Computer Tuneup Guide!

So people have had complaints about slow computers, this guide will help! I also do not mind any additional suggestions. This guide will direct you through tuning up IN Windows without spending additional money on RAM, HDD, CPU.

******WARNING************************************

This is a GUIDE. There is stuff that involves modifying the registry. If you don't feel comfortable, then don't do it! I am not responsible for any OS corruption, data loss. Use this as a guide only! Also make sure you backup your data and your registry first by exporting it somewhere safe!

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1. Clear Startup Items

a) Go to Start --> Run and type "msconfig" (without quotes)
b) click on the "Startup" tab
c) uncheck everything EXCEPT Security Software and Wireless software
d) Click on "Apply" and then "OK" and restart when prompted
e) When system reboots go to Start --> Programs/All Programs and scroll down to the "startup" folder and delete anything there.

2) Disable Balloon Tips (Especially low memory systems)

a) Go to Start --> Run and type "regedit" (without quotes)
b) Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
c) Click on above folder and select "new" and "DWORD value" (Some systems will give you the choice of 32 or 64 bit, choose accordingly)
d) Create a DWORD value of EnableBalloonTips
e) Give it a value of 0

3) Tip for increasing performance
If unit has 512 MB or more RAM, you can increase system performance by having the core system kept in memory
a) Go to Start --> Run and type "regedit" (without quotes)
b) Go to and right click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
c) Set the value to be 1
d) Reboot the Computer

4) Clean the TEMP directory

a) Go to C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Local Settings\Temp (where User_Name is replaced by the person who is logged in) for XP and C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Local\Temp for Vista/7 (again User_Name is replaced by who is logged in)
b) Delete all the files
c) Do this for ALL users on the unit

5) Disable unneeded Windows services

Below is a list of services that can be disabled. Please read the BOLD text as there are times when you don't want to disable that service or may not have enough information to determine whether or it off or not. In those cases, LEAVE IT ON.

Go to Control Panel --> Administrative tools --> Services

#Alerter - Sends alert messages to specified users that are connected to the server computer.

#Application Management - Allows software to tap directly into Add/Remove Programs via the Windows Installer technology

#Clipbook - Clipbook permits you to cut and paste text and graphics over the network

#Error Reporting Service- Allows applications to send error reports to Microsoft in the event of an application fault.

#Fast User Switching - Windows XP allows users to switch quickly between accounts, without requiring them to log off. (Pretty bad resource hog, not super useful)

#IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service (You don't need this if you have other software to create CD/DVDs)

#Indexing Service - Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides access to files through flexible querying language.

#IP SEC - Manage IP security policy and starts ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) and the IP security driver. If you are not on a domain, you likely don't need this running.

#Messenger - Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This is how a lot of pop-up windows start appearing on your desktop

#Net Logon - Supports pass-through authentication of accounts logon events for computers in a domain. If you are not on a domain, you don't need this running

#Performance Logs and Alerts - Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert. If you don't need to monitor your performance logs, then you don't need this service

#Portable Media Serial Number - Retrieves the serial number of any portable music player connected to your computer

#QOS RSVP - Provies network signaling and local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-away programs and control applets.

#Remote Desktop Help Session Manager - Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If you are not using Remote Desktop you don't need this service.

#Remote Registry - Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computers (MAJOR security risk. ALWAYS turn off!)

#Routing and & Remote Access - Offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments. Allows dial-in access.

#Secondary Login - Enables starting processes under alternate credentials. This is allows you to run an applications as another user.

#Smart Card - Manages access to smart cards read by this computer.

#Smart Card Helper - Enables support for legacy non-plug and play smart-card readers used by this computer

#SSDP Discovery Service - Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network.

#TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution. This should not be needed in today's network environment.

#Telnet - Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients. (MAJOR security risk. ALWAYS turn off!)

#Uninterruptible Power Supply Service - Manages a UPS connected to a computer. Make sure you don't have a UPS before turning it off.

#Universal Plug and Play Device Host - Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices

#Upload Manager - Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network.

#Volume Shadow Copy Service - Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes.

#Web Client - Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify non-local files across the Internet.

#WMI Performance Adapter - Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf

6) Get rid of Desktop clutter If needed and optional

If the desktop is clutters with many icons and shortcuts, this can have a profound effect on performance. Especially in systems with low memory and onboard graphics. Below is a handy trick to get rid of all but the regular system icons and still give you easy access to the old icons

a) Right click on the Desktop and scroll to "New"
b) Click on "Folder" and name it "Old icons"
c) Highlight all the icons you want to move and drag and drop them into your new folder.
d) Right click on Taskbar and scroll to "Toolbars"
e) Click on "New Toolbar" and navigate to the desktop and double click on the folder you named "Old icons"

This will create a toolbar similar to the Quick Launch toolbar. Just like Quick Launch, when clicked on it it will show the contents of that folder.

7) Defragment the Hard Drive

Defragging is always the last step because some of the above steps may cause fragmentation

 

Very nice guide.

+rep

 

nice guide, for XP.

Win7, with it's better memory management, more efficient kernel, and completely different registry structure/management, not so much

 

Yeah it's better for XP machines. Most Vista/7 machines have the ability to go to higher amounts of RAM.

 

Someone's going to come in here and say something about temp files.

Just ignore them.

 

Black Viper’s Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Service Configurations | Black Viper's Website | www.blackviper.com

 

I delete temp files more for privacy reasons.

 

temp files can increase performance (when they're used by the app as some form of cache, which some are).

to zepti: turning off aero is decreasing system performance btw. it's only there for cases where there's a gpu issue.

lots of "knowledge" in the first post is myth-based or outdated. i'd love to not see such posts, as they mostly train people to wrong behaviour, and put more systems into a non-optimal state than they help. but well, one can't stop the internet...

 

turning off aero means turning off the gpu to handle the ui. that means shifting all the graphics and ui work to the cpu, which you'd prefer to have for your apps, not the ui. and guess which one is faster and more efficient at drawing pixels, the gpu, made for drawing pixels. or the cpu, made for everything else?

in the end, it's just logic. there's a reason why everything graphics related tries to do all it's work on the gpu (games, video encoding, 3d applications, even 2d apps like photoshop). removing the burden from the cpu is always a gain. the gpu has nothing better to do while being in windows, anyways.

so doing your best, i'd suggest use logic so in essense, turning off aero increases the work the cpu has to do. tell me, how this can ever increase it's performance.

 

aero glass is gpu. aero basic is cpu. it's a fallback if the gpu fails.