It seems that these days unless you’re very, very, careful regarding how you use your computer, performance will gradually decrease the longer its been since you last reinstalled Windows. That snappy and responsive computer you once had can be restored to it’s original self, it’s just buried at the minute under the unfortunate repercussions of persistent use. We can take steps to fix this though, by optimising your PC through the use of a number of widely available tools, some downloadable from the Internet, combined with a couple of housekeeping functions that you should perform on a regular basis. Check out the following list;
- #1 – Auslogics Disk Defrag – Download here!
Defragmenting your Hard Drive is an important step to take in the long journey back to optimal performance. The age-old arguement still exists that since the introduction of Windows XP you don’t really need to defrag your computer, and that the performance increase will you will gain from your efforts will be minimal if any, however considering the size and frequent use computer hard-drives receive these days, it’s logical to offer a little R&R to your overused hardware, to ensure it’s running in optimal condition. With the whole process only taking between 5-10 minutes, it certainly a small step, worth of your time.
- #2 – Msconfig – You’ve already got it!
This one isn’t a downloadable tool to speed up your PC, but it can help none the less. As I suggested before, the more we use our computers and the more programs we install on them, the slower performance appears to get. Part of this change can come from programs that have been set to run on System Startup, i.e. as soon as you turn on your computer. We can counter this, by using Msconfig to disable some of those programs that are no longer needed. This step comes with a caveat however, you should only disable programs from the startup list that you’re absolutely sure aren’t vital. For example, if you’re on a laptop and you accidentally disable your track-pad… Let’s just say you had better have a USB mouse handy!
To access this tool; fire up Start, navigate to ‘Run..’, and then type in the popup box ‘msconfig’ without the quotes. Soon enough, the tool will load up and you can click on the ‘startup’ tab at the top. Simples.
- #3 – Disk Cleanup – You’ve already got this one, too!
Are you seeing a trend yet? Most of these tools you will already have, you just might not have been aware of it. This next tool will enable you to free up some vital disk space that you might not have realised you had. Objects such as old System Restore backups and previous System Error Messages can actually take up a rather sizable amount of valuable real-estate on your hard disk, and so using this crafty tool you can begin to steal back some of that lost storage.
To access this tool, you’ll need to follow a similar process to #2; Load up Start, and then try searching for ‘Disk Cleanup’. Windows XP users will need to root about in Control Panel, but it should be fairly noticeable once you get there.
- #4 – Services.msc – Guess what. Yeah, you’ve got this as well..!
Services(.msc) will allow you to perform a similar procedure to the other reccomended tool, MsConfig, but instead of disabling startup items this time, you will be disabling services (i.e. processes that run on your computer) which in turn can have a positive effect on your overall system stability and response time. Disable the un-ncessary services, and you claw back valuable CPU cycles and memory. Bargain!
Note – Again, if you disable the wrong service, you can create all sorts of problems. I would advise, if not down right insist, that you not only creating a system restore before attempting to disable any of these services, but also that you follow this guide, located here. Read and digest the guide completely before doing acting. You’ve been warned! Despite that rather serious consequences associated with this step, the performance bonuses can very well be worth the risk.
- #5 – WinASO Registry Optimizer – Download here!
This step is useful in relation to sorting out and compacting your registry. This should hopefully increase performance two-fold, by removing issues and conflicts such as old registry entries and dead file paths. This should in turn save you some hard drive space by limiting the number of Error Messages produced by windows, if you remember back to Disk Cleanup where this was an issue.
Try and perform a ‘Deep Registry Scan’ too.
- #6 – Disable UAC – I don’t even need to say it. You’ve got it.
UAC – User Account Control. For those who are unaware, UAC is that annoying box that pops up any time you attempt to run a program. Yeah, that’s the one! You can disable this very quickly to stop those rather tedious messages from popping up all over the place, and although isn’t technically a performance increase tip, it should allow you to perform tasks faster, as you wont have to stop. every. five. minutes. to. click. OK. Argh!
To do this, nip back into MsConfig, but this time navigate to ‘tools’, and scroll down to the bottom where you will find ‘Disable UAC’ then hit launch.
- #7 – Disable Windows Sidebar – You’ve already got the Sidebar!
I will accept that the sidebar is kind of flashy; a rather neat addition to the Windows Operating System. On occasion, the sidebar can actually be useful, but for the majority of users it’s little more than a performance hog, and thus you should disable it pronto! To do this, right-click on any part of the sidebar, and then go to properties. From here, un-check ‘run at startup’, then hit ‘OK’. All done.
Needless to say this article only just touches the tip of the iceberg when it comes to optimizing the performance of your computer.
A small caveat – I have tried and tested all of these performance tweaks myself, without issue. However, I cannot be held responsible for any damage you cause to your system as a result. Please be careful, and read all provided materials before acting.
Certianly a useful guide; especially the MSConfig portion.
Posted by arry2007uk | February 18, 2010, 9:47 PM