Speed Up Windows 7

For those of you that have a low end Windows 7 computer, and need to speed it up, you can find below some useful things to do. I will also let you know what are the advantages and disadvantages for each suggestion.

Before starting though, let's remember the minimum requirements to run Windows 7:

• 1 GHz processor
• 1 GB RAM (for the 32-bit version) or 2 GB RAM (for the 64-bit version)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (for the 32-bit version) or 20 GB (for the 64-bit version)
• DirectX 9 graphics card

So, if your PC doesn't meet the above requirements, do NOT install Windows 7.

Now let the fun begin!

Disable Search Indexing

1. Click Start, type services.msc in the search box and then press Enter.
2. From the list of services, find the Windows Search service, and double-click it.
3. From the Startup type drop down list, select Disabled.
4. Under the Service status, click Stop.
5. Click OK

Advantages

• Your computer will start up faster.
• Your computer's processor will thank you.

Disadvantages

• When you use the Search feature, Windows will need more time to find a file.
• Some of your friends may think you have a slow computer when they see you trying to search for a file.

Disable the Aero Theme

1. Right-click on your Desktop and click Personalize.
2. Scroll down to Basic and High Contrast Themes, and select Windows 7 Basic.
3. Wait for it to apply.

Advantages

• Your computer will start up faster.
• Your computer will remain fast.
• Your graphics card will thank you.

Disadvantages

• You won't be able to see transparent windows.
• You won't be able to wow your Mac friends with the looks of your Windows.

Set the Power Plan to Maximum Performance

1. Click Start, type power options in the search box and then press Enter.
2. If you don't see the High Performance plan, click the arrow to Show Additional Plans.
3. Select High Performance.

Advantages

• Your computer's performance will increase.
• You will be using the best out of your computer's hardware capabilities.

Disadvantages

• If you have a laptop, its battery will drain faster.
• If you have a desktop, you will be using more power.

Use Programs That Speed Up Windows

You can easily find some programs that can help you speed up your system by cleaning the registry and performing various tasks.

Example: CCleaner, TuneUp Utilities, Wise Registry Cleaner...

Advantages

• Your computer's performance will increase.
• Any "unclean" registry will be removed.
• Registry errors will be fixed.

Disadvantages

• Some programs may harm your computer if you use them incorrectly.
• Over-using these programs is not recommended.

Use the Disk Defragmenter

1. Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Defragmenter.
2. Select the Disk you want to defragment and then click Defragment Disk.
3. Wait for the operation to finish.

Advantages

• Your computer's performance will increase, especially when loading files.
• Your computer's hard drive will have more "organized" files.

Disadvantages

• Defragmenting every day is not recommended since it will reduce the life of your computer's hard drive.
• If you have an over fragmented disk, the process may take a long boring time to finish.
• While defragmenting, the computer's performance is reduced.

That's it for now! I hope the suggestions above will speed up your system.

I will be adding more tips and tricks to increase your computer's performance, so stay tuned and follow ProTrickers now!