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Windows Vista Performance Tweaks
There are a number of configuration changes you can make to your Windows
Vista set up to improve your system performance. Try some, or all of these
changes listed below.
Turn off Automatic Disk Defragmentation
Windows Vista defragment feature can cause system slow down.
To disable this:
Click Start then Computer
Right Click the C: Drive
Click on Properties
Select the Tools Tab
Click on Defragment Now
Uncheck Run on a schedule
Remember to regularly run a defrag manually.
Turn off Windows Search Indexing
Windows Vista search indexing is constantly reviewing files on your system
to make their contents available for quick searching. This is handy, but
can severely impact system performance.
To disable constant indexing:
Click Start then Computer
Right Click the C: Drive
On General Tab, Uncheck Index this drive for faster searching
On the subsequent dialog box, Select Include subfolders and files
Turn off Windows Hibernation
Windows hibernation background services can use a large amount of system
resources. If you don't use the Hibernate feature on a regular basis you
may want to disable it to give Vista a performance boost.
To disable Hibernation:
Select the Control Panel then Power Options
Click Change Plan Settings
Click on Change Advanced Power Settings
Expand the Sleep selection
Expand the Hibernate After selection
Set the selector to zero
Click Apply
Disable User Access Control
This much-loathed new Vista feature attempts to protect your system from
malware infection by making you manually confirm a whole host of everyday
user operations. While it doesn't directly impact performance, it can
be annoying and might be more hassle than good.
To disable User Access Control:
Click Start then Control Panel
Select User Accounts
Select Turn User Account Control on or off
Uncheck User Account Control Box
Restart as recommended
Disable excess Windows Services that Auto-Launch at Startup
Vista comes with all kinds of services enabled that load at startup and
may never be used by most users.
Click Start then Control Panel
Select Administrative Tools
Choose System Configuration
Click the Services Tab
Most users can safely deselect:
- Offline Files (unless you're using Offline File Sync)
- Tablet PC Input Service (unless you have a tablet PC)
- Terminal Services
- Windows Search (If you have already disabled indexing)
- Fax (unless you're using a fax modem)
Disable Excess Windows Features
Windows Vista comes with other features that are listed separately in
the Vista operating system from the startup services.
Click your Start menu, then Control Panel.
Select Program Features.
On the left panel, select Turn Windows Features on or off. >
Most users can safely deselect:
- Indexing Service
- Remote Differential Compression
- Tablet PC Optional Components
- Windows DFS Replication Service
- Windows Fax and Scan
- Windows Meeting Space (unless you use the Live Meeting Service)
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