What I Do to make Vista faster (and less annoying)...

The following is what I do directly after a clean install of Windows Vista . This does not mean that everything I do will work for you. It's important to keep that in mind and ensure you are fully aware of the risks of tweaking your system before doing so. Several of my performance tweaks "reduce" the default functionality of Windows and removes some built in security features. I have my own security measures, and know what i'm doing, so that's okay for me, but if security is a top priority for you or you are a new user to Vista, refrain from disabling any functionality noted as a security feature.

So, restating the obvious, this is what I (ME ME ME ME ME) do when I (ME ME ME ME ME) install Windows Vista, it's not the same for everyone - however, my computer is setup as follows (and if yours happens to be identical, Go you!!) - I doubt it will be though, as mine is a custom build, rather than from a Dell box or sumfin.

• Intel Pentium 4 641 3.20GHz Processor
• PCChips P23G v3.0 Via Socket 775 Motherboard
• 2GB PC4200 DDR2 533MHz Memory
• Diablotek GeForce FX5200 128MB DDR PCI Graphics Card
• Diablotek Radeon 9200 128MB AGP 8x Graphics Card
• Lite-On SATA DVD-DL-RW
• Lite-On EIDE CD-RW
• Generic RAID PCI Card with 2 x Seagate 250GB EIDE HDDs in RAID0 Configuration
• Seagate 500GB EIDE HDD (system drive)
• 2 x Generic Removable EIDE Trays, which I use to push older drives and fix other peoples computers through.
• 2 x Monitors (the GeForce card controls the primary monitor and has a TV-Out (so i can watch stuff on the TV without it interring with the other monitors)
• Canon Pixma iP 3300 Colour Printer (although this is broken at the moment)

I connect to the net through an aDSL modem (7 mbit connection) and a wireless router (although this is the primary computer and is connected with a wire). I also have a generic PCI Fax Modem in there, but (suprise, suprise) it's not compatible with Vista, so i'm saving up for a brand new one ($10 is hard to come by these days)

The Laptop and all the other computers are still using Windows XP SP2 and i have no intention of upgrading just yet.

Point to note: Ensure that you are logged in as an "Administrator" or have Administrator rights before performing any of these steps.

Even though I do these initial steps directly after a clean install, all of them be done at any time.

Number One: User Account Control

User Account Control or UAC is a new feature in Vista that asks for permission to do system software tasks and also run programs. Unfortunately, this security feature is also annoying. You may have seen the commercials on TV for Apple where they make fun of it, and it really is like that - it asks you about everything, and then asks again, and then wants confirmation - it's true Microsoft rubbish. I cannot predict the future of your system or what kind of security vulnerabilities will be used to attack systems, and as such, you need to decide for yourself if you desire to keep UAC active, but if you wish to disable it, here is how I do it:

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Administrative Tools
5. Select the System Configuration button
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Select the Tools Tab
8. Select "Disable UAC"
9. Select the Launch button
10. Select the Ok button to close the panel

You will have to reboot for the setting to take effect.

At the very least, it's a good idea to disable it, while making changes to a new system (like following through this page) BEFORE you connect to the internet, and turning it back on again using the same method when you are complete, until you are confident with the security of your system.

Number Two: System Restore and Indexing Features

If you are experiencing "random" slowdowns and "high" CPU usage for no reason, these two features are THE most likely cause of the problem. These features are also a major cause of "missing" disk space. System Restore could be taking up to 15% of your hard drive space, just on it's own. On a 200GB hard drive, that is 30GB!

System Restore Service creates system snap shots or "restore points" for returning to at a later time. Every time you install a program or new driver, plus on a schedule, this service creates a restore point to roll back to if a problem occurs. This is the first thing that I get rid of on a clean installation. If you use this and enjoy it, good for you. I never will. I feel it is faster and less hassle to just install clean. If you do not use System Restore Service, I highly recommend you back up your important files using, for example, a CD/DVD burner or an external USB 2.0 hard drive. A rather good (and possibly the only) reason to use this "feature" is to roll back your OS after installing an unknown program or testing software. BETA software, for example, of any kind or before installing a Service Pack. NOTE: If you disable this service, your previous "restore points" will be deleted. If, for what ever reason, you do not want this to happen, do not disable this service.

