https://www.computerworld.com/article/3029168/microsoft-windows/windows-10-quick-tips-12-ways-to-speed-up-your-pc.html
Windows 10 quick tips: 12 ways to speed up your PC
Preston Gralla</author/Preston-Gralla/>
Contributing Editor, Computerworld Jan 23, 2019 10:36 AM PT
If you want to speed up Windows 10, take a few minutes to try out these tips.
Your machine will be zippier and less prone to performance and system issues.
</author/Preston-Gralla/>By
Mingis on Tech: What's coming in the Windows 10 October update?
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The next big feature upgrade for Windows 10 arrives soon, so it's time to
discuss what's new – and think about why the pace of OS innovation seems to be
slowing.
Want Windows 10 to run faster? We've got help. In just a few minutes you can
try out these dozen tips; your machine will be zippier and less prone to
performance and system issues.
Table of Contents
1. Change your power settings
If you’re using Windows 10’s Power saver plan, you’re slowing down your PC.
That plan reduces your PC’s performance in order to save energy. (Even desktop
PCs typically have a Power saver plan.) Changing your power plan from Power
saver to High performance or Balanced will give you an instant performance
boost.
To do it, launch Control Panel, then select Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
You’ll typically see two options: Balanced (recommended) and Power saver.
(Depending on your make and model, you might see other plans here as well,
including some branded by the manufacturer.) To see the High performance
setting, click the down arrow by Show additional plans.
To change your power setting, simply choose the one you want, then exit Control
Panel. High performance gives you the most oomph, but uses the most power;
Balanced finds a median between power use and better performance; and Power
saver does everything it can to give you as much battery life as possible.
Desktop users have no reason to choose Power saver, and even laptop users
should consider the Balanced option when unplugged -- and High performance when
connected to a power source.
[power
plan]<https://images.idgesg.net/images/article/2017/06/power-plan-100726471-orig.jpg>
Preston Gralla
Change your power settings in Control Panel to give your PC a performance boost.
2. Disable programs that run on startup
One reason your Windows 10 PC may feel sluggish is you've got too many programs
running in the background -- programs that you may never use, or only rarely
use. Stop them from running, and your PC will run more smoothly.
Start by launching the Task Manager: Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc or right-click the
lower-right corner of your screen and select Task Manager. If the Task Manager
launches as a compact app with no tabs, click "More details" at the bottom of
your screen. The Task Manager will then appear in all of its full-tabbed glory.
There's plenty you can do with it, but we're going to focus only on killing
unnecessary programs that run at startup.
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Click the Startup tab. You'll see a list of the programs and services that
launch when you start Windows. Included on the list is each program's name as
well as its publisher, whether it's enabled to run on startup, and its "Startup
impact," which is how much it slows down Windows 10 when the system starts up.
To stop a program or service from launching at startup, right-click it and
select "Disable." This doesn't disable the program entirely; it only prevents
it from launching at startup -- you can always run the application after
launch. Also, if you later decide you want it to launch at startup, you can
just return to this area of the Task Manager, right-click the application and
select "Enable."
[Windows task manager in FCU] Microsoft
You can use the Task Manager to help get information about programs that launch
at startup and disable any you don't need.
Many of the programs and services that run on startup may be familiar to you,
like OneDrive or Evernote Clipper. But you may not recognize many of them.
(Anyone who immediately knows what "bzbui.exe" is, please raise your hand. No
fair Googling it first.)
The Task Manager helps you get information about unfamiliar programs.
Right-click an item and select Properties for more information about it,
including its location on your hard disk, whether it has a digital
signature<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signature>, and other
information such as the version number, the file size and the last time it was
modified.
You can also right-click the item and select "Open file location." That opens
File Explorer and takes it to the folder where the file is located, which may
give you another clue about the program's purpose.
Finally, and most helpfully, you can select "Search online" after you
right-click. Bing will then launch with links to sites with information about
the program or service.
If you're really nervous about one of the listed applications, you can go to a
site run by Reason Software called Should I Block
It?<http://www.shouldiblockit.com/> and search for the file name. You'll
usually find very solid information about the program or service.
Now that you've selected all the programs that you want to disable at startup,
the next time you restart your computer, the system will be a lot less
concerned with unnecessary program.
3. Shut Off Windows Tips and Tricks
As you use your Windows 10 PC, Windows keeps an eye on what you’re doing and
offers tips about things you might want to do with the operating system. I my
experience, I’ve rarely if ever found these “tips” helpful. I also don’t like
the privacy implications of Windows constantly taking a virtual look over my
shoulder.
