Increase windows 7 speed performance

With Windows 7, Microsoft did a really good job making the system perform well. However, over time, Windows 7 systems can slow down and need some care and feeding to regain their former glory.

Further, some Windows 7 features can be leveraged to improve overall system performance. In this article, I will outline 10 steps you can take to boost the performance of your Windows 7 systems. Note: This post is also available as a PDF download. Not every system service that is running on a stock Windows 7 machine is necessary. A number of services can either be disabled or modified to run only when needed.

Once you make these changes, the service no longer has to consume system resources and the system no longer has to spend time starting the service. Windows 7 systems eventually begin to suffer under the weight of software that is installed in the normal course of business. Many software titles install more than is necessary and include helper applications designed solely to make the software start up more quickly or facilitate other communication e.

And new software installations might add a permanent presence to the system tray, even if it's not absolutely necessary for the system to function Steam games, for example. You could go through your system tool by tool and remove the offending software, but you might want to keep the underlying tool around and just prevent the helper from loading.

This and more can be accomplished through the use of MSconfig, a tool that has long been a part of Windows. MSconfig allows you to selectively disable startup items and take other steps toward improving overall system performance. From the Startup tab Figure A , you can disable items. Just be careful about what you choose. I've long felt that Microsoft's OEMs sometimes actively work against the Redmond behemoth and sully the company's name. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of what has become known as "bloatware.

Open control panel and choose system and security. Click on system 3. Click on Advanced system settings. Click on advanced tab. In the performance section click on settings.

Click on Advanced and choose Change in the Virtual Memory section. Uncheck Automatically Manage Pagefile size 8. Click OK and restart your computer Turn of the Hibernation setting If you don't use hibernation you can turn it off and free up disk space: 1.

Right click CMD. Press Enter 5. Exit and restart your computer. How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. This site in other languages x. Disable extensions, plugins, and toolbars. Turn off bandwidth limitations. Disconnect other computers from the network. Switch to Chrome. Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

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Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Click the Start menu and type defender into the search bar. The Start menu is usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen. A list of matching search results will appear. If Windows 7 is performing slower than usual when you're browsing the web, it's possible you've got adware, spyware, or other types of malware running in the background.

Click Windows Defender in the search results. This opens Windows Defender, a built-in antimalware suite that comes with Windows 7. If you're using a different antimalware product such as Norton or McAfee, feel free to use that instead. Enable real-time protection optional. If you want Windows to automatically protect you from viruses and malware while you're using the internet, you should use this feature. If you see "Real-time protection: On" in the "Status" box at the bottom of the screen, you're already protected.

If not, follow these steps: [1] X Research source Click Tools at the top of the window. Click Options. Click Real-time protection in the left panel.

Check the box next to "Use real-time protection recommended. For the most protection, check the other two boxes to allow Windows to scan programs you install and files you download. Click Save. Check for malware definition updates. Before you start a scan, make sure Defender has the most up-to-date info on possible threats. To do this, click the menu next to the Help icon the question mark at the top, then click Check for updates.

Be aware that formatting your hard drive might wipe out all your data. Some processes and services, which might not really be necessary, are by default made to start automatically once the system starts up. It is best to disable them. For this, do the following:. Some programs are set to start during system start-up. These might slow down the start-up process.

Programs that are not really needed during start-up can be disabled. Remove unwanted files, like temp files, downloaded program files, recycle bin, etc. You could use Disk Cleanup option to do this, as follows:.

This is an option which allows the OS to flush changed data to the hard disk when the system is idle, so that performance is not affected when in use. For enabling this, do the following:. Note: However, there is one disadvantage in enabling these options — if there is a power outage or a system crash, data might be lost or corrupted.

If you have a secondary power supply, like a UPS, you could go ahead with checking these options. When there is no sufficient space to store in a hard drive, the OS splits the file into parts and stores it in different areas on the hard drive.

Defragmenting allows all these parts to be stored in contiguous memory locations. For defragmenting disk do the following:. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to enjoy a better experience. Visual and Sound Related 1.