Comp. slower than it used to be...

yarow12

New Member
Any advise on how I can speed up my laptop again? It used to be faster 2 months ago. No idea what happened. :shock:
I used to play Insurgency mod on medium settings (sometimes bloom, no music/shadows).
I'm looking for a FREE option. I've already done the "how to speed up my computer" tweaks a LONG time ago (before this happened).

Vista 64
Pavilion dv9700
AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
4k RAM
DirectX 10
NVIDIA GeForce 7150M / nForce 630
Display Memory: 1065 MB
Dedicated Memory: 57 MB
Shared Memory: 1007 MB
 

My Computer

Speed Up Windows Vista

From Wired How-To Wiki



Windows Vista's Aero interface -- pretty to look at, but one of the many things slowing it down


The flash and polish of Windows Vista seduced you, but so far the glamorous interface is just sucking the life out of your PC. Fear not, this guide has everything you need to turn Vista into the beautiful *and* speedy OS you were dreaming of.
Keep in mind though, that, while these tips can help you speed up Windows and recover hard drive space, you aren't going to see the sort of speed boost you'd get from upgrading your hardware. If you're unhappy, for instance, with the speed of Vista on a machine where Windows XP used to scream, these tips will help. But you might want to consider a new graphics card, more RAM and perhaps even a faster processor.

Clean House

Part of what slows Vista down is the number of secondary applications running in the background and hogging RAM. An essential step to speeding up Vista is getting rid of the things you don't need.


Turn Off Unnecessary Services

Services are background processes that run silently without you ever knowing about them. Because Vista takes the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to what it loads on boot, there are likely some unnecessary services running in the background.
To get rid of them go to Start > Run, type services.msc and hit Return. Double-click on the service you want to get rid of and change the startup type to Disable.
Some examples of services you may not need: Secondary Logon, Remote Registry, Computer Browser, KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator, Tablet PC Input Service and Distributed Link Tracking Client. There are dozens more. Sift through them and run a few rigorous web searches to see if you need all of them.
Use caution. If you disable the Computer Browser service, for example, you might find that you can no longer connect to computers on your local network. Before you make any changes to services, see if you can find a source that quantifies the exact performance gain you'll see from making this change. Many will only reclaim a few megabytes of RAM.
Unclutter Your Hard Drive


Ccleaner


Like most people, you probably have a number of third-party programs eating up hard drive space. When it comes to files it's your call, but for getting rid of programs we recommend the free application CCleaner which is faster and much more thorough than Vista's default Add/Remove application.

Improve Startup Times

Whenever Windows starts it automatically loads a number of programs, many of which you may not need. The System Configuration Utility and Windows Defender can both be used to control what programs auto-start in Vista.
To disabling auto-start applications with the System Configuration Utility

  1. Open up msconfig (use the Vista Start Menu's Instant Search feature: just press the Windows key and type 'System' and the hit return).
  2. Select the Startup tab.
  3. Uncheck any items that you do not want to auto-load and click OK.
To disabling auto-start applications with Windows Defender

  1. Open Windows Defender
  2. Click on the Tools in the top menu bar.
  3. Click on Software Explorer.
  4. Hit Show for All Users.
  5. Select an application and then click either Remove or Disable.


Defragment Your Hard Drive

Fragmentation happens when the computer writes files to disk without keeping everything together in one spot. Thus if you just saved a large image you've been working on in Photoshop, part of it might be near the middle of the disk and part of it might be at the end, which means it takes longer for the disk to find it. Bringing those disparate parts together is what's known as defragmenting.
Defragmentation was once the go-to solution for all speed problems in Windows. But Vista actually defragments your drive automatically in the background. In fact, the system is configured to defrag your hard drive once a week by default.
The problem with Vista's defragmentation routine is that unless you frequently install and uninstall programs and constantly move files around, once a week is probably overkill, and when Vista is defragmenting you'll see a performance hit. We suggest turning off the scheduler and doing it by hand. Or, go into the defragmentation settings and change the scheduled time to a part of the day when you're typically not on your computer, like the middle of the night.
Note: By default, Windows schedules your weekly defrag the middle of the night - most often, 1am every Wednesday. If this time doesn't work for you, open up Windows Task Scheduler, find the Defrag task under Task Scheduler Library >> Microsoft >> Windows and change the time to one that works for you.
To manually defragment your boot drive, open My Computer and right-click the disk you want to defragment. Select Properties and then click the Tools tab where you'll see the Defragment Now option. Just click Defragment and wait for the process to finish.
You'll may notice that Vista did away with many of the nicer features in XP's defragmenting program. If you'd like more advanced feedback try out the free Disk Defrag from Auslogics, which gives you a nice drive map and other advanced features.
A proper, intelligent automatic defragmenter that can run in the background utilizing only free system resources and quietly defragmenting when required is the best option, no matter which piece of software you choose. It's far more convenient, time-saving and efficient than obsolete scheduled or manual defragmentation.
Use ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost is one of the more appealing features in Vista. Put simply, it uses a solid state memory disk as an extra disk memory cache.
To take advantage of ReadyBoost, find the fastest USB flash drive you can find and plug it in. AutoPlay will pop up a dialog offering to use it for ReadyBoost. Just enable it and you're done.
Microsoft suggests that you use a USB drive roughly the same size as the amount of RAM you have.
ReadyBoost data is encrypted, so if someone snatches your flash drive, they won't be able to read your data.
Tip: Don't expect miracles from ReadyBoost, and keep in mind that it is not an alternative to a memory upgrade. Rather, it caches disk reads on the fly and can often speed up data access. It won't help at all if you're short of Vista's minimum RAM requirements. Buying more RAM is always a better alternative to running ReadyBoost if you're looking for long-term performance gains.


