Optimize your computer's performance [Vista]

Repost from notebookreview forum:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532

1. Disable TMM (TY and Rep NinjaNoodles[/b])

This tweak is responsible cutting system start time 3-5 seconds and eliminating that blank screen flash when you start Vista. This normally occcurs when Vista searches for external monitors on startup of Vista. If you are not using an external monitor, or dont switch back and forth always...turn TMM off.

Here's how to fix that annoying black flicker on boot:

1. Go start/control panel/administrative options/task scheduler.
2. On the left-hand side, click "Task Scheduler Local" (you should already be there, but just in case).
Expand "Task Scheduler Library," then "Microsoft," then "Windows," then click "MobilePC."
Up top, you'll see a task called "TMM." Click it, and on the right-hand side, click "Disable."

If you use an external monitor occasionally as I do, just press and hold FN and press F8 twice to switch monitors.

2. Eliminate Unneeded Startup Programs (Tx and Pls Rep Harpreet1998)

When your computer starts, there are a number of programs that start automatically and remain running in the background which steal away much needed memory. They add up in time and although many have no real use to the average user, others can be eliminated from starting automatically and started from the 'All Programs' or 'Quick Launch' menu as required. My best example of this is Messenger (or AIM/ICQ) which starts and hogs valuable resources even when your not using it.

First lets see how to get there to see what we have shall we?

1. Type 'msconfig' in the Run command (Winkey + R) (new trick for you here lol);
2. Press Start/Control Panel/Admin Tools/System Configuration/Startup; or
3. Download this excellent freeware program called Startup Inspector

This is an excellent program for the newby because it has a consultant which, not only tells you what each program is, but also tells you which are required by the system (user chosen, recommended, not required or unknown).

Now what can we disable and eliminate from the startup process? This is much an individual choice but I personally have shut down all that start 'NVIDIA, Messenger, Office, Nwiz, and quicktime.

The good thing about disabling is, if you see a negative result...go into safe mode, Run, Msconfig and undo your changes.

3. Cut Shut Down Time In Half!!

I need to precede this with a warning that we are going to advance ourselves a bit here by moving into editing our registry. It means that its absolutely necessary to follow the exact steps as a wrong entry or deletion my cause a reinstall of Vista at worst.

Before we start, by default, there is a 20 second delay in shutdown of Vista, a process that vista has set in order to allow software to shutdown correctly. You can adjust this to a much shorter time, thus significantly reducing the total time it takes to shutdown your computer.

Ready? Ok lets go..

1. Press the Start Orb (bottom left and then go into the Run command (remember Windows key + R).
2. Type 'Regedit' (without the quotes) and hit enter.
3. As the Registry File is so large, Im going to ask you to go top right and maximize this to full screen...and follow me.
4. Click the little triangle to the left of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ SYSTEM/ CurrentControlSet/ Control.
5. Click on the "Control" Folder. Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" Right click on it and select Modify. The default value is 20000. Setting it to a lower 4 digit value, say 5000
6. Simply exit when done.

The 20000 signifies a 20 second delay wheres 5000 signifies a 5 second delay. I cut 20 seconds off my shutdown time by changing this as it suggests so don't try and figure out exact time reduction by numbers...just play with it bit by bit.

You may want to remain at the 5000 mark as Vista does need time to shut software down. If this is not enough, come back and increase the size.

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6. Disable Vista Search Indexing

All versions of Vista have Search Indexing enabled by default which is an unneeded resource for most. Its function is to continuously update files on your system so that they can be made available for faster searching. Unfortunately, this takes its toll on system performance which is why its listed in several tweaking programs as a top tweak; I agree totally.

To disable Windows indexing:

1. Click Start, then computer;
2. Right click on Local Disk 'C:'
3. Left click on Properties;
4. Uncheck 'Index this Drive for Faster Searching';
5. Let it complete and select 'Include subfolders and files' in any subsequent dialog box

EDIT: From here we will go one step further and turn off Windows Search in your services as per Trebuins recommendation. I was going to wait and shut all useless services down at once but, he is right and, this does pertain strictly to this so...

1. Click on start/run and type in 'MSConfig' and hit ok;
2. Click on Services tab and find Windows Search
3. Uncheck/Apply and Ok...Your done!!!

Voila!! Its funny eh, a feature that is supposed to speed up searching that is one of the worst reasons for system slowdown.

