I found Windows 7 to be much faster than Windows XP and Windows Vista out of the box. The site’s footprint has definitely shrunk and doesn’t feel as bloated as Vista.
However, as with any operating system, you can tweak or modify your software and hardware to get the best performance. There are a few things about Windows 7 that can really speed things up in terms of startup and boot times.
In this article, I will cover a few things that I have done on my system that have ended up being successful. Of course, some elements are quite technical in nature and should only be done by people who know what they are doing (for example, disabling unused Windows services).
Moving the page file
Whenever possible, it is always best to move the paging file from the hard drive where Windows 7 is installed. Remember that this should be a separate hard drive and not just another partition on the same hard drive.
Basically, this allows Windows to use the paging file without interrupting read / write operations on the current disk. He can do both at the same time, which definitely matters.
Configuring Automatic Windows Logon
If you’re not particularly concerned about security, it might be worth setting up Windows 7 to automatically sign in to your account. You can set this up for password accounts. You do not need to remove the password for your account.
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Check out our previous post on how to set up automatic login to Windows 7:
https://articles.pkrtousd.gb.net/windows-7/windows-7-auto-login/
Run Disk Cleanup / Defragmenter
My favorite is CCleaner, which will clean up temp folders, etc., and remove unused or invalid entries in your registry. This can speed up downloads and startup, especially if you have installed and uninstalled many programs over a long period of time.
It is also recommended to defragment your computer from time to time. I do not recommend doing this all the time, because it is unnecessary. But it can improve performance if done once a month.
It works best on computers that have large files such as huge movies, ISO images, etc. Sometimes these files spread other files all over the hard drive.
Disable Windows features
Sometimes you can get a Windows 7 PC running Windows 7 Ultimate when you don’t really use any of the additional features of that OS. You can just leave things as they are, or it might be better to just turn off certain aspects if you know you will never use them.
For example, you can turn off all Games or IIS (Internet Information Services), etc., if you never use them. Just go to Control Panel and click on “Programs and Features” on the left.
Disable launchers
Is it really necessary for Skype, GTalk, Spotify, DropBox and 15 other programs to automatically load when you start your computer? Personally, I disable all of these elements and prefer to run them when I actually use them on my computer.
This is probably one of the areas where you can save the most download time. After turning off all types of garbage, I boot from 1 to 2 minutes to 30 seconds.
Of course, don’t disable anything that is not clear to you or looks like the Windows system process, but you can disable something from Adobe, HP, Apple, etc., etc.
Update your drivers and BIOS
It is also important to update the software that interacts with your hardware. It is recommended that you update the BIOS approximately every 6 months and update the drivers for your hardware.
It doesn’t take long, and you usually don’t face very many problems updating your drivers. If you do, you can always go to Last Known Good Configuration.
Install more RAM
RAM is essential for every computer ever built, regardless of operating system. The more you have, the better your system will perform. RAM is pretty cheap nowadays, so if you can get 4GB to 8GB of RAM instead of 1GB or 2GB, you’ll see a huge difference, especially when running inside an operating system.
Install your SSD.
Last but not least, install an SSD (Solid Start Drive). They are relatively new and much more expensive, but worth the money.
Again, you only need an SSD for your operating system (system partition), which usually doesn’t require more than 128 or 256 GB or space. Anything else, such as your data, can be moved to an additional hard drive.
You will see a significant improvement in boot and startup times if you install an SSD. You can get 120GB at Best Buy for about $ 240. By no means cheap, but if you really want a fast car, this is the way to do it.
Are there any other suggestions you’ve tried on your own system that have improved performance? If so, let us know in the comments! Enjoy!
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