If you've never done tweaking like this before, you may want to leave this until the very last thing you do, just in case you make a change that screws everything up, that way you can at least just go back a few steps to find out what you did. And, as usual, if you are unsure, just leave it alone, like everything else - remember, this guide is what I (yes, me) do when i install Vista, it's not what everyone should do.

The Indexing Service, by default, searches the start menu and the user account directory (C:/Users/<account>/) to assist in faster searching. However, with the tasks that I personally do, I rarely, use the Windows Search feature. The indexing feature has improved, though, as it is much more sensitive to an active user and will reduce the resources used while a person is actively using the system. I have found it using 100% of the CPU in the past, and on slower computers, that can cause a lot of problems. My system is pretty fast though, so using alternative search methods (what is known as Brute Force) are just as effective.

Get rid of System Restore and Indexing. Where do you find it?

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Backup and Restore Center
5. Select Create a restore point or change settings (on the left side)
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Select System Protection Tab (should be there already)
8. Uncheck your hard drives listed under "Automatic restore points"
9. Select the Turn System Restore Off button
10. Select the Ok button to apply the settings

With the Classic View:

• Head to Start
• Select Control Panel
• Select Backup and Restore Center
• Select Create a restore point or change settings (on the left side)
• Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
• Select System Protection Tab (should be there already)
• Uncheck your hard drives listed under "Automatic restore points"
• Select the Turn System Restore Off button
• Select the Ok button to apply the settings

You can now disable the Indexing Feature:

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Indexing Options
5. Select the Modify button
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Select the Show all locations button
8. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
9. Double click "Users" in the "Summary of selected locations"
10. Uncheck Users directory
11. Double click "Start Menu " in the "Summary of selected locations"
12. Uncheck Start Menu directory
13. Select the Ok button to close the panel

With the Classic Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Indexing Options
5. Select the Modify button
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Select the Show all locations button
8. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
9. Double click "Users" in the "Summary of selected locations"
10. Uncheck Users directory
11. Double click "Start Menu " in the "Summary of selected locations"
12. Uncheck Start Menu directory
13. Select the Ok button to close the panel

Number Three: Windows Sidebar

The new Windows Vista Sidebar uses between 12MB and 20MB of RAM with the default 3 Gadgets and no news headline feed.

You know you wanna disable the Sidebar! Several ways exist, but here are two of them:

1. Locate the Windows Sidebar icon in the System Tray (lower right, near the clock display)
   • Show hidden icons if it is not displayed
2. Right click the icon to bring up the context menu
3. Select Properties
4. Uncheck Start Sidebar when Windows starts
5. Select the Ok button to apply the settings

You can also disable the Sidebar by:

• Right click on an unused area of the Sidebar (between Gadgets or at the bottom) to bring up the context menu
• Select Properties
• Uncheck Start Sidebar when Windows starts
• Select the Ok button to apply the settings

If you wish to close the Sidebar now (rather than wait for a reboot):

1. Locate the Windows Sidebar icon in the System Tray (lower right, near the clock display)
   • Show hidden icons if it is not displayed
2. Right click the icon to bring up the context menu
3. Select Exit

or:

• Right click on an unused area of the Sidebar (between Gadgets or at the bottom) to bring up the context menu
• Select Exit

Number Four: Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop

Remove Remote Assistance and ensure Remote Desktop is disabled. For security if nothing else - it's easy to turn it on again if you actually need remote help, but it's also relatively easy to just access it remotely without you really letting someone, so it's best to turn it off.

Take Note: Apparently, Remote Desktop is not available on Vista Home or Vista Home Premium, so the option will not be there.

Where do you find it?

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select System
5. Select Remote settings (on the left side)
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Uncheck "Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer " option
8. Ensure "Don't allow connections to this computer" option is checked
9. Select the Ok button to apply the settings

With the Classic Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System
4. Select Remote settings (on the left side)
5. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
6. Uncheck "Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer " option
7. Ensure "Don't allow connections to this computer" option is checked
8. Select the Ok button to apply the settings

Number Five: Vista Aero (Themes)

Reduce the overhead associated with Windows Vista's new Themes. As a side note, the new Aero is a big reason to upgrade to Vista and I really enjoy the new look. However, if you are using an older system that does not meet the recommended requirements to run the new Aero Glass engine, disable the themes to make it look like Windows 2000/XP (with it's new theme disabled) and save the memory. I find it speeds up the system considerably when you don't use themes and just use the CLASSIC layout. Personally, I have no background image, just a colour, and use the classic layout so it looks like Windows 2000/98 etc.

