Want to make Windows Vista run faster? Find out what’s slowing it down

One of the most popular searches on the web at the moment is about making Windows Vista faster. There are lots of solutions available, and many are covered in this very web site.

However, to get the most noticeable speed increase for your PC you should first ascertain what is actually causing it to perform slowly. You can then choose the correct course of action to get your computer running faster than ever.
 
Finding out what is holding you back can be done in a number of ways. Check your Task Manager by pressing Crtl and Shift and Esc. The Applications tab displays all the programs that are currently running, and their status. If their status is Not Responding, then the program has become unstable and crashed. This can cause Windows Vista to slow to a crawl, so force the unresponsive program to close by selecting it, and then clicking End Task. If a program is regularly shown as Not Responding, then it may be incorrectly installed or not compatible with Windows Vista. You should uninstall the program, and then either reinstall it, or check the program’s web site to see if there is a patch or any reported solutions to help prevent it crashing.

A good tool for quickly and simply checking out what is causing your PC to perform slowly is the PassMark PerformanceTest – there’s an evaluation version available from www.passmark.com.

This program runs a series of processor tests, 2D and 3D graphics tests, as well as memory, drive and CD/DVD tests. The results are presented in easy-to-understand bar charts, which tell you exactly where your PC is being held back. You can also select Baseline results, which compare your results to standard results from other computers.

Using these steps you’ll be able to pinpoint just what is slowing down your PC, which is the first step to making sure Windows Vista runs as fast as possible.