Are you not satisfied with the speed and performance of your computer? Maybe it needs a little adjustments with the Windows operating system. If you want to get the most performance and speed out of Windows, it is better to start with the simple approach first, before trying the more complex stuff like the registry. The very first step in Windows optimization is creating and maintaining a backup for your files.
The next step is to remove the start up programs that are not necessary. If your computer is like most computers, most probably you installed a lot of items in it, plus a lot of start up items to complement them. Many computer users believe that these programs need to be running on the background all the time. Maybe they want them for purposes of checking for updates, for reloading, etc. But did you know that not all applications need to run each time you use your PC? The antivirus should be always running on the background, but other applications such as the Apple QuickTime need not sit around all the time.
These unnecessary start up programs will slow down your logon time, so it will be better not to run them when they are not needed. Other examples of programs that can be stopped from running in the background are GoogleToolbarNotifier, Acrotray, WinZip QuickPick, Qttask and iTunes Helper. Installed programs that are rarely used take up a lot of hard drive space and eat up your computer’s resources (RAM). If your PC slows down so noticeably, it is time to do a disabling of the unused programs.

You can optimize your computer to get it to run faster and not take it in to a computer tech and save a lot of money. All you really have to do is go through all the settings and verify that the entries are best suited for your needs in order to optimize your computer. It is important to have all updates installed for any software, devices and the operating system as it is critical to a peak operating system. This is not a difficult process and you can set it to be performed automatically.

Run Check Disk. Running a check disk will enable you to fix operating system and software errors. To run a check disk, you will first need to go to “My Computer” on the start menu (If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, it is called (Computer.”). Press “Enter” on “My Computer” or “Computer” and then use your arrow keys until your cursor is on the “C” drive. Once there, press the “Applications” key, click the “Tools” tab and press the “Check Disk” button. You will be given two options if you check both of these boxes and press “start” you will then be asked if you want the process to take place when the computer restarts. Just click on “yes” to proceed.

It is recommended to run the Disk Cleanup utility weekly. As you save documents on your computer, and as you surf the Internet, your computer will save temporary files. In order to run the Disk Cleanup utility to rid you of such files, go to your start menu, click on “All Programs., click “Accessories,” click “System Tools” menu and click “Disk Cleanup.” The computer calculates the amount of space you can free up. Once finished  you will then be shown a list of different files that you can choose for the Disk Cleanup to throw out. It is best to check all of them and let the Disk Cleanup run.

Look at the lower right corner task bar, to the left of where the current time is displayed; expand that area to see how many applications are currently running or are ready to run. How many programs or applications are launched during start up? Each one of those applications are using up computer resources.

The more programs and applications running at the same time, the more resources are required and the slower the computer will operate even if they are not immediately seen on the screen. Does the printer always need to be primed and ready for printing? Shut down programs not regularly used and/or remove them from the start up operation.

The registry of a computer is essentially (in its most basic sense), a library of commands and file locations. Over time, through the installing and uninstalling of software, creating and deleting of files as well as surfing the web, the registry becomes disorganized and in need of attention. A good registry cleaner will ensure this area remains in order.

Disabling any auto start in the preferences pages of many software programs will turn off their auto start feature but using the msconfig utility will also accomplish this for you.

Having a good virus scanner and firewall are also important to keeping your computer updated and well maintained. With these items installed you are sure you are protecting your system from malware attacks.

The computer system registry is also an important component of all computers. The registry is where all the critical instructions and information for the hardware and software to run properly. You may wish to rely on an experts help with the system registry as it is such an important component of your computers operating system.

The Experience Index is a utility found in the Windows 7 operating system that help you to determine what might causing your computer to run slow. The Experience Index will assign a score or system rating which is the measurement of the speed of the computers software and hardware. The scores range from a low of one to a high of 7.9. You will be provided with a detailed listing that rates the RAM, processor, gaming graphics, graphics, and transfer rate of the primary hard drive.

You will find the Experience Index in the Control Panel when you click on “View basic information about your computer” and look under “System and Security”. Next when you click on it a display of all the information important about your Windows operating system and hardware. You will find the score next to “Rating” under the “System” tab. The index score will be of the slowest component found.

Clicking on the link “Windows Experience Index” that is found next to the score you will see a report that details all of the scores of the five components. These subscores are for the processor, RAM, , gaming graphics, graphics and the transfer rate of the hard disk.

You can replace the component with the lowest score first. If two components have relatively equal low scores then you may need to replace both. You may not be able to replace the processor on the motherboard of your computer so if that component has the lowest score you might have to buy a new computer.

Many things will cause your computer to boot slowly. If you have a lot of unnecessary fonts or icons all these items can cause your system to start up slowly.

To improve your boot time you can begin by cleaning house. But before you begin you need to have a back up of all the important information on your computer. You want to empty the Recycle Bin, remove temporary files and get rid of all other unnecessary items on your computers hard drive.

You have the option to bypass any program that is in the Start up folder when you need to. You can do this by holding the Shift key down when you boot your computer. This will cause none of the programs in the Startup folder to run. But this will not disable them from running the next time you start up your computer.

You can also use the system configuration utility to stop programs from automatically starting up. You get to this utility by typing “msconfig” at the run prompt from the Start menu. Click on the Start Up tab of the system configuration utility to uncheck any programs that you want to disable from starting when you boot up your computer.

