I have been using Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate since last couple of months. I can say I am impressed by its UI, search options, enhancements to start menu and dream scene wallpapers. All of that eye candy has given enough pleasure to me. But when I am utilizing my dual core machines with 4GB RAM and 250 GB HDD, I feel slowness. Then came Vista SP1,it did bring some life and performance in system.
Also I have upgraded my graphics card to NVidia 8800 when the prices came down. That given me some relief. Occasionally I have started using freeware tools for tasks like to defragment hard drive using Defraggler, to clean internet clutter using CCleaner and to defrag windows registry using AusLogics Registry Defrag, to remove un-required unnecessary programs Revo Uninstaller, to clean spyware/malware using Spybot & ThreadFire. This do added some performance boost to Vista.
Still my family has kept complaining that our machines are slow and does not work faster. Mostly their complaining was around internet access, loading of pages, opening tabs in IE and FireFox and playing Games.
But enough about "I" and "my" words. Recently I have come across two cool tools. One from official source of Vista i.e. Microsoft. Another is from Total idea.
First one which is from Microsoft. Microsoft has Springboard - overview series under which they are releasing some cool eBooks to be downloaded. A eBook "Overview Series: Windows Vista® Performance and Tuning" which Microsoft says will help readers to improve performance Quickly and Easily.
This guide focuses on performance improvements on a single computer, but also takes a look at some of the tools used in enterprise environments to help make performance tuning manageable on a much larger scale. This eBook is available in two formats :XPS and PDF.
Here is brief overview from Microsoft Download site:
Windows Vista and SP1 focus on delivering greater performance and overall system responsiveness. By striking a balance between speed and responsiveness, Windows Vista and SP1 deliver a level of performance that has the greatest positive impact on the system’s usability.This guide looks at the following areas of performance improvement:
• Making configuration changes that help a computer feel more responsive when you use it.
• Using hardware to boost the actual physical speed of a computer.
• Making configuration changes that help a computer to start faster.
• Making the computer more reliable may help increase performance.
• Monitoring performance occasionally so that you can stop problems before they get too big.
Second tool is an utility called Tweak VI. This is available as basic freeware and commercial edition. Total Idea site lists some of many features of Tweak VI utility as below:
Resource List:
Piriform CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)
Another freeware is a file defragmentation tool... Piriform Defraggler! It differs from other defrag tools on the market, by enabling you to quickly and simply defrag the files you want to, without having to process the whole drive. Simply run it, select the file and defragment in seconds. No more struggling with the Windows defragmentation tool!
Revo Uninstaller helps you to uninstall and remove unwanted programs installed on your computer even if you have problems uninstalling and cannot uninstall them from "Windows Add or Remove Programs" control panel applet.
Enjoy !!!
Also I have upgraded my graphics card to NVidia 8800 when the prices came down. That given me some relief. Occasionally I have started using freeware tools for tasks like to defragment hard drive using Defraggler, to clean internet clutter using CCleaner and to defrag windows registry using AusLogics Registry Defrag, to remove un-required unnecessary programs Revo Uninstaller, to clean spyware/malware using Spybot & ThreadFire. This do added some performance boost to Vista.
Still my family has kept complaining that our machines are slow and does not work faster. Mostly their complaining was around internet access, loading of pages, opening tabs in IE and FireFox and playing Games.
But enough about "I" and "my" words. Recently I have come across two cool tools. One from official source of Vista i.e. Microsoft. Another is from Total idea.
First one which is from Microsoft. Microsoft has Springboard - overview series under which they are releasing some cool eBooks to be downloaded. A eBook "Overview Series: Windows Vista® Performance and Tuning" which Microsoft says will help readers to improve performance Quickly and Easily.
This guide focuses on performance improvements on a single computer, but also takes a look at some of the tools used in enterprise environments to help make performance tuning manageable on a much larger scale. This eBook is available in two formats :XPS and PDF.
Here is brief overview from Microsoft Download site:
Windows Vista and SP1 focus on delivering greater performance and overall system responsiveness. By striking a balance between speed and responsiveness, Windows Vista and SP1 deliver a level of performance that has the greatest positive impact on the system’s usability.This guide looks at the following areas of performance improvement:
• Making configuration changes that help a computer feel more responsive when you use it.
• Using hardware to boost the actual physical speed of a computer.
• Making configuration changes that help a computer to start faster.
• Making the computer more reliable may help increase performance.
• Monitoring performance occasionally so that you can stop problems before they get too big.
Second tool is an utility called Tweak VI. This is available as basic freeware and commercial edition. Total Idea site lists some of many features of Tweak VI utility as below:
- Activate hundreds of hidden Windows Vista settings to get the most out of your Vista
- Clean your registry with the integrated Registry Cleaner and Optimizer
- Activate system and software restrictions - you decide what should be accessible or not
- Display detailed system information on installed hardware
- Create a 256 MB RAM drive for fastest access
- protect your privacy and remove browsing and other usage left overs
- Clean your hard drive and remove unneccessary files to get wasted hard drive space back
- Manage TrueType fonts - disable unused to free up system resources
- Improve your internet connection by a few mouse clicks
- Repair .pst files, register your .pst files with Outlook with the included .pst file registration utility
- Optimize your RAM with the included memory optimizer
- Manage system updates, remove update backups
- You can even transfer your tweaks and settings to other machines running Vista
If you have tips and tricks to improve your windows installation, please do share !!!!
Resource List:
Piriform CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)
Another freeware is a file defragmentation tool... Piriform Defraggler! It differs from other defrag tools on the market, by enabling you to quickly and simply defrag the files you want to, without having to process the whole drive. Simply run it, select the file and defragment in seconds. No more struggling with the Windows defragmentation tool!
Revo Uninstaller helps you to uninstall and remove unwanted programs installed on your computer even if you have problems uninstalling and cannot uninstall them from "Windows Add or Remove Programs" control panel applet.
Enjoy !!!
1 comment:
Thanks for the tips....I never knew about Tweak VI, and now I do!! Keep up the good work.
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