Windows 7 system optimization for maximum performance. What does the "MSconfig" command do. Speed ​​up PC shutdown

Windows 7 is the most popular operating system from Microsoft Corporation. Many users love it for its intuitive interface, functionality and stability. However, over time, the system begins to give errors one after another, the speed of its work decreases, so it is so important to know the causes of these phenomena and ways to improve the performance of your computer.

How to tune Windows 7 for maximum performance

operating room Windows system 7 sooner or later begins to suffer from weight software which is established during normal use. New software downloads can significantly slow down the speed of your computer. It is recommended that you uninstall any programs that you do not plan to use.

Virus scanners and disk cleaners usually start automatically when you turn on your computer and work in background. Many users do not even know that they are running. And programs at this time lead to a slow start of the PC and, if not closed after turning on the computer, to a decrease in its performance.

Registry tweak to optimize your system performance

There are several ways to clean the registry to improve the performance of your computer. Let's consider each of them.

Via speed settings

Through folder options


Via service properties


What does the "MSconfig" command do

The "MSconfig" command is a standard utility designed to manage startup programs and Windows boot. This program allows the user to configure PC startup and remove from startup unnecessary programs. It can also be used to detect a virus if the computer has been infected with it.

Video: how to speed up Windows 7 using the MSconfig utility

Tuning Windows 7 for Maximum Performance Using Third-Party Programs

There are many utilities on the Internet to automatically clean up your computer from temporary files and optimize its performance. Let's consider a few of them.

CCleaner

CCleaner is a widely used utility to clean temporary files, cache or personal data. The program has wide functionality: from minor settings to complete removal information from disks.

The interface of CCleaner is simple and user-friendly. It is enough to go into the application and click the "Analyze" button so that the program starts looking for temporary files that clog the system and which can be deleted.

You can also use CCleaner to clear the cache.

When you open a particular site in a browser, all text and graphic information from this site is downloaded from the server and stored in the cache. Your computer remembers this information in order to load the site much faster in the future.

Frequently clearing the cache will free up space, but will slow down your web browser as sites you visit often will be reloaded from servers.

Advanced System Care Free

Advanced SystemCare Free is a popular PC cleaning and optimization program. It allows you to optimize startup items and clean your computer of unnecessary files and registry entries with one click.

AT latest version programs improved cleaning of temporary files. In addition, the developers have added cleaning installed packages drivers to free up disk space. Advanced SystemCare uses a built-in resource manager to show you high RAM, CPU, and disk intensive processes and then help you terminate them.

The new FaceID and Surfing Protection & Ads-Removal features keep your PC protected for more than high level. FaceID automatically detects intruders who secretly access your PC. Surfing Protection & Ads-Removal brings you new, safe and free online surfing content.

Advanced SystemCare 10's Privacy Sweep, Spyware Removal, and Real-Time Protector tools help you remove more threats and fix more privacy issues.

Power setting

The type of power supply you choose will affect the performance of your computer. When you use a high-performance power plan, you increase your computer's power consumption while still allowing it to run at full capacity. However, the performance of a computer will still depend on the work it will be doing.

There are three types of power supply:

  • balanced is the power plan that is selected by default and is designed to balance battery life and computer performance. The mode automatically increases the speed of your processor or reduces it if your computer needs it;
  • high performance is a power plan designed for maximum performance and system speed. The mode does not reduce the speed of your processor even when the computer is not in use. When using a laptop with battery power, you can use the high performance plan;
  • Energy Saver - A mode that saves power by reducing processor speed and screen brightness to maximize your computer's run time.

Lowering the screen brightness increases the life of your battery. To squeeze more time out of your laptop battery life, you can simply lower the screen brightness manually.

To activate high performance mode:

How to check the performance of your computer

Video: how to get a computer performance score

There are many ways to improve the performance of your computer. You can use both standard Windows utilities, and special programs to clean and optimize the system. They do their job in minutes, but their use can significantly speed up the system. The main thing is to use proven methods and download programs from reliable sources.

The article will become useful guide for any owner of a weak laptop or computer based on the "Seven" who wants to optimize the performance of Windows 7. Today we will consider what can be disabled in this operating system in order to improve its performance without adversely affecting its functioning.

What is system optimization

There is no clear definition of the term. In most cases, it hides a set of measures and user actions aimed at disabling and removing unused components of the operating system, as well as changing its configuration in order to increase the efficiency of the latter. That is, an optimized Windows 7 will consume less hardware resources and perform its tasks with greater efficiency than an unconfigured operating system.

One of the most important factors in slowing down Win 7 performance is the presence of a large number of items in the list of automatically launched after the OS starts. Services that can be disabled in the "Seven" to speed up its work,. This article is written in detail,. You can speed up Windows 7 a little more,. How - read here. The rest of the ways to optimize the operating system for normal operation on an old PC and for running games on it will be discussed below.

System Disk Setup

On the system partition should be at least a few gigabytes free space. Even if it is quite enough, there is probably a lot of garbage in the folders for storing temporary files. No matter how we optimize the operating system, without proper maintenance hard drive most efforts will go down the drain.

How to improve HDD performance? First of all, let's clear it of temporary files. To do this, we perform the following algorithm.