Windows watching what you’re doing and offering advice can also make your PC
run more sluggishly. So if you want to speed things up, tell Windows to stop
giving you advice. To do so, click the Start button, select the Settings icon
and then go to System > Notifications & actions. Scroll down to the
Notifications section and turn off “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you
use Windows.”
That’ll do the trick.
[notifications] Microsoft
Turning off Windows' suggestions for you should help things run more smoothly
(and give you back a measure of privacy).
4. Stop OneDrive from Synching
Microsoft’s cloud-based OneDrive file storage, built into Windows 10, keeps
files synched and up to date on all of your PCs. It’s also a useful backup tool
so that if your PC or its hard disk dies, you still have all your files intact,
waiting for you to restore them.
[OneDrive sync] Microsoft
Here’s how to turn off OneDrive synching temporarily, to see if that boosts
system performance.
It does this by constantly synching files between your PC and cloud storage –
something that can also slow down your PC. That's why one way to speed up your
PC is to stop the synching. Before you turn it off permanently, though, you’ll
want to check whether it is actually slowing down your PC. To do so,
right-click the OneDrive icon in the notification area on the right side of the
taskbar. (The OneDrive icon looks like a cloud.) From the popup screen that
appears, click “Pause syncing” and select either 2 hours, 8 hours or 24 hours,
depending upon how long you want it paused. During that time gauge whether
you're seeing a noticeable speed boost.
If so, and you decide you do indeed want to turn off synching, right-click the
OneDrive icon, and from the popup, select Setting > Account. Click “Unlink this
PC,” and then from the screen that appears, click “Unlink account.” When you do
that, you’ll still be able to save your files to your local OneDrive folder,
but it won’t synch with the cloud.
If you find OneDrive slows down your PC, but prefer to keep using it, you can
next try to troubleshoot OneDrive problems. For info on how to do that, check
out Microsoft’s “Fix OneDrive sync problems”
page<https://support.office.com/en-us/article/fix-onedrive-sync-problems-83ab0d8a-8400-45b0-8dcf-dc8aa8a6bcf8?ui=en-US&rs=en-001&ad=US>.
5. Turn off search indexing
Windows 10 indexes your hard disk in the background, allowing you – in theory –
to search your PC more quickly than if no indexing were being done. But slower
PCs that use indexing can see a performance hit, and you can give them a speed
boost by turning off indexing. Even if you have an SSD disk, turning off
indexing can improve your speed as well, because the constant writing to disk
that indexing does can eventually slow down SSDs.
To get the maximum benefit in Windows 10, you need to turn indexing off
completely. To do so, first type services.msc in the Start Menu search box, and
click the Services result that come up. The Services app then appears. Scroll
down to either Indexing Service or Windows Search in the list of services.
Double-click it, and from the screen that appears, click Stop. Then reboot.
Your searches may be slightly slower, although you may not notice the
difference. But you should get an overall performance boost.
[services and indexing] Microsoft
Here’s how to turn off Windows 10 indexing.
If you’d like, you can turn off indexing for only files in certain locations.
To do this, first type index in the Start Menu search box, and click the
Indexing Options result that appears. The Indexing Options page of Control
Panel appears. Click the Modify button and you’ll see a list of locations that
are being indexed, such as Microsoft Outlook, your personal files, and so on.
Uncheck the boxes next to any location, and it will no longer be indexed.
6. Clean out your hard disk
If you’ve got a bloated hard disk filled with files you don’t need, you could
be slowing down your PC. Cleaning it out can give you a speed boost. Windows 10
has a surprisingly useful built-in tool for doing this called Storage Sense. Go
to Settings > System > Storage and at the top of the screen – in the Storage
Sense section – move the toggle from Off to On. When you do this, Windows
constantly monitors your PC, and deletes old junk files you no longer need;
temporary files; files in the Downloads folder that haven’t been changed in a
month; and old Recycle Bin files.
You can customize how Storage Sense works and also use it to free up even more
space than it normally would. Underneath Storage Sense, click “Change how we
free up space automatically.” From the screen that appears, you can change how
often Storage Sense deletes files (every day, every week, every month or when
Windows decides). You can also tell Storage Sense to delete files in your
Download folder, depending on how long they’ve been there. And you can also set
how long to wait to delete files in the Recycle Bin automatically.
