Are you sick of your computer running slowly? No need to worry, there are several ways to help speed up your PC. Below are 15 tips to help you optimize Windows Vista for faster performance. If you are still having trouble and need IT support in San Diego, you can contact Nextora, San Diego’s leader in home and business computer services.

Uninstall programs you never use

Most computers are packed with unnecessary programs. Some were installed by you and some were installed by the manufacturer. Regardless of their origin, they are wasting space and time by using memory, disk space, and processing power. The easy solution to this common problem is to uninstall these needless programs.

Limit your startup programs

Many programs are set to load automatically upon starting your computer. While this may be helpful for programs you frequently use, it is unnecessary for rarely used programs because it wastes memory and slows down your computer’s loading time. Sometimes you can’t see the programs running and you don’t even know they are running; thus, it’s difficult to know which programs are unnecessarily slowing down your computer’s loading time. An easy solution to this problem is to look on your taskbar for various icons and be sure to click “show hidden icons” so you can see all of them. These icons are all the programs that are running upon loading your computer. See if there are any programs running that you don’t want to load automatically and change the program’s settings.

Utilize Disk Defragmenter

Fragmentation makes your hard disk slow down your computer because it can work very hard. The Defragmenter function essentially rearranges fragmented data, or files, so your hard disk can work more efficiently and effectively. You can either set Disk Defragmenter to run on a schedule or run the program manually.

• Use manual Disk Defragmenter

Windows Vista, unlike previous Windows versions, automatically runs Disk Defragmenter on a weekly basis. Although Disk Defragmenter is advantageous, you may not need to run it weekly because while it runs it slows down your computer.

Disable System Restore

While System Restore is a great tool for after a person encounters computer problems, it uses a lot of disk space and processing power. If you can live without the program, maybe because you don’t anticipate having system problems, you can disable it and free up disk space and processing power.

• Disable automatic hibernation

 Generally, automatic hibernation runs constantly in the background of your computer; in turn, using up a lot of your computer’s resources. You can simply disable automatic hibernation and hibernate manually. This will free up various computer resources thereby speeding up your computer.

Get rid of your sidebar

Sidebars and each program in a sidebar consume various system resources, including processing power and disk space. You can either reduce the amount of programs on your sidebar, or lose the sidebar completely.

Disable Remote Differential Compression

This tip is helpful for freeing up space, but should only be used by people who don’t move files around on a regular basis.

• Clean up your hard disk

Cleaning your hard disk deletes unnecessary system files and temporary files and empties the Recycle Bin. Ultimately, it frees up disk space so your computer run faster. Just utilize the Disk Cleanup feature.

Don’t run several programs at the same time

This may be a difficult task for those who frequently run numerous programs at a time, going back and forth between programs. For example, chatting with your friends on AIM while opening various emails at one time and checking you calendar. This slows down your entire processing system and causes individual programs to load much slower than they should.

Turn off visual effects

Visual effects, such as the way your menus open and close, can cause computers to run very slow. You can disable certain visual effects in order to speed up your computer. You can either choose specific visual effects to turn off or let Windows choose a bunch for you automatically.

Add memory

It is simple. The more memory your computer has, the more space it has and the faster it will run. So, to optimize Windows Vista for faster performance, add some memory.

Run virus and spyware software

Unfortunately, there is a possibility that your computer is running slowly because a virus has corrupted your system or your computer is infected by spyware. Just check your computer using an antispyware and antivirus program, such as AVG Anti-Virus or McAffee. This can identify whether your computer has been corrupted and sometimes can remove the infection.

• Customize your Start menu

Simply right-click the Start button and choose “Properties.” From there, click “Customize” and you set the Start menu to your individual needs. This will increase your computer’s load time and allow you quicker access to certain programs.

• Prioritize your PC’s programs

 Several programs are processor-intensive, for example games and multimedia programs. By default, all programs run with a “Normal” priority level. You can assign different priority levels to various programs to speed up the loading time of the particular program.

If you need help optimizing your computer’s performance, contact Nextora for San Diego IT consulting.