  1. We call "Explorer" using Win + E.
  2. Open the "Properties" of the system volume through its context menu.
  1. We click "Cleaning ..." and wait until the cleaning program searches for unnecessary files and evaluates the freed space.
  1. We confirm our intentions.
  1. We wait until all operations are completed.
  1. Switch to the "Service" tab.
  1. We perform a click on the button "Perform defragmentation ...".
  1. Enter the command "msconfig" in the text line and execute it.
  1. Click on the "Advanced Options" button to start the system.
  1. Next to the "Number of processors" option, check the box and indicate their maximum available number.
  1. After that, we save the settings.
  1. In the System Configuration window, click OK.
  1. Remove unnecessary checkboxes and click "Install".
  1. We launch the Windows 7 accelerator directly from the installer window.
  1. Click "Registry" and start the process of searching for unnecessary keys
  1. Activate the "Fix selected ..." button and click "Yes" to create backup deleted records.
  1. Fixing the noted issues.
  1. We agree to backup the entire system database and wait for the operation to complete.

Instead of a full backup, you can simply create a restore point if the corresponding function is activated.

Before defragmenting, you can perform a full registry scan for problems and compare the results of the application with the success of CCleaner

  1. Click on the "Compression..." tab.
  1. Close all applications and click "Analyze".
  1. We do not touch anything until the computer is restarted.

Attention! During optimization, processes on a laptop or computer may not respond for a long time or freeze until the device is rebooted.

After the restart, if everything went well, the operating system will boot noticeably faster, but that's not all.

Record caching policy

Full optimization of Windows 7 cannot happen without activating the hard disk write caching option. It allows you to speed up the work with files and is not enabled by default in all Windows builds 7.

  1. Open the "Task Manager", for example, by running the command "devmgmt.msc" in the command interpreter window.
  1. We expand the branch "Disk devices", where we open the "Properties" of our drive.
  1. Go to the "Policy" tab.
  1. Check the box indicated in the screenshot option, if it is not active, and save the settings.

Disable remote file compression

The function allows you to calculate the difference between two files (for example, an earlier and a more recent copy of a document) in order to reduce the amount of information transferred when copying or replacing. This option can be disabled, because such a function is in demand very rarely.

  1. We call the "Control Panel".
  1. In it, click "Uninstall programs" or "Programs and components", depending on the method of visualizing objects.
  1. Click on the "Turn Windows features on/off" link.

While everything is loaded, we wait. The process may take a couple of minutes or more.

  1. Uncheck the box next to the "Remote differential compression" option.

We are not in a hurry to save the new parameters, since here you can remove a few more unnecessary components, for example, “ Windows Search”, “TFTP Client”, “Indexing Service”, if you do not use them. If necessary, any of the elements is similarly returned back.

  1. After we save the new settings.

Improving performance by disabling visual effects

Aero, window animations, window pop-up visuals, and menus are resource-intensive but not really useful. Is that the interface elements look beautiful and animated. If the graphics adapter of the computer is very outdated, and there is not much RAM in it (~ 2 GB), you can sacrifice the beauty and animation of interface elements in order to improve system performance without hesitation.


  1. We call "Properties" of "My Computer".

Power management

Optimize Windows 7 power last. By default, the system uses balanced mode - the golden mean between power consumption and PC efficiency. Changing your power plan can improve your computer's performance. However, it is not recommended to touch it for laptops, because the device developer has already chosen the optimal power settings for the system, including when the laptop is offline.

  1. In the drop-down list, select "High performance" and save the optimal power settings for the system.

As a result, we get more fast computer than it was before tuning. For even more acceleration, you can use an SSD as a system volume or add a bar of RAM, but that's another story.

Optimization Windows work 7 allows the user to achieve the best performance. We can say that this should be done regularly if you do not want your computer to slow down or various errors appear during its operation. There are a number of paid free programs to optimize the system.

What affects system performance

The answer to this question may seem quite obvious to some - components personal computer. Indeed, the more powerful your CPU and graphics card, the more RAM installed, the better the machine will run. Even the most modern "iron" is not a guarantee that you will not have to deal with problems in the PC. So even modern computer Do not litter with games and programs.

Aero GUI

With the advent of the operating system Windows Vista Microsoft has begun introducing an additional GUI desktop called Aero. It puts a heavy load on the computer, especially if the system resources of the device are close to the minimum. Each user, if necessary, can disable this interface in order to optimize the performance of the PC. Those who wish can turn off only individual elements interface. This will optimize the performance of the device and at the same time leave appearance windows the same.

The more Aero interface options are disabled, the more noticeable it becomes from a visual point of view. But it improves the performance of your computer.


A beautiful desktop design in Windows comes at the price of PC performance

Hidden processes

Some users, especially beginners, do not realize that not all running processes displayed as active windows. Most of them are hidden and can affect RAM, which reduces performance. If you disable unnecessary services, you can free up a considerable amount of memory, thereby optimizing the operation of the device.

Be aware that disabling important system services can result in problems, and positive result in that case you won't get it. Create a system restore point in advance so that you can return to a working Windows state in case of trouble. Without harm to the system, you can disable the following services:

  • "Service entry Tablet PC" (Service entry Tablet PC);
  • "Support IP Service" (Support IP Service);
  • "Remote registry" (Remote registry).

The computer needs to be cleaned of temporary and unnecessary files

Even after removing the program from the computer, information remains from it. When we install an application, information about it is entered into RAM, into additional elements of the hard disk, and into the registry. Defragment your disk regularly. Defragmentation is the process of compiling data. Subsequently, it will be easier for the computer to access the required information, since it will already know where and what is located. Experts recommend resorting to this procedure at least once a month. Regularly defragmenting your drive will greatly improve your performance, especially if you frequently reinstall programs. If the hard drive is large and there is a lot of data on it, then defragmentation can take a long time, so be patient.

