A program for customizing the visual effects of Windows 10. Remove unnecessary tiles from the Start menu. Use ReadyBoost to improve performance
Not long ago, the Windows 10 operating system got its start. Its main difference from previous versions will be that it will be the last, although updates will not stop. As Microsoft announced in April 2017, the OS will continue to receive new updates in a timely manner approximately twice a year.
Despite the rapid development of the operating system, machines with Windows installed eventually begin to work slower and slow down, as they become clogged with all kinds of programs and files. If you use a computer or laptop running Windows 10, it is likely that you periodically visit Internet resources in order to find all sorts of guides on how to speed up the operating system.
You may have found this information before, but it would be great to not only mention something new, but also to combine that “new” information with what you already know so that you can have a comprehensive guide to improving the performance of your Windows PC at your fingertips.
How to speed up Windows 10
Method 1. Prevent programs from starting at system startup
Typically, on the computers of most Windows users there are a lot of applications that automatically launch when the system is turned on. Basically, these are factory software installed by the manufacturer, and others whose autorun was not canceled or was intentionally turned on.
The decrease in performance is especially noticeable when the computer starts, when it loads the desktop and at the same time tries to launch a lot of other applications. This significantly slows down the operation of the device, therefore it is necessary to reduce the number of autorun programs as much as possible. You can disable the automatic start function using Task Manager.
If you use Windows 7 or Windows XP, then a good utility for disabling autorun would be msconfig.
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Method 2. Use fewer applications at once, reduce RAM load for better performance
Using multiple applications at the same time can increase your productivity if, say, you work as a designer and need to open Adobe Photoshop with Adobe Illustrator at the same time, but it puts additional strain on your PC. In most cases, the processor (CPU) does not suffer as much as the RAM (RAM), since RAM is the main resource used.
Try launching Task Manager and monitoring memory usage in the tab Performance > Memory. If statistics show that programs are loading RAM, you can easily track down the software responsible for this in the tab Processes, which will allow you to improve the performance of your Windows 10 device.
Note: Make sure you are not resetting an important system process.
When system memory becomes full, the computer slows down accordingly. Adding more operating memory is one option that can solve the issue of low performance, but this will require certain financial costs. A less effective way to help a “slow” Windows 10 system could be to increase the size Swap file.
How to change Swap file? Below are detailed instructions.
1. Follow the path My Computer > Properties.
2. Select Advanced System Settings.
3. In chapter Performance click Settings and go to the tab Additionally.
4. In chapter Virtual memory click Change.
5. Uncheck Automatic paging file size management for all disks. Select the drive you are interested in and enable the function Custom size. Set the initial and maximum file size. Click OK to save changes.
Note: If you have excess memory, say 16 GB, there is no need to increase the page file size. However, disabling it is not an option worth considering as it may cause your computer to experience certain problems.
Method 3: Check if your operating system is damaged
Damaged data can cause your Windows 10 computer to run extremely slowly, and in the worst cases, crash completely.
One easy way to fix corrupted data on Windows 10 is to run the System File Checker utility. It's likely that you're already familiar with it if you've previously used it to try to recover your hard drive or USB drive. Fixing such corrupted files can certainly speed up Windows 10.
How to start System file check(System File Checker) in Windows 10?
To do this, use the command line and, having opened it, enter the following command:
sfc /scannow
This process may take some time depending on the size of your hard drive. An alternative way to run the above tool: My Computer > Windows Drive > Properties > Tools. Now click Check.
Method 4: Scan your PC for malware
This should be the most anticipated point that you could see in our article regarding speeding up Windows 10. All kinds of computer viruses have existed for decades, and the fear of how they could affect the operating system forced Microsoft to include anti-virus software in the list of basic programs; it is called Windows Defender.
It is likely that there may be some application hiding behind the poor performance of your Windows 10, disguised as some system updater or something else.
