More Windows speed tweaks

On Monday I described some simple ways to improve the performance of Windows XP and Vista. Since there's no such thing as a too-fast Windows PC, I'm returning to the subject with a handful of additional Windows speedup tips.

Disable remote services: If you never need to access the system over a network, nor have anyone else do so (for help troubleshooting a problem, for example), you can free up some Windows resources by turning these features off. In Windows XP Pro, click Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance (in Category view) > System > Remote, uncheck the options under Remote Assistance and Desktop Sharing, and click OK (note that these settings aren't available in XP Home).

To disable these remote features in Vista, press the Windows key and type system, press the down arrow until System is highlighted, and press Enter. Click Remote settings in the left pane, and under the Remote tab in the System Properties dialog box, uncheck the option under Remote Assistance. In the Remote desktop section, click Don't allow connections to this computer, and click OK.

Disable remote-access features in the System Properties dialog box to improve Windows' performance.

Deactivate System Restore: If you prefer to use a backup method other than the one built into Windows, you can disable this feature. Just keep in mind that if you go completely backup-less, you'll lose data. Maybe not today, and maybe not next week, but someday. Eventually Windows and your applications will crash--guaranteed.

In Windows XP you can shut off System Restore by clicking Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance (in Category view) > System > System Restore. Check Turn off System Restore, and click OK. Next, return to Control Panel and choose Administrative Tools > Services, click or double-click System Restore Service, select Stop, and close the window.

Disable System Restore in Windows XP by checking this option in the System Properties dialog box.

Do the same in Vista by pressing the Windows key, typing backup and restore center, and pressing Enter. Click Create a restore point or change settings in the left pane, uncheck your hard drive under Automatic restore points on the System Protection tab, click Turn Off System Restore at the scary warning, click OK, and close the Backup and Restore Center.

Turn off unneeded apps in the system tray: Most of the start-up apps that have slipped their icons into your system tray are superfluous. To disable them, right-click the icon, choose its Settings option (it may be called something similar), and uncheck the option to start the program with Windows.

Lose the themes: If you followed the advice in my previous post to set Windows for best performance in the Visual Effects dialog box, you disabled themes, but you didn't stop the service associated with them. In XP, click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services, click or double-click Themes, and choose Stop.

Vista's Aero interface is one of the few things that most people (including me) like about the operating system, but you can improve your system's performance by going with the old-style Windows look. To do so, press the Windows key, type personalization, and press Enter. Click Theme, choose Windows Classic in the drop-down menu, click OK, and close the Personalization applet.

Shut down Vista's Aero interface by choosing Windows Classic in the Themes drop-down menu of the Personalization dialog box.

Uninstall the Windows components you don't use: In XP, click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, choose Add/Remove Windows Components in the left pane, uncheck the components you can do without (MSN Explorer is a prime candidate), click Next and then Finish when the components are removed, and close Add or Remove Programs.

To get rid of these space-wasters in Vista, press the Windows key, type programs and features, press Enter, click Turn Windows features on or off in the left pane, uncheck the options you don't need, and click OK.

Monday: move your e-mail out of Outlook and onto your hard drive or other local storage.

[hkhurana]

I completely disagree on disabling system restore. That's a feature that has saved my butt many times.

[doreilly]

I was a big fan of System Restore until it failed on me and left me with no recourse but to restore my system from an image backup I had created a couple of months earlier using a full-fledged backup program. I'll do a post next week about the pros and cons of System Restore, but generally I believe that while System Restore is better than no backup, there are more reliable ways to protect your PC's data.

[biffhenerson]

Whats the point in running Vista if you turn the Visa features off? Then it is no longer Vista, just a generic nothingness. Boring. Maybe you should also tell the readers to unplug the mouse too as it drains system resources when the pointer is moved around the screen. Tell them to use the keyboard for everything. I feel sorry for people who follow your tips. No computer support person is going to want to help fix their computer when it has been tweeked so much. Leave the settings alone! While the computer may appear to be nanoseconds faster, Their computer will be crippled and vunerable and productivity will fall. Good luck.

[doreilly]

I was hoping that Vista would be faster than XP, but every morning I boot a Vista system and an XP system at the same time, and guess which one starts faster? Vista has some nice new features, but is it really a big step up from XP? We just want to get our work done faster and without the hassles. Keep the eye candy and superfluous "enhancements".

I'm sure many support people wish PC users would never touch their machines because doing so makes their job more difficult. In the real world, you can't expect people to want to customize their systems, and that includes finding ways to make them run faster.

[doreilly]

One slight correction to my previous reply: "...you can't expect people not to want to customize their systems..."

Thanks,
Dennis

[aka_tripleB]

I've been reading that turning off the "eye candy" only really applies to people who don't have a dedicate or up-to-date video card. I've been hearing most people with a decent video (I have an ATI X700, which seems to work well) won't see any benefit because most of the visual improments run off the video card. I'm pretty certain the Mr. O'Reilly is talking mainly to laptop and low-end PC owners who have an integrated video card for this one.

[PCWizKid]

I found alternative ways to tweak vista and also listed the top tweaking utilities you can get for it here:
http://pcwizkid.blogspot.com/2007/11/windows-vista-teak-bootup-faster.html

Cheers
PCWizKid
http://pcwizkid.blogspot.com/

[donboulton]

If you know how to tweek XP or are somewhat an advanced user then go here for Vista Tweeks.

http://bibwoe.com/1/InfoPages/VistaTweaks/tabid/84/Default.aspx

[kael10]

Mr. Schmidt owes his success largely to a global network of mobster fiends is what I hear from rival mafia. They say it was him that was directly responsible for the colosal profits made from promoting child pornography with the Google search engine.
http://endmafia.com
http://cid-21ccdb1c1e0c985a.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!21CCDB1C1E0C985A!130.entry