As mentioned above, when installing programs, information about them is also recorded in the system registry. It stores a huge amount of data about the PC configuration, settings and options. Naturally, if you do not regularly clean the registry, this can lead to malfunctions during operation, the appearance of errors and poor performance in general. Experts recommend not doing anything in the registry manually, as you can accidentally delete important system data, and this will lead to bad consequences. It is advisable to use special software (CCleaner, Wise Registry Cleaner, etc.) and use it to remove all the garbage. Such utilities analyze the registry and issue a list of its problem areas. You can mark only what you consider unnecessary, and leave the rest as it was.

After installation, many programs and applications are automatically registered in the list of those tasks that need to be launched immediately after turning on the PC - in startup. The user does not even see many of them, but each such software consumes computer system resources to a certain extent.

Remember that in no case should you disable those programs and utilities that are launched by the system itself. You can easily find them by looking at the location of the .exe file. If you see the \system32 folder, then do not disable the application.

These simple manipulations will help improve the performance of your computer and optimize its performance. If you are worried that you may remove some important system file, then use special programs.

Good programs to optimize Windows 7 and improve performance

Many of the programs presented below can do something that will help the user significantly improve the performance of a desktop computer or laptop. Remember that you should not install several optimization applications on your PC at once, because in this case you still won’t get the best result, and the PC will start to work even worse. Thus, if you do not like one of the applications, then completely remove it and only after that start the installation of another program. Explore the pros and cons of all the applications described and choose the one that suits you and your car.

It is also worth mentioning a program of a different kind right away - this is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, an anti-virus utility that can rid a computer of worms and other harmful programs that also eat a lot of resources.

Advanced System Care

Advanced SystemCare offers you an arsenal of tools to optimize Windows 7

This program has a very simple, pleasant interface. The utility is distributed in two versions - one is paid, and the other is not. Accordingly, their capabilities are slightly different. The paid one has more tools that can improve the performance of a computer, but, as practice shows, not all of them can guarantee a good result. Therefore, you can download and install a simple, free version of the program. This is enough for you to get started.

SystemCare works on all modern Microsoft operating systems, including Windows 7. With it, you can:

  • perform manipulations on the system registry;
  • delete temporary, unnecessary files;
  • fix shortcuts and delete unused ones;
  • defragment the hard drive;
  • clean the system registry.
  • The improved version additionally allows you to analyze information from the hard drive, check files for malicious content and delete it.

    If you select the " Full installation”, then “[email protected]” will also get onto your computer. Pay attention to this and move the point to "Custom installation". Perhaps this is the only negative, but in all other respects SystemCare is really good and shows excellent optimization results.

    CCleaner

    CCleaner is one of the very first computer optimization programs. The utility has a pleasant and intuitive interface, respectively, suitable for both beginners and professional users.

    Among its advantages are:

  • high speed of work;
  • an extensive database of tools;
  • clear and user-friendly graphical interface.

  • CCleaner can clean the registry, browser data, explorer and unnecessary data of the system itself

    The program is distributed free of charge, so anyone can easily find it on the web and download it from the official website of the developers. After installation and launch, you will see only 4 buttons in the menu on the left:

  • "Cleaning" - allows you to analyze the system for unnecessary and obsolete files and fix the problems found;
  • "Registry" - provides the user with the opportunity to analyze the state of the system registry. If it contains some unused data or there are errors, the program will display all this, and you can delete them. If you are worried that you will remove something important by mistake, CCleaner will ask you: “Do I need to back up the registry?”;
  • "Service" is a very useful section, as here you can do everything to achieve the best performance of the device. It is possible to delete installed programs(a kind of alternative to a similar standard service Windows 7 Programs and Features). There are also options for changing the startup settings of programs and tools for completely cleaning the disk.
  • "Settings" - the settings section of the CCleaner programs(namely, the settings of the program, and not the options for optimizing the system).
  • CCleaner is a good free utility with a lot of features and Russian localization.

    Video: Review of the free version of CCleaner

    TuneUp Utilities

    TuneUp Utilities provides a range of options for optimizing the performance of your personal computer. Conventionally, the program can be divided into several separate utilities, each of which performs a specific task. The application interface is quite simple, which will allow even a novice user to understand the work.


    TuneUp Utilities will help you to carry out a comprehensive optimization of your Windows 7 system

    What TuneUp Utilities can do:

  • The utility allows you to analyze the system as a whole. When the analysis is complete, TuneUp Utilities will show you a list of issues found. Right there in one click you can fix these problems;
  • it is possible to configure the startup manager. The user can independently select those programs that he needs immediately after starting the PC, and remove unnecessary ones;
  • there is an opportunity that allows you to clean up temporary files, including those stored in the browser;
  • there is a function to check and clean the registry.
  • The above tools are already quite enough to get optimal computer performance. TuneUp Utilities has a number of useful features, such as a registry defragmenter and a RAM cleaner tool. The program is also distributed in Russian, so no one should have problems working with it.

    Wise Registry Cleaner

    This is a free utility designed to optimize the performance of a personal computer. Russian language is present. As you might guess from the name, its key advantage is working with the system registry.

    You can understand the functionality of the utility immediately after launching it, since its interface is simple and straightforward. It analyzes the registry for errors and outdated data. Before performing all the manipulations, the user is prompted to make a backup copy of the registry so that you can restore accidentally deleted important information.


    Wise Registry Cleaner will analyze the registry for errors and obsolete keys, and then provide an opportunity to get rid of them

    You can also make other changes to the system registry yourself. If it becomes clear that the action did not bring the result, then it will be possible to return everything to its previous state in a couple of clicks. Once analyzed, Wise Registry Cleaner provides a complete and reliable information about each found problem or registry error.

    The program has a setting that allows you to automatically run a registry scan on your computer. To do this, it is enough to specify a certain time period, after which the scan will be launched. There is a built-in defragmenter.