You need to regularly check your computer for malicious software using Windows Defender or any other third-party antivirus software, which will not only speed up Windows 10, but also avoid a number of other unpleasant situations associated with viruses.
Method 5: Shutting down and restarting Windows is not even an option. This is a necessity
Unfortunately, some users neglect this rule and their personal computers can be in an active state all day long, even if their owner is already sleeping for five hours, forgetting that his device also needs to “Shut down” or at least “Reboot”.
Keep in mind that your computer can survive several days without restarting or shutting down the system, but this is absolutely not advice and does not mean that you need to keep it in working order at all times.
Restarting or shutting down the computer at certain intervals allows it to clear the system memory, which in turn is gradually consumed during operation, and kills all erroneous processes that opened automatically or due to a problem when starting any of your programs, which allows you to speed up your Windows computer 10.
Method 6: Prioritize Sleep Mode on Your PC
If you put your computer into sleep mode, it will take much less time to turn it on than if you start the system from a disabled state. This is due to the fact that the current state of the system, from the last time you worked with it, is saved on the hard drive and loaded again when the device starts.
Give your PC some sleep.
Putting your computer into sleep mode is a routine task for any Mac user as these devices are capable of surviving almost a month working like this. Now Windows users can use this mode more confidently, keeping their computer in sleep mode for long hours.
When sleep mode is active on your PC, only RAM continues to perform its full-fledged work. It will be important to note that although sleep mode puts the computer into a resting state, it still consumes some battery power, albeit in small quantities. Thus, although it is energy-consuming, sleep mode allows you to speed up the system to a certain extent.
Method 7: Make your Windows as ugly as possible
Eliminate animations and all special effects.
Our modern PCs have an operating system in which the developers have tried to make everything look great, filled with various animations and effects, because this makes the process of working with the device much more pleasant. Everything good usually has another side - these visual improvements sometimes consume system resources more than we would like. Not all PCs have powerful enough components to allow them to function effectively while maintaining all the visual delights on the screen.
Sometimes it happens that users do not use their device properly; they install random applications and make several other mistakes that make their computer suffer.
Now let's figure out how to enable or disable animations in Windows 10?
In the settings, you can easily switch to the best performance mode by disabling all animations. Follow the path below:
My computer(right click on the icon) > Properties > Advanced system settings > Settings(In chapter Performance).
In the window Performance Options select item Provide the best performance. If it doesn't suit you in any way, you can always ask Custom settings and enable/disable certain effects as you wish.
Turn off transparency.
Having a taskbar, a beautiful Start menu and a transparent action center may be pleasing to your eyes, but as we know, beauty requires sacrifice and, in this case, you have to pay the price with the resources of your computer. You can turn off transparency by visiting Settings > Personalization > Colors. Click the switch in favor "Switch off" near the point “Transparency Effects”.
Method 8: Make sure Windows always has the latest updates
In the Windows working environment, there are a lot of updates and new fixes are released with a certain frequency, which can be installed either independently or forcibly voluntarily when the operating system itself begins to install them. Don't forget that regularly updating the system on your computer can improve the performance of Windows 10 in addition to protecting your device from unwanted threats such as Microsoft's recently discovered vulnerabilities.
Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft began providing universal drivers for a huge range of third-party hardware. Updates for such devices are delivered through Windows Update. In case one of the third-party devices does not support the driver provided by Microsoft, you will have to update everything manually.
If you're using the latest versions of Windows 10, updates will install much faster than before. The changes are due to the fact that Microsoft has optimized the operating system update process and now most of the installation occurs in the background while the user goes about his business.
Method 9: Launch apps quickly
This is one of the ways to speed up Windows 10 during daily use. You can set your own keyboard shortcuts to launch apps in one click without having to search for them on your device.
Method 10: Prioritize your PC
In the same performance window that we mentioned just above in point 7, go to the Advanced tab. There you can determine what exactly your computer will give priority to: programs that are actively used or services running in the background. This setting will help significantly improve system performance to suit your needs.
