How to optimize Windows XP and Vista in speed & performance

People often complain: why is my Windows XP system getting slower and slower? In particular, my friends who have installed Windows Vista feel more pronounced. What on earth are the reasons that make computers with Windows XP and Vista slow down? According to my conclusion, aging hardware and virus are two main irresistible factors, and too bloated registry and too many automatically startup items from loading are also influential reasons. Daily operations, such as installing new software, loading the runtime, adding new games and so on, make the operating system, such as Windows XP and Vista become more substantial.

How to optimize Windows XP and Vista to make a perfect computer? I will share 9 methods with you and divide them into 3 parts as the following.

1. Clean up registry to speed up computer.
2. Decrease auto-runs to boost stat-up.

Part 2:

Optimize XP and Vista by optimizing disks

3. Rational use of hard disk to fully utilize disk and avoid losing files.
4. Defrag disks to improve disk speed.
5. Remove junk files to free up disk space.
6. Put shortcuts properly to boost desktop loading.

Part 3:

Optimize XP and Vista by other tips

7. Set virtual memory reasonably to fully utilize physical memory.
8. Forbidden hibernation function to save disk space.
9. Make a simple desktop to save system source.

Clean up registry

1. Importance of registry

Registry loads at boot time, so applications use the registry entries more quickly than use external configuration files at startup. Microsoft designed the Registry to give applications a unified place to store configuration information. However, if registry is too big, it will consume a lot of resources of your XP or Vista system. Why there are so many Registry Optimizers or cleaners exist? This is because too much garbage in the registry: application software produces garbage, Windows itself creates the registry trash ,too, e.g. Office, NET Framework, are software writing a huge number of registered information. Registry of Windows Vista has been estimated that at least twice that of Windows XP.

If registry is bloated or with errors, it will be true that computer performance will be strongly impacted. That’s why we need to scan and delete the redundancy and error messages, the redundant DLL information, the survival uninstallation information, and other redundant information of the registry from time to time. Learn more about registry, you can take a look at Why we need registry cleaner optimizer.

2. How to clean up registry?

Firstly, you can clean up XP and Vista registry by yourself. Open the Start menu. Click "Run”, and type "regedit" into the text field and press "Enter". It is separated into primary sections: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS and HKEY_CURRENT CONFIG. Click the plus to find and delete unnecessary entries in the registry.

It is with high risk to do so if you are not a registry expert. The wrong deleting or modification in registry will lead a computer crack. Personally, I prefer the second way, i.e. download or buy a stable and safe registry optimizer for Windows XP and Vista and scan registry. One of my friends gets a bloated registry; she thinks that it is really useful and safe to use Wondershare Registry Optimizer to clean up registry, fix registry errors and then speed up computer.

Clean up your registry now!

Decrease auto-runs when boot computers

Many applications will be added to the XP and Vista system startup group by themselves during the installation. And they will run automatically each time you start the system, which not only extends the start-up time, but also takes up a lot of system resources.

We can reduce the start-up programs by a simple method: Select "Start" menu, click "Run", type "msconfig", and then start "System Configuration Utility" and enter "start" tab, you can see a window listing the system start-up items and sources. Look carefully whether you need it automatically loads, or clear the check box before the project. The less the start-up programs are, the faster the boot speed is. You need to restart your computer before taking effect.

Sometimes, you can not stop auto-runs by this method for they cannot be found by msconfig command, thus you need to edit your registry. To load your Windows XP and Vista Registry, you can click Start, Run and then input regedit. Then you can do some modification with your registry. For example, if you want to disable the startup Print program, in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run, find the right key and disable it. It is not recommended unless you are familiar with Registry. It is because that if you have deleted the wrong key, your computer may collapse. So, a better choice is to download a reliable registry optimizer for Windows XP and Vista to do this.

Rational use of hard disk

Put operating system on C disk, and so do small software like MSN, ICQ, Registry Optimizer, Player and graphical software.

Change the writing entries of My Documents, Internet Cache, Internet History, and My Favorite to D disk to avoid other disks producing fragments which will impact hard disk performance.

Install all applications on E disk, games on F disk, movies and music G disk.

In a word, do not put all the programs and files on one disk.