    Easy Cleaner

    One of the simplest free applications that consumes a minimum of system resources. It has all the necessary functions to optimize your computer. For example, the user can easily manipulate the system registry. The utility will analyze the data and show all possible options elimination of found errors or unused registry information. It is possible to remove broken shortcuts, unnecessary or obsolete files that have not been used for several months. The program also allows you to work with web browsers, in particular, delete previously saved cookies, history and other information. At first, the interface seems not the most understandable, but it's worth spending a little time and understanding it.


    Easy Cleaner is suitable even for novice PC users

    red button

    Red Button - simple and free app to optimize your computer. Compared to analogues, it takes up a minimum of free space on the hard drive. Allows you to conjure with services and applications on your computer. It is enough to press a few buttons - and you will see all active services and processes, as well as full information about them. For example, you can estimate the amount of consumed resources.


    The interface of the Red Button program is minimalism in the flesh, just press a few buttons to see active services and processes

    Red Button allows you to free up some space on your computer's hard drive by linking files occupied by the operating system itself. By the way, no other similar program offers this. By cleaning the system of junk and obsolete files, the utility allows you to improve the system boot speed and, accordingly, increase its performance. The interface of Red Button is simple, at first glance it is clear which tab is responsible for what. Especially if you switch to Russian. If you encounter any difficulties, refer to the help documentation, which, fortunately, is also present in the Russian version.

    AusLogics BoostSpeed

    One of the leaders in the field of programs for optimizing the work of a personal computer - AusLogics BoostSpeed. The software has a slightly overloaded interface, but this is at first glance. In fact, to understand the program is not difficult.


    The sophisticated interface of AusLogics BoostSpeed ​​is a bit hard on the eyes, but if you take a closer look, you will realize that everything here is arranged as simply as possible.

    At the first start, the utility will offer:

  • scan your computer for temporary and unnecessary files;
  • fix errors in the system and registry;
  • remove invalid shortcuts and entries in them.
  • BoostSpeed ​​scans your computer to determine the cause of slow device performance. After the system analysis is completed, the user will be able to see full list problems found on the machine and fix them yourself. In addition to removing temporary and obsolete files, as well as working with the registry, BoostSpeed ​​​​has a built-in defragmenter with which you can improve the performance of your hard drive. AT separate tab there is additional tools for optimization (active, alas, only in paid version). There is also an instruction manual in Russian, as well as the ability to change the language of the program interface.

    Glary Utilities

    A good program to optimize the performance of a personal computer. It has all the necessary tools for this, as well as support for the Russian language. There is a function of a full analysis of the computer. Upon completion of the analysis procedure, you will see the number of errors and their type.


    Glary Utilities can conduct a complete analysis of your computer

    You can set the system scan settings in the corresponding tab. With this utility, you can:

  • change software autoload settings;
  • find and remove spyware;
  • get rid of old and unnecessary shortcuts;
  • delete individual files that have not been used for a long time;
  • analyze the system registry, look for errors and obsolete parameters in it.
  • There is a possibility to change privacy and data security settings. The interface of the program is clear and simple, therefore, even a beginner can understand it.

    SpeedUpMyPC

    SpeedUpMyPC is a success even though it's not very efficient

    A shareware program with a telling name for optimizing your computer. SpeedUpMyPC has a wide "arsenal" of settings that will allow you to optimize your computer. Its possibilities are, of course, limited. Independent user testing showed that the program performs somewhat worse than its counterparts, and the performance gain after making all the proposed changes is not high. According to the developers, with its help you can:

  • clean RAM;
  • customize the work of processes;
  • change network settings.
  • In fact, all these manipulations do not lead to a visible effect. The program shows good results only because it cleans up temporary and obsolete files. Despite this, users still use it for optimization. Russian localization is available.

    Comodo System Cleaner

    Free software for Windows operating systems. Comodo System Cleaner has proven itself well since its inception and is still popular with users to this day. With its help, you can significantly increase the stability of your computer, improve the performance of even an old PC. The utility consists of several built-in applications, the complex use of which will allow you to achieve the desired result.


    Comodo System Cleaner will make your Windows PC faster

    Comodo System Cleaner is:

  • work with startup programs;
  • the ability to change settings at system startup;
  • the ability to remove unnecessary software;
  • cleaning the registry from garbage, obsolete settings.
  • If any old files are found that you have not used for a long time, then after scanning the program will report this. Found files and any others that you yourself consider unnecessary (for this you will need to mark them) are deleted without the possibility of recovery. Comodo System Cleaner has a simple interface divided into several sections. Each of them allows you to perform only specific tasks. Russian language is present.

    nCleaner

    A free program designed to clean your computer from accumulated debris. Unfortunately, the interface is not the easiest. To begin with, the user will have to define the system scan settings - specify what needs to be found, after which the search procedure itself will begin. Fortunately, there is a Russian language, so you can still understand all the intricacies of the program.


    The interface of the nCleaner program is full of checkmarks, you need to sit and figure it out before instructing the program to analyze the system

    The application allows you to scan the system registry for errors, obsolete or deleted files. There is the possibility of deleting old and temporary files that take up space on the computer and consume system resources, but have no practical use. The utility allows you to change the startup settings of other applications installed on your computer. Through the program interface, you can completely clean up the local disk, but remember that all the data that you delete cannot be restored. So work with the program carefully.

    Comparison table of characteristics of popular programs to improve and speed up your PC

    With the right software, each user can easily optimize their PC, increase the performance of even an old device and work on a computer without problems. If you do not want to entrust cleaning and speeding up your computer to programs, then take on manual optimization, but be careful not to remove the excess.

    The Windows 7 operating system can run much faster and more efficiently, but certain steps must be taken to achieve this. The main measures in terms of optimization should be considered.

