Advice on low resource software

Hey guys,

I have Home Premium Vista 64 bit on my laptop with only 1 gb of Ram. I will eventually add more ram. In the meantime, what can I do to make my Vista faster with the Ram that I have. I am looking to use the lowest resource of antivirus, anti-malware, etc. to make the system as fast as possible. Do any of you have suggestions on what I can use and what "settings" I can tweak my Vista to perform more efficiently and faster? Thanks in advance.

Welcome
When you buy the ram, do not mix and match. Buy all at once.
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/81176-speed-up-performance-vista.html
Go to msconfig and untick all items not necessary for startup


To maintain your computer

10 Tips on How to Properly Maintain Your Computer

Steps that I did not notice on the guide include:

Running a scan disc before doing a defrag

Using Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes.

Making System Restore points, at least once a week

Makaing a system Image once a month (varies by user)

Not relying on your A/V common sense, should prevail. You know of many sites can cause a problem.

Do not use any reg cleaning or optimizing software.

Download and use Ccleaner about once every two months. Untick any registry entries.
http://www.piriform.com/

If you follow these instructions, you will be trouble free for a long time to come.

Be sure to back up your hard drive about once a month (varies by user) and to keeep system restore points up to date.

Thank you Richard for your valuable help. I have taken notes and will institute your recommendations.

Just take your time, there is a lot there, ask questions and you will be running the way you want.