7. Disable Excess Windows Processes at Boot! (TY and Pls Rep Trebuin)

Im going to give a bit of a background to this as it is probably the one tweak that can really screw anyone up if they make the wrong move. I think its better to walk through slowly and make sure we are all clear then to jump into and have someone go into a panic if they do something wrong. Windows Vista starts somewhere just short of a hundred processes running each and every time you boot into Vista, many of these being unneeded. Their are four options that describe how each process is started, these being manual (start), automatic, automatic delayed and disabled. Having said that, you dont want to disable something your not sure of, it could prevent you from getting into Vista again.

Trebuin has been kind enough to make a chart of very safe changes we can make in Vista. It is here: Trebuin Safe Process Changes I would suggest you start with his values as they are proven.

There are two ways to affect these changes, the first of which is by typing 'services.msc' into the run command which should be on your Vista Menu. (If its not rt click on the Vista Orb lower left/properties/start menu-customize and check Run).

The second is to simply enable or disable services by typing 'msconfig' into the Run bar or:

Press Start/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/System Configuration and Services.

There...I have taught you just enough to really hurt yourself (lol) and a good acrobat has a safety net just in case so....

If you make a mistake, this link will allow you to reset your services back to the original Vista Values, no matter what version of Vista: http://www.speedyvista.com/registry.html

A safe idea would be to actually copy and save the bat file that applies to you, on a disk, so you can get to it if you need it. Myself, I was fooling around one day and found that my Internet wouldn't work as I disabled the wrong service; it creates a bit more wrk.

For those wanting to venture even further, I am going to promote a site (www.blackviper.com) and include this link which will enable you to not only learn about each and every process, but also, explore his ideas on safe settings, his choices as well as bare bones settings. I have personally used his choice settings without a problem. Blackviper Service Configurations

8. Turn Off Unused Windows Features (Tx and Rep LIVEFRMNYC)

This tweak is actually a 'two in one' as it saves disk space by turning off unneeded windows features as well as improving performance by shutting down Remote Differential Compression (RDC). Briefly RDC monitors changes in files in order to transfer them with minimum compression over a network, thus eliminating the transfer of an entire file which has been already moved. This checking and rechecking can hinder system performance. With respect to the other features that I will suggest shutting off, I myself only leave Games, Ultimate Extras (both self explanatory) and Tablet PC. I choose to leave tablet PC as it enables a little feature called Snipping Tool which I absolutely love. Anyone who hasn't used it, type 'snipping tool' in the 'Run' box and enjoy.

In anycase, the tweak is as follows:

1. Press Start/Control Panel/Classic View and select Programs and Features;
2. Choose 'Turn Windows Features On and Off;
3. You can safely unselect 'Indexing Service, Remote Differential Compression, Tablet PC Optional Components (if you don't want Snipping Tool), Windows DFS Replication Service, Windows Fax & Scan (unless you use Fax through a modem) and Windows Meeting Space.

Oh and if you want to be real smart, DFS Replication duplicates files for use among multiple PCs in a network and keeps them in sync. Its not very useful on a stand alone.

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11. Ensure Your Video Drivers are Up To Date!!!! (NVidia Drivers only)

To start, I know that some of you are going to read this and realize you never had a clue that you should update your video drivers!! To a great extent, if the driver you are using works for you, why stick a fly in the ointment right? For many however, video driver updates can, not only improve upon performance but also, fix problems associated with the older drivers in use. You need to read the driver information to, not only ensure it is compatible with your graphics adapter, but also to recognize that the updates and fixes will help you in some way.

Many of the most recent fixes have this little issue solved which has been recognized in so many trouble posts here at NBR:

"The display is corrupt or there is no display upon resume from sleep mode" ISSUE RESOLVED

So..first off go here for the latest video driver update: LaptopVideo2Go
You will see on the left, your choices first which you need to make sure are correct. If you are using Vista as a 32Bit environment, select it. Also, if you have updated previously, the latest and greatest drivers are listed on the right.

As far as updating simply find the latest driver and double click on the exact file number you want. It is in the version column. DONT CLICK ON THE DOWN ARROW!! This will bring you to the screen where you can verify all the information I mentioned above.

Now, once in this screen, I want you to click on the driver as well as modded inf. Download them both to the same location on your computer; the desktop is simplest. Look at that...there is even a quickstart guide to help you along if your hesitant or unsure!!! You can browse this and even look through the pictures for reference but PLEASE...follow my directions exactly to ensure this works for you.

Next double click on the downloaded driver file to extract it. It will create a folder with tons of files in it. Once thats done, I need you to click on the modded inf file, hold the clicker down, and drag that file into the new folder. It will ask you and I want you to replace the 'inf' file from the driver with the 'modded inf' file.

IF YOU DO NOT, you may get some silly message later that says that your system is not compatible with the driver.

All that is required now is to find the file entitled 'Setup' inside the folder and double click on it.

