GazGuzla

When you buy a new Windows Vista PC or Laptop, you may be disappointed with the initial performance. Taking forever to boot, lots of disk access and memory usage during logins. After login, you are bombarded with “trialware” registrations, sales popups, and all kinds of reminders and desktop links to buy or install programs you don’t need or want. There are many things you can do to optimize the performance of Windows Vista. Here are some initial steps to clean up and optimize your new Vista System, in the order they should be performed.

Always reboot between each step. After logging back in, be patient, wait for the disk access light to stop, then proceed. See post on “Helpful Windows Utilities” for additional info on suggested software below.

1) Remove Unnecessary Applications.

Find out which applications you are licensed to use, and which ones are Trialware and Adware. PC Vendors install all kinds of applications that expire shortly after purchase. Most of them are linked on your Desktop. This practice allows vendors to keep the initial price down, then potentially get you hooked into spending more money later. Some applications, may be redundant, which can slow the network and system down. An example of redundancy is Windows Firewall and Windows Defender, and a firewall/spyware/Anti-Virus trialware installed. Both may scan for adware and spyware, both may be running as a firewall. See Anti-Virus Options Post for more about Anti-Virus

• Control Panel—>Programs and Features. Choose Uninstall
• Install ccleaner, which has a uninstaller

2) Remove Unnecessary Scheduled Tasks and Startup Programs

The Task Scheduler may contain tasks set to run at startup, or a time you don’t want. This can slow or bog your CPU and disk down, and hog memory at login time, or random times during the day.

• Administrative Tools—>Task Scheduler. Delete or change.
• Install Trend Micro “Hijack This” or “AutoRuns”. These tools are used to stop or remove startup apps and other types of malware that you don’t want or need at startup. These tools are NOT click and go, you need to know what what your doing. Hijack This saves deletions to a backup file, AutoRuns allows you to disable and leave it in place.

3) Clean Hard Drive of Unnecessary Files.

You could have hundreds of log, tmp, and other files that aren’t needed. Deleting them will help with excessive disk seek and access.

• Administrative Tools—>Disk Cleanup. If you just use Sleep mode you can delete the Hibernate file, otherwise leave it unchecked.
• Install a cleaner utility like ccleaner, or Wise Disk Cleaner. Both have free versions. Keep recommended defaults.

4) Clean Registry

When you uninstall applications, or change file locations, the registry sometimes retains entries or keys that no longer exists. This bloats the Operating System, slows the entire system down, and causes excessive disk seek and access.

• ccleaner and Wise Registry Cleaner work well with Vista

5) Defrag Hard Drive

After steps 1-4, its time to move files closer together on the disk to reduce seek access times.

• Administrative Tools–>Disk Defragmenter
• Install a “better” disk defragger like Auslogics Disk Defrag.

6) Defrag Registry

This step is not widely talked about, but clearly makes a difference. This moves the registry files closer together on the disk, reducing see access times, speeds up logins and response times.

• Install a program like Auslogics Registry Defrag, The program automatically reboots.

If you need further Support, visit the Remote Support page.