Troubleshooting - Slow Vista Computer

The main criticism about Windows Vista is the amount of computer resources need to perform everyday tasks. Even with a high powered computer there are certain things that will slow a computer down regardlesss what you have in your case. Built into Vista is a few tools and utilities that you can you troubleshoot slow boot times/start up along with performance issues.

Slow boot time/start up can be caused for various reasons such as Windows still trying to obtain an internet or network connection. In this case, there is four basic tools that will help you diagnose such problems in Vista:

Performance Self-Tuning and Diagnostics: Provides instrumentation and services that support user-driven and tool-driven diagnoses of performance problems, such as media glitching, slow application startup, slow system startup, and network-related delays.

This tool is built into Vista and can be run from

• Left click on the Start Orb
• Then go to the Control Panel, System Maintenance
• Performance Information, and Tools
• In the left window click on Advanced tools
  

Disk Defragmenter

Just like your car needing a periodical tune up, so does your computer. Until Windows Vista there was a graphical representation that allow you to watch the process of cleaning your computer. However, Vista just lets you know that it is being done along when the job is finished.

Disk Cleanup removes all the unused and deleted files. Defragmenting organizes the remaining files. This preserves the integrity of the remaining data along increase retrieval time of those files.

To Defrag your hard drive do the following steps.

1. Left click on the Start Orb
2. Go to All Programs
   
3. Left click on Accessories, then System Tools and finally Disk Defragmenter
4. Click Defragment Now

NOTE: If you know that your computer is going to be running, you can schedule the defragmenting process when it is convenient for you.

Disk Cleanup

Over the years hard drives have gotten larger. Because of this regular maintenance has become less important.

It is like moving into a bigger house and not having to do spring cleaning every year. Instead a general cleaning of the closets and the garage are just not done. Unused items and clutter just start to pile up. This clutter will slow down your computer's performance. It means that your computer has to wade through more stuff to find the files you want.

The average computer user should do Disk Cleanup about once a month. Those who use their temp files and delete stuff should run it more often.

The steps for going to Disk Clean Up is the same in XP as well as Vista. To run Disk Clean Up

• Left click on the Start Orb
• Go to All Programs
  
• Then Accessories
  
• System Tools
• And finally Disk Clean Up

All you have to is walk through the wizard that takes you through the steps to cleaning out the clutter.

Note: The illustration on the right is of a computer that was taken out of the box and saw heavy use. It had not run disk clean up. The customers complaint was slow performance.

Cleaning Trail and Junk Programs

When you get a new computer, take it out of the box and turn it on. It goes through a startup a process. Windows Vista will ask for things like for the time, date and what time zone.

During this process the manufacture of the computer installs their own customize software. Some of it can be use for the average computer user. Most of it is there to remind you who made the computer. Then there is a group of trailware. These are programs that have a 30, 60, or 90 day use period and then you are expected to buy it.

These manufacture programs and trailware will slow you computer down. Especially if you are not going to use them. The best thing to do is just uninstall them. You will notice a nice boost in performance.

The best way to uninstall them is through the Programs and Features of the Control Panel.

• Left click on the Start Orb button on the bottom left hand of your screen, then choose Control Panel
• Double left click Programs and Features

Now you will see a list of all the programs that came pre-installed with your new computer. The programs that you don't want select and press the uninstall/change button above the list of program install on your computer.

Note: Trialware, is often referred to as crapware or junkware. Critics complain that crapware is unwanted, useless, and sometimes hard to remove by design — all while taking up valuable disk space. Most crapware is operational for a trial period in hopes of persuading the user into buying the full version.

Increase Performance - Services

One of the major complaints about Windows Vista has been its' use of system resources. There are rumors that when Service Pack 1 gets install on everyone's computer, in March or April, the bulk of this problem will be solved.

Services are programs that run in the background for the sole purpose of making things go faster when we click on a icon or do most anything on computer. Depending upon what you use your computer for some of these services are not needed. Simply by changing some of these services from Automantic to Manual mode can greatly increase the performance of your computer.

Black Viper, is one of the most respected experts when it comes to tweaking one's computer for optimum performance. A lot of what he writes about is for after the installation of SP1. If you are comfortable enough in editing the services, I would suggest that you reads Black Viper's Notes For A Happier Computer And User.

There are other people who just like to make adjustments to anything, just to see if it could run fast and more efficient. Tweak Vista.com is another website about things you can do to improve the performance of your Windows Vista computer.

I would strongly recommend before you start doing any of these people's recommend tweaks that you take the following steps, just in case something goes really wrong.

1. Back up all you data files and settings
2. Create a bootable recovery disk
3. Write down what setting you have change and how to change them back.
   

This blog is not written to the geek. It is written to the average computer user. However, it is good to know a little bit about what can or can not be done. That is why I have given you some links to information that would be good to share with the individual who you go to for your personal computer help.