If your system is part of a network or you have ever connected it to a network there may be invalid network connections that still attempt to be found when your computer boots up. Disconnecting any mapped drives and network connections that are no longer in use will help to improve your computers boot time.

While the Windows 7 operating system is one of the better releases by Microsoft it does not guarantee that you will not experience common issues including hanging, freezing and slowness. It is important to have the right hardware requirements that are designed to run the Win 7 OS. If you are upgrading an older computer to Win 7 you might end up disappointed with its performance unless you update some components. Even if you have some of the most recent hardware there are other considerations that may reduce the performance of a Win 7 computer.

You can improve the boot speed your Win 7 computer by pressing the R plus the Windows Key. When you open the Run screen type ‘msconfig’ and press ‘enter’. You will then see the System Configuration Window. Go to the Boot tab and look for the “time out” setting. If it is set to ‘30’ you should set it to ‘0’ of you only have one OS installed on the PC or ‘3’ if you have more than one OS installed. Also check the “No GUI Boot” option, Advanced Options, and be sure the “Number of Processor” setting is set to “2”.

Visual Effects is another area of the Win 7 operating system that can bog down your computers speed. You can disable many of the effects without a significant decrease in the appeal of the appearance of your computer but will greatly improve its speed.

The Windows 7 operating system is one of the best that Microsoft has released. But it still will encounter issues with speed depending upon several factors. Running this powerful OS requires you have the hardware components compatible for it. If you upgrade and older computer you may find that it performs slower than before you installed the Win 7 operating system. How can you tell what components need to be updated? Well that is where Win 7 comes in first.

The Experience Index is the tool that will give you this information and it is found in the Control Panel by clicking on “View basic information about your computer” found under “System and Security”. When you click on it a display of all the information important about your Windows operating system and hardware. You will find the score next to “Rating” under the “System” tab. The index score will be of the slowest component found.

Next is you click on the link “Windows Experience Index” that is found next to the score you will see a report that details all of the scores of the five components. These subscores are for the RAM, processor, gaming graphics, graphics and the transfer rate of the hard disk. The controlling factor is determined by the lowest score of all the components.

With the Windows Experience you can know what components you need to replace, if any, to speed up your computer. Having this measurement is really helpful in letting you know where you will get the best value for your money.

You can face the same issues with your Win 7 OS computer as with any other operating system including freezing and hanging up. But there are procedures you can perform to improve your Win 7 computers performance.

It is possible to encounter these errors at any time that as well as the fact that there are many things that might cause these errors to occur. Registry errors, deficient amount of RAM, faulty programs could all be the culprits causing the errors. When repair these errors you will see an improvement the performance of your Windows 7 computer.

Problems affecting the hard drive can create problems with your computers performance. You can correct these problems by using the disk defragmenter utility. It is often that problems with programs will cause system problems. If this is occurring you can try un-installing and re-installing the software. Also be sure to have all your software programs updated on a regular basis.

The Windows 7 operating system, as do all others, create junk files that can slow down the performance. When ever you browse the Internet temporary and cached files are created as well as cookies. Removing these items regularly will also improve the speed of your computer.

Other things you can do to improve the performance of your computer is to eliminate any unnecessary icons on the desktop. Icons use up memory and takes it away from other tasks that might otherwise need it more.

You can experience errors in your computer at unexpected times and there are many causes for these errors to occur. Some of the things that can create system problems include not enough RAM, buggy programs, registry errors could all be the source of your system problems. Repairing these errors you will improve the speed of your Windows 7 computer.

You will encounter problems with performance if your hard drive has errors. You can correct these problems by using the disk defragmenter utility. Programs can also be the cause performance problems. If this is happening you should un-installing and re-installing the problem software

You can do to improve the performance of your computer by eliminating any icons on the desktop that you do not need. Icons consume memory that may be needed for other tasks.

The Windows 7 operating system, as do all others, create junk files that can slow down the performance. When ever you browse the Internet temporary and cached files are created as well as cookies. Removing these items regularly will also improve the speed of your computer.

When you resolve these issues it will help to improve your computers performance if your registry is clean. Many times the system registry contains corruptions. Checking your registry for problems and fixing them will go a long way to keeping your system running fast. You can fix registry errors on your own or you can use a registry cleaning tool.

While the Windows 7 operating system one of the better operating systems that Microsoft has released that does not guarantee that it is the fastest overall. You need to have certain hardware requirements that are met in order to run the Win 7 OS. If can opt to upgrade an older computer to Win 7 but you might find that you are unhappy with its performance unless you update some components. This might even be true if you have some of the most recent hardware there are other considerations that may reduce the performance of a Win 7 computer.

Visual Effects of the Win 7 operating system is a feature that can bog down your computers speed. You can disable many of the effects without a significant decrease in the appeal of the appearance of your computer but will greatly improve its speed.

The Windows 7 operating system has some pretty awesome features. They provide many uses including using a USB Flash drive as virtual RAM. This feature is called Ready Boost. It is recommended that you use a USB drive that has been formatted. You can choose the option to allocate the drive for system speed.

You can also improve the performance of your Win 7 computer by disabling unnecessary sounds. If this feature is active it can use up a good bit of your computers system resources, slowing down your computer. You can choose to turn off all sounds but you might want to keep the sounds for logoff, start up, shutdown, logon and start navigation and still maintain best performance.