Method 11: Disable Cloud Sync to Speed Up Windows 10
Windows 10 offers integrated support for Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. You can save absolutely any data simply by uploading it to the cloud, where it will be safe even if for some reason the hard drive stops working prematurely due to a physical problem. Many users already have their own Google Drive storage; there is a chance that they will not be able to use the Microsoft cloud.
If you prefer OneDrive and have synchronization enabled, don't forget about it. It will definitely consume your computer's resources and slow down Windows 10. In fact, this may affect not only OneDrive, but also a number of other services.
To turn off OneDrive syncing and speed up Windows, go to My Computer > OneDrive(right click on it) > Select storage folders to sync. In the next window, uncheck Sync all files and folders in OneDrive and press OK.
Method 12: Use Fast Startup to Reduce Your Computer's Boot Time
One way to speed up the Windows 10 startup process is to enable the sleep feature, which is disabled by default. Fast startup (enabled by default) is another feature that reduces the startup time of the operating system.
You can check if Fast Startup is enabled on your computer by selecting Power > What the Power Buttons Do. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable to unlock the shutdown configuration. There you will see an option to enable or disable the Quick Launch feature.
Method 13: Use ReadyBoost to Boost Windows 10 Performance
ReadyBoost is a Windows feature that can increase the speed of your system by using free space, so-called caching. You may see a noticeable difference in system performance in a positive direction, especially if you are using low-quality hardware. Keep in mind, ReadyBoost does not work with SSDs as they are faster than regular USB drives.
Method 14: Disable Live Tiles
First Live Tiles was launched in Windows 8. This function in the Start menu or on the start screen provides the user with information about a particular application either from the Internet or from the local network. Unfortunately, like any other background service, it consumes computer resources, slowing it down, and drains battery power.
Let's look at how to disable Live Tiles in Windows 10 to increase system performance.
If you are using Windows 10 Pro, you can use the Group Policy Editor. Open in editor User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Disable Tile Notifications.
Otherwise, you will have to disable tiles on a per-app basis manually. Open the Start menu > right-click the animated tile of a pinned app > More > Disable live tiles.
Method 15: Use High Performance Mode to Improve PC Performance
Mode High performance power modes will allow you to get the most out of your computer. In this state, the processor can use its full potential.
Don't forget to connect the charger when performing resource-intensive tasks.
Have you ever wondered why power users prefer desktop computers to laptops? One reason is that they have a constant power supply, which greatly improves performance. In the case of a laptop, we recommend connecting the charger when you run games or use “heavy” software that takes up a lot of resources.
Method 16: Use the built-in troubleshooting tool
With the release of the Developers Update, Microsoft has provided users with a section for various Windows troubleshooting utilities. Visit Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
Here you will find options to fix errors related to Bluetooth, BSOD, audio, Windows Update, keyboard and many other system hardware. Troubleshooting possible issues can result in your Windows 10 PC running faster and error-free.
Method 17: Improve app performance in Windows 10
If you're using the April Update, Windows 10 now has a new settings page that lets you customize advanced graphics settings for individual apps (both UWP and desktop). This can be handy if you are experiencing performance issues with a specific application and are blaming the computer, which is not at fault at all.
Open Settings > System > Display. Scroll down the window and select Graphics Settings. On the next screen, select the desktop or UWP app you want to customize and click Add.
Now click on the app name and click Options. Here you can choose between different graphics options such as Default, Energy Saving and High Performance. The high-performance setting allows the application to use the system's discrete GPU.
Method 18: Free up space on your system drive
The computer may run slowly due to a simple lack of physical memory on the hard drive. Check that there is enough free space on the system disk for normal operation of the operating system. Free space must be at least 10% of the total volume of drive “C”.
Free up space on your system work disk and clear your desktop of unnecessary items. Also, it will be much more useful in case of lack of space, reassign the storage location for user documents to another logical partition. This will significantly relieve the system disk.