[storage sense] Microsoft
Here’s how to customize the way Storage Sense works, and to tell it to delete
old versions of Windows.
You can also delete old versions of Windows that might be hogging space. At the
bottom of the screen, check the box next to “Delete previous versions of
Windows.” Storage Sense will then delete old versions of Windows ten days after
you’ve installed an upgrade. Note that if you do this, you won’t be able to
revert to the older version of Windows.
7. Clean out your Registry
Under the Windows hood, the Registry tracks and controls just about everything
about the way Windows works and looks. That includes information about where
your programs are stored, which DLLs they use and share, what file types should
be opened by which program or just about everything else.
But the Registry is a very messy thing. When you uninstall a program, for
example, that program’s settings don’t always get cleaned up in the Registry.
So over time, it can get filled with countless outdated settings of all types.
And that can lead to system slowdowns.
Don’t even think of trying to clean any of this out yourself. It’s impossible.
To do it, you need a Registry Cleaner. There are plenty available, some free
and some paid. But there’s really no need to outright buy one, because the
free Auslogics Registry
Cleaner<https://www.auslogics.com/en/software/registry-cleaner/> does a solid
job.
[WIndows Registry] Microsoft
The Registry tracks and controls just about everything about the way Windows
works and looks.
Before using Auslogics or any other Registry Cleaner, you should back up your
Registry so you can restore it if anything goes wrong. (Auslogics Registry
Cleaner does this for you as well, but it can’t hurt to have it backed up
twice.) To do your own Registry backup, type regedit.ext in the search box,
then press Enter. That runs the Registry editor. From the File menu, select
Export. From the screen that appears, make sure to choose the “All” option in
the Export range section at the bottom of the screen. Then choose a file
location and file name and click Save. To restore the Registry, open the
Registry editor, select Import from the File menu, then open the file you saved.
Now download, install and run Auslogics Registry Cleaner. On the left-hand side
of the screen you can select the kinds of Registry issues you want to clean up
– for example, File Associations, Internet or Fonts. I generally select them
all.
Next tell it to scan the Registry for problems. To do that, click “Scan Now”
and from a drop-down menu that appears select Scan. That lets you first examine
the Registry problems it finds. If you instead choose “Scan and Repair,” it
makes the fixes without you checking them.
It now scans your Registry for errors, then shows you what it found. It ranks
the errors according to their severity, to help you decide which to fix. Click
Repair when you’ve made your decision, and make sure that “Back up Changes” is
checked, so you can restore the Registry easily if something goes wrong.
8. Disable shadows, animations and visual effects
Windows 10 has some nice eye candy -- shadows, animations and visual effects.
On fast, newer PCs, these don't usually affect system performance. But on
slower and older PCs, they can exact a performance hit.
</article/3029168/microsoft-windows/windows-10-quick-tips-12-ways-to-speed-up-your-pc.html?page=2>
Today's best reads
If you want to speed up Windows 10, take a few minutes to try out these tips.
Your machine will be zippier and less prone to performance and system issues.
</author/Preston-Gralla/>By
</article/3029168/microsoft-windows/windows-10-quick-tips-12-ways-to-speed-up-your-pc.html>
It's easy to turn them off. In the Windows 10 search box type sysdm.cpl and
press Enter. That launches the System Properties dialog box. Click the Advanced
tab and click "Settings" in the Performance section. That brings you to the
Performance Options dialog box. You'll see a varied list of animations and
special effects.
[performance
options]<https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2016/02/performance-options-100642930-orig.png>
The Performance Options dialog box lets you turn off effects that might be
slowing down Windows 10.
If you have time on your hands and love to tweak, you can turn individual ones
on and off. These are the animations and special effects you'll probably want
to turn off, because they have the greatest effect on system performance:
* Animate controls and elements inside windows
* Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
* Animations in the taskbar
* Fade or slide menus into view
* Fade or slide ToolTips into view
* Fade out menu items after clicking
* Show shadows under windows
However, it's probably a lot easier to just select "Adjust for best
performance" at the top of the screen and then click OK. Windows 10 will then
turn off the effects that slow down your system.
Table of Contents
9. Launch the Windows troubleshooter
Windows 10 has a very useful, little-known tool that can sniff out performance
problems and solve them. To launch it, run Control Panel and select System and
Security > Security and Maintenance > Troubleshooting > Run maintenance tasks.
A screen titled "Troubleshoot and help prevent computer problems" will appear.
Click Next.
The troubleshooter will find files and shortcuts you don't use, identify any
performance and other issues on your PC, report them to you and then fix them.
