5 SIMPLE WAYS TO SPEEDUP WINDOWS 7

Easy ways to speedup Windows 7 startup, running & shutdown.

There is a lot to like about Windows 7 over Vista. The new improved OS Microsoft came up with is much faster, reliable and less demanding on resources, and has better interface. But over time of usage, you may notice that the old problem still prevails. The more you use your computer, installing and deleting programs and software, the more junk builds up and remains in your system, and the slower and more unstable your computer becomes. So in order to keep your computer running smoothly and error free, here are a few tricks that can help make Windows 7 faster.

1. DEFRAG YOUR COMPUTER REGULARLY.

Disk Defragmenter is a system utility that reduces the amount of fragmentation in your hard drive. It does this by physically organising the contents of the mass storage device used to store files into the smallest number of contiguous regions (fragments). It also attempts to create larger regions of free space using compaction to impede the return of fragmentation. Some defragmentation utilities try to keep smaller files within a single directory together, as they are often accessed in sequence. Regularly defrag your computer will help your system runs smoothly and error free. To defrag your hard drive, click Start and on the Search programs and files box just type disk defragmenter and hit enter. Click on drive C and click defragment disk.                                    

2. USING MINIMAL VISUAL EFFECTS.                                                                                 

Disabling certain (or all) visual effects can definitely enhance your computer performance. To disable visual effects, please do the following:-
1. Press Windows key and while holding it down, press Pause/Break key.
2. In the window that appears, click on Advanced system settings in the left side pane.
3. In the Advanced tab, under Performance Section, click on Settings.
4. In the Performance Options window that appears, under Visual Effects tab,
disable the options that you do not need. Or simply selecting ‘Adjust for best performance‘
will disable all options. Another alternative is deselect all options and leave the last 4 selected.
5. After disabling the option, click Apply and then OK.
Doing the above might make the screen less attractive. But, the performance will surely get a boost.

3. CHANGE WINDOWS PREFETCH VALUE.

The Prefetcher is a component of versions
of Microsoft Windows. It is a component of the Memory Manager that speeds up the Windows boot process, and shortens the amount of time it takes to start up programs. Changing the default value of 3 to 2 will help speedup Windows boot speed.
The Prefetcher's configuration is stored in the Windows Registry. You can locate it and then set its value to one of the following:-
* 0 = Disabled
* 1 = Application launches prefetching enabled
* 2 = Boot prefetching enabled
* 3 = App launches and Boot enabled (Optimal and Default).
* Change the EnablePrefetcher value to 2 is recommended.
To change Prefetcher value, go to click Start button and on the empty search programs and files box just type regedit and hit enter. Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters and then change the value to 2 and you are done.

4. DISABLING UNNECESSARY SERVICES.

Windows 7 like any other OS has many services running in the background that takes up system resources that you may never require. Disabling some unnecessary services from your computer will certainly help speedup Windows boot speed. The following are a few services that you can disable on Windows 7:- Adobe Acrobat Update Services, Computer Browser, Secondary Logon, Skype Updater, Windows Error Reporting Services and Windows Media Player Network (If you are not using Windows Media Player on your computer). To disable these services go to click Start and on the empty Search programs and files box type msconfig and hit enter. Click on Services and then uncheck those services that you do not require to run, then click Save and reboot.

5. IMPROVE WINDOWS 7 SHUTDOWN SPEED.

This is a very good tweak that can help to reduce the time Windows 7 waits before automatically closing any running programs when you give it the command to shutdown your computer. To tweak this, go to click Start and on the empty search programs and files box type regedit and hit enter. Locate HKEY_Local_ Machine\System\Current Control Set\Control, right click WaitToKillServices and select Modify to change the value to 1000, and press enter. Reboot your computer and the next time you shutdown your computer you will notice the time Windows 7 shutdown is much quicker.

Hope the above tweaks will help you keep your Computer running faster and error free.

Joe
Sydney, Australia.