Thread: How to Speed Up Windows

NOTE: This tutorial was made with Windows 7 in mind, but a lot of these steps can be used in Windows XP and Vista as well.

PART 1: Use CCleaner

1. Download CCleaner: CCleaner - Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download
2. Download CCleaner Enhancer: CCEnhancer | The Web Atom
3. Open CCleaner and go to the "Cleaner" tab.
4. Go through the items under "System" and "Advanced" and check the boxes of only the items you want to remove. (For example, I leave "Desktop Shortcuts" unchecked because I do not want to lose those).
5. Click "Analyze" and after that is done, click "Run Cleaner".
6. Go to the "Registry" tab next. Keep everything checked and then click "Scan for Issues".
7. After you click "Fix selected issues..." a dialog box will come up asking you to backup your registry. It isn't necessary, but I would do it just in case. After that just click "Fix all issues".
8. Go to the "Tools" tab. Under "Uninstall", go through the list of programs and uninstall anything you do not need.
9. Under "Startup", you can disable a lot of processes and speed up your computer's boot time. Check this website to see if the process is necessary or not: Sysinfo.org
10. Under "System Restore" I would recommend deleting all of the System Restore points except the two most recent (you can't delete the most recent one anyway).

PART 2: Get Rid of Torrent Files (uTorrent ONLY)

1. Press ctrl+r to open up the run menu. Type in "%AppData%\uTorrent" (without quotes).
2. Delete all the torrent files there.
CAUTION: Do NOT delete the files for any torrent you have open. Also, do NOT delete the 'apps' file because it holds the data for your applications (even if you do not have any, deleting it may mess up uTorrent's functionality).
PRO TIP: In uTorrent, go to Options -> Preferences -> General and click "Associate with .torrent files". That way, all the torrent files will have the green uTorrent symbol and be easier to recognize (but be careful, the "apps" file also shows up with the green symbol).

PART 3: Defragment Your Hard Drive

1. Windows has a Disk Defragmenter that works pretty well.
2. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter.
3. Click "Analyze Disk", and then click "Defragment Disk" (it could take a while).
PRO TIP: You can schedule your computer to defragment at regular intervals (recommended) by clicking "Configure schedule..." and setting that up. I would recommend defragmenting every week at most and once a month at least.
There are also third party tools you can use to defragment. Look up reviews if you want to know more. Here are two I've heard good things about:
Defraggler - File and Disk Defragmentation - Free Download
Smart Defrag | Best Disk Defrag Freeware | Free Defragmenter

PART 4: Use Antivirus

I personally think this a no-brainer. There are tons of very good programs like AVG, Avira, and even Microsoft's Security Essentials. Since each one is different, I won't go into detail on what settings or how to use them. Google them to see what works for you.

PART 5: Windows Tweaks

1. Right click My Computer and select "Properties". Go to Advanced -> Performance -> Settings. Select Custom under Visual Effects and deselect anything you deem unnecessary. Different people find different things necessary/unnecessary so I'll leave that to your discretion.
2. Again, in the My Computer Properties, go to Advanced -> Performance -> Settings -> Advanced -> Virtual Memory -> Change. Change the initial and maximum fields to approximately one and a half times your RAM size. For example, I would put 6144 MB if I had 4 GB of RAM. (Note: I strongly recommend against making this any more than 2 times your RAM because it can lead to problems with your hard drive).
3. Go to the Control Panel and select "Power Options" and then "Show Additional Plans". Select the "High Performance" plan. CAUTION: Do NOT do this if you have a laptop. It will kill your battery life.
4. Open up Windows Explorer and go to Organize -> Folder and Search Options -> Files and Folders -> View. Select "Always show icons, never thumbnails".
5. Use ReadyBoost if you have extra flash drives lying around. I think Microsoft's articles are pretty good at explaining this. Using memory in your storage device to speed up your computer



These steps are to speed up your computer. To torrent faster, I would recommend optimizing your client's settings. Here's a pretty good tutorial I found on T-I for that: uTorrent Tweeking

***These are not from a specific source. This is just knowledge I have accumulated over the last couple of years from my own experience and the recommendations of friends.

Parts 1 & 3
Are the best IMO.

CCleaner is such a good program.

Good tut!

for me part 1 & 4

especially part 1, i was tired form my PC until i get a C Cleaner

kudos on part 1

Best way to speed up Windows = Reinstall Windows

But when that's not possible I think you covered all of the good steps!

CCleaner rox... It can clean almost ecery junk files into the PC.. Thanks for the tips, man!

Ohhhh. Can't wait to get home and try this!

I <3 CCleaner and Defraggler, but I did NOT know that uTorrent saved all of those .torrent files! Thanks a lot for this informative post!

part 1 helped me a lot thx
ccleaner is a great progrem and it really helps