    Disabling visual effects

    It is expected to have a very attractive design. If you want to speed up the system, you need to understand that visual effects require extra resources. It is required to follow the specified path: Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Advanced system settings.

    When the settings window opens in front of us, the following actions are carried out: Advanced -> Performance -> Options

    In the design, the developers tried to simplify the optimization task as much as possible. You just need to select the item "Ensure the best performance" and the settings will be set automatically. This greatly simplifies the task. The result will be a classic look. All this is shown in the screenshot below.

    Not always a new look can suit you and this requires some additional steps. You may well choose any suitable option from the available list, taking into account the speed requirements of the OS. Must click right click on any free area of ​​​​the desktop and click "Personalize".

    Mode Aero glass can be accelerated by turning off transparency. This provides that the translucency effect will disappear. All in the same personalization section, you need to select the "Window Color" item, where you uncheck the "Enable transparency" box.

    For powerful devices this will not give any noticeable increase, but in the case of a weak video card, it can provide a visible result.

    Disabling unused components

    During the operation of the OS, one has to deal with a situation where a large number of services are used. The difficulty lies in the fact that not all of them provide for efficiency. It is for this reason that it is important to pay attention to this factor during optimization. Disabling certain components will not harm the OS.

    We follow the suggested path: Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off. A window will be displayed with the content shown in the screenshot.

    We look through the list of issued components and uncheck those that we do not use. For more detailed information hover the mouse over the element of interest.

    During the shutdown of certain components, a system message of the following type will be displayed on the screen:

    We confirm and continue optimization measures. It is necessary to list what exactly can be safely turned off:

    • Default browser IE if you use other programs to access the Internet
    • Telnet server
    • Built-in search engine, when it is not needed
    • Telnet and TFTP Clients
    • Components of a tablet personal computer, since the setup is for a laptop or a stationary device
    • OS gadget system when there is no desire to use this opportunity
    • Unix Program Subsystem
    • Microsoft Message Queuing Server
    • Operating System Activation Service
    • Print service when the printer is not connected to the device

    To all changes made started to work, it is necessary to reboot the operating system.

    Boot optimization for computers with multi-core processors

    If you are using a multi-core processor, there are some steps you can take to speed up the entire OS. In most cases, Windows itself can determine such a moment, but checking is never superfluous. It is required to enter msconfig through the "Run" window.

    Now you should go: Download -> Advanced Options

    In the window that appears, the number of processors, as well as the amount of memory, are indicated. It is necessary to make changes only when the parameters do not match the real ones.

    If the adjustments are set, then a reboot occurs to start their action.

    Repairing the Quick Launch

    If you are used to older operating systems, you may experience the inconvenience of missing the quick launch bar. In order to return, you need to carry out the following list of actions:

    1. Right click on the "Toolbar" icon
    2. Panels -> Create Toolbar
    3. A field opens where you need to register a new path
    4. %appdata%\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

    When you click "Select Folder", you can see the Quick Launch. To return to the usual place, you need to click the left mouse button and then move to the "Start" button. You should right-click on the "Quick Launch Panel", where the checkboxes "Show captions" and "Show title" should be unchecked.

    After all the procedures carried out, the panel will have the same appearance as in the XP predecessor OS. This is clearly shown in the screenshot below.

    Disabling UAC

    A similar innovation came to Windows 7 from Vista. We will not talk about the need for such a decision, since this is one of the most criticized elements. It is important to say that it can be disabled without a serious loss to the security of the OS. The main thing is to use a different antivirus. It is required to consider various options for action in this situation.

    It is possible to configure the frequency of notifications or completely disable the specified process. To complete the tasks, you need to go along the path: Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts -> Change User Account Control settings.

    However, if necessary, you can adjust the frequency of notifications or disable them altogether. We do the following: Start - Control Panel - User Accounts - Change User Account Control settings

    As you can see in the presented screenshot, several gradations of work are provided. You can set the slider to the most attractive option.

    Power management system

    The Windows 7 operating system allows you to control power within certain limits. The electrical energy consumption of the device is set via special section settings. You can put the most economical or productive option, as well as select a balanced mode. To access the corresponding window, you need to follow the path: Start -> Control Panel -> Power Options. If nothing is touched, then a balanced version is set. Below is the appearance of the settings window:

    After setting it, you should proceed to use advanced settings. To do this, click on "Change advanced power settings".

    A window will pop up where you can select suitable settings. When they are selected, it will only be necessary to confirm this.

    Browser performance optimization

    This item must be enabled if you are using the default browser - Internet Explorer. To speed up the work, you should take some measures:

    1. Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt

    2. Do the right mouse click and select "Run as administrator"

    3. In some cases, a message is issued from User Account Control. You need to confirm the launch.

    4. In the popup window command line regsvr32 actxprxy.dll is injected

    5. You must press enter. When the task is completed correctly, a message with the following content should be issued.

    After that, you can launch the IE browser. In the course of work, it should become much faster than before.

    Speed ​​up animation when popping windows

    It is allowed to significantly speed up the process of pop-up windows on the operating system. The following workflow is expected:

    1. Launching the Registry Editor. You need to use the following path Start -> Run -> regedit
    2. The special key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse is searched for
    3. The key is opened and the detection of the MouseHoverTime parameter is performed there. For optimal performance it is recommended to set the value to 150 with the system.
    4. Now we are interested in another key. Find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. It must contain the MenuShowDelay parameter. Its value should be set to 100.
    5. For all changes to take effect, you need to reboot the device.

