BOOT CAMP 512 (19/02/08) – More Vista Tuning Tips pt 1
If
you were an early adopter who bought a Windows Vista PC or installation disc
when it was released a little over a year ago then by now your computer is
probably taking longer to boot up, running slower and it may even be getting a
bit cranky.
We
first addressed this problem back in September last year with some routine
tuning tips. These were based on early experiences with Vista but now we’ve got
to know it, and its funny little ways… This has allowed us to refine our
tweaks, and test out a few new ones that can help slow down the aging process
that blights all computer operating systems, even sainted Apple Macs. It
happens very gradually, you’ll hardly notice it at first but if you think back
to when you first bought your computer it was probably ready to use in under a
minute. If it is now taking much more than a couple of minutes then it’s
definitely time for a tune-up and if you have to wait more than 5 minutes then
you need some serious help!
There
are lots of reasons for progressively sluggish performance but in many cases it
is due to the programs you’ve installed loading helper components or ‘Services’
that are launched immediately after Windows has finished booting. Most of them
are completely unnecessary, but even after the parent programs are removed bits
can be left behind. These remnants clutter up the Registry or hang around
waiting to conflict with other programs and the constant churning of files and
folders on your hard disc drive means it gradually becomes disorganised,
slowing Windows and the other programs on the PC.
The
good news is that a slow boot up is much less of a problem on Vista than it was
on XP. The system is designed to operate for longer periods using Vista’s Sleep
State (see also this week’s Top Tip), to switch the computer on and off. Power
consumption when asleep is very low and the long-term effects, experienced by
many users of XP’s Hibernate and Standby modes doesn’t affect Vista anything
like as much.
However,
in the end only a full re-installation can completely restore a PC’s vitality
but there is a lot you can do to get it to boot up faster from cold and be more
responsive, without compromising stability or reliability. Don’t expect instant
miracles though, most tweaks will only shave a few seconds off the boot time or
make some programs open a bit quicker but as they say, every little helps.
The
tweaks have been graded for beginners, intermediate users and experts and
they’re generally quite safe, tried and tested but don’t try anything you’re
not sure about and needless to say you try them entirely at your own risk.
Above all, make sure you have backed up all irreplaceable data on your computer
before you do anything (you should be making regular backups in any case!), and
always set a new System Restore Point before making any changes to your
operating system.
I
know you want to get stuck in but before we start it is useful to know a few
things about your computer so you can see if what you are doing is having any
effect. The first thing to do is make a note of how long it takes from when you
press the On switch to being able to open and use programs. This is the point
when the cursor stops spinning and the hard drive activity light stops
flashing. Run this test two or three times to get an average.
It’s
also helpful to know something of your PC’s on-going state of health and
stability. Vista keeps track of this with a utility called the Reliability and
Performance Monitor. Go to Search on the Start menu, start typing ‘reliability’
and Reliability and Performance Monitor appears at the top of the list, click
on it, then click on the Reliability Monitor link in the left hand pane.
You
will see a graph showing how your machine has been behaving since the day it
was first switched on. It began life with a Stability Index of 10 and if Vista
is running smoothly you may still be at or close to the starting point but even
if it has dropped to 7.5 or thereabout after a year of continuous use then
you’re not doing too badly. The most interesting points on the graph are the
sharp downward kinks. If you click on the plot point or red ‘x’ on the timeline
display next to a downturn you’ll see a report of what went wrong. This information
can be very useful for troubleshooting persistent problems that have had a
significant impact on performance or stability. Now would be a good time to fix
any faults that show up here and remove or update any persistently troublesome
programs.
Next Week – Vista Tuning Tips pt 2
JARGON FILTER
CPU
Central
Processor Unit - the main microprocessor chip in a PC
REGISTRY
A large, constantly
changing collection of Windows system files containing configuration
information for both the PC and programs stored on the hard disc
SERVICES
Programs
that load with Windows, often used to automatically request updates and
upgrades using a PC’s Internet connection
TOP TIP
Sleep mode in Vista is a
combination of the Hibernate and Standby power options in Windows XP. Putting
Vista to Sleep takes just a few seconds, it saves the data from your current
session to the hard disc drive – just like XP Hibernate – but it also maintains
information stored in the system memory, like XP Standby, so that you can
resume your session in a matter of seconds. However it only maintains the
memory for a relatively short time – from a few minutes on a laptop running on
battery power to several hours on a mains-powered PC, after which it goes into
very low power Hibernation mode. Resuming from Hibernate takes a little longer
but it is still much faster than booting from cold.
Don't forget, there's a
full archive of previous Boot Camp Top Tips at www.pctoptips.co.uk
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© R. Maybury 2008, 3001
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