Speedup Windows: 2008

Keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl+Shift+Esc -> Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del -> Tasks Screen)
Ctrl+Shift+Enter -> Run an executable with elevated privileges
Windows logo key+1-0 -> Launch the shortcuts on the Quick Launch toolbar
Windows logo key+T -> Cycle through programs on the taskbar
Windows logo key+Tab -> Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Flip 3-D
Ctrl+Windows logo key+Tab -> Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Flip 3-D
Windows logo key+Spacebar -> Bring all gadgets to the front and select Windows Sidebar
Windows logo key+G -> Cycle through Sidebar gadgets
Windows logo key+X -> Open Windows Mobility Center
Open a folder and press & release Alt -> Show Menu Bar (also works in Internet Explorer)

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Right SHIFT for eight seconds = Turn Filter Keys on and off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (or PRTSCRN) = Turn High Contrast on or off
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK = Turn Mouse Keys on or off
SHIFT five times = Turn Sticky Keys on or off
NUM LOCK for five seconds = Turn Toggle Keys on or off
Windows logo key +U = Open the Ease of Access Center

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GENERAL SHORTCUTS

Windows logo key = Open or close the Start menu
Windows logo key +PAUSE = Display the System Properties dialog box
Windows logo key +D = Display the desktop
Windows logo key +M = Minimize all windows
Windows logo key +SHIFT+M = Restore minimized windows to the desktop
Windows logo key +E Open Computer
Windows logo key +F = Search for a file or folder
CTRL+Windows logo key +F = Search for computers (if you are on a network)
Windows logo key +L = Lock your computer or switch users
Windows logo key +R = Open the Run dialog box
Windows logo key +T = Cycle through programs on the taskbar
Windows logo key +TAB = Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D
CTRL+Windows logo key +TAB = Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D
Windows logo key +SPACEBAR = Bring all gadgets to the front and select Windows Sidebar
Windows logo key +G = Cycle through Sidebar gadgets
Windows logo key +U = Open Ease of Access Center
Windows logo key +X = Open Windows Mobility Center
Windows logo key with any number key = Open the Quick Launch shortcut that is in the position that corresponds to the number. For example, Windows logo key +1 to launch the first shortcut in the Quick Launch menu.

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WINDOWS EXPLORER SHORTCUTS

CTRL+N = Open a new window
END = Display the bottom of the active window
HOME = Display the top of the active window
F11 = Maximize or minimize the active window
NUM LOCK+ASTERISK (*) on numeric keypad = Display all subfolders under the selected folder
NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN (+) on numeric keypad = Display the contents of the selected folder
NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN (-) on numeric keypad = Collapse the selected folder
LEFT ARROW = Collapse the current selection (if it is expanded), or select the parent folder
ALT+LEFT ARROW = View the previous folder
RIGHT ARROW = Display the current selection (if it is collapsed), or select the first subfolder
ALT+RIGHT ARROW = View the next folder
CTRL+Mouse scroll wheel = Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
ALT+D = Select the Address bar

Keyboard shortcuts

Speeding up the hard drive

Vista has a feature of utilizing the hard drive to its maximum, but in case of power failure, there are chances of data loss. This the reason is turned off by default. But if you have UPS as backup, you can enable this feature.

Note: try this only if you got an UPS for auxiliary power.

Right click on My Computer » Click on Manage.
Click on little plus sign in front of Disk drives to display your hard drive(s).
Choose the hard drive you want to optimize. Right click on it and click properties.
Click the Policies tab.
Check the Enable advanced performance box and click OK.

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Speeding up the hard drive

Right click on My Computer » Click on Manage.
Click on little plus sign in front of Disk drives to display your hard drive(s).
Choose the hard drive you want to optimize. Right click on it and click properties.
Click the Policies tab.
Check the Enable advanced performance box and click OK.

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Vista - Speed up Vista Bootup - Bypass Unused Hardware

At each bootup your Windows, all the hardware you have attached must be detected and initialized by the BIOS. Logically the more hardware you have, the longer bootup time your Windows will have. So if there are any device/hardware attached to your computer that you don't need on a regular basis you need to disable them and improve your boot up time!

Method:

Go to Start » Control Panel » Device Manager. Here you'll find all devices that you have installed on your PC. From here you can select and disable any device you don't use. To do this simply right click on the device and select Disable.

