically starting, but still allow Windows to activate if needed. If "Disabled" is selected, the service will never run, even if Windows needs it!

The following services are safe if set to "Manual": Application Experience, Tablet PC Input Service, WebClient, Portable Device Enumerator.

You can decide whether you want to change any other service by reading the Description for each service. If you don't need it, set it to "Manual".

6. Delete programs that are never used

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You can free up some hard drive space by uninstalling programs that you no longer need or never use.

From the Control Panel , select "Programs" (or "Programs and Features" from Classic View).

Scroll through the list that appears and double-click any program that doesn't need it.

7. Delete unnecessary Windows features

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Windows Vista comes with some built-in features that most users will never use, such as Tablet PC Components and Internet Printing . These features can be removed to free some system resources.

In Control Panels, select "Programs", then click the link in the left pane "Turn Windows features on or off" . After a minute or two, a list of features will appear. Scroll through and disable any features you definitely don't need. If Windows really needs one of these features, it will prompt you to turn it back on.

Most users can safely remove the following features: "Remote Differential Compression", "Windows Meeting Space", "Print Services" and "Tablet PC Optional Components" . If you hold the mouse pointer over each feature, the short description explains what this feature is used to do.

8. Run Disk Cleanup

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Like in Windows XP, Windows Vista includes a utility that helps users identify unnecessary files on the hard drive, which can be safely removed.

To run the Disk Cleanup utility, click the Start button and type "Disk Cleanup" or right-click on the hard drive you want to clean and select "Properties", then click the "Disk Cleanup" button next to the pie chart.

Windows will search the drive for a few minutes, then display a list of deleted files, along with describing what they are and whether you need to keep them.

Select the files that are no longer needed and click OK when done.

9. Create a fixed-size pagefile

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Like in previous versions, Windows Vista uses pagefile to improve performance. Pagefile is basically a file on the hard drive that Windows uses to add physical RAM to the PC. This is a good thing, but by default, pagefile is resized by Windows and this can waste system resources.

Pagefile must be about 1.5 times the size of physical RAM and you can be sure that Windows creates a pagefile as a fixed size instead of constantly resizing it.

To find out how much RAM the computer has, just right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties". In the "System" header , you will see the "Memory" section.

Record this information, then click "Advanced System Settings" on the left. On the next screen, select "Settings" in the "Performance" section at the top. On the next screen, click the "Advanced" tab , then select "Change ." in the "Virtual Memory" area.

On the next screen, uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" . Select the drive containing pagefile and click on the "Custom size" option below. In "Initial size" and "Maximum Size" , enter a value 1.5 times the total amount of RAM of the PC, in megabytes. For example, if there is 2GB of RAM, ie 2000 megabytes and 1.5 times more, it will be 3000 megabytes.

By entering the same value in both boxes, Windows will create a fixed-size file and will no longer waste resources by continuously resizing the pagefile.

10. Disable some of Vista's visual effects

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Many visual effects in Windows Vista can be disabled individually, so if you don't want to completely disable the Aero effect, you can control which effects are used and which effects are not.

Right-click "My Computer" to display the System screen . On the left side, click "Advanced system settings" . At the top of the page, select 'Settings .' to display the Visual Effects tab . You can select the button labeled "Adjust for best performance" to turn off all features or select "Custom:" to select only the ones you want. Turn on and off.

You will not be able to affect the system here, so try the different options and click "Apply" to see the changes. When you're happy with the changes, click OK. You can always come back later and re-enable anything that is disabled!

Hope you are succesful.