    Automatic login without the need to enter a password

    Significantly speed up the time of work such a moment as logging in automatically, without the need to use an access code. To do this, it is necessary to perform the following sequence of actions:

    1. You should go along the path Start -> Run
    2. In the window, enter control userpasswords2 and confirm
    3. The corresponding menu is displayed, where we are interested in the "Users" tab. You need to find your account and uncheck the box next to "Require username and password".
    4. In the issued window, you need to confirm your access - a password is entered.
    5. The system reboots to accept the changes.

    Speed ​​up device shutdown

    In some cases, when you turn off your computer, this process may take several minutes. When you consider the shutdown time to be too long, there are certain actions you can take.

    The transition is Start -> Run, where in the window that appears, regedit is entered with further confirmation. We are interested in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control - this is what we need to look for. If found, the WaitToKillServiceTimeout parameter is changed. Its new value should be 500 or so. The default is 12000.

    Removing arrows from labels

    It all starts with the standard path Start -> Run -> regedit. In HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile you need to find the IsShortCut parameter and delete it. In order for the arrows to return to their place, the parameter must be restored. The device reboots to accept the changes.

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    There are a number of programs that are essentially charlatan. All of them promise a miraculous increase in computer speed by freeing up space in the computer's RAM. To understand why this is useless and even harmful, first you need to understand - what is RAM in general?

    What is RAM and why is it needed?

    RAM (or RAM - R andom A ccess M emory, or RAM - O operative W reminiscent At device) - volatile memory used for temporary storage of instructions and data necessary for the calculations that the processor (or processors) of a computer does. More precisely and in detail about this is described in Wikipedia, and I will focus on the actual problem of free space in RAM.

    Note: I am telling as simplified as possible, omitting many terms and features, leaving only the very essence required in the context of my note.

    The processor needs RAM to fast access to data that HDD cannot provide. Therefore, the program is loaded into RAM at startup - this is the only way the computer can do calculations, driving data to the processor from RAM and back.

    AT Windows running programs can be physically located not only “in RAM cards”, but also on a hard disk in a file pagefile.sys This file is called a “paging file” or “swap” (from the English swap).

    The idea is this: if a program takes up a lot of memory, part of it is uploaded to the hard disk in the paging file, freeing up "living space" for other programs, and if necessary, the data is loaded back into RAM.

    Problem is that the difference in speed between RAM and hard drive huge. This can be visually demonstrated like this:

    To ensure that only unnecessary data is dumped into the paging file, the Memory Manager works in Windows. It works quite well, thanks to which, on a computer with 512 MB of RAM, you can run programs that take up more than a gigabyte of memory. A typical example is modern versions Adobe Photoshop, 3DS Max and many other programs for complex calculations. Of course, with such a small amount of RAM, programs will strongly slow down, but work in them at the very least, but possible.

    What do memory optimizers do?

    I will draw an analogy with drugs for relieving symptoms - they do not treat the cause, they only relieve the symptoms. If a person has the flu, getting rid of a runny nose will not cure him. If the computer slows down and there is not enough free memory, it slows down not because of the occupied memory, but because of an overly resource-intensive program or, for example, overheating.

    All optimizers are required show the amount of free space in RAM. And often with red letters and warnings that this negatively affects the speed of the computer. Which is actually not true. If the program needs all the RAM, then it is required for business (calculations) and work fast she will only be if she is given as many places as she asks for.

    A typical example of programs that require large amounts of RAM are games. If the game requires 2 gigabytes of RAM, nothing can be done about it. Without the required amount of RAM, it will be problematic to play due to the low frame rate - the game will slow down due to the fact that part of the data will be located on a slow paging file. RAM optimizers create same negative effect.- after the memory is freed, the programs are allocated less memory than they need, which is why the “brakes” again begin.

    Note #1: I'm not saying that the frame rate in games directly depends on the amount of RAM. By installing more RAM in a computer, it will be possible to increase performance only in those programs where the amount of RAM is really important without regard to other more important parameters: processor frequency, video card characteristics, RAM frequency, hard speed disk, etc.

    Note #2: Errors occur with programs under the general name " memory leak“, when the program “grows” for no reason and takes up all the memory unnecessarily, but in this case it is necessary to require the developers of this program to fix the error, and not to free the memory by optimizers.

    How memory optimizers work

    Memory optimization programs (they may have different names - SuperRAM, FreeMemory, Memory Management SuperProMegaEdition, etc.) can free memory in several ways, but all of them are based on the Manager's deception principle Windows memory:

    1. The program calls the special EmptyWorkingSet() function, which forces all programs to unload "themselves" as much as possible into the swap file.
    2. The program begins to grow uncontrollably in memory, telling the Windows Memory Manager that it needs it for business (I'm talking in metaphors, but this is actually the case), causing the Memory Manager to throw out as much as possible more programs to the hard drive in the swap file.

    The result is always the same: programs start to slow down, but the number of free space in RAM is green and the memory optimization program says that everything is fine. As a result, the user rejoices, opens a window with his favorite program and ... waiting. Because his favorite program is starting slow down a lot. This will be until the program returns "itself" to RAM from the paging file. As a result, the RAM fills up again, the free space indicator again reports that the memory is busy, the user gets angry, starts cleaning the memory, and everything happens in the second (third, fifth, tenth) circle.

    Reverse effect - so that the program takes up all the RAM supposedly for fast work- cannot be achieved. I used the word "allegedly" because in the ideal case (when there is enough memory) programs take as much memory as they need and this process cannot be interfered with.. If you intervene in the process, you will get brakes caused by frequent access to the paging file.

    Another sad moment: memory optimizers cannot unload unnecessary programs from RAM. We determine their "uselessness" ourselves, everything is arranged differently in a computer. All programs are dumped into the swap file indiscriminately.

