Jan 9, 2011 11:59 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2011 10:08 PM by iphonejuul.)
Well I Have made alot of systems in my house very faster and work alot better. Just though i should share what i usually do. Hope it helps!
--Removing Startup Items--
This may be one of the simplest, most effective way to make your computer run more quickly. Many programs will start up when you power on your computer (such as IM Programs, etc). These drastically increase the time needed between powering your system on and having the system in a usable state. In addition, the programs running add to your overall memory usage, which can make your PC feel sluggish.
To manually choose what to run upon startup of your PC:
• Click "Start", Select "Run", and type "MSCONFIG", without quotes. Press "OK", and "System Configuration Utility" will pop up. Navigate to the "Startup" tab, And deselect any programs that you'll either start manually, or don't constantly need running.
• In Windows Vista, simply type "msconfig" into the search bar in the start menu, and hit Enter.
Remember to be strict about what you allow to run upon startup. A lot of the listed items are unnecessary, and can be de-selected. Items that belong to hardware drivers are also unnecessary, because they're just additional utilities to further configure the hardware. These settings are loaded when Windows starts up, making them unnecessary.
Essentially, you'll want to de-select EVERYTHING, except: Programs you wish to start up when your computer boots, as well as any Antivirus/antispyware programs you may have installed that provide realtime protection.
Increase Explorer Responsiveness
There are several ways to increase file and folder browsing when using any Windows operating system. Several are listed below:
Disable Auto-Network Search
Windows automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:
Open any Explorer Window, for example, "My Computer". Click "Tools", Select "Folder Options". Click on the "View" tab. Uncheck the "Automatically search for network folders and printers" checkbox, Then click Apply, and OK. Afterwards, Reboot your PC.
Disable Indexing Service
This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary, as it consumes significant amounts of resources.
To disable it, go to the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Add/Remove Window Components. Simply unclick the Indexing services and click next. (For some systems only).
Disable Windows Superfetch
Vista's new "SuperFetch" feature sure sounds great, and for some it works great. However, this is not the case for many Vista users. What it does is pre-load applications into RAM, incase you open the program, so it loads faster. Right off the bat, this sounds like a bad idea for those with average amounts of memory, doesn't it?
If you've got ~4GB+ of RAM, keeping this on may benefit you. For everyone else, this wastes very valuable system memory, which can make your computer feel extremely sluggish. This is especially true for Games, such as MapleStory.
To disable it, go to start, and type "services.msc" in the Search bar, without the quotes. Scroll down 'till you find "Superfetch", and double-click the service. Set the Startup type to "Disabled", click "Stop", followed by Apply & OK.
This will make Vista's prefetching act much like Windows XP - Which was quite efficient & wasted little resources.
Decrease Menu Delay
This little tweak just makes your computer "Feel" faster. You don't have to wait around a second after hovering your mouse over a menu before it shows. To enable this small tweak:
Go to Start then Run, Type ‘Regedit’ then click ‘Ok’. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Control Panel>Desktop”, Select “MenuShowDelay” . Right click it, and select “Modify". Reduce the number to around ~100. You can choose whatever suits you, though I personally favor very little delay. Finally, Reboot.
Increase Swapfile Performance
• XP
If you have more than 256MB of RAM this tweak will considerably improve your performance. It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.
If you do NOT have more than 256MB of System RAM, DO NOT Enable this tweak!
Go to Start then Run, Type “msconfig” then ok.
Click on the System.ini tab, and Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the "+" Sign.
Click on new then in the blank box type”ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 ", and Click OK.
Reboot your computer.
Speed up shutdowns
Open the registry editor (start>run>"regedit", or type "regedit" in the search box of the start menu).
• XP Only
Navigate to HKEY_USERS>.DEFAULT>Control Panel>Desktop
Highlight the "WaitToKillAppTimeout" value.
Set it to 1000.
Now highlight the "HungAppTimeout" value.
Set it to 1000 as well.
(The above may be problematic if you don't save your work before shutting down!)
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Control Panel>Desktop
Highlight the value "AutoEndTasks"
Change the value to 1.