You can move the following user system folders:
- Downloads
- Documentation
- Images
- Video
- Music
Method 19: Disable third-party Antivirus application
Antivirus applications greatly affect PC performance. If you do not practice visiting unverified or suspicious Internet resources, then you can disable the third-party antivirus while performing any complex tasks. Use Windows 10's built-in Defender - Windows Defender.
Method 20. Restoring your computer
If all previous methods have failed to help you, the last option to resolve the issue of low system performance is system rollback. You can do this by visiting the section Recovery in the Settings menu. Reinstalling Windows 10 will correct all errors made, and you will again be able to fully use a working operating system.
If necessary recover deleted files and folders, Starus Recovery tools will help you. You can try and download data recovery programs completely free from our Internet resource.
Today we will talk about Windows 10 optimization. And this will not be a “button accordion” from most sites, and it will not be one of the superficial manipulations with the operating system. No, today everything will be much more serious, because here we will look in detail at how to speed up Windows 10 and get the maximum performance out of your computer, but without compromising performance, of course.
For most users, the word “optimization” is equivalent to the word “castration” of the system or “unnecessary manipulations” and so on. But initially, optimization is, first of all, cutting off the unnecessary and fine-tuning, tuning. In skillful hands, good optimization will significantly improve PC performance without the need to overclock the processor.
Ever since Windows XP, attempts have been made to improve system speed and responsiveness. Enthusiasts disabled services and processes to improve performance. Nothing has changed since then. Microsoft can be understood - it is trying with all its might to raise the level of functionality to the maximum, but all this also has the other side of the coin - you have to pay for all this at the cost of RAM, constant access to the hard drive, and even greater CPU load. But not everyone needs full functionality...
Let's finish with the foreplay and get down to business. The task is simple - to approach the optimization of Windows 10 in as much detail as possible.
In order to structure everything and not confuse anything, further actions will be divided into steps:
Step 1: Disable disk indexing
Let's go from simple to complex and, perhaps, start with disk indexing.
It is needed for faster searching on the hard drive. But is searching really needed that often? The indexing service always hangs in the system, regardless of whether a file search is needed or not, and if you disable it, nothing will happen. It’s just that from now on, searching for a photo, document, or any other file will take a little longer. Just a little bit. And owners of solid-state drives need to disable it in any case, since each unnecessary access reduces the number of .
And so, to disable Indexing, you need to open “This PC” and right-click on the local drive on which Windows 10 is installed. In principle, you can then do this operation with other drives. In the context menu, you need to select “Properties”, and in the window that opens at the bottom, uncheck “Allow file contents to be indexed...” and click “Ok”. After this, pop-up windows will begin to appear, asking you to either agree and continue, or, if this is not possible, click “Skip all.”
Step 2: Disable User Account Control (UAC)
User Account Control, or UAC (User Account Control), is designed to solve the user's security problem, a kind of smart access restriction. In reality, it looks like an endless stream of notifications about how confident the user is in opening the file and whether it is him at all. For most users, it is enough to have only antivirus software for their safety. To disable UAC, you need to right-click on the Start menu, open the menu and find Control Panel. Next is the “System and Security” section. In it, at the top, in the “Security and Maintenance Center” section there is a subsection “Changing Account Control Settings”.
Step 11. Disable unnecessary Windows services
This step is for more advanced users, since incorrect actions can lead to many problems. A list of all services can be found by pressing the key combination “Win+R” and typing in the field services.msc. If you don't need Xbox services, you can disable everything related to them, as well as everything related to Hyper-V (i.e. virtualization). “Windows Defender” and “Windows Firewall” can also be safely disabled - there is an antivirus for all this. The rest is strictly at your discretion and only at your own peril and risk.
We continue the series of detailed instructions on setting up and optimizing the Windows 10 operating system. We recently looked at basic and, and also learned how. In this material we will learn how to increase the performance of a computer or laptop running Windows 10.