    Conclusion #1: The release of RAM by optimizers is only to the detriment and reduces performance.

    Conclusion #2: You can't judge the speed of a program by how much space it takes up in RAM.

    Conclusion #3: if the program takes up a lot of space in RAM, it means that it operates with large amounts of data. Helping her "think" faster is possible only by increasing the amount of RAM, i.e. by putting more RAM cards in the computer. But it won't help if the rest of the PC's specs don't meet the requirements.

    In order not to be unfounded, here is a link to similar conclusions with an explanation of the operation of the Windows Memory Manager: here.

    How should memory be optimized?

    The most obvious way to improve computer performance is to close unnecessary programs. The second is to install more RAM sticks (boards) so that programs “feel more at ease” and work faster. Other ways to speed up the computer, directly related to RAM, no.

    I repeat once again: memory optimizers - nonsense in order to make money on gullible users. The same stupidity is the adjustment " hidden settings memory" in Windows, since everything is already configured most optimally after testing on a large number of computers. There are specific moments, but this does not apply to home computers.

    About free RAM in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10

    On the forums, I often see indignant cries (quote): “ I installed Windows 7 (8, 10), looked at the Task Manager, and it says that one and a half gigabytes or all of the RAM is occupied! Windows 7 (8, 10) eats a lot of memory!»

    In fact, everything is completely different and there is no reason to be indignant. Quite the opposite: in modern operating systems, free memory is allocated for cache. This is mainly due to the SuperFetch function. Programs run faster thanks to the cache since instead of accessing the hard disk, data is loaded from RAM (see the picture above, the difference in the speed of the hard disk and RAM is written in bold). If some program needs more RAM - cache instantly will reduce its size, giving way to its place. More about this is written on Habrahabr.

    Findings:

    1. The memory does not need to be cleared, because each byte of the volume is used to the maximum effectively.
    2. Forget about memory optimizers - they do not optimize anything, interfering with the cache and other Windows functions.
    3. If a lot of RAM is occupied immediately after turning on the computer, this is absolutely normal and is not the reason for the slow operation of programs. Of course, if autoload is clogged with a dozen or two programs that occupy this very memory, at the same time loading the processor and exploiting the hard disk, braking is a must. Such programs need to be dealt with by deleting them or removing them from startup, and not by clearing the memory with optimizers.

    There is also a myth that when using Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10, the cache interferes with programs. Allegedly, "when a program needs more RAM, it turns out that it is clogged with cache, brakes appear." Actually this is not true. The cache disappears instantly and program straightaway the required amount of RAM becomes available.

    Resizing the paging file, moving it, or disabling it

    Also quite common, in some way harmful, advice. There is a good article about this on Habrahabr. I will just give the most important conclusions of that article, adding my own, from personal experience:

    1. Changing the size of the paging file does not make much sense. Theoretically, ideally, you should set the size of the swap file to no more than what the programs you are running need, but the problem is that even if you use the same programs of the same versions day after day, the situations are different (you can run in one browser tab, or maybe a hundred, each with an open game in Flash) and the requirements for available memory will be different - the supposed "ideal" page file size will change from minute to minute. Therefore, it makes no sense to change the size of the page file, since the "ideal size" of the page file changes constantly. It's easier to leave the size determined by the system and not fool yourself.
    2. If you disable the paging file on the system partition(in this case, the swap file can be used on other partitions), memory dump will not work on BSOD errors. Therefore, if the system will show " blue screen death", to identify the cause of the failure, you will first have to enable the paging file on the system partition, then wait for the failure to repeat. There is only one situation when it is advisable to disable the paging file on system drive(lose the ability to diagnose) and enable on another - if the computer has two or more physical hard drives. Moving the paging file to a different physical drive can reduce stuttering due to disk load balancing.
    3. Disabling the paging file (completely, i.e. on all disks) will cause problems and crashes of resource-intensive programs. Believe it or not, even now, with an average of 16 GB of RAM installed in a home PC, there are programs that require more. Personally, I have encountered problems when rendering complex scenes with V-Ray and when working in the GIMP program - these programs are quite voracious in terms of available memory and close when there is not enough of it.
      Note: Obviously, programs usually do not write data to the swap file themselves, the OS does it for them (but there are exceptions). Be that as it may, a disabled swap file cannot be considered part of the normal computer operating mode.
    4. Moving the paging file to a RAM disk(very fast in-memory virtual disk) impractical.
      First of all, and this is the most important Windows startup The RAM disk may be initialized later than the point at which the system needs the swap file. Anything can happen because of this - from BSOD to spontaneous system freezes (I encountered the above when I was testing this idea).
      Secondly, the size of such a paging file will be small - the memory is not rubber. There is a choice - either lack of RAM with a large paging file in memory, or program glitches when there is not enough space in a small paging file. There is no golden mean, because computer can perform different tasks.
      Exception when you can throw big file swap on the RAM disk - if you have 16 GB of RAM or more. However, with this amount of RAM, the paging file is almost never used, it makes no sense to keep it in RAM.
      Thirdly, it just doesn't make sense, because swap is needed to expand virtual memory with a hard drive or SSD.

    Clearing the paging file

    In the swap file pagefile.sys a variety of confidential information can be stored - for example, pictures from recently opened pages in the browser. This is a normal process due to the peculiarities of how programs work in Windows. If desired, you can enable paging file cleanup when the computer is turned off. However, this tweak will not increase performance in any way, on the contrary, it will seriously slow down the shutdown and restart of the computer.

    If you not work with confidential data, better do not include pagefile.sys cleanup.