• XP, Vista and 7
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Control , and locate "WaitToKillServiceTimeout".
Default Value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=20000
Modified value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=5000 (noticable speed increase)
Modified value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=1000 (extreme, use it at your own risk)
I found 3000 worked nicely, but try the 5000 first. 3000 does sometimes leave some programs lagging which then need a further key click.
Regular Disk Maintenance
CCleaner
Over time, Clutter on your hard drive will accumulate. This will hinder your computer's performance, and may prevent you from installing applications in the future due to lack of disk space. A useful utility to remove such junk files is called "CCleaner".
CCleaner has been designed to delete temporary, and unnecessary files from your PC with a single click. It's a very convenient program.
CCleaner Download
Disk Defragmenter
When files are read and written regularly, files tend to become fragmented. This occurs when pieces of files are located on different areas of the hard drive. Because the hard drive is actually a mechanical device with moving parts, data access time will be improved if the read/write heads don't have to seek out the information on the disks themselves.
Microsoft has included a Disk Defragmenting program, Which can be accessed through the "Start" menu.
To run Disk Defragmenter, Simply go to:
Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools.
Note, The defragmenting process may take up to an hour, Depending on how often you defragment, and how large your hard drive is.
You can program your computer to automatically defragment your drive when your computer isn't in use, for example, while you're sleeping.
To do this, go to: Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks.
I've uploaded a copy of my job properties for you to download (note: Right click and hit Save As to download).
Save the file to your desktop, Open Scheduled Tasks, and drag the file onto the Scheduled Tasks window. The job properties can be edited to suit your needs, but it's set to defrag daily, at 4:53AM.
Defraggler
A phenomenal defragging program by Piriform - The company that brought us CCleaner.
I can tell you, from experience, it's a much more efficient defrag than many alternatives that are out there. Best of all, It's less than one megabyte in size.
Easy on resources, yet does a fantastic job of maintaining your hard drive. That's the way all defrag software should be...
Download Defraggler
Firewall and AntiVirus Alternatives
Many popular Antivirus applications, especially early Symantec products (pre-2009), use a lot of system resources. They can be replaced with much smaller, and in my opinion, more efficient programs. There are many free antivirus programs out there, though judging by ease of use, resource consumption, and detection rate, the following three triumph over competitors.
Avira Antivir
Avast! AntiVirus
Comodo Antivirus
Ensure your system is free of malware
Spyware of all types can degrade performance significantly. Two programs I'm recommending here are free ways to keep your PC Spyware and Malware free, that work alongside AntiVirus programs.
Spybot - Search & Destroy
Spybot Search & Destroy is an easy to use program that will scan your PC for Spyware, and will generally delete what's found to be malicious.
You can download Spyware S&D for free, here.
Credits to ZYBlade
MalwareByte's Anti-Malware
A phenomenal anti-spyware utility that's small, light, and effective. It's far more capable than many other non-free alternatives on the market. The only reason I'm keeping Spybot-S&D up is because it seems to have better detection of some older malicious programs, which still may pose a threat.
Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware
Significantly faster browsing with Firefox
Firefox is one of the fastest, most customizable browsers around, but that's not to say it can't be improved more!
In Firefox's address bar, type "about:config" (without quotes).
This allows you into the "hidden" options in the browser, through which you can unlock it's full potential.
Type "network.http" in the Filter: area, without the quotes.
• Locate "network.http.max-connections-per-server"
Set the value to 30.
• Locate "network.http.max-connections"
Set the value to 64.
• Locate "network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server"
Set the value to 8.
• Locate "network.http.request.max-start-delay"
Set the value to 0.
• Locate "network.http.pipelining"
Set the value to true.
• locate "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests"
Set the value to 10
• Right-click any of the listed options, select "New" -> "Integer"
Label it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set the value to 0.
Thanks to mothered, I think that this is good so i posted it. But Credit needs to be given here.
Please note, the Importance of editing the Registry correctly, as any deletion of Important keys/values Is Irreversible. This can cause significant system Instability and loss of functionality.
I highly advise to use the "Export" feature to backup the Registry, prior to editing.
