Improving Your Computer's Performance

If your productivity isn't what you think it should be and you suspect your computer is part of the problem, Windows Vista can give you information about your computer's performance and ways in which you might be able to improve it. Windows Vista indicates your computer's performance potential in various areas through the Windows Experience Index, which measures your processor, memory, graphics card, and hard disk. The lowest of these subscores is your computer's base score. The higher the base score, the better your computer's overall performance.

However, the base score you need depends a lot on what you intend to do with the computer. For example, you might receive a base score of 1 because you don't have a high-powered graphics card, even though you receive subscores of 3 or 4 in the processor, memory, and hard disk categories. Your computer would be more than adequate to run office applications such as word processing and spreadsheet programs; it just wouldn't be powerful enough to adequately display Windows Aero or sophisticated games. To optimize your computer for those purposes, you would need to upgrade your graphics card.

If the Windows Experience Index memory subscore indicates that you would do well to upgrade your computer's memory, you don't necessarily have to crack open your computer's case to install new sticks of RAM or pay someone to do it for you. With a Windows Vista feature called Windows ReadyBoost, some types of USB flash drives can double as memory-expansion devices. If you insert a flash drive in a USB port, the AutoPlay dialog box that appears includes a Speed Up My System option. Clicking this option displays the ReadyBoost tab of the Properties dialog box for your flash drive, which tells you whether your flash drive has the type of "fast" flash memory that can be used for this purpose. If it does, you can select how much of your flash drive's capacity you want to use as auxiliary memory.

Short of upgrading your computer system's hardware, some of the things you can do to improve performance are:

• Use Windows Defender to minimize the number of programs and services that start automatically when you start Windows.

• Speed up screen refresh rates by simplifying the visual effects Windows Vista has to create.

• Adjust your computer's power settingsfor example, so that it wakes from a powered-down or sleeping state more readily.

  Tip

  If you use a mobile computer such as a laptop or Tablet PC, you can adjust the battery usage to prolong the period of time you can go without recharging.

  
  

• Streamline the indexing of files to focus on the ones you are most likely to want to find.

  See Also

  For information about searching for files, see "Finding Specific Information" in Chapter 3, "Working with Folders and Files."

  
  

• Increase file access speed by consolidating files and removing files you don't need.

  See Also

  For information about increasing file access, see "Removing Unnecessary Files" and "Consolidating Files on Your Hard Disk" later in this chapter.

  
  

In this exercise, you will examine the programs that Windows Vista starts when you turn on your computer, how Windows handles visual effects, and your computer's power settings. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	In Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, and then click Performance Information and Tools. The Performance Information And Tools window displays your computer's Windows Experience Index. [View full size image]
2.	In the Tasks list in the left pane, click the Manage startup programs task. Windows Defender opens, displaying the Software Explorer page filtered to show only those programs that automatically start each time you log on to your computer. Details for the program selected in the left pane are shown in the right pane. If you can remove or disable a program, those buttons become active below the right pane when you select the program. [View full size image]
3.	Close Windows Defender.
4.	In the Tasks list in the left pane of the Performance Information and Tools window, click the Adjust visual effects task. In the User Account Control dialog box, if you're logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and then click OK. The Performance Options dialog box opens, displaying the Visual Effects tab. You can allow Windows Vista to select the optimum settings for your computer, or you can control the settings yourself. You can choose standard packages of settings configured to produce the best visual appearance (at the expense of speed) or the best performance (at the expense of looks). Or you can set each performance option individually.
5.	If you want to adjust the settings to improve your computer's performance, on the Visual Effects tab, select the Adjust for best performance option, and then click OK. Otherwise, click Cancel.
6.	In the Tasks list in the left pane of the Performance and Information Tools window, click the Adjust power settings task. [View full size image] The Power Options window displays three default power plans offering energy savings, performance, or a balance between the two. Tip The available power options vary based on your computer. The window shown is that of a laptop computer.
7.	Select the High Performance option, and then under the option, click Change plan settings. In the Edit Plan Settings window, you can adjust the period of time you want Windows Vista to wait while the computer is idle before turning off the display and before putting the computer into Sleep mode, as well as the display brightness.
8.	Click Change advanced power settings. The Power Options dialog box opens, with the High Performance options listed. You can change any option to suit the way you work. Troubleshooting Don't be concerned if your list of options is different from the one shown. Windows Vista identifies the power settings that you can adjust for your computer and lists only those options.
9.	Click Cancel to close the Power Options dialog box. Then click the Back button in the upper-left corner of the Edit Plan Settings window to return to the Power Options window.
10.	If you want to change the power plan settings for your computer, select the option that represents the closest fit, and then to fine-tune the settings, click Change plan settings.