    Availability of more than 4 GB of RAM in Windows

    The Internet is literally littered with users' arguments about why 3.5 GB of RAM is available in bit Windows instead of, for example, the installed 4 GB. Many theories, myths, legends were invented. For example, they believe that this is a limitation made by Microsoft, which can be removed. In fact, this is partly true - there is indeed a forced restriction. You just can't take it off. This is due to the fact that on 32-bit systems, drivers and programs can become unstable when the system uses more than four gigabytes of RAM. For 64-bit Windows drivers more thoroughly tested, the aforementioned limitation is not there.

    In 32-bit Windows, only 4 GB of RAM is available, in 64-bit Windows there is no such limitation and much more RAM is available - up to 192 GB.

    But not everything is so simple. Windows 7 Starter(and its counterpart in Vista) does not see more than 2 GB of RAM. This is also a limitation, but not due to unstable software. The fact is that Windows 7 Initial is distributed exclusively on low-power netbooks, in fact, almost free of charge, so it was necessary to distance it from more expensive editions: Home Basic, Home Extended, Ultimate, etc. Some of the limitations of Windows 7 Starter can be lifted, but not the limit of two gigabytes of RAM.

    As for the rest of the 32-bit editions of Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Windows 8/10: in practice, even less is available to the user - 3.5 GB. The thing is that drivers also have their own addresses, which deprive Windows programs access to a part of the memory of 512 megabytes. There is a patch that allows you to "push" such addresses beyond four gigabytes so that the system begins to use all 4 GB of RAM, but this practically does not make sense:

    • As I wrote above, drivers and programs will not be able to work correctly after such a patch, so the system may start to freeze, give errors, i.e. behave unpredictably.
    • Even if the computer has 8, 16, 32 GB or more RAM cards installed, this will not help to use them in the 32-bit mode of the operating system.

    What's the point of having an extra 512MB of RAM available if the system becomes unstable? Here is a good example. You still have to install 64-bit Windows.

    Just because you see 4GB of RAM doesn't mean it can be used effectively. The problem is that 32-bit Windows cannot correctly allocate more than 2 GB of physical RAM to a process (program). Many people forget about this - and in vain. It doesn't matter how much RAM is in the computer, if the program cannot be given more than 2 GB of RAM. Example: if a user works in 32-bit Windows with Photoshop on a computer with 4 GB of RAM, Photoshop will be able to use only two gigabytes maximum, the rest of the data will be thrown into the paging file and will start to slow down. It's the same with games.

    In fact, only in a 64-bit operating system can programs use the full potential of RAM with a capacity of more than two gigabytes. And that's not all, but only designed to use more than 2 GB of RAM. The situation can again be corrected with the help of appropriate patches in 32-bit Windows, but this does not work with all programs. I repeat: only 64-bit Windows and 64-bit programs running in it is the only way to use the full potential of a large amount of RAM.

    Meanwhile, the situation is different with server versions of Windows: much larger amounts of RAM are available there even in 32-bit versions of the OS. Why this happens is explained in the article Pushing the Limits of Windows: Physical Memory by Mark Russinovich.

    To show the difference in memory requirements between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, I installed Windows 7 in both bits:

    Memory consumption of Windows 7 of both bit depths

    Both Windows were installed in the same virtual machines with 2 GB of RAM each. Of the programs, only VMWare Tools are installed (used trial version virtual VMWare machines). In 32-bit Windows 7, it was highlighted 606 MB, in 64-bit - 766 . Dedicated memory- it's generally all virtual memory occupied by programs and system (in RAM and paging file). The occupied RAM will be less, depending on running programs.

    You may have slightly different values ​​on a freshly installed system, because the systems may be of different editions, with different drivers, etc. But the result will always be the same:

    Windows 7 (and 8) 64-bit takes up only about 150 MB more RAM than the 32-bit version.

    If you turn to official page with system requirements Windows 7 and Windows 8, you can see that 32-bit Windows 7/8 requires a computer with 1 GB of RAM, and 64-bit requires a minimum of 2 GB. Indeed, if you use 64-bit Windows 7/8 on a computer with 1 GB of RAM, there will be little free memory left, which will reduce the performance of the computer due to a clear lack of RAM. On a scale of 2 gigabytes, the loss of 0.15 part of a gigabyte will already be hardly noticeable, but the advantages of a 64-bit system and 64-bit programs will begin to appear.

    Conclusion: On a computer with less than 2 GB of RAM, it is more profitable to install 32-bit Windows 7/8/10. On a computer with more than 2 GB of RAM (or equal), nothing prevents the installation of 64-bit Windows 7/8/10.

    About the advantages of 64-bit Windows versions 7/8/10 is described above, so I recommend switching to it as soon as possible.

    Increasing RAM with ReadyBoost

    Here, Microsoft itself introduced confusion at the time of the release of Vista, telling on its official website that with the help of ReadyBoost you can solve the problem with a lack of RAM according to the principle “insert a USB flash drive and expand the amount of RAM”. Actually it is not. With the ReadyBoost technology running, a flash drive creates special file where the most frequently used files are copied. Thanks to this, some programs start faster, which partially eliminates the problem of computer freezes, but, unfortunately, does not improve the performance of the system as a whole and, moreover, does not increase the amount of RAM. ReadyBoost allows partially solve problems related to reading a slow hard drive, and nothing more.

    Summing up

    • You can't use RAM optimizers.
    • Touching the memory settings is the same, even if the program has a lot of hints that give a feeling of control over the situation.
    • Free RAM in Windows Vista/7/8/10 is used for good, it's better not to touch this functionality - everything works well, there is practically nothing to improve.
    • If your computer slows down, then this more likely not because of the occupied memory (it is occupied by a useful cache), but because of either a large number of running programs or one program that “takes” everything for itself.