Vista - Speed up Vista Bootup - Bypass Unused Hardware

Speedup Overall Performance

Memory Performance Tweak

These Settings will fine tune your systems memory management -at least 512MB of ram recommended

Go to start\run\regedit -and then to the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
DisablePagingExecutive -double click it and in the decimal put a 1 - this allows XP to keep data in memory now instead of paging sections of ram to harddrive yeilds faster performance
LargeSystemCache - double click it and change the decimal to 1 -this allows XP Kernel to Run in memory improves system performance a lot

Note: This tweak may cause problems with ATI cards *this is documented by ATI

Speedup Overall Performance

Memory Performance Tweak

These Settings will fine tune your systems memory management -at least 512MB of ram recommended

Go to start\run\regedit -and then to the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
DisablePagingExecutive -double click it and in the decimal put a 1 - this allows XP to keep data in memory now instead of paging sections of ram to harddrive yeilds faster performance
LargeSystemCache - double click it and change the decimal to 1 -this allows XP Kernel to Run in memory improves system performance a lot

Note: This tweak may cause problems with ATI cards *this is documented by ATI

Windows Services - Windows Vista Tweaks

Windows services starts with some services that are not needed for a home user. You need to tell Windows not to load some of these Services. In this way you can speed your machine up considerably. It's recommended that you set them to "manual" and not "disabled". A manual setting will usually still allow the service to start if the system requires it.

It's usually a good idea that you change only one Service at a time and then reboot, check the functionality of the machine before changing another Service. Changing 10 different Services and then finding out your machine isn't working properly is not a good idea.

I have given different scenario with each service, it is possible that one Service is needed in a Local Area Network (LAN) Environment and useless for a person who is running it as standalone PC.

Make sure you have backups, when playing with registry a wrong move can render your machine unusable!

This is not a comprehensive list of Windows services either, as different setup options add different functionality. The suggestions below are aimed at home users who are not part of a domain or workgroup environment. See a detailed view of these Services at http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm

Event Log
It's best to leave this one on Automatic.

Protected Storage
Leave this set to Automatic, as setting it to Manual can cause a delay at startup of 1 to 2 minutes. It also has the odd side effect of causing property pages in the Services tab not to appear.

Net Logon
if you do need to logon to a domain or LAN, you need to keep this on Automatic.

Alerter
A home user can set this to Manual.

Computer Browser
A home user can set this to Manual.

Distributed Link Tracking Client
This sends notifications of files moving between NTFS volumes in a network domain. A home user can set this to Manual.

Distributed Transaction Coordinator
A home user can set this to Manual.

Fax Service
If you are not using Modems with Fax capabilities, you should set this to Manual.

Indexing Service
A home user can set this to Manual.

Internet Connection Sharing
If you are sharing an Internet connection on a small home network, then set this to Automatic. If not, set this to Manual.

IPSEC Policy Agent
This manages IP security. A home user can set this to Manual.

Messenger
Messenger sends and receives messages transmitted by administrators or by the Alerter service. A home user can set this to Manual.

NT LM Security Support Provider
This provides security to Remote Procedure Call programs that use transports other than named pipes. A home user can set this to Manual.

Performance Logs & Alerts
This configures performance logs and alerts. A home user can set this to Manual.

Print Spooler
If you don't have a printer installed (network or local), you can set this to Manual. Remember to change it back to Automatic if you ever do install a printer.

QoS RSVP
This feature provides network signaling and local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-aware programs & control applets. A home user can set this to Manual.

Remote Registry Service
Allows remote registry manipulation. You should set this to Disable.

Routing & Remote Access
This offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments. A home user can set this to Manual.

RunAs Service
This enables starting processes under alternate user IDs. A home user can set this to Manual.

Security Accounts Manager
This stores security information for local user accounts. Unless you have changed some security policies via the Local Security Policy editor, you can set this to Manual.

Smart Card and Smart Card Helper
A home user can set these to Manual.

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service
This service enables NetBIOS name resolution. A home user can set this to Manual.

Telnet
A home user can Disable it altogether.

DNS client
A home user can usually set this to manual, as it's used for when you use a DNS server on your network (i.e., not the Internet or dial up connections). If you have name resolution problems afterwards, put this one back to Automatic.

Server Service
This Provides RPC support and file, printer and name pipe sharing. You can set this to manual, unless you are running IIS or using offline files (or similar features), which is not that likely for a home desktop user.

Workstation Service
You should be able to set this to Manual unless you use Alerter or Messenger, in which case set this to Automatic. Otherwise. you should be able to safely set this to Manual instead.

WMDM PMSP Service
I suggest it's set to manual. If you have any problems with Media Player, set it back to Automatic.

Once you have a stopped unwanted services and you are happy that your machine is functioning correctly, you can check the Services applet in control panel again. Look for any services that you set to manual that have started by themselves -- this usually means that Windows has determined it needs that to start. Changing these services back to Automatic is a good idea.