Defrag disks

Hard disk will produce a large number of file fragments after using computer for some time. It’s required that users periodically do the Disk Defragmenter to organize and clean up hard disk. Click My Computer, right-click the drive you want to defrag, click properties /tools /defragment now/select disk /Analyze/Defragment; the system began to organize, you will be notified when the defrag complete. Please remember: do not read and write data during the defragment, because it is likely to cause your computer crash. If you are not able to defrag disk completely, go into safe mode. By the way, I prefer to use a disk cleaner for Windows XP and Vista to save more time and energy since the built-in Disk Defrag takes hours to finish.

Put shortcuts properly

Usually, we run software by their shortcuts. The hard disk is increasing; and we install more and more software. Many of us like to put all shortcuts on the desktop, which will enable us dazzled, decline the system performance, and will make system unstable resulted in excessive system resources occupied. So we had better control shortcuts put on the desktop in 10 or so, and put others into the Start menu and quick launch bar. Also, try not to duplicate existing shortcuts. We can use a good registry optimizer for Windows XP and Vista which will help you search for invalid shortcuts that may be cluttering up desktop and other parts of your system. This can optimize system performance, free up disk space and remove annoying shortcuts that point to invalid or non-existent files.

Remove junk files

When use Windows XP and Vista, lots of junk files with an extension of TMP, BAK, OLD are producing. You can use search function of Windows XP to identify these files and delete them. Additional, Windows default will log an error when system failure event happen and write debugging information, which we can fully abandon. The way is to click "Start / Control Panel / System / Advanced / Startup and Recovery," empty "write an event to the system log”, select "No" option in the drop-down box of "Write debugging information". The easiest way is to use a system optimizer for Windows XP and Vista to click simple buttons; junk files will be emptied in several seconds.

Set virtual memory reasonably

Windows XP always set a big virtual memory for security default, which wastes much hard disk space. In fact, we can set it a little bit smaller to optimize Windows XP and Vista system.

Enter Control Panel/System/ Advanced/ Property/ Setting/ Advanced/ Virtual memory/ Change; you can see the virtual memory setting window. Firstly, make sure which drive letter your page files are on, and then forbid all page files on other drive letter. The suggestion to set page files on other disks but not C disk (system disk) is in order to increase the speed of hard disk and therefore be good for speeding up system. According to Microsoft’s proposal, page files should be 1.5 times bigger than RAM. If you have a large RAM, the space page files taking up is significant. So, I suggest that if your RAM is below 1GB, you can set virtual memory 1.5 times with the same maximum and minimum; if RAM is from 1GB to 2GB, set it 1 time; if RAM is above 2GB, just setting it half of RAM is completely workable. What you have to notice is that if you install big games or software, you must keep a certain virtual memory because they need too much RAM.

Forbidden hibernation function

Windows XP hibernation will completely save the current system state in memory to hard drive, so when you boot computer next time, system will go directly to your last sleep state without loading, system initialization and other courses, and therefore start-up becomes very quickly. However, hibernation takes up large hard disk space (nearly the same as your memory size).To optimize Windows XP and Vista system, go to "Control Panel / Power Options / Hibernate", and close it to free up disk space. You can re-open it when necessary. The method is to click the "Start / Control Panel / Power Management / Hibernate", remove the hook before "Enable Hibernation".

Make a simple desktop

In addition, to optimize system performance for your Windows XP and Vista, do not make the desktop background too complex (recommended set it to "None"). Some of us made an animated desktop, which has few advantages and bring destabilized factors to the system. After all, we have very little time in the face of the desktop. Not mention that system resource is taken up by those settings and the boot sequence of the windows is seriously affected. To get rid of them, right-click the desktop blank, and select "Properties" in the pop-up menu; then respectively select "background" and "Screen Saver" tab in the pop-up dialog box, at last set "wallpaper" and " Screen Saver "to" None "option.

All above are useful methods to optimize Windows XP and Vista system. However, I still have a suggestion, that is, people who are good at computers can adjust system by using above ways; people who are not familiar with computer system especially registry had better use a professional system optimizer or registry cleaner. In short, owning a fast computer and a healthy system are what we pursue.

This article is from http://www.system-tools-software.com

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