How to adjust performance in Windows 10: detailed instructions
To do this, we first need to go to “Advanced system settings.” To do this, on the “Start” button in the lower left corner, click on the right mouse button and select “System”.
Go to "Options".
Here you can configure visual effects; you can disable unnecessary ones to relieve the system load or check the box next to the preset settings. Below in the screenshot we have set the parameters at our discretion.
In the same window, go to the “Advanced” tab and configure the paging file.
By default, the option to automatically select the size of the paging file is enabled. If you uncheck this item, you will be able to configure this parameter yourself. In particular, you can specify the size of the paging file, set it to "System choice" or completely refuse to use it. The latter is relevant for computers whose RAM is above 4 GB.
It is worth noting that this parameter is set separately for each disk, in our case it is “C” and “E”. After configuration, click “OK” and reboot the system.
After the reboot, go to "System Properties" again and select the "Remote Access" tab. If there is no need, turn it off.
The next step is settings in the section "Safety and Maintenance". To get there, you need to do the following:
Here you need to go to "Change settings for the Security and Maintenance component."
We go back and select the item "Change User Account Control settings", where you need to lower the slider all the way down. This will disable notifications about parameter changes.
I would like to immediately make a reservation that all settings are absolutely individual and you can skip some points.
How to improve Windows 10 performance: disk optimization
Go to “Start” - “Explorer” - “This computer”. Select the first disk and right-click, select "Properties".
Select the "Service" tab and click on "Optimize".
Select the disk, then “Change settings”, uncheck “Run on schedule”. Click "OK". We repeat the procedure for all disks.
Thus, we unloaded our disks from the built-in scheduled defragmentation. For this operation, it is better to use third-party software and perform it manually rather than automatically. We talk about this.
After all operations have been completed, you may need to restart your computer. Let's move on to the next step.
How to speed up your computer boot on Windows 10: setting the number of processors
To optimize and speed up the system, it is recommended to set the actual number of processors in the settings. The fact is that by default, during boot into Windows, only one processor core is used. To distribute the load and thereby improve performance, you need to tell the system the number of available cores.
How to find out how many cores your processor has?
This is easy to do - press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del and go to the "Task Manager". In Windows 10, this window will appear:
In the "Performance" tab we see the number of cores. In this case there are 2 of them.
Now enter in the search msconfig and go to "System Configuration".
This completes the next step towards achieving our goal - to configure and optimize Windows 10 for maximum performance. You will find other instructions and useful tips in.
Windows 10 is the most advanced operating system for personal computers, but it is still not perfect. Much here has not been brought to the point of automation, and there is still room for improvement with your own hands. Among other things, the overall impression of performance is greatly spoiled by Microsoft's policy, which imposes an impressive number of its own services of dubious necessity, which eat up RAM in the background. However, optimizing Windows 10 is not such a difficult task and in a fairly short time you can significantly increase the speed of your computer.
Speeding up your computer
When it comes to interaction with hardware, Windows 10 has no equal: all optimization processes are implemented at the highest level and brought to the point of automation. The user can only keep the hard drive in order.
Hard drive optimization
Everything written to the hard drive is divided into many sequential fragments to reduce the space taken up. When accessing any of the files, the computer is forced to put them together. The duration of this process significantly affects the system startup time and the delay before opening all applications. You can help Windows optimize this process by doing one of the following:
HDD defragmentation
When information written to a hard drive is broken down into small fragments, they are all arranged taking into account their best position for sequential reading. But after several cycles of recording and deleting information, a well-ordered structure gradually becomes chaotic. The process of re-optimizing this structure is called defragmentation and is recommended to be performed periodically at least once every six months.
To defragment a disk:
SSD optimization
SSDs are based on more advanced and completely different technology than their predecessors. The Windows 10 operating system has several features that can speed up interaction with such drives, but they are not always enabled by default. To do this manually, follow these steps:
- Go to “This PC”, select the first volume you like, right-click on it and expand its properties.
