It's August: Summer is beginning to wind down and the kids are heading back to school. Even if you're not ready for it, your PC can be. From deleting programs you don't use to defragmenting your hard disk, we'll walk you through the steps you need to take to get your old PC running like new. Sound good?
Optimize Windows Vista for better performance
No matter how fast computers might be when they are new, they all get slower over time. Fear not: There are a lot of ways to speed up Windows and make your PC work better—without upgrading your hardware. Here are some tips to help you optimize Windows Vista for faster performance.
Delete programs you never use
Many PC manufacturers pack their computers with trial editions of programs in the hope that you will try them and then pay to upgrade to full or newer versions. It’s never too late to remove these and get rid of the clutter and wasted system resources.
It's a good idea to uninstall all the programs you don't plan to use—especially utility programs such as virus scanners, disk cleaners, and backup tools. These programs often run automatically at startup, quietly chugging in the background where you can't see them.
See Uninstall or change a program for more details.
Limit how many programs load at startup
Many programs are designed to load automatically when Windows starts, which is helpful for programs you use a lot. But for programs you rarely or never use, this wastes precious memory and makes Windows load slower.
To check what programs load automatically at startup, look for an icon in the notification area on the taskbar.
You can find any additional programs that may be loading and disable them using Windows Defender.
See Stop a program from running automatically when Windows starts.
Defragment your hard drive
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work, slowing down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. It runs on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.
See Improve performance by defragmenting your hard disk.
Clean up your hard disk
If you want to reduce the number of files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster, use Disk Cleanup. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.
See Delete files using Disk Cleanup.
Turn off visual effects
If Windows is running slowly, you can speed it up by disabling some of its visual effects. You can choose which visual effects to turn off, or you can let Windows choose for you. There are 20 visual effects you can control, such as the transparent glass look and the way menus open or close.
Add more memory
No discussion of how to make Windows run faster would be complete without mentioning adding more memory to your PC. Windows Vista can run on a PC with 512 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), but it runs better with 1 gigabyte (GB). For optimal performance, boost that to 2 GB or more.
You can also use Windows ReadyBoost to leverage storage space on some removable media devices to speed up your computer.
See Using memory in your storage device to speed up your computer.
Check your computer's speed
If you try these tips and your computer is still slow, you might need a new PC or some hardware upgrades, such as a new hard disk, faster video card, or more memory.
The Windows Experience Index rates your computer on five key components and gives you a number for each, as well as an overall base score. The base score is only as good as your worst-performing component sub-score.
See What is the Windows Experience Index?
See the full article here and more articles like this at Windows Help and How-to.
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