We looked last week at ways to speed up computers running Microsoft Windows XP and 2000. I received so many good responses to the article that I’ve decided to present you with a few more easy-to-implement Windows tweaks.
Run the Windows Disk Cleanup utility. Click on Start, go to All Programs > Accessories > System tools, and select Disk Cleanup. Running this program can eliminate a lot of crud that’s probably floating around on your hard drive.
Change “Visual Effects” performance. Click Start, right-click on My Computer and select “Advanced.” Click Performance > Visual Effects. Pick “Adjust for best performance,” and click OK. This will disable some of the silly, shiny, speed-choking fluff that comes with Windows XP.
Disable the Indexing Service. Unless you spend a spectacular amount of time searching for file names, you don’t need the resource-hogging Indexing service. Open My Computer, right-click on your hard drive (C:), and select Properties. Uncheck the “Indexing” box, and click OK.
Finish Defragmenting. Last week, I recommended that you defragment your hard drive using the Windows Disk Defragmenter program. However, this program does not do a complete enough job to make me happy, as it leaves the Registry and Paging files untouched, as well as the Event log and Hibernation files. To complete my defragmenting chores, I also use PageDefrag from SysInternals, written by computer genius Mark Russinovich. You can download this free utility from www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/PageDefrag.html. Follow the instructions, and you’ll have a more efficient system.
There are also commercially made defragmenting programs for people who don’t mind spending some money to ease the defragmenting process. The two most popular are PerfectDisk from Raxco Software (www.raxco.com) and Diskeeper from Diskeeper Corp. (www.diskeeper.com). PerfectDisk seems to have a slight edge, but both are fine programs. Both companies also offer free trial version downloads, so you can try the products before committing to a purchase. Paid versions start at around $40.
Run Check Disk and Scan Disk. It’s also a good idea to occasionally (once every 30-60 days) run Microsoft’s Check Disk and Scan Disk utilities. These “hidden” programs will examine your hard drive for errors and attempt a fix. Open My Computer, right-click on the drive you wish to examine, and click Properties. Click Tools, and select “Check now” under Error Checking. You’ll be required to reboot the computer to start the programs. Be advised that these processes are very thorough, and can take some time to complete their tasks.
Download and run the CCleaner program. Another neat program in my toolkit is CCleaner from Piriform, Ltd. (www.ccleaner.com). This free program cleans out the temporary, history and cookies files that are attached to both the Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer Web browsers, lest the CIA (or, your parents!) find out what websites you’ve been visiting. It also cleans up your Windows Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files. It can also tidy up the Windows Registry and the Temp files left behind by many programs. Happy tweaking!