How can i optimize my brand new computer to run faster. it has windows vista basic?

Question

I just bought a brand new computer 4 days ago. It came with vista basic. It is running WAY TOO Slow. I have upgraded the memory to 1gig and went into msconfig to disabled all the unnecessary start up files. I did not disable any Microsoft files as I did not know which ones i needed. Still running slow. Best Buy wants to charge me $70 to OPTIMIZE my PC to run faster. They said there are several Microsoft applications they can disable. I do not want to pay $70 as I have already spent enough on upgrades.
Can someone tell me which microsoft applications I can disable or where i can find the info.

Answer 1

You really need 2GB of memory on a laptop for it to run at a decent speed, I had to do some work on a 1GB dual core laptop this morning, and the speed ? slow, if I run the same laptop on XP with half the memory (512MB) it works really well and fast.

Bottom line is , Vista is huge, and it needs a lot more to make it work fast.

Answer 2

Hi, as I understand it, Tofu gave the best answer. Windows Vista needs 2 Gigs of Memory. I personally don't have any experiance with Vista.

I see you got Vista Basic, I don't know the differances between Basic, Business, and Premium. Since you want to do programming I think you might look at the best Vista package for you. I know XP Professional runs great on 1G of Ram and has IIS for development. I would make sure Vista Basic has the right solutions for you as a future developer.

Answer 3

First of all, honestly speaking, you blundered by buying/upgrading to Vista. It is still an immature operating system full with bugs and incompatibility issues. Also, no offense intended, Windows Vista Basic is the worst among all Vista versions.

Right now, you can uninstall all the softwares that you don't think you will use even once in a week. New computers generally come with tons of pre-installed softwares which contribute to system slowdown. Go to Add/Remove Programs from Control Panel and search for softwares that are unnecessary, like free trials of AOL, PC doctor 60 day trial etc.

You upgraded to 1 GB of RAM. You just met the requirements. Vista tends to use a lot of memory. For optimum performance, you should add another 1 GB of RAM.

Do the following steps to get better performance:
1. Run Disk clean-up. Then delete unused files.
2. Check for disk errors. (right click on a disk-drive>properties>tools >error checking, then restart)
3. Run disk defragmenter, no matter what it says.
4. Delete cookies.
5. Delete cache or temporary files. (you can do it from your browser options) or, click on 'start", 'run', type 'temp' then click ok. Whatever shows up, just delete.
6. Delete all history files and search history. (you can do it from your browser options, or, CTRL + H, then delete)
7. Empty recycle bin.
8. Delete unused icons & short-cuts from anywhere including desktop.
9. Delete temporary internet files. (you can do it from your browser options: tools>internet options)
10. Delete all recent files.

After all, keep an eye on what the specialists are saying about Windows Vista on http://www.cnet.com/. You may find many helpful tips regarding Windows Vista.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

First,i have to tell you XP is better than vista.(in my opinion).
If you dont want to upgrade hardware,Well,1 GB is enough for vista.There are some softwares you can download to speed up your computer.
First,You should Fix Corruption and Errors within your registry.The registry is a main part of your computer's Operating System. With time, as you use Windows and install and uninstall programs, your registry will get congested and full of errors. So your computer could slow down. So, if you can clean it up this problem can be solved.Sometimes you can speed computer up by 300%. To clean up registry,You can download a software called regsitry cleaner---Clean registry,remnant,corrupt files and temp files,history,cookies,etc.. This site:
http://fix-slow-computer.info
lists top 5 registry cleaner,you can download and scan for free.

Answer 5

This would keep your PC safe from future problems that would slow your PC down, and make sure your PC wont be disrupted by spyware.


AD-AWARE, SPYWARE PROTECTION:

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10672044.html?tag=pop.software



AVAST ANTI VIRUS, FREE ( change the skin ) :

http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10680976.html?tag=lst-0-2


C-CLEANER, REGESTRY AND UNEEDED FILE DELETER:

http://www.download.com/CCleaner/3000-2144_4-10669303.html?tag=lst-0-1


HIJACK THIS!! (Only for advanced users)

http://www.download.com/Trend-Micro-HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10379544.html?tag=lst-0-1

Answer 6

Call the people who sent your computer and tell them you want a refund, or you want XP put on instead.