Ways to improve your computer’s performance
Performance Information and Tools lists tasks that can help improve the performance of your computer, and it also shows information about your computer’s performance capabilities.
Go to Control Panel\Performance Information and Tools to open Performance Information and Tools.
Tasks that can help improve performance
The left pane of Performance Information and Tools includes tasks that can help you improve your computer’s performance. This table describes these tasks.
Task
Description
Manage startup programs
Some programs start themselves automatically when you start Windows. Too many of these programs opening at the same time can slow down your computer.
To disable these programs from startup and improve performance, use Windows Defender from Control Panel and for more information, see Stop a program from running automatically when Windows starts.
Adjust visual effects
You can optimize performance by changing how menus and windows appear.
Adjust indexing options
Indexing options can help you find what you’re looking for quickly and easily on your computer.
You can search more efficiently by narrowing your search to focus on those files and folders that you commonly use.
Adjust power settings
Change power-related settings so that your computer resumes from power-saving settings more efficiently, and adjust battery usage for portable computers.
Open Disk Cleanup
This tool deletes unnecessary or temporary files on your hard disk so you can increase the amount of storage space you have.
Advanced tools
Access advanced system tools, such as Event Viewer and System Information, that system administrators and IT professionals often use to solve problems. You can also view notifications about performance-related issues and what to do about them. For example, if Windows detects that a driver is reducing performance, click the notification to learn which driver is causing the problem and view help on how to update the driver. Issues listed at the beginning of the list are impacting the system more than issues listed later in the list.
View details about your computer’s hardware
You can also find out your computer’s Windows Experience Index base score. This score measures the capability of your computer’s hardware and software configuration and is a general indication of performance. The index is used by other software publishers, so you can buy programs that are matched to your computer’s base score.
It is also important that you view some of these issues:
- Why won’t my computer turn on or off quickly?
- Spyware: frequently asked questions
- Exit a program that is not responding
This article is made in most out of help and support from Windows Vista Home Premium.