Note that you may get a message that says, "Try troubleshooting as an
administrator." If you have administrative rights to the PC, click it and the
troubleshooter will launch and do its work.
[troubleshooter]<https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2016/02/troubleshooter-100642933-orig.png>
Windows 10's troubleshooter can perform maintenance and housecleaning tasks to
help speed up your system.
10. Get help from the Performance Monitor
There's a great tool in Windows 10 called the Performance Monitor that can,
among other things, create a detailed performance report about your PC, detail
any system and performance issues, and suggest fixes.
To get the report, type perfmon /report into your search box and press Enter.
(Make sure there's a space between "perfmon" and the slash mark.) The Resource
and Performance Monitor launches and gathers information about your system. It
will say that it will take 60 seconds, but I've found that it takes several
minutes. When the Monitor finishes, it will launch an interactive report.
[performance
monitor]<https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2016/02/performance-monitor-100642931-orig.png>
The Performance Monitor reports details on system and performance issues.
You'll find a lot of extremely detailed information in the report, and it can
take a lot of time to go through. Your best bet is to first look at the
Warnings section, which details the biggest issues (if any) it found on your
PC, such as problems with Windows, with drivers and so on. It also tells you
how to fix each problem -- for example, how to turn on a device that has been
disabled.
It is also worthwhile to scroll down to the Resource Overview section, where
you'll find an analysis of how well your CPU, network, disk and memory are
performing. Each result is color-coded, with green meaning no problems, yellow
meaning potential issues, and red showing a problem.
Beyond that, the Resource Overview also reports performance metrics and
explanatory details. For example, for the CPU, it might show green and a
utilization of 21%, with the details, "Normal CPU load." Or for Memory, it
might show yellow, with 62% utilization and the details, "1520 MB is
available." Based on what you get, you might want to do something about your
hardware -- for example, add more memory.
11. Kill bloatware
Sometimes the biggest factor slowing down your PC isn't Windows 10 itself, but
bloatware or adware that takes up CPU and system resources. Adware and
bloatware are particularly insidious because they may have been installed by
your computer's manufacturer. You'd be amazed at how much more quickly your
Windows 10 PC can run if you get rid of it.
First, run a system scan to find adware and malware. If you've already
installed a security
suite<http://www.computerworld.com/article/2943119/security/security-suites-choosing-the-best-one-for-you.html>
such as Norton Security or McAfee LiveSafe, you can use that. You can also use
Windows 10's built in anti-malware app -- just type Windows Defender in the
search box, press Enter, and then click Scan Now. Windows Defender will look
for malware and remove any it finds.
It's a good idea to get a second opinion, though, so consider a free tool like
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware<https://www.malwarebytes.org/>. The free version
scans for malware and removes what it finds; the paid version offers always-on
protection to stop infections in the first place.
[malwarebytes]<https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2016/02/malwarebytes-100642934-orig.png>
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a useful application that will scan for and fix
Windows 10 PC problems.
Now you can check for bloatware and get rid of it. Several free programs will
do this for you; your best bet is to run several of them, because no single one
will find all the bloatware on your PC. Good choices are the PC
Decrapifier<https://www.pcdecrapifier.com/>, Should I Remove
It?<http://www.shouldiremoveit.com/> and SlimComputer<http://slimcomputer.com/>.
For more details about removing bloatware, check out Computerworld's article
"Bloatware: What it is and how to get rid of
it."<http://www.computerworld.com/article/2966113/windows-pcs/bloatware-what-it-is-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it.html>
12. Shut down and restart Windows
Here’s one of IT’s not-quite-secret weapons for troubleshooting and speeding up
a PC: Shut it down and restart it. Doing that clears out any excess use of RAM
that otherwise can’t be cleared. It also kills processes that you might have
set in motion and are no longer needed, but that continue running and slow your
system. If your Windows 10 PC has turned sluggish over time for no apparent
reason, you may be surprised at how much more quickly it will run when you do
this.
Try just some of these tricks, and you'll find that you've got a faster Windows
10 PC -- and one that is less likely to have any reliability problems.
Preston Gralla is a contributing editor for Computerworld and the author of
more than 45 books, including Windows 8 Hacks (O'Reilly, 2012) and How the
Internet Works (Que, 2006).
</article/3029168/microsoft-windows/windows-10-quick-tips-12-ways-to-speed-up-your-pc.html>
Today's best reads
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info<http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
