Don't panic if something appears not to work correctly and, most of all, ensure you have followed the instructions word by word.
Boot Enhancements - Better speed at startup and shutdown Disable TMM - 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.
Method- Go start/control panel/administrative options/task scheduler.
- 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.
Eliminate Unneeded Startup Programs When your computer starts, a number of programs start automatically and remain running in the background and steal away memory. They have no real use to the average user. 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?
- Type 'msconfig' in the Run command (Winkey + R) (new trick for you here lol);
- Press Start/Control Panel/Admin Tools/System Configuration/Startup; or
- Download this excellent freeware program called Startup Inspector
This is an excellent program 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.
Cut Shut Down Time In Half- Press the Start » Run command OR Windows key + R.
- Type Regedit and Enter.
- Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ SYSTEM/ CurrentControlSet/ Control.
- In "Control" Folder. Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" Right click » Modify. Default value is 20000. Setting it to a lower 4 digit value, say 5000
- Simply exit when done.
The 20000 signifies a 20 second delay wheres 5000 signifies a 5 second delay. I cut off 20 seconds from my shutdown time 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.
Get Quicker Internet Confirmation for standalone computers The last item to load and confirm on some systems is the internet connection itself.
This tip is useful if you are not on a LAN network but a great enhancement for standalone systems. It is not suitable for any LAN environment because you will not be able to access any files over the LAN. Its a
standalone tweak only.
Method- Click 'Winkey' + R to get the 'Run' window;
- Type 'services.msc' and hit enter;
- Scroll to one of the final entries which is 'Workstation'
- Double click to open and disable it; and
- Reboot and Voila!!
Use Vista's No GUI Secret Boot Screen This is more of a trick than a tweak as it does nothing for performance. Simply, if your bored of that ole bar scrolling across the screen, do this:
- Go into 'Run' by clicking WINkey + R,type 'msconfig and hit enter; and
- Go into the boot menu, click 'No GUI Boot' so its checked, apply, ok and reboot the system.
You will see the new boot screen as it starts. If you don't like it, just go back and uncheck the box
Disable Vista Search IndexingBy default all versions of Vista Search Indexing enabled. Its function is faster searching. This slows system performance that is why it is listed in several tweaking programs as a top tweak.
- Click Start, then computer;
- Right click on Local Disk 'C:'
- Left click on Properties;
- Uncheck 'Index this Drive for Faster Searching';
- Let it complete and select 'Include subfolders and files' in any subsequent dialog box
Turn off Windows Search in your services.- Click on start/run and type in 'MSConfig' and hit ok
- Click on Services tab and find Windows Search
- Uncheck/Apply » Ok
Disable Excess Windows Processes at BootWindows Vista starts with almost one hundred processes running and many of these being unneeded. There are four options that describe how each process is started, these being manual (start), automatic, automatic delayed and disabled. Having said that, you don't want to disable something your not sure of, it could prevent you from getting into Vista again.
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.htmlwww.blackviper.comA 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. One day I found that my Internet wouldn't work as I disabled the wrong service.
Turn Off Unused Windows Features
This tweak works by turning off unneeded windows features as well as improving performance by shutting down Remote Differential Compression (RDC). 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 can hinder system performance.
- Press Start/Control Panel/Classic View and select Programs and Features;
- Choose Turn Windows Features On and Off;
- 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.
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.
Get a Flash Drive and Use ReadyBoost To start, this does not apply to us SSD users as there is no significant access time increase from the SSD and the USB storage drive.
For systems with limited RAM, Vista has a file on the hard drive called pagefile.sys. When RAM is consumed, it uses pagefile to store and retrieve files accessed most often. If you can imagine, this results in a huge drop in performance because accessing hard drive has slow access time than RAM.
Vista now enables us to pop in a USB drive and create a disk cache through the added memory which in some systems can be a huge step up, especially when 2Gb storage drives are so common now.
First, if your going to buy a drive, it has to have the following specifications:
- It must be USB 2.0 compatible;
- It must be at least 64mb in size; and
- It must be able to read at 3.5mb/sec and write at 2.5mb/sec which all pretty much are in any case.