Windows Services - Windows Vista Tweaks

Use All CPUs of Multiple Core PC and Reduce Bootup Time

By default vista utilizes only one core of the CPU even your PC have multiple cores available.

These steps will guide you to ensure that your Windows utilizes all Processing Power for bootup

Click Start button.
Goto Run (or WindowsKey+R) to show Run Command Window
Type msconfig press enter.
In the System Configuration window, click the Boot tab.
Click the Advanced Options button.
Check the Number of processors box and change the number to whatever number of processors your pc supports.
Click on ok.

Use All CPUs of Multiple Core PC and Reduce Bootup Time

By default vista utilizes only one core of the CPU even your PC have multiple cores available.

These steps will guide you to ensure that your Windows utilizes all Processing Power for bootup

Click Start button.
Goto Run (or WindowsKey+R) to show Run Command Window
Type msconfig press enter.
In the System Configuration window, click the Boot tab.
Click the Advanced Options button.
Check the Number of processors box and change the number to whatever number of processors your pc supports.
Click on ok.

Avoid Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer displays pages slowly. However, and even more important aspect is security. Windows and Internet Explorer are tightly merged. This means that any vulnerability in the browser can make the OS vulnerable as well. Spyware attacks, phishing etc. are very common in IE. IE 7 is better in terms of security, but still needs more improvements. A better idea would be to get a third-party browsers like Firefox or Opera.

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Make Windows XP Run Faster

If you are very fond of cooking and recipes, then here is a recipe guide for making Windows XP faster. This is a guide which teaches you trim, optimize and accelerate Windows XP faster in a humorous way.

___________________________________________________________________

Bob's Recipe For Cyber Sludge Remover

mixing Here's my special recipe to clean that icky goo out of your computer's pipes, so Windows will start quicker, run more reliably, and go faster on the info-superhighway.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp Windows Updates
2 cups Virus/Malware remover
3 lbs Software Cleanup powder
2 tbsp Hard Disk Scrubber
1 slice Defrag
1 tsp Startup Weeder
1/2 cup Registry Shavings
2 cups Virtual Memory Sanitizer
1 Extraneous Services Remover

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl
Sprinkle over monitor, keyboard and system unit
Click to restart

If only it was so easy! But actually, it's not so hard to take action on those items I listed above. Here's the scoop on how to implement each step.

Read More at: Make Windows XP Run Faster!

Eliminate or Reduce the Size of Pagefile.sys

RAM and Virtual Memory Settings

When Windows have consumed all available physical memory (RAM), it will use a chunk of your hard disk to create a virtual memory file. This feature is nice, because it enables programs to work with huge amounts of memory. But only problem with virtual memory is that it is slower than RAM. Therefore, when Windows need to use large amount of Virtual Memory, it runs very slow; install the maximum amount. Extra RAM is the single most important tweak you can do to any system. This will boost your overall system performance than anything else!

How to change Virtual Memory Settings. It is normally wise to let Windows manage the amount, but if you still want to change these settings, adopt the following method.

Method:

Go to Control Panel
Click Advanced System Settings from left panel
On Advance Tab click Settings » Advanced tab » Make sure Programs button is selected » Change virtual memory according to RAM available to you, atleast 1000
OK and restart

Eliminate or Reduce the Size of Pagefile.sys

Go to Control Panel
Click Advanced System Settings from left panel
On Advance Tab click Settings » Advanced tab » Make sure Programs button is selected » Change virtual memory according to RAM available to you, atleast 1000
OK and restart

Reduce or Eliminate the Size of Pagefile.sys

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.

Reduce or Eliminate the Size of Pagefile.sys

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.

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.

Can't Afford Microsoft Office? Get OpenOffice for Free

Increase or Decrease Desktop Icon Size in just a click

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.

Increase or Decrease Desktop Icon Size in just a click

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.

Change Virtual Memory Settings

Uninstall unnecessary Programs

Uninstall unnecessary or unused programs which you are not using: Method:

Go to Control Panel
Open Add/Remove Programs section
Uninstall

Remove Un-necessary Startup programs

Remove unnecessary programs from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Method:

Start
Run
MSCONFIG and OK
Select StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts.
Visit the WinTasks Process Library if you are unsure about any task. WinTasks holds information about known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or search for the filenames using Google.

Remove all spyware from the computer

Use free programs like AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Make sure to check for updates before starting your search. Most of the freeware requires spyware which run with their programs. Once the spyware portion is removed, the program stop running. If you really wants any program which contains spyware, simply reinstall it.

