You’ve got two approaches for speeding up a Windows PC (short of replacing it): improving the hardware and slimming down Windows.
The most cost-effective way to speed up any PC, hardware-wise, is to add RAM. You might be able to do this with your laptop–especially if you chose a money-saving configuration when you bought it.
To find out, download and run the portable version of System Information for Windows (SIW). Once the programis up, select Memory from the Hardware section to see what you’ve got and what the motherboard can take
But don’t be surprised if you’ve already maxed out your RAM. Owning a laptop limits your options for upgrading hardware. Portable PCs are just not as expandable as desktops.
Another hardware option is to replace the hard drive with aSolid State Drive (SSD). But that’s extremely expensive, and will likely reduce your storage capacity.
So let’s look at what we can do to speed up Windows:
Clean out your autoloaders. It’s shocking how many programs load automatically every time you boot. This not only slows down the boot process, but can potentially slow down Windows itself.
Consider sleeker security software. Two autoloaders you can’t afford to turn off are your firewall and your real-time anti-malware (also known as antivirus) program. These really do need to be on all of the time. But some of these programs slow you down more than others.
Turn off Aero. The fancy, transparent look Microsoft added to Vista (and kept with Windows 7) takes up clock cycles. Personally, I think the transparent look is worth the modest performance hit, but if you disagree, turn it off by following these instructions:
In Vista, right-click the Windows desktop and select Personalize, then Window Color and Appearance. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options (if you don’t see the option, Aero is already off) and select a color scheme other than Windows Aero.
In Windows 7, right-click the Windows desktop and selectPersonalize. Select a theme that’s displayed under the Basic and High Contrast Themes heading.
If you’re running Vista, consider upgrading to Win7. It really does speed things up. But take the time to do a custom (clean) install.
If upgrading your operating system seems a little extreme, than at least turn off Vista’s Sidebar. Right-click a blank space on the Sidebar and select Properties. Uncheck Start Sidebar when Windows starts.