Hopy this helped you guys!
--Removing Startup Items--
This may be one of the simplest, most effective way to make your computer run more quickly. Many programs will start up when you power on your computer (such as IM Programs, etc). These drastically increase the time needed between powering your system on and having the system in a usable state. In addition, the programs running add to your overall memory usage, which can make your PC feel sluggish.
To manually choose what to run upon startup of your PC:
• Click "Start", Select "Run", and type "MSCONFIG", without quotes. Press "OK", and "System Configuration Utility" will pop up. Navigate to the "Startup" tab, And deselect any programs that you'll either start manually, or don't constantly need running.
• In Windows Vista, simply type "msconfig" into the search bar in the start menu, and hit Enter.
Remember to be strict about what you allow to run upon startup. A lot of the listed items are unnecessary, and can be de-selected. Items that belong to hardware drivers are also unnecessary, because they're just additional utilities to further configure the hardware. These settings are loaded when Windows starts up, making them unnecessary.
Essentially, you'll want to de-select EVERYTHING, except: Programs you wish to start up when your computer boots, as well as any Antivirus/antispyware programs you may have installed that provide realtime protection.
Increase Explorer Responsiveness
There are several ways to increase file and folder browsing when using any Windows operating system. Several are listed below:
Disable Auto-Network Search
Windows automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:
Open any Explorer Window, for example, "My Computer". Click "Tools", Select "Folder Options". Click on the "View" tab. Uncheck the "Automatically search for network folders and printers" checkbox, Then click Apply, and OK. Afterwards, Reboot your PC.
Disable Indexing Service
This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary, as it consumes significant amounts of resources.
To disable it, go to the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Add/Remove Window Components. Simply unclick the Indexing services and click next. (For some systems only).
Disable Windows Superfetch
Vista's new "SuperFetch" feature sure sounds great, and for some it works great. However, this is not the case for many Vista users. What it does is pre-load applications into RAM, incase you open the program, so it loads faster. Right off the bat, this sounds like a bad idea for those with average amounts of memory, doesn't it?
If you've got ~4GB+ of RAM, keeping this on may benefit you. For everyone else, this wastes very valuable system memory, which can make your computer feel extremely sluggish. This is especially true for Games, such as MapleStory.
To disable it, go to start, and type "services.msc" in the Search bar, without the quotes. Scroll down 'till you find "Superfetch", and double-click the service. Set the Startup type to "Disabled", click "Stop", followed by Apply & OK.
This will make Vista's prefetching act much like Windows XP - Which was quite efficient & wasted little resources.
Decrease Menu Delay
This little tweak just makes your computer "Feel" faster. You don't have to wait around a second after hovering your mouse over a menu before it shows. To enable this small tweak:
Go to Start then Run, Type ‘Regedit’ then click ‘Ok’. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Control Panel>Desktop”, Select “MenuShowDelay” . Right click it, and select “Modify". Reduce the number to around ~100. You can choose whatever suits you, though I personally favor very little delay. Finally, Reboot.
Increase Swapfile Performance
• XP
If you have more than 256MB of RAM this tweak will considerably improve your performance. It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.
If you do NOT have more than 256MB of System RAM, DO NOT Enable this tweak!
Go to Start then Run, Type “msconfig” then ok.
Click on the System.ini tab, and Expand the 386enh tab by clicking on the "+" Sign.
Click on new then in the blank box type”ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 ", and Click OK.
Reboot your computer.
Speed up shutdowns
Open the registry editor (start>run>"regedit", or type "regedit" in the search box of the start menu).
• XP Only
Navigate to HKEY_USERS>.DEFAULT>Control Panel>Desktop
Highlight the "WaitToKillAppTimeout" value.
Set it to 1000.
Now highlight the "HungAppTimeout" value.
Set it to 1000 as well.
(The above may be problematic if you don't save your work before shutting down!)
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Control Panel>Desktop
Highlight the value "AutoEndTasks"
Change the value to 1.
• XP, Vista and 7
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Control , and locate "WaitToKillServiceTimeout".
