2010-11-06 23:59
With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft may just have introduced the
fastest operating system in the world. For those speed junkies who are never
satisfied, we have provided a few tips that will help you make your PC even
faster.
Disable Automatic Disk Defragmentation
The Automatic Disk
Defragmentation feature in Windows is designed to maintain the health of the
operating system. However, it also makes Windows run a little slower. You can
put an end to this by disabling the feature and manually running at your
leisure. To do so, click "Start” and select "Computer.” Next, right click on
your primary hard drive and select "Properties.” Lastly, select the "Tools” tab,
click "Defragment Now” and uncheck the "Run on a schedule” option.
Utilize
Ready Boost
ReadyBoost is a built-in Windows 7 feature that allows you to use
a USB flash drive to enhance system performance. How is this possible? The drive
itself acts as additional computer memory!
In order to make use of this
feature, you will need a USB drive with at least 2 GB of space. From there, you
simply connect the drive to your computer, click "Start” and select "Computer.”
Next, click on the USB drive and select "ReadyBoost.” Lastly, select "Use this
device” and choose as much capacity as possible below on the "Space to reserve
for system speed” slide.
Disable Windows Transparency
The transparency of
windows is a great perk from a presentation aspect, but this may not be the case
for those with older hardware as it can drastically impact performance. The good
thing is that transparency can be disabled with ease. Simply right-click on your
desktop, select "Personalize,” choose the active theme and then navigate to
"Windows Color.” Finally, uncheck the "Enable Transparency” option.
Disable
Unwanted Features
There may be numerous Windows 7 features that you really
don’t need. These same features could also slow down your computer. To disable
them, click on "Start,” choose "Control Panel” and then select "Programs and
features.” Next, select the "Turn Windows features on or off” option, navigate
through the list and uncheck all the features you want to disable. Once you are
done, simply click "OK” to remove those features.
Disable Startup
Services
Startup services are notorious for slowing down performance in XP
and Vista. The same holds true for Windows 7. You can disable unwanted services
by hitting "Start,” typing "msconfig” in the search bar and clicking "Enter.”
Click the "Services Tab” on the next window and deselect the services you do not
want to automatically run at startup. While this all depends on preference,
services that impact performance the most include "Offline Files,” "Tablet PC
Input Services,” Terminal Services,” "Fax” and "Windows Search.”
Disable
Minimizing/Maximizing Animations
Many users have already fallen in love with
the minimizing and maximizing animation effects of windows. However, some may
find it irritating after a while as it can eventually lead to slowdowns. If you
want to disable this function, hit "Start,” enter "System Properties
Performance” in the search bar and click "OK.” On the next screen, deselect the
"Animate window when minimizing and maximizing” option and click "OK.”
Update
Your Windows 7 Drivers
Lastly, ensure that you have the latest device drivers
made specifically for Windows 7. Since your PC can have hundreds of drivers
installed in it at any given time,
this task can be tedious. Luckily there
are 3rd party utilities out thee such as DriverFinder™, which can greatly speed
up this process.
