Posts Tagged ‘Windows Vista’

Turn off Vista Aero with a right-click

Aero is one of the beautiful features of Windows vista. But, if you are fond of performance and if you want to save energy, you may think to turn it off. You can do it normal way, by changing your theme. Or you can set a right-click option to make it faster and easier.

Here is the way:

Run REGEDIT and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\Shell. Right-click the Shell part, select New > Key and call it
Aero On.

Right-click the Aero On key you’ve created, and create a new key called command. Double-click this (in the right-hand side of the screen) and give it the value Rundll32 dwmApi #102.

Right-click the Shell key again, select New > Key, and call this Aero Off. Create a command key below it, as you’ve just done, and give it the value Rundll32 dwmApi #104.

Now, right-click an empty part of the desktop to see your options, and select Aero On when you want fancy effects like Flip 3D, and Aero Off when you’re after raw speed.

Read full article here.

99 Windows Vista Performance Tips and Tweaks

As a person who’s upgraded his pc to vista recently, I need a lot of vista tips and trics, because I dont have a great computer that will carry vista easily. Pcstats.Com compiled a list of 99 tips and twweaks to improve yor windows vista. This will help me and you a lot and you won’t need any other vista tips anymore.

System Preparation: Tweak Insurance (1-3)

1. Back up and restore Windows Vista Registry
2. How to edit the Windows Vista Registry
3. Creating a system restore point in Windows Vista

System Preparation: Hardware (4-10)

4. Add more memory (RAM)!
5. Update the motherboard BIOS
6. Update hardware drivers
7. Test the Computer’s RAM
8. Optimize the memory timings and voltage
9. Overclock the processor and memory
10. Overclock the videocard

First Boot – The Essential Tweaks (11-20)

11. Turn off User Account Control (UAC)
12. Set Automatic Update to download only
13. Learn to use the search bar as a Run command.
14. Disable automatic device driver searching and installation
15. Use Windows Defender to disable startup programs
16. Power options to high performance.
17. Enable DVD playback in Vista Basic and Vista Business.
18. Make the 64-bit version of Windows Media Player 11 the default player in Windows Vista x64
19. Update vista!
20. Run programs with administrator rights

Windows Vista Performance Boosting Tweaks (21-53)

21. Disable search indexing
22. Limit start menu search options
23. Remove remote differential compression
24. Boost external hard drive performance
25. Enable Readyboost on any flash memory device.
26. Speed up SATA drives in Vista.
27. Assign specific CPUs to applications
28. Assign priorities to applications
29. Create shortcuts for running applications with certain CPU/Priority settings
30. Disable unnecessary services
31. De-automate Windows Defender
32. Upgrade to Vista Service Pack 1 Beta (SP1-beta)
33. Disable superfetch for computers with less memory
34. Boot Vista with all available processors
35. Force 32-bit Windows Vista to use all your memory by enabling PAE
36. Used advanced disk cleanup tools to regain more space
37. Shut down services faster for faster shutdown.
38. Disable the Vista sidebar
39. Set the Sidebar to low priority
40. Kill the RSS feed sidebar gadget
41. Disable automatic backup/system restore
42. Disable hibernate on desktops
43. Stop scheduled disk defragmentation
44. Move the Vista paging file for better performance
45. Set a fixed paging file size
46. Rebuild the paging file to optimize performance
47. Move search index to another physical drive
48. Disable the low disk space check
49. Disable 8.3 name creation
50. Disable last access file update
51. Disable unneeded hardware
52. Check bootup and shutdown times with the Windows Vista Event viewer
53. Check your system’s health in 60 seconds or less

Mastering & Streamlining the Vista Interface
(54-83)

54. Use checkboxes for multiple file selection
55. Enable Windows classic desktop appearance
56. Reduce start menu opening delay
57. Disable mandatory thumbnail previews
58. Remove unnecessary Windows Vista features
59. Start task manager directly
60. Run sidebar gadgets without the sidebar
61. Backup your entire computer with Vista Backup and restore (Vista Business and Ultimate only)
62. Essential hotkey shortcuts for Vista
63. Return the run command to the start menu
64. Using the new ‘resource overview’ monitor in Windows Vista
65. Use the Vista reliability checker to track system issues
66. Disable warning sounds and add visual cues
67. Create desktop shutdown and reboot icons
68. Good sidebar gadgets to have (and not to have)
69. Run any application as administrator with a few keystrokes
70. Configure Windows Vista autoplay manually to suit your preferences
71. Disable security notifications
72. Tweak the mouse scroll wheel
73. Add Encrypt / Decrypt to Right Click Menu
74. Disable ‘GUI boot’ to speed startup
75. Add administrator account to welcome screen.
76. Change volume levels for individual applications
77. Display your backed-up DVD media in Vista Media Center (applies to Vista Home Premium and Ultimate only)
78. Reveal Vista’s hidden context menu power tools
79. Be the super user
80. Fix the Start Menu Power button
81. Enable verbose shutdown messages (Vista business and Ultimate only)
82. Customize Vista desktop performance
83. The ultimate Vista performance Tweak (not really)

‘Aero’-Dynamics – Customizing the Vista Aeroglass Interface (84-86)

84. Disable Aero (All versions except Vista Basic)
85. Disable Aero transparency (All versions except Vista Basic)
86. Disable min/max window animation in Aero (All versions except Vista Basic)

Network & Internet Performance Tweaks
(87-91)

87. Enable more simultaneous downloads in Internet Explorer 7
88. Enable more simultaneous Downloads in Firefox
89. Fix large file copying problems in Windows Vista
90. Disable IPV6 in Windows Vista
91. Refresh shortcut for wireless network searching

Vista Tuning Tips for Notebooks (92-94)

92. Disable Transient Multi-monitor manager to speed up boot times
93. Tweak your Vista power saving options for more travel time
94. Disable Aero interface to save big on battery life

Windows Vista Gaming Tips (95-99)

95. Update Vista’s DirectX9 files for better game compatibility
96. Disable background features while gaming
97. Run directX 9 games in Windows XP compatibility mode
98. Fix/enable 3D sound in some games
99. Poor game performance? Try DirectX9 mode
Exact url of the article: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2238

10 things that slow down your computer

When you first bought your computer, it was fast and enough for you to do everything with your computer. You used it for some years and you saw it gradually slowed down. Now you can hardly use it? What happened to your computer?

