Features

43. Stop programs automatically starting

Application designers love little applets that start up when Windows does, making the application seem faster. That's fine if you use the program all the time, but if you're an infrequent user then you don't need these running in the background, stealing memory and processor cycles. To kill them, press , and type MSCONFIG. Click on the Startup tab. Uncheck applications you know you don't use, but don't disable others until you've checked what they do via a Google search.

44. Run with the Disk Cleanup wizard

Your hard disk is home to a huge number of automatically generated files. Error logs, temporary internet files, leftover sync files: the list goes on. And the effect is obvious: hard disk space is devoured by system files you don't need. Finding all of these could take ages, but Windows makes it easy. Right-click on your hard disk and click on Properties | Disk Cleanup. You can select what to remove, but Windows ensures nothing important is deleted. Running Disk Cleanup once every few months will have a notable effect on your PC's speed.

45. Optimise the swapfile<

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Physical RAM is a relatively limited resource and when it's running low Windows uses the slower hard disk as a virtual memory area called the swapfile. It's set to change size dynamically, which can lead to fragmentation and slowdown. In addition, it normally resides on the system drive, leading to competition for access between the swapfile and system files. To optimise virtual memory in XP, right-click on My Computer | Properties. Click on the Advanced tab, then the Settings button in the Performance frame.

Once the Performance Options window opens, click the Advanced tab and then the Change button under the Virtual Memory area. If you're not moving the swapfile to a new disk, just click on the entry for your system disk, check the Custom size radio button and enter the same number in both the Initial Size and Maximum Size fields. The general rule of thumb is to make the swapfile 1.5 times your physical memory size.

You get better performance by moving the whole swapfile to a different physical disk; set the C drive to No Paging File, hit the Set button, click on the drive letter you want to move the file to and follow the same steps. The process is much the same for Vista.

46. Deploy ReadyBoost

A sluggish PC will sap minutes from each day by forcing you to wait for every application and file to load. A little performance boost can help you claim that time back and you don't even need to delve inside your computer to find it.

Simply using a flash drive or SD card with Windows ReadyBoost can give your PC added zip with none of the effort involved in upgrading internal components. Not all cards and drives are fast enough to be supported, but if you see an option to "Speed up my system" on the AutoPlay screen, then select it and choose to use the device. The difference won't be phenomenal, but is definitely worth the 30-second installation.