Select the first volume you like and expand its properties - Disable defragmentation that is harmful to the SSD. To do this, go to the “Service” tab and open the optimization window.
Go to the “Service” tab and open the optimization window - Now click "Change Settings".
Click "Change Settings" - Uncheck automatic optimization and confirm the changes.
Uncheck automatic optimization and confirm changes - Expand the “General” tab in the volume properties and check the box next to allow indexing. Do the same steps with the remaining volumes.
Expand the General tab and check indexing permission - Right-click on “This PC” and go to its properties.
Right-click on “This PC” and go to its properties - On the left side of the window, open Device Manager.
On the left side of the window, open Device Manager - Expand "Disk Devices", right-click on your memory and go to its properties.
Expand "Disk Devices", right-click on your storage and go to its properties - Open the "Policies" tab, enable record caching and confirm the changes.
Open the "Policies" tab, allow recording caching and confirm the changes
Optimizing RAM
The main difference between RAM and main memory is the ability to quickly exchange information. However, in the event of a critical shortage, it is possible to replace it with ordinary storage media, which will work much slower, but will help deceive demanding programs and take on part of the load.
If you have a 32-bit operating system (x86), it makes no sense to make the total amount of RAM more than 4 GB.
Swap file
The page file is a section of main memory used as RAM.
Using a page file is only appropriate on solid-state drives (SSDs). In the case of HDD, the influence of the paging file becomes completely invisible.
Initially, its size is determined automatically, but forced expansion is possible:
- Open the Start menu and type Control Panel, then press Enter.
Open the Start menu and type Control Panel -
Open the "System and Security" section - Go to the “System” subsection.
Go to "System" -
Open Advanced System Settings - In the "Advanced" tab, open performance options.
In the "Advanced" tab, open performance options - Go to the new Advanced tab and click Edit.
Go to the new "Advanced" tab and click "Edit" - Uncheck automatic selection and select Specify Size. Set the initial size to one and a half times the recommended size, and the maximum size to three times. Confirm the changes and restart your computer.
Set the initial size to one and a half times the recommended size, and the maximum size to three times
ReadyBoost
Readyboost is a utility that allows you to place a swap file on your flash drive, which should have a more acceptable information exchange speed than an HDD drive. If you have an SSD, it is better to place the page file on the computer's main memory.
Setting up Windows 10 for maximum performance
After optimizing the computer hardware to improve performance, all that remains is to disable everything unnecessary. The lion's share of computer resources under Windwos 10 is accounted for by the work of unnecessary processes and meaningless “embellishments”. Just disabling them will help significantly speed up your computer without harming the system.
Disabling startup
When you turn on the computer, you cannot help but notice that at first it slows down, and you have to wait for the device to start working normally. The point here is not that Windows boots: when you are shown the desktop, the system is already fully launched and ready to work. The problem lies in the autostart of programs, the inclusion of which is prescribed to accompany each system startup.
Video: how to disable startup programs
Disabling auto updates
Windows operating systems have never been famous for the meaningfulness of their updates, and with the arrival of the tenth version on the market, the situation has become even more dubious.
The problem here, again, is Microsoft’s intrusive policy, as a result of which, instead of the desired patches and system improvements, users receive weekly updates for unnecessary services and patches for corporate features. Everything would be fine, but downloading updates may start at the most inconvenient moment, making it impossible to use the Internet normally. And after the start of their partial application (some of the updates are installed before rebooting), the drop in performance completely breaks all records.
To disable auto-update, follow these steps:
- Through the search, go to gpedit.msc.
Enter the command in the search bar of the Start menu - Follow the path “Computer Configuration” - “Administrative Templates” - “Windows Components” and click on “Windows Update”.
Follow the path “Computer Configuration” - “Administrative Templates” - “Windows Components” and click on “Windows Update” - Open "Setup Automatic Updates".