Default Value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=20000
Modified value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=5000 (noticable speed increase)
Modified value: WaitToKillServiceTimeout=1000 (extreme, use it at your own risk)
I found 3000 worked nicely, but try the 5000 first. 3000 does sometimes leave some programs lagging which then need a further key click.
Regular Disk Maintenance
CCleaner
Over time, Clutter on your hard drive will accumulate. This will hinder your computer's performance, and may prevent you from installing applications in the future due to lack of disk space. A useful utility to remove such junk files is called "CCleaner".
CCleaner has been designed to delete temporary, and unnecessary files from your PC with a single click. It's a very convenient program.
CCleaner Download
Disk Defragmenter
When files are read and written regularly, files tend to become fragmented. This occurs when pieces of files are located on different areas of the hard drive. Because the hard drive is actually a mechanical device with moving parts, data access time will be improved if the read/write heads don't have to seek out the information on the disks themselves.
Microsoft has included a Disk Defragmenting program, Which can be accessed through the "Start" menu.
To run Disk Defragmenter, Simply go to:
Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools.
Note, The defragmenting process may take up to an hour, Depending on how often you defragment, and how large your hard drive is.
You can program your computer to automatically defragment your drive when your computer isn't in use, for example, while you're sleeping.
To do this, go to: Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Scheduled Tasks.
I've uploaded a copy of my job properties for you to download (note: Right click and hit Save As to download).
Save the file to your desktop, Open Scheduled Tasks, and drag the file onto the Scheduled Tasks window. The job properties can be edited to suit your needs, but it's set to defrag daily, at 4:53AM.
Defraggler
A phenomenal defragging program by Piriform - The company that brought us CCleaner.
I can tell you, from experience, it's a much more efficient defrag than many alternatives that are out there. Best of all, It's less than one megabyte in size.
Easy on resources, yet does a fantastic job of maintaining your hard drive. That's the way all defrag software should be...
Download Defraggler
Firewall and AntiVirus Alternatives
Many popular Antivirus applications, especially early Symantec products (pre-2009), use a lot of system resources. They can be replaced with much smaller, and in my opinion, more efficient programs. There are many free antivirus programs out there, though judging by ease of use, resource consumption, and detection rate, the following three triumph over competitors.
Avira Antivir
Avast! AntiVirus
Comodo Antivirus
Ensure your system is free of malware
Spyware of all types can degrade performance significantly. Two programs I'm recommending here are free ways to keep your PC Spyware and Malware free, that work alongside AntiVirus programs.
Spybot - Search & Destroy
Spybot Search & Destroy is an easy to use program that will scan your PC for Spyware, and will generally delete what's found to be malicious.
You can download Spyware S&D for free, here.
Credits to ZYBlade
MalwareByte's Anti-Malware
A phenomenal anti-spyware utility that's small, light, and effective. It's far more capable than many other non-free alternatives on the market. The only reason I'm keeping Spybot-S&D up is because it seems to have better detection of some older malicious programs, which still may pose a threat.
Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware
Significantly faster browsing with Firefox
Firefox is one of the fastest, most customizable browsers around, but that's not to say it can't be improved more!
In Firefox's address bar, type "about:config" (without quotes).
This allows you into the "hidden" options in the browser, through which you can unlock it's full potential.
Type "network.http" in the Filter: area, without the quotes.
• Locate "network.http.max-connections-per-server"
Set the value to 30.
• Locate "network.http.max-connections"
Set the value to 64.
• Locate "network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server"
Set the value to 8.
• Locate "network.http.request.max-start-delay"
Set the value to 0.
• Locate "network.http.pipelining"
Set the value to true.
• locate "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests"
Set the value to 10
• Right-click any of the listed options, select "New" -> "Integer"
Label it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set the value to 0.
Thanks to mothered, I think that this is good so i posted it. But Credit needs to be given here.
Please note, the Importance of editing the Registry correctly, as any deletion of Important keys/values Is Irreversible. This can cause significant system Instability and loss of functionality.
I highly advise to use the "Export" feature to backup the Registry, prior to editing.
Hopy this helped you guys!
