Speed Up Windows Vista
Here is the ultimate list of tweaks and hacks for you to perform on your Windows Vista to make it run super fast.
Run a Vista Registry Clean
Like in Windows XP your Windows Vista registry can become so full and chocked up so quickly that it will dramatically slow down the performance of your computer, so run this scan and improve your Vista's speed - run a free vista registry scan.
Turn off Your Aero Desktop
Aero Glass is a great feature on Windows Vista but it also can slow down your PC if you are not running a massive amount of RAM and using a great video card, so basically I recommend that you just turn off Aero. To turn off Aero just;
- Right click your desktop
- Click personalize
- Click windows color and appearance
- If the appearance setting box shows up you are probably not running Aero (but you can check this from the list)
- If you see the windows color and appearance box then click the open classic appearance link
- In the color scheme drop down click windows vista basic
- Click apply (could take a few seconds)
- Now click OK and you are done
Run a System Health Report
Here is a cool tool found in Windows Vista that lets you run a quick scan of your computer and checks its overall health. The scan checks the operating system, all hardware and security settings within your PC and offers solutions to any problems found.
The results are shown in an easy to read format with solutions beside each problem, these include;
- Errors
- Informational
- Basic system checks
- Resource overview
- Software configuration
- Hardware configuration
- CPU
- Network
- Disk Memory, and
- Report statistics
These results can essentially solve many problems you have with your PC, the report also takes the guess work and trial and error out of identifying problems. eg: Maybe you think RAM is a problem, but it could just be your CPU consumed by a background process. Run this report before trying any drastic tweaks.
To run a system health report just follow these steps;
- Open control panel
- Click system and maintenance
- Click performance information and tools
- Click advanced tools
- Click generate a system health report
- It will take a moment to scan and then give you the results
ReadyBoost
- Insert a flash drive or any other external memory device
- In the Removable Disk Properties pop up select ReadyBoost
- Here you can select to use the device for system speed (note: You may receive a warning saying this device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system)
- It will now recommend how much space you should reserve for optimal performance (my 512 MB data stick shows I should reserve 430MB)
- Click apply
- Click OK
Increase Your RAM
Basically if you are running Windows than I have just one word for you - RAM. On XP you could get away with running 512mb of RAM on your PC but if you have ungraded to Vista then you need at least 2GB of RAM to get any decent performance out of your computer.
Speed Up Vista Boot Up
- Open up system configuration (type msconfig in start search)
- Go to the startup tab
- Uncheck all the programs you don't want starting on boot
- Click apply and OK
- This will speed up the boot process as less programs are starting up
Remote Differential Compression
Remote Differential Compression (RDC) allows applications to synchronize data between two computers in an efficient manner. The synchronization efficiency is made possible by using compression techniques to minimize the amount of data sent across the network.
To turn it off do this;
- Select Control Panel
- Switch to Classic View
- Select Program and Features
- Choose Turn Windows features on and off
- Scroll down and uncheck Remote Differential Compression
Upgrade Your Windows Vista Drivers
If you upgraded your computer from XP to Vista then you will need to also update all your drivers. Just run this scan and it can update all your Vista drivers for you - Update Your Drivers
Run an Adware/Spyware Scan
As we all know one of the biggest problems with any PC's performance can come from the dark arts of the internet world, that is spyware and adware. If you think you PC is running slow then you should run a scan to see if you are hosting any adware/spyware and to remove any trace of it. Your Windows Vista will run much faster if you clean your machine totally of these dangers.
Run a free adware/spyware scan here now
Windows Hibernation
Hibernation is a useful feature, but its another one that uses alot of resources and should be switched off if not used regularly. We recommend that you try disabling it to see what kind of performance gains you get. To disable it just;
- Select Control Panel
- Click hardware and sound
- Click Power Options
- Click Change when the computer sleeps
- Click Change Advanced Power Settings
- Expand the Sleep selection
- Expand the Hibernate After selection
- Crank the selector down to zero
- Click Apply
Make Windows Vista Instant Search Faster
- Click Start
- Type Indexing Options in the search box
- Click on Indexing Options
- Click Modify
- Click "Show All Locations"
- The bottom pane shows what you include in instant search
- The top window lets you check or uncheck what you will include
- Be sure to check your my documents folder and you start menu
- Uncheck everything else
- Click OK
- Click to enlarge
- Click Advanced
- Rebuild
- This stage will take a while
- Done
Faster Vista Search Menu Search
- Right click on the start button
- Click properties
- Click on customize
- Uncheck search communications
- Set Search Files to Don't Search for files
- OK
Get Rid of Transparency
- Right click your desktop
- Click personalize
- Click windows color and appearance
- Uncheck enable transparency
- Click OK
Remove the Sidebar
- Right-click the Sidebar
- Click on Properties
- Uncheck Start Sidebar When Windows Starts
- Click OK
- You can then remove the sidebar by right-clicking on it and select close sidebar
Turn Off Visual Effects
- Go to the control panel
- Click on Performance and System Tools
- In the Visual Effects tab you can turn off any unwanted and unnecessary that may be tying up system resources