Open "Automatic Update Settings" - Check the “Disable” option, confirm the changes and restart your computer.
Check the “Disable” option, confirm the changes and restart your computer
Video: how to disable auto-updates
Disabling surveillance
Many people have heard about the tracking features of Windows 10, but few people attach any importance to them, other than concern for the safety of personal data.
In fact, the main problem with tracking services is their load on RAM. And the most interesting thing is that the work of surveillance is almost impossible to catch by the hand, since its load on RAM and the processor very skillfully spreads to all other processes, as a result of which many users do not understand where a sudden drop in performance comes from out of the blue.
These actions will not disable Windows tracking completely, but will only minimize its impact on performance:
- Go to settings.
Go to settings - Open the "Privacy" section.
Open the "Privacy" section - In the General tab, disable Ad ID and Start tracking.
Disable Ad ID and Start Tracking - Go to the Speech, Handwriting, and Text tab and turn off speech services if they are active.
Disable voice services if they are active - In the “Feedback and Diagnostics” tab, select the main method of data collection, disable the only switch and disable the generation of reviews.
Select your primary data collection method, turn off the only switch, and disable generating reviews - In the Background Applications tab, turn off the main switch.
Turn off the main switch
Video: how to disable surveillance
Disabling visual effects
Windows 10 has a fairly simple and pleasing style. But there is still a certain list of subtle visual “decorations” that can be turned off. This action will not greatly improve the performance of the computer, but the difference in the interface will not be noticeable.
- Open the Start menu and type Control Panel. Press Enter.
Open Control Panel via Start - Open the "System and Security" section.
Open System and Security - Go to the "System" section.
Click on "System" - Open Advanced System Settings.
Click on "Advanced system settings" - Click "Options" under "Performance".
Click Options - In the “Visual Effects” tab, uncheck all the boxes except “Output thumbnails instead of icons” and “Smooth out jagged screen fonts.” Confirm the changes.
Uncheck all items except “Output thumbnails instead of icons” and “Smooth out jagged screen fonts”
Cleaning your computer
As mentioned above, before launching any application, game, or the system itself, the computer first reads the information necessary for this from the hard drive, one by one collecting fragmented fragments. And the more junk and debris there is on the computer, the more difficult the path ahead. If you want to make this process easier and speed up the launch of everything, you need to periodically get rid of unnecessary junk, which is a fairly simple task.
Removing garbage
In addition to simply cleaning the desktop and deleting unused programs, it is worth getting rid of files that are actually called “junk”.
Windows 10 has a very specific place for collecting junk and junk files - the Temp folder. There are several really necessary files in this folder, but there are only a few of them, they are not unique and will be re-created on their own in a couple of seconds.
Everything that is in it can be deleted without any regrets and the slightest risk of harming the system:
- Open the Start menu and go to Settings.
Open the Start menu and go to Settings 
Open temporary files - Check all the boxes and click “Delete files”.
Check all the boxes and click “Delete files” - Go back to the Storage tab and enable Memory Sense to automate the process of deleting temporary files.
Go back to the Storage tab and turn on Storage Sense
Video: how to delete temporary files
Cleaning the registry
The Windows Registry is a general hierarchical database that contains settings for the system and some applications. Due to various circumstances, the registry can become clogged with erroneous information, which not only slows down the computer, but can also have consequences in the form of fatal system errors. Fortunately, you won’t have to clean anything yourself (very difficult even for experienced users), but it will be enough to use the specialized CCleaner program.
Video: how to clean the registry manually and using CCleaner
Programs to speed up games
There are no special ways to optimize the system for games; this is just an invention of inexperienced users. There is only general optimization of Windows, which is described above, but with equal success all of the above methods affect games. There are also no programs that can truly optimize the operating system automatically.
If this approach doesn't suit you, you can try using several specialized applications designed specifically for games. However, it is worth considering that the usefulness of all these applications is quite dubious and, most likely, you will simply load your RAM with an unnecessary process.
