Vista Speed - Part 1

Windows Vista had to work hard to attract people away form the ever-popular Windows XP, but once it had it managed to work its way into the hearts and minds of PC users all around the world.

However, now with the release of Windows 7 Vista is starting to feel a little old already - let’s take a look at what we can do to speed up our ailing Vista operating system and make it feel powerful once again.

Windows Search Indexing

One of the helpful tools inside Windows Vista is the feature constantly looking at files in the system in an attempt to make any search as quick and efficient as possible.� As much as this feature is helpful, it’s also slowing your system down.

Turn it off by going to Start and then to Computer.� Then right click on the C:Drive and in the General Tab make sure that the box for faster searching is unchecked.� Then in the subsequent window select “include subfolders and files”.

Automatic Disk Defragmentation

Once again, another nifty feature in Vista is the automatic disk defragmentation option - however, once again this will slow your system down tons so you should switch it off it you want to regain some power.

To switch it off simply press Start and go to Computer.� Then right click on C: Drive and select the Tools tab and make sure that the box for Run on a Schedule is unchecked.

Extra RAM

The clever thing about Vista is the possibility of adding an extra 2GB of RAM by simply plugging in a 2GB USB memory stick into the USB hub on your computer.� Your computer can see this stick as extra RAM and then speed up your computer using Windows Ready Boost.

To set this up simply plug in your 2GB memory stick (or even more if you want) and then click on Start and then Computer.� Then right click on the USB drive in My Computer and select the Ready Boost Tab.� Choose to Use This Device and select as much space as possible to use as RAM.

Hibernation

Hibernation can use a ton of system resources that really slow your computer down - the best way to get around this is to simply turn the option off!

To do this simply select the Control Panel and then the Power Options.� Then click on the Change Plan Settings and click on the Change Advanced Power Settings.� The next thing to do is to expand the Sleep selection and then the Hibernate After selection and turn the selector down to nothing and click Apply - this should really boost your system’s performance.

Looking for a boost in performance?

Are you trying to get the most out of Windows Vista?� What methods do you use to speed up your Vista operating system?� Leave us a comment and let us know…