Tips and Tweaks to streamline Vista
So you have Windows Vista, but you notice mega slowness. Well don’t worry, there are a couple tricks you can do to speed up Vista and make it more manageable.
1. Turn off aero glass.
Unless you are absolutely fascinated with this feature or you have the memory to support it (which is probably not the case or you would not be reading this article). To do this, follow these instructions.
Go to Start > Run and type what is below in the box.
Rundll32 dwmApi #104
To turn it back on, type in the next command:
Rundll32 dwmApi #102
Sometimes it is important for games to keep Flip3D on while Aero is off, all you have to do is use this command:
Rundll32 dwnApi #105
2. Updates.
If you have not installed Service Pack 1 for Vista yet, do it. Not only will it speed up Vista it will also fix some security issues. If you already have SP1 than make sure that you have regular updates for your computer. You can have them automatically downloaded on a set schedule. To set this up just type “windows update” in the start menu.
3. Deal with your Sidebar.
If you’re not using the Windows sidebar, exit it. Or if you have apps on there that you do not use clean them up. Some of these apps can use vital memory space which will slow down your computer.
4. Windows Ready Boost.
This nifty feature allows you to use a flash drive as extra RAM. Just plug in the USB flash drive and from the auto play click Windows ready boost. The system will test it and notify you if its compatible with it. If you do not have auto play go to “My Computer” and right click the USB flash drive and click ready boost from the drop down menu. For your USB to work properly it should have no more than 1GB of free space or it should be a newer model.
5. Do away with some unnecessary visual effects.
To do this:
Open Control Panel.
Click on ‘System and Maintenance’.
Click “Performance Information and Tools”.
Click “Adjust Visual Effects”.
6. One thing I should stress.
If you are running Vista Premium you should have nothing less than 2GB of RAM. Although Microsoft says 1GB that is the minimum and you will run into major memory problems if you multi task. For that reason, Vista Basic = 1GB of RAM, Vista Premium = 2GB, Vista Business = 1-2GB (depending on system), Vista Ultimate = 3GB (preferably 4).
7. Upgrading memory.
When upgrading memory make sure that you take special care to install it properly. RAM that is not installed properly will cause serious system problems and can even cause the system to become unstable and constantly crash.
8. Last but not least is compatibility.
Vista is compatible with most XP programs and drivers but every once in a while there can be a conflict. For that reason make sure that there are no conflicts with drivers and programs as this can cause the memory or cache to lag drastically.
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