Method - Plug in the USB storage drive;
- Press Start/Computer and right click on the new drive;
- If the drive is compatible there will be a tab for ReadyBoost, click on it;
- Select 'Use this Device' and select the amount of space you want to use.
Now, there is no need for restarting the system and the effects occur instantaneously. It is nice to know that when you restart with this drive again, it automatically defaults to ReadyBoost again. I would expect those running Vista with 512mb will see a huge difference by sticking a 2Gb drive in performance where those with 1Gb will still visibly see the difference.
Turn on Write Caching for Better SATA Disk Performance This tweak speeds up the performance of your hard disk by enabling write caching. There is a danger to this, if you have no backup power supply, as a loss of power would result in loss of any information within the cache at the time of the outage. So.... make sure to continually backup your files in data programs such as Word, Excel, and so on...
Method to enable write caching:
- Press Vista Orb/Computer/right click on 'C'/Properties;
- Click on Hardware and double click on your hard drive;
- Go to Policies and check 'Enable Write caching on the Disk'
- You can go one step further by checking 'Enable Advanced performance' but pay attention to the underlying warning.
This option isn't available to all. Newer systems are automatically set to run in AHCI mode through the BIOS and utilize a program called the '
Intel Matrix Storage Manager'. Together, these already enably higher performance of your system and prevent you from 'Enhancing Write Caching' on your own. You may be able to check it off but when you exit and return, its unchecked again. Don't panic!!! Thats just the way it presently works.
Ensure Your Video Drivers are Up To Date (NVidia Drivers only)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.
Increase Performance by Adjusting Vista Visual Effects and Performance Properties Change your Power SettingSometimes your system runs very slow, especially after plug in from battery power with Vista. To help 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.
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.
- Right click on the desktop background and select 'Personalize' and 'Windows Colour and Appearance'.
- Experiment with turning off Vista Aero by checking and unchecking 'Enable Transparency'.
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.
Adjust Vista Visual Effects 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. 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!
Security SettingsRemove that Annoying Security Center Notification Security Center monitors your antivirus program, firewall, automatic updating, spyware, internet security settings as well as UAC. If you want to remove warnings, follow the steps below:
- Double click on the Armour icon in your system panel to go into Security Center;
- On the left, click on 'Change the way Security Center Alerts me'; and
- Choose to either have the icon remain and get rid of the balloon alerts or to remove the icon and not be alerted.
You can always change back or check it later if you would like by going into Control Panel/Security Center and modifying your options.
Turn Off User Account Control (UAC) This tweak is best followed after a 'clean' install. One of the most annoying things in Vista is the protection of your system through UAC. Before I knew how to disable it I considered throwing the system out the window. The purpose of UAC is to make you confirm a large number of everyday functions in order to somehow protect your system from malware infections. Here is how to turn it OFF or ON.
- Click on start and then click on your username picture top right of the start menu.
- Click on 'Turn User Account Control on or off.'
- Uncheck (or check) User Account Control, select ok and restart.
There is a word of caution in turning UAC on and off. There is a process called virtualization that, when UAC is 'on' saves program data files (things like INI files, configuration files, saved game files etc.) within a totally separate area for each individual user. If you then turn UAC off, there have been reports that certain programs may be unable to find that saved data. The truth, in fact, is that the data is still there but only visible to the program in this 'virtualization folder' once UAC has been turned on again.
An example is... If UAC is on and you install some game, and the game then saves files to that program's main directory and subsequently you turn UAC off. Those files may appear to the game that they have been deleted when, in all actuality, they are stored in this folder and only accessible through virtualization when UAC is on. (Thanks to SchuderiaConchiglia and Crash for an enormous amount of background study on this.)
Turn off System Restore
System Restore feature is just like Windows 3.1/Me/Millenium and even XP. System Restore will restore your system to how it was when the last
restore point was created. First, you can access system restore by several methods, a few as follows:
- Start/Control Panel/Backup and Restore Centre/Create or Repair a Restore Point; or
- Start/All Programs/Maintenance/Backup and Restore Center.
System Restore is on automatically. To turn it off, you simply go into 'Create a Restore Point or Change Settings' and turn it off (or on) by checking or unchecking options.
The Good: When System Restore is turned off, it saves a large amount of disk space because it is not continually creating restore points. It also enhances performance significantly as it is not running in the background and creating these restore points.