The principle of their operation is always the same, and all the benefits can be reduced to the following list:
- auto-update of some drivers;
- “auto-adjustment” of game settings to the computer hardware;
- defragmentation of the folder with the installed game;
- stopping some system services while the game is running.
The most reliable applications include the following:
- Game Buster;
- Game Accelerator;
- Game Fire;
- Game Gain.
If after installing these applications you do not notice a difference, you can always remove them.
The Windows 10 operating system is not much different in terms of “gluttony” from its predecessors, but this impression is greatly blurred due to its accompanying services, settings enabled by default, and hidden tracking functions. Moreover, the independent optimization of this system and its deep development are capable of delivering higher performance than previous versions. And to make all this possible, you just need to do a few simple procedures described above and do not forget to carry out timely cleaning and defragmentation of the hard drive.
Whatever version of Windows is installed on the computer, the user will want to configure it in such a way as to get maximum performance. This issue is especially acute for owners of weak hardware, which requires maximum free resources for stable operation. Therefore, tuning Windows 10 for maximum performance is an excellent priority for them when purchasing new components such as a processor or video card.
Disk Defragmenter
When adding a large number of files to the hard drive, information is not written sequentially, but in fragments on different parts of the disk surface. In this case, fragmentation occurs, and when requesting data, the computer takes longer to process it because it needs to put all the “pieces” together. To minimize such situations, defragment your disk. This is done using standard utilities.
Good to know! In Windows 10, disk defragmentation occurs automatically once a week at a set time. But you can start this process after adding a large amount of information to your computer in order to optimize the disk.
Important! In the "Disk Optimization" window, you can enable/disable and configure automatic defragmentation.
Startup optimization
In many programs, when they are installed on a computer, the autoload function is enabled during system startup. They may not be used by the user, but, working in the background, they take away computer resources, so its work slows down. Applications that you do not use should be disabled or completely removed from your computer if they are not needed.
Alternative options for disabling programs in startup can be seen in the video.
Disabling unnecessary services
Just like programs in startup, some Windows 10 services load computer resources, which leads to slowdowns. Disabling them will increase system performance.
- In the Run window, enter the command services.msc.Alternative option: Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services or open System configuration (in the Run window, enter msconfig) and go to the Services tab.
- RMB > Properties > Startup Type > Disabled.
- When using the Computer Configuration utility, uncheck the required services and save the changes.
- Restart your computer.
Video
In the video you can learn more about which Windows 10 services can be disabled and how to do it.
Setting up visual effects
In Windows 10, a lot of PC resources are used to create interface visuals. Disabling some performance parameters (visual effects) will increase the speed of older computers. But they will have less effect on modern gaming PCs.
Disable windows and taskbar adaptation to the desktop background color, as well as Windows animation.
Indexing speeds up the search for files stored on your computer. But this function constantly scans them, monitors changes, and therefore uses system resources.
Important! You should only disable indexing when you are not using search on your computer.
Driver setup
One of the problems with slow operation of Windows 10, which is encountered by a large number of users, is non-original or outdated drivers. This problem is especially relevant for a video card. Look at the driver vendor and version in Device Manager.
Cleaning the Temp folder
The Temp folder in Windows 10 is used to store temporary and intermediate files created by the system and programs. Therefore, to speed up your computer, clean it:
An alternative way is to use the built-in Disk Cleanup utility.
Power settings
By default, Windows 10 is set to Balanced power mode, which reduces processor speed when the device is idle or does not require maximum hardware. To speed things up, set your computer to High Performance power mode.
Cleaning from viruses and malware
If after following the steps above, your PC still slows down and you don’t understand why this is happening, viruses or malware are probably the cause. Check Windows 10 with antivirus programs such as DrWEB Cureit or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
Conclusion
Setting your Windows computer to perform at its best can help it run faster. To do this, you need to disable all visual effects, remove viruses, and also change your PC settings: disable indexing and some services, update drivers.
