Over time the system tends to slow down. For this reason, it is convenient to carry out some simple maintenance operations that will significantly improve performance, whether it is a laptop or a desktop computer.
1) Increase the starting speed
If your computer is new, it probably has a multi-core processor. To get the most out of it you can go into Start and type msconfig. Then go to the Boot tab and select Advanced boot options. In the Number of Processors box, select the maximum number of cores that your chip has. Then you have to Accept, Apply and Restart.
2) Clean the start
Programs that run automatically at startup are a real drag on memory consumption. This operation must be carried out as an administrator. Go to Start and type msconfig (or just search for msconfig in Windows search). Go to the Windows Start tab, where you can deactivate the unnecessary ones, but never remove the essential ones like antivirus or firewall.
3) Disable Aero from Windows 7
Aero takes care of the transparencies that adorn Windows 7 . It slows down performance on computers with a weak graphics card. You can disable that feature by right-clicking on Desktop. Then Customize> Window Color> Color List, where you uncheck the option of Inhabiting transparency and finally save the changes.
4) Eliminate unnecessary fonts
Loading fonts also consumes a lot of memory. To remove the ones you don't use you can go to Control Panel> Appearance and Personalization> Fonts. Inside the Fonts folder, you right-click on the unnecessary font and select delete.
5) Disable Windows services
Windows 7 services are applications that run in the background. Its usefulness depends on the user; for example, if your favorite player is VLC then you won't need Windows Media. You can review the services of your system and disable those that you do not need through the Control Panel> System and Security> Administrative Tools> Services. To disable a service, enter Properties by right-clicking, choose Stop, and under startup type choose to select manual.
6) Disable content indexing
Windows 7 indexes the contents to find them faster in searches, at the cost of slowing down the system. You can disable this feature for any hard drive by right-clicking on the drive and selecting Properties. Then you uncheck the option Allow files on this drive to have content indexed in addition to file properties.
7) Defragment your hard drive
When the hard disk is fragmented, the system takes longer to locate the files, because their portions are scattered. To defragment a hard drive, just right-click, go to Properties> Tools> Defragment Now.
8) Delete temporary files
It is a valid advice to speed up any operating system. You can delete them manually by entering the browser, the history or the reports, for example. There are also easy to install tools like CCleaner.
9) Hibernate instead of shutting down
If it will take a short time to use the laptop again, it is advisable to leave it hibernating instead of turning it off, especially. To activate hibernation, go to Control Panel> System and Security> Power Options. Then choose the behavior of the lid and within the option to close the lid select Hibernate.
10) Accelerate shutdown
By default, Windows 7 takes 12 seconds to shut down. You can reduce that value by going into Start and typing regedit (edit the registry). There locate the entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE> SYSTEM> CurrentControlSet> Control and right-click on WaitToKillServiceTimeOut. When choosing the modify option, a window appears where we can put the time (in milliseconds). Windows is set to take 12000 (remember, that's milliseconds). Write another smaller value and try to see the differences.