The Bad: When it is turned off, you cannot revert to a previously saved restore point; and
The Ugly: If you make a significant mistake with it off, there is usually no turning back. You may need to completely reinstall, if its bad enough, which can be time consuming.
My Own Opinion??? Ok...sure I would suggest you leave it ON for now, anyway, and reduce your saved restore points to just the one by:
Start/Computer/Right click on 'C'/Properties/Disk CleanUp/More Options/System restore and Shadow Copies (Clean Up).
When your tweaking is nearing an end and you are comfortable with what you have, make a disk backup and by all means shut it down. You will see a world of difference.
System Maintenance 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.
Get CCleaner! It Works with 32/64Bit 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:
- Internet Explorer Cache, History, Cookies, Index.dat;
- Recycle Bin, Temporary files and Log files;
- Recently opened URLs and files;
- Third-party application temp files and recent file lists (MRUs);
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Empty your Recycle Bin.Go to the Recycle Bin and empty it. EasyCleaner puts all its discarded files there.
- Confirm with a Disk Cleanup. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Disk Cleanup.
- Finish with a System Defrag. Start/Computer/Rt Click on 'C'/Properties/Tools/Defragment Now.
General Tips, Tricks and SoftwareWindows Snipping Tool IS AMAZING
I let the cat out of the bag in the last tweak so I figured I might as well spill the beans. If you have Vista Premium or above you have a great new tool called Snipping Tool. It enables you to freeze whatever is on your screen and take a picture of it. You may notice that I use this in tons of my threads as it is so easy.
To get to it...
Click Start/All Programs/Accessories or
Start 'Run' and type 'snippingtool'.
NOTE: If you delete Tablet PC above, this will not work!!
Increase or Decrease Desktop Icon Size in just a click (TY and Rep Trebuin) Its nice every now and then to find a neat little trick that you never knew. This is the case with this appearance tweak which allows you to increase or decrease the size of your desktop icons.
- Click on your Desktop screen.
- Hold the Control key down; and
- Move your mouse scroll wheel up or down.
Can't Afford Microsoft Office? Get OpenOffice for Free Yes, this inclusion is going to be a programmers nightmare because I'm supporting yet another program that is absolutely free. To pass my standards, the program has to be free of any limitations, time constraints, upgrades that cost us money and openly distributed to everyone. This one fits that bill and more!!
The program is called OpenOffice and it is described in detail here. The direct download is here. Quite frankly, it looks like the other software, acts like the other software, saves documents just like the other software..plus lots more and doesn't cost you a penny.
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.
- Go to:Control Panel/System/Advanced System Settings/Performance Settings/Advanced/Change;
- Make note and write down the present system managed pagefile size;
- Disable the 'automatic' or 'system managed' size;
- Slowly and carefully reduce your pagefile over a period of time by creating a custom size; and
- 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.
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!
Delete Unnecessary Files and Directories After installation of the Vista environment either by Microsoft or the manufacturer, there are several files that are large in size and left after the fact that simply are not needed. I will detail a few below but please, as always, tread carefully. I would always advise to make a backup of the files and directories your about to delete...just in case.
- a) Remove Dell Driver disks (Dell User Special POST!)
For us Dell clients, there are a large number of driver files that are left on the system needlessly after installation.
They are located at C:/Dell and are all located within a 'drivers' folder. To simplify and warn you regarding a folder concurrently, you may delete all the folders within the Dell folder EXCEPT MEDIADIRECT. Lets just leave MediaDirect as it involves a separate environment we use outside of Vista.
- b) Remove Software Distribution Files (Tx and Rep MaXimus777)
They can be found at C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ and are created after Vista and Vista update installation. They consist of the expanded files before file execution and are no longer needed after it has been completed by Vista.
Windows will not allow you to delete ReportingEvents.log and EventCache as they are in use, but you can delete everything else in there safely.
- c) Remove MS Office MSOCache File (Tx and Rep MaXimus777)
You will need to enable hidden folders to see this file. It is found at C:\MSOCache and is created through the installation of Microsoft Office. If you have the disk set, it is of no use as it is never used except for certain user requested Office updates. It is not advised that you remove this if you haven't got the original diskset, however.