Replace Hard Drive Cables

As Hard Disk Technology is progressing to boosts performance, so the cabling requirements are also changing. Make sure that you use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with properly assigned matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets connectors. Use a single device on each cable; and do not use middle connectors on a ribbon cable for slave drives, because, this will cause signalling problems. These signalling problems will prevent the drive from run at its maximum potential.

Enable DMA controller on IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device

Make sure that DMA is enabled for each hard drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Method:

Right click My Computer » Manage » Device Manager,
Double-click on IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device
Double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel.
Click Advanced Settings tab.
Ensure Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1.
Repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

Run Disk Cleanup after every month

After every month, run Disk Cleanup. Method: Open My Computer » Right-click on C: drive » select Properties. Click “Disk Cleanup” button; it's just to right of Capacity Pie Chart; and then delete all temporary files.

Clear the Windows Prefetch folder

Clear the Windows Prefetch folder after every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" parts of frequently used data and applications. Hence, processes appear to load faster when invoked by user. That's fine. But sooner or later, the prefetch folder may become burdened with older references to files and applications. In that case, Performance of Windows XP slows down by pre-loading them. Nothing is essential in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to be deleted. Method:

Open My Computer » go to the directory namely C:\Windows\prefetch
Delete all files (You need to be login as Administrator to delete these files)

Use NTFS for smooth functioning

Make sure that you have installed Windows XP on NTFS file system. If it is FAT32 then convert it to NTFS. Method: Click Start » Run, » type CMD » OK. A black window will appear, at prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS » Enter. This process may take sometime. NTFS is best for larger disk drives to get superior security, reliability, and efficiency.

Use Faster Hard Disk

Use an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB or larger cache buffer OR more latest SATA hard drive.

Vista Laptop Battery Saver | Windows Vista Tweaks

Vista Laptop Battery Saver

Microsoft confirmed that Vista’s Aero theme is consuming more power which leads to a faster battery drain. They say it is not that much that people should get worried but I personally feel that Aero consumes to much power. I also think that it is a pretty useless feature of Windows Vista. Sure it looks nice but that’s it. The transparency feature of Aero will be disabled whenever you switch to Power Save mode.

This helps but is not enough for me at least. If I work on the road I want maximum battery life and not some fancy interface with Flip 3D tabs and the like. One way to achieve this would be to disable Vista Aero completely, another better way in my opinion would be to turn Aero off automatically when you disconnect the notebook from a power source.

This is what the Vista Laptop Battery Saver does. The little application which consumes only about 3.5 megabytes of memory waits until the laptop changes to battery mode and disables Vista Aero automatically. This is the best way to handle the immense memory consumption of Vista Aero.

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Vista Laptop Battery Saver | Windows Vista Tweaks

Vista Laptop Battery Saver

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Windows 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.

Click Start/All Programs/Accessories OR
Start 'Run' and type 'snippingtool'.

NOTE: If you delete Tablet PC option, this will not work!!

Windows Snipping Tool is Amazing

Click Start/All Programs/Accessories OR
Start 'Run' and type 'snippingtool'.

NOTE: If you delete Tablet PC option, this will not work!!

System Maintenance - Tweaking Windows Vista

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.

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Turn off System Restore

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.

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System Maintenance - Tweaking Windows Vista

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...

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.

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Turn off System Restore

Start/Control Panel/Backup and Restore Centre/Create or Repair a Restore Point; or
Start/All Programs/Maintenance/Backup and Restore Center.

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Get a Flash Drive and Use ReadyBoost

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.

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Turn on Write Caching for Better SATA Disk Performance

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.

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Get a Flash Drive and Use ReadyBoost

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.

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Turn on Write Caching for Better SATA Disk Performance

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.

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Disable Excess Windows Processes at Boot

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Turn Off Unused Windows Features

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.

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Disable Excess Windows Processes at Boot

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Disable Vista Search Indexing

Disable Vista Search Indexing

By 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

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Disable Vista Search Indexing

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

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Tweaking Windows VistaUse Vista's No GUI Secret Boot Screen

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

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Tweaking Windows VistaUse Vista's No GUI Secret Boot Screen

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

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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.

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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.

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Eliminate Unneeded Startup Programs

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

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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.

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Better speed at startup and shutdown - Disable TMM

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.

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Better speed at startup and shutdown - Disable TMM

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.

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Vista Tips and Tweaks Guide

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

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 Indexing

By 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 Boot

Windows 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.html
www.blackviper.com

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. 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 Setting

Sometimes 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 Settings

Remove 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...

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 Software

Windows 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.

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