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Appearance and Personalization
4. Select Personalization
5. Select Theme
6. From the drop down box, select "Windows Classic"
7. Select the Ok button

With the Classic Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Personalization
4. Select Theme
5. From the drop down box, select "Windows Classic"
6. Select the Ok button

Fine tune visual performance options:

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Performance Information and Tools
5. Select Adjust visual effects (on the left side)
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Select "Adjust for best performance."
8. Select the Ok button

With the Classic Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System
4. Select Advanced system settings (on the left side)
5. Select Advanced Tab
6. Under Performance, select the Settings button
7. Select Visual Effects Tab
8. Select "Adjust for best performance."
• Another personal thing that I do is to re-check three of the boxes:
• Show thumbnails instead of icons
• Show windows contents while dragging
• Smooth edges of screen fonts
9. Select the Ok button

After that, Disable and Stop the Themes service.

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select All Programs
3. Select Administrative Tools
4. Select Services
5. Select "Themes" service (Double Click)
6. Select General Tab
7. In the Startup type: select "Disabled"
8. In the Service status area: select "Stop"
9. Select the Ok button to close the panel

Number Six: Memory Page Size

One thing many people notice, is a sudden drop in performance, along with a message informing you that you Windows is increasing the size of the Memory Paging File to improve system stability. Most annoying. I make personal adjustments here that I am used to, but i strongly recommend you follow this procedure to make a single change. The Paged Memory is usually controlled by windows, and it doesn't do such a great job. It starts with a smaller value, and if it needs more, it makes more (the drop in performance just noted). It's a good rule of thumb to make the "Start Size" the same value as the "Maximum Size"

A good rule of thumb is to double the amount of RAM you have as a value. For example, I have 2 GB of RAM, so I have a Page File Size of 4096 (4 GB). I find this more than sufficient. If you are unsure how much RAM you (then you really shouldn't be doing this, lol, but...) just try 1024 or 2048 as ballpark figures, and see how it goes from there. You can't really go wrong with those values unless you are a power user, and then you'd know how much RAM you have (Q.E.D.)

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Performance Information and Tools
5. Select Advanced Tab
6. Under Virtual Memory, select the Change button
7. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option
8. Select C: (or your primary drive)
9. Select Custom Size
10. Enter 1024 for both values (or 2048, or whatever you decided)
11. Select Set
12. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
13. Select the Ok button
14. Select the Ok button
15. Select the Ok button

With the Classic Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System
4. Select Advanced system settings (on the left side)
5. Select Advanced Tab
6. Under Virtual Memory, select the Change button
7. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option
8. Select C: (or your primary drive)
9. Select Custom Size
10. Enter 1024 for both values (or 2048, or whatever you decided)
11. Select Set
12. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
13. Select the Ok button
14. Select the Ok button
15. Select the Ok button

Number Seven: Updated Drivers

Download and install all updated drivers from the hardware manufacture sites. I cannot tell you what site you need to go to for your system components as I have no idea what is installed in your system, but do your computer a favor and get updated drivers for everything. Contact your PC builder or each manufacture for each item installed in your system.

As with every Windows release in the past, updated drivers fix bugs and also usually increase performance from the default OS drivers installed. Just plugging stuff in and waiting for Windows to install it isn't always the best idea (both my Graphics cards and the printer won't work with automatically installed drivers, they only worked after I got drivers from the manufacturers.

Usually, after the installation of each driver, you must reboot. If the driver installation program does not ask you to reboot, I still recommend to do so.

Number Eight: Lighten System Tray

After updating all my drivers, I remove any excess icons (all of them, basically) from the system tray (lower right) and check the services (Number Ten) to ensure nothing else was installed (like NVIDIA's "driver helper.") Contrary to popular belief, those little "quick access" icons take up a lot of room and increase boot time.

I keep the clock on mine, and that's it.

Number Nine: Add/Remove Programs

Uninstall Windows Vista features that are unused:

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Programs
4. Select Programs and Features
5. Select Turn Windows features on or off (on the left side)
6. Select the Continue button (if UAC is active)
7. Check or Uncheck needed/unneeded Windows features
8. Select the Ok button

Number Ten: Services

Adjust for any additional unneeded services. I have made a little (hah) table down below for you to work through).

With the default Category Control Panel:

1. Head to Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select System and Maintenance
4. Select Administrative Tools
5. Select Services
6. Select a service to adjust by double-clicking
7. In the General tab, Startup type section, select Automatic (Delayed Start), Automatic, Manual or Disabled.