Well, there are a lot of reasons for a computer to slow down. But the most important one is the softwares you use. They improve very fast and so do their requirements. For example Windows XP works with a 256 mb ram but Vista requires minimum 2 gb to work correctly.

But of course there are other reasons, here are ten reasons that causes your computer to slow.

1. System Start-up packed with too many applications (Start-up overload)

Over time, as you add more and more programs to your computer, many of these applications automatically add themselves to your Windows Start-up folder. Additionally, these applications can add themselves quietly to a hidden area of your Windows Start-up system (accessed via the MSCONFIG run command). In extreme cases your PC will appear completely frozen.

Limiting the number of applications loading themselves at start-up can speed boot times considerably and increase overall system performance.

2. Spyware

Malicious programs that stealthily embed themselves into your Windows Registry and core file system are the number two most common cause of a slow PC or poor PC performance.

These applications are usually installed without your knowledge or consent during the installation of a “free” application you’re trying out, or pushed out automatically in the background when you visit websites that engage in this practice without the user’s knowledge.

These spyware programs must be removed as soon as possible to return your PC to top running speed, and before they damage your file system.

In some cases they can be removed by manually editing the Windows core file system and registry or by using an automatic spyware remover like XoftspySE, our favorite pick for spyware removal and cleaning.

3. Corrupted/Bloated Windows Registry

The Windows Registry is the master control center for your operating system and applications it runs. Corruption or overload registry issues can cause all sorts of pc performance problems, including poor application startup times, slow Windows start-up, extremely slow shut down, inability to resume from computer sleep and more.

Cleaning, compacting, and optimizing your Windows registry can go a long way to dramatically speeding up your computer’s performance, start-up and shutdown speed.

4. Badly Fragmented Hard Drive

The sixth most common reason for a slow PC is hard drive and file system fragmentation. Over time, your computer’s files can be scattered into bits and pieces located all over your hard drive. This is called fragmentation. Windows has a built in tool to help you with hard drive defragmentation:

* Open My Computer,
* Right-click once on your C: Drive and go down to “Properties”
* Select the “Tools” tab and choose the “Defragment Now” option and follow the step by step instructions.

5. Poor Security Software that is stealing system resources

Unfortunately, a large number of security software programs and suites out there demand a huge portion of your system resources and memory. This can lead to sluggish performance from the rest of your PC while your security software is constantly scanning and monitoring your computer for threats.

While threat detection is essential, some security vendors go overboard with their approach and drag your PC down with them.

To see how much memory and system resources your security software is using, press and hold CTRL+ALT+DELETE and choose the task manager.

Once the task manager is open look at the “processes” section to see how much of your system resources are being used by your security apps.

6. Remnants of uninstalled programs

Uninstalling an application either via the control panel or the application’s start menu folder has been known to leave behind remnants of the uninstalled program. These remnants can slow down your computer while Windows tries to figure out what to do with them. Additionally, residue of old program stays behind in your system registry, clogging up your PC’s core.

7. Pagefile

The Windows page file is a temporary area of memory that your computer uses to move files around while it processes functions. Basically, it’s a buffer that your computer uses for wiggle room. If your Pagefile is too small, your operating system won’t have enough room to move and you could end up with poor performance and error messages.

To increase the size of your Pagefile:

* Right-click on “My Computer” and go down to “Properties”
* Click the “Advanced” tab
* Click “Settings” under the “Performance” section
* Click the “Advanced” button
* Click “Change” under “Virtual Memory”

8. Hard Drive getting full and too many internet temp and windows temp files

If your hard drive has less than 10% free space, you will experience a dramatic slowdown in the performance of your PC. To improve this, free up some space by removing old documents you no longer use or programs that are no longer needed.

9. Virus

Closely related to Spyware, viruses can wreak havoc on your system’s performance and severely limit your PC’s ability to do what you ask it to.

Typically, viruses get onto your computer via infected email or instant messages, although they can also be installed via applications or files that you download from file-sharing networks and other non-trusted web sites.

10. Hardware Problems

The fourth most common cause of a slow or freezing computer is gradually dying internal hardware components. These can often show up in the form of slow boot and shut down, as well as poor program launches riddled with errors.

There are very few hardware diagnostic utilities out there, so we recommend careful removal of any newly installed pc components to see if they are causing a problem or incompatibility. Other than that, taking your PC to a certified, trusted hardware repair shop is usually a good idea.

Shut down windows in 5 seconds

We know it can be boring to wait for windows to start up but sometimes it can also be boring to wait it to shut down. In such circumstances there is a way to shut windows in 5 seconds. Simply cut off the electricity. Of course this is a joke. Here is the way;

1: Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to go to the Task Manager .

2: Click on Shut Down on the Top .

3: Highlight ‘ Turn Off ‘ and while holding down the Ctrl key , click on it .

It works on Vista and XP, and said to be harmless to your computer.