Tips to Manage Windows Vista Resources

Monitor System Demands

Resource Monitor gives you a detailed overview of how your system is working. Right-click the Taskbar and choose Task Manager, then switch to the Performance tab to see what the current demands are on your processor and memory (click Resource Monitor for more details). Switch to the Processes tab and click the CPU tab to see what’s currently hogging system resources.

 

Remove Unwanted Programs

The more software you have installed on your system, the slower it will run. Even applications that aren’t currently running take up disk space and clutter up the Registry. Open the Control Panel and select Uninstall a program under Programs. Select the program you want to remove and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the uninstaller.

Streamline Your Startup

Every program that starts with Windows Vista consumes resources and extends the boot time. Some programs – like your security tools – are essential, but others aren’t. Discover how to trim back what loads with a free program called AutoRuns, which you can download from Microsoft TechNet.

a) Extract Program Files Once downloaded, double-click Autoruns.zip and choose Extract all files. Choose a folder and click Extract. Once complete, double-click autoruns.exe to launch the program.

 

 

 

 

b) Logon Tab A whole series of tabs will appear, each display start-up programs according to their category. Switch to the Logon tab. Uncheck those you think it’s safe to disable – right-click an entry and choose Search Online to find out more about it first.

 

 

 

c) Delete Entries Permanently Once you’ve ascertained a disabled entry isn’t important, you can opt to remove it completely - to do so, right-click it and choose Delete. Click Yes when prompted.

 

 

 

Disable Network Printer Search

If you’re on a network, but not sharing any printers, speed things up a little by disabling the network printer search. Click Start, type network and sharing center and press [Enter]. Under Printer Sharing, click the down arrow and select Turn off printer sharing before clicking Apply.

Scale Back Indexed Searches

Windows Vista’s indexed search technology means super-fast searches, but does impact on day-to-day performance. Exclude unwanted items from your indexes to boost performance – click Start, type indexing options and press [Enter]. A list of current locations will be displayed – click Modify followed by Show all locations, and then untick those areas you don’t want to index.

Advanced Index Options

Remove file types that you’re unlikely to search for from the index. Back in Indexing Options, click the Advanced button. This launches a dialog that enables you to change more indexing configurations. On the File Types tab, you can opt to add or remove certain file extensions from indexing. Consider removing executables and files that you’re unlikely to search for.

 

Disable Search Indexing

The minor performance hit brought about by indexing your hard drive for fast searches is acceptable to most people, but if you’re on a low-spec system you can disable this for slower search results, but better overall performance. Click Start > Computer, right-click your drive and choose Properties, then uncheck “Index this drive for faster searching” on the General tab before clicking OK.

OR you can easily apply these tricks and get many more tweaks by simply using the ULTIMATE WINDOWS TWEAKER. developed by Ramesh Kumar & Published by The Windows Club.