If you like, you can also do: Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> Run --> type in services.msc --> Select OK.

After configuring all services that you desire to change, reboot to see the effects of your tweaking.

Note: Do not use msconfig to stop services. It basically is "disabling" a service. Use the above procedure and set to "manual" instead for testing purposes.

If you have not already, reboot now.
If you have rebooted, do it again.

Introduction To Services

I cannot possibly test all configurations extensively (meaning, each persons specific computer needs), but what I can offer is what "works for me" and the obstacles I have came across so you do not have to discover them on your own. If information on this page needs a revision or expanded, please let me know, and I will look into your issue.

Over time, I add more detailed information on what each services does and how it works, and describe it in English, rather than in Microsoft, so that you can make informed choices as far as keeping them active is concerned.

An * (asterisk) indicates changes from the default.

Notes for a Happier Computer and User

• Do not use "msconfig" to disable services, type "services.msc" in the Run box instead!
• Service settings are global, which means the changes apply to all users.
• All of these services are "Standard" with Windows Vista.
• Still unsure? Put your setting to "Manual" or the listing under "Safe." Manual allows Windows Vista to start the service when it needs to (or when ever it feels like it), but not at boot up. Depending on your configuration, not all services will start when required while in "Manual" mode. If you find you need a service, place it in Automatic.
• After adjusting your service settings, reboot your computer.
• Remember, a Happy Computer is the most important part.

Table Header Information

• DEFAULT Home Basic ~ What Mr Gates thinks should be running on Windows Vista Home Basic. This may use 200+ MB with 120 services listed.
• DEFAULT Home Premium ~ What Mr Gates thinks should be running on Windows Vista Home Premium. This may use 200+ MB with 124 Services listed.
• DEFAULT Business ~ What Mr Gates thinks should be running on Windows Vista Business. This may use 200+ MB with 124 Services listed.
• DEFAULT Ultimate ~ What Mr Gates thinks should be running on Windows Vista Ultimate. This may use 250+ MB with 129 Services listed.
• "Safe" Configuration ~ This is the configuration that 95% of the people will be able to use with little or no side effects. It will also minimizes the amount of "errors" that is reported in the Event Viewer. This does not guarantee it will work for you, but if adjusting your services scares you, this configuration would be a good starting point.
• "Danny's Current Configuration" ~ This is the configuration that I currently am using on my home computer and have not found any issues with it. Remember that I'm running Windows Vista Ultimate. This does not guarantee it will work for you. Many service settings have been changed from the default annotated by an (*) asterisk. This configuration is a system that is still able to perform many LAN networking functions, such as file and print sharing but doesn't use wireless networking (I use a cable on this machine), it also shuts down some standard security features as I personally have my own running, so don't just copy my work, make sure you understand what you are disabling. The main reason I have listed these are in case i need to reinstall Windows again, and i can never remember what I did :-D
• "Bare Bones" ~ WARNING(!!) ~ This configuration disables many built in features of Windows Vista as well as several security features. This configuration is not for a system that is directly connected to the internet as Windows Defender and Windows Firewall are disabled. This is not for a system that provides networked resources, such as printers, to other LAN connected computers. Use this configuration at your own risk. It is only provided here as a reference for me. If you wish to tweak your Vista, use "Safe."
  

Configuration Information

• Automatic ~ With a service in this state, it will start at boot time. Some services, when no longer required, will also automatically stop when not needed. If you find you do not need a service, place it into Manual or Disabled.
• Automatic (Delayed Start) ~ With a service in this state, it will start just after boot time. Some services, when no longer required, will also automatically stop when not needed. If you find you do not need a service, place it into Manual or Disabled.
• Manual ~ Manual mode allows Windows to start a service when needed. However, very few services will start up when required in Manual mode. If you find you need a service, place it into Automatic.
• Disabled ~ This setting will stop a service from starting, even if needed. Errors in the Event Viewer will show up complaining of that fact. Some services, while Disabled, will constantly complain. However, this situation is taken care of if placed in Manual. The service descriptions identifies those that should be in Manual vice Disabled.
• "Started" ~ A service that either set to Manual or Automatic that is running by default at or shortly after boot time.
• "Not Started" ~ A service set into Automatic that is not running by default at or shortly after boot time.

HOPE YOU HAD FUN !!