TechTips - How to Speed Up the Performance of Vista

Vista isn't as bad as everyone wants to believe, yeah it has its issues but what OS doesn't? There are a few tweaks you can apply to Vista that will make it run a lot smoother and should increase your performance and productivity. With just a few changes you can have your PC with Vista running just like your old XP machine used to. Remember anything that doesn't seem to help or you don't like you can always re-apply.

1. You should install Vista SP1 if you haven't already. I know its scary applying updates but it isn't as bad as it used to be with breaking machines. Now problems almost never occur when applying patches. You can get the Vista update here.

2. Install more RAM, I know this option might not work for many people who either don't have the money to buy RAM or your computer is maxed out on RAM or you don't know how to install it. There are some great guides on the net for installing RAM and which RAM you need for your PC. Check them out and if you can get more RAM this will always help.

3. Next we will want to disable the Search Index, this Search Index keeps track of your files for easy searching but most users don't need this and it simply takes up resources that would be better used elsewhere. To disable the service Click on Start and in the White Search Box type in Services.msc. This will open a window displaying all of the services running on your PC. Scroll to the bottom of the window and find the server labeled Windows Search, it should be set to Started and automatic. We will want to right click on this and choose properties. First click on the Stop button, once the service stops then click the Startup type drop down and choose Disabled. Click OK and you are done.

4. Next you should turn off the Aero Glass Transparency and adjust your visual affects to better enhance your performance. To turn off the Aero Glass Transparency, go to your desktop and right click, choose Personalize, and a new window will open. Choose Windows Color and Appearance, Uncheck the Enable Transparency. Click on the color you want for your display and then slide the Color Intensity bar to the left to decrease the intensity, click OK when you are finished. Next visual setting you will want to change is done by Right clicking on My Computer, choose Properties, and in the new window on the far left pane click Advanced System Settings. A new window will open and you will want to click the Advanced Tab, then the Settings button under the Performance Box. Uncheck the following and once uncheck click OK.

a. Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
b. Fade or slide menus into view
c. Fade or slide tooltips into view
d. Fade out menu items after clicking
e. Show shadows under menus
f. Slide open combo boxes
g. Slide taskbar buttons
h. Use a background image for each folder type

5. Uninstall any programs you don't use or don't know what they are, possibly ones that came pre-installed on your PC. To do this you will click the Start button, then Control Panel, and then switch to classic view and choose Programs and Features. Once in the new window simply click on any programs you know you don't use or need, once highlighted choose Uninstall (note* you will have to be logged on as an Administrator to do this).

6. One last tweak will be to turn off the Windows Sidebar; this is the Task bar that usually loads on the right hand side of your Windows Desktop. It is a cool tool but takes up a lot of resources, so we will turn it off. Click on Start, Control Panel, and choose Windows Sidebar Properties. Uncheck the box that says Start Sidebar when Windows Starts, Click OK and you are done.

These are just some tips to help you speed up your Vista machine. I know a lot of these tips take away the fancy interface and toys that come with Vista but XP didn't have any of these and most people liked XP and mainly liked the performance. This should increase your performance quite a bit. Hope it helps.