Top 10 Windows Vista Speed Tweaks (Part I)

1. Turn off Windows Search Indexing Windows Vista search indexing is constantly reviewing files on your system to make their contents available for quick searching. This is handy, but can severely impact system performance. To disable constant indexing: Click Start then Computer Right Click the C: Drive On General Tab, Uncheck Index this drive for faster searching On the subsequent dialog box, Select Include subfolders and files

2. Turn off Remote Differential Compression Remote Differential Compression measures the changes in files over a network to transfer them with minimal bandwidth rather than transferring an entire file that has previously been moved. By constantly checking for file changes, this service can hinder system performance. To disable this service: Open Control Panel Switch to Classic View Select Program Features Choose Turn Windows features on and off Scroll down and uncheck Remote Differential Compression

3. Turn off Automatic Windows Defender Operation Windows Defender real-time protection against malware continues to run despite having Automatic operation disabled. To disable this feature: Open Control Panel Select Windows Defender Choose Tools from the top menu Select Options Uncheck Auto Start at the bottom of the window

4. Turn off Automatic Disk Defragmentation Windows Vista and its always-on defragment feature isn’t really that necessary and can cause system slow down. Just remember to run a defrag manually every week or so. To disable this: Click Start then Computer Right Click the C: Drive Click on Properties Select the Tools Tab Click on Defragment Now Uncheck Run on a schedule

5. Add a 2GB or higher USB Flash drive to take advantage of Windows Ready Boost (Additional Memory Cache) Ready Boost is Microsoft’s name for using a USB thumb/flash drive to provide some quick access memory the operating system can use as extra RAM. The Ready Boost system can significantly improve system performance. To set this up: Insert a USB Flash Drive Click Start then Computer Right Click the USB Drive in My Computer Select the Ready Boost Tab Choose Use this device Select as much space as you can free up for RAM usage vs. Storage