Once the process starts, you will get a red warning label that says 'Windows can't verify the publisher of this driver software' Install the driver software anyway.

Thats it!! Restart your system and enjoy.

As for cleanup, you can now delete the original compressed file, any modded inf file still there, as well as the newly extracted folder that was created. They are all no longer of any use.

12. Increase Performance by Adjusting Vista Visual Effects and Performance Properties!!!!

I'm going to take the time to really let you control your system through visual and performance effects right now.

Change your Power Setting

I'll start first with a simple trick that most will laugh once they learn. Have you ever wondered why sometimes your system runs very slow, expecially after plug in from battery power with Vista???

To help you in controlling performance and battery power, Vista has a new option that lets you decide at what level you want your system to perform. You simply 'left click' on the battery icon in your system tray and decide whether you want your system running in balanced, power saver or high performance mode. It as easy as that.

Yes...I know... this is really a cheat tweak that many know already but, its really a reminder for all that will be a performance increase at some point. How many times have we wondered why our system was running slow only to go into the power option and see that we are still on power saver mode?

Now... on to the real tweak!!!!! Dum Dum Dum Dum du Dum. okok not quite yet... another mini-cheat tweak.

Enable or Disable Vista Aero

Vista uses up alot of resources to allow it to look great, some of which slow the system down just for the visual effect. There is a simple way to decide, as far as the desktop goes, what exactly you want and don't want.

1. Right click on the desktop background and select 'Personalize' and 'Windows Colour and Appearance'.
2. Experiment with turning off Vista Aero by checking and unchecking 'Enable Transparency'.

This, along with others I will cover shortly, results in a performance increase because, each time you click on new windows, that window has to be rendered as the system is set up. So... if you don't need Aero, uncheck the box and the system does not have to work that much harder every time you open a new window.

Change your Vista Colour Scheme

We can actually carry this a step further. Click on 'Open Classic Appearance Properties for More Colour Options'. Here, you will find that you can adjust your colour scheme which results in a less demanding appearance.

For example, Windows Vista Basic is much less demanding than Windows Aero and similarly Windows Standard is less demanding than Vista Basic. One can see this by simply clicking on the menu selection. Play around and make the system your own and how you want it.

Adjust Vista Visual Effects

Now, lets get to the meat and gravy shall we? (or soya for those vegetarians)

1. Click Start/Control Panel/Classic View/Performance information and Effects/Adjust Visual Effects

Here you can play around with each and every little setting that you choose to make your system speedier and more in tune with what you want.

Want an example?

One of the boxes you can select or deselect is ' Use a background image for Each Folder type' If you deselect it, your folders (ie. picture folders) won't have to take the time to put a picture on its face every time you select it. This can be particularly obvious with systems with lesser memory and no graphics card.

Personally, I leave every boxed checked, but then again Im running with a dual 2 core processor,4Gb RAM and in 64 Bit mode. Life is great!



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16. Check out this disk defragmenter and optimizer by ScuderiaConchiglia!!

Earlier, I had included two programs that, for the most part, had alot of success. After a great deal of consideration I have elected to remove these because, for a select few, these have had devastating results. ScuderiaConchiglia has been generous enough to tear apart one of these programs to extract and create a command file for a very powerful system optimization. This optimization will cut your system startup time in half!

His defrag application can be found here but please read through the thread to ensure a full understanding of the process.

17. Get CCleaner!!! It Works with 32/64Bit (Click here!)

CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast! (normally taking less than a second to run) and Free.

It cleans the following:

1. Internet Explorer Cache, History, Cookies, Index.dat;
2. Recycle Bin, Temporary files and Log files;
3. Recently opened URLs and files;
4. Third-party application temp files and recent file lists (MRUs);
5. Including: Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...

It also contains an 'Advanced Registry Scanner' and cleaner to remove unused and old entries to include File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more...

There is also a Windows Startup editor as well as a back-up tool just in case you delete something your not supposed to.

18. Commit to a Weekly Maintenance Schedule.

I think one of the best tweaks we can do is to commit to doing a proper cleanup of our system at least weekly. I will confess Im a nut for this and do it daily but, most importantly, it does ensure your system is in top shape and running its best.

Through internet use, trying new things and...yes tweaking, your system will save internet and tmp files which will build up over time to an incredible size, slowing your system down quite a bit. Further, installing and uninstalling new programs and applications leaves tons of unneeded registry entries in your system.

So...I will walk you through my regime. I hope it helps you along.

1. Clean Internet files. I use Internet Explorer but have used FireFox which is similar. Lets start by going into the 'tools' menu (IE) and deleting our browsing history. I choose to delete all the different allowable otions just to make sure we got everything.

2. Clean your Registry. In Tweak # 4 above, we downloaded CCleaner. Lets use it now to first clean our windows files, then applications and follow this with a registry scan and fix.

3. Scrub your System Clean. Im gonna let you in on a little secret that the God's are gonna condemn me for. I do a thorough scrub of my system with a program called Easy Cleaner 2.0 by ToniArts. BE CAREFUL THOUGH! This program was originally intended for XP and is over a year old. Do not touch the 'Registry' or 'Duplicates; buttons. Its more of a 64Bit concern but they are not fine tuned for Vista. Use 'Unnecessary' and click to choose all file types. 'Find' followed by 'Delete all'. You will be surprised at the vast amount of files that are found and cleaned.

4. Empty your Recycle Bin.Go to the Recycle Bin and empty it. EasyCleaner puts all its discarded files there.

5. Confirm with a Disk Cleanup. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Disk Cleanup.

6. Finish with a System Defrag. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Tools/Defragment Now.

Feels like your computer just had a good bath doesn't it. This regime has been used by me for the longest time and I have found my system stays in tip top shape with this.

For the hard disk users (Im SSD personally), lack of cleaning and continuous use will cause a huge buildup of garbage files followed by extreme file fragmentation which will slow your system immensely.

To put this into perspective, its like walking down a road and then walking down it again once its been hit by a few hundred bombs. Which would be the quicker trip?
General Tips, Tricks and Software

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22. Reduce or Eliminate the Size of Your Disk Cache

By default, Vista utilizes several gigabytes of hard disk space with a file called pagefile.sys in your root drive. Through some time and patience, Vista users with 2 or more gigabytes of ram will be able to gain a great deal of that much needed space back and increase performance by slowly reducing the 'pagefile' or disk cache, or even eliminating it.. For example, I have elected to shut down my pagefile completely whereas, previously, I had reduced it to 600mb minimum and 1200mb maximum. I decided on this after watching my RAM usage carefully and seeing that, with my use, I never came close to using 4Gb. My space savings was well over 3.5Gb of hard disk space.

On shutting it off, I immediately saw a boost in performance which was unexpected. Having done a little background as to the reasoning for this, I learned that pagefile is utilized by your system even when it is not needed. By shutting it off, you are forcing the sytem to use your RAM to its full potential.

Should you elect to reduce, a common belief is that the pagefile should be 1.5 times the total amount of your ram and the minimum and maximum should both be the same if your sure no more will be required. This will prevent excessive disk activity at times when it is required for the pagefile to expand.

USER ALERT!!!! Reducing your pagefile size by too much will severely slow and cripple your system as it cannot create a large enough disk cache for the job at hand, thus resulting in a great deal more disk activity and slower system.

Now...how to get there....

1. Go to:Control Panel/System/Advanced System Settings/Performance Settings/Advanced/Change;
2. Make note and write down the present system managed pagefile size;
3. Disable the 'automatic' or 'system managed' size;
4. Slowly and carefully reduce your pagefile over a period of time by creating a custom size; and
5. If you find your RAM use remains on the low end of the pole after some careful monitoring, just turn it off completely and enjoy.

Good luck and enjoy the newly regained disk space!!

23. Clean System Restore and Eliminate Shadow Copies

If, after careful consideration, you elected to leave System Restore on and pass on Tip #15, there is another great little trick to save space. It is common for new users to write the forums stating that their disk space is dissappearing and they don't know why. By default, System Restore will save a copy of your current desktop on regularly scheduled intervals, whenever something new is installed and also if an error or update occurs with the system. The results in alot of GB of needless backups remaining for no reason. Also, shadow copies of programs are created on expansion after installation, many of which remain their needlessly.

To get there, follow: Start/Computer/Right Click On 'C'/Disk CleanUp/More Options/System Restore and Shadow Copies/Clean Up

You can check the space on your drive after this and be amazed!

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Well, if you made it all the way through this, that's a compliment in itself. You have just made it through the most powerful and detailed 'Tips and Tweaks' thread available on the internet at any price...and you got it all for free! Alot of work has been accomplished to put this together through not only myself, but also those highlighted on individual threads. Feel free to click on the name of the contributor or click the scales bottom left to leave a comment. Spreading the word is also a great compliment.

Les Tokar (aka Flamenko)

Do all of them !

Download:

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/

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http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

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totally gonna read this when i have more time and mess with my laptop. i hate how my laptop has vista i dunno wtf to do with it. haha.

i can't even login now!! vista suck seriously, I'm changing to XP soon...