Use vLite


vLite


To take a radical approach to make Vista faster, you can use the free application vLite. The software, which was created by a developer named Dino Nuhagic, claims to reduce Vista's footprint by as much as one half. vLite strips out many of Vista's default system components like Windows Media Player, Windows Mail, Windows Photo Viewer, MSN components, Wallpapers and SlideShow.
Using vLite will save gigabytes of disk space, but the changes it makes to your machine are permanent, so use it with caution. You can also take solace in the fact that many of the applications vLite removes can be replaced with free downloads or web apps.
Speed Up Vista on Older Machines

Vista's snazzy UI design is easy on the eye but hard on the processor. Consequently, older machines may lag. But there's no need to rush out and buy new hardware. Give these tips a try first and see if they improve your Vista experience.

  • Get rid of Aero -- The Aero interface is pretty nice, but it has demanding graphics requirements. Vista will disable it by default if your graphics card isn't up to snuff, but even if it is, you might find the speed tradeoff unacceptable. Head to the Window Color and Appearance panel (right click the desktop and choose personalize) and click the link to "Open classic appearance properties for more color options." Select an option other than Aero and you're done.

  • For a less radical option just turn off the "glass transparency" setting which seems to be the source of much of Aero's memory usage.

  • Another less-drastic solution is to turn off the animations and other visual effects.

  • Disable the Sidebar -- Widgets are memory hogs and getting rid of them will help speed up Vista.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM BUILT BY ME
    CPU
    AMD PHENOM II X3 710 2.6GHZ Overclocked to 3.25GHZ Stable
    Motherboard
    Ecs Gf8200a Phenom-2 X4 Quad Core Mboard
    Memory
    8BG PC5300 4 x 2GB OCZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCI-E ATI HD 4670 1GB Overclocked 4GB Total
    Sound Card
    Onboard 7.1 HD AUDIO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    55" Vizio LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 HD
    Hard Drives
    1TB Seagate, 1TB Hitachi, 250GB Maxtor, 250GB Seagate
    PSU
    Kingwin ABT-610MM Maximum Power 610 Watt ATX 12V
    Case
    GENERIC
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS7500-AlCu LED Universal CPU Cooler, 4 CASE FANS
    Keyboard
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS KEYBOARD
    Mouse
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS MOUSE
    Internet Speed
    CABLE 15MBPS
Also run a program like the free version of Ad-aware to remove any data miner cookies. One of my relatives had over 300 of them on their hard drive, got rid of them and the boot time dropped. It had been over 5 minutes to boot up.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X1700
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    3 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1 gig GeForce 210
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Vizio 21" tv
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 resolution
    Hard Drives
    1 terabyte sata in 1 partition
    Cooling
    fans that came with it
    Keyboard
    basic USB
    Mouse
    basic USB
    Internet Speed
    3 megabits on a cable modem, wired
Click the link in my sig and start at Step 2 and do all the following steps. Do each step and you should see a notecable performance increase. If you dont know where to get drivers from then flip over your laptop and there should be a white sticker on it with the name of your laptop eg: Dell 1737. Post that name here and we will show you how to get them.
 

My Computer

Your welcome anytime, glad we could help
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM BUILT BY ME
    CPU
    AMD PHENOM II X3 710 2.6GHZ Overclocked to 3.25GHZ Stable
    Motherboard
    Ecs Gf8200a Phenom-2 X4 Quad Core Mboard
    Memory
    8BG PC5300 4 x 2GB OCZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCI-E ATI HD 4670 1GB Overclocked 4GB Total
    Sound Card
    Onboard 7.1 HD AUDIO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    55" Vizio LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 HD
    Hard Drives
    1TB Seagate, 1TB Hitachi, 250GB Maxtor, 250GB Seagate
    PSU
    Kingwin ABT-610MM Maximum Power 610 Watt ATX 12V
    Case
    GENERIC
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS7500-AlCu LED Universal CPU Cooler, 4 CASE FANS
    Keyboard
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS KEYBOARD
    Mouse
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS MOUSE
    Internet Speed
    CABLE 15MBPS
Alright. Here's more information. I'm on STEP Five, by the bi.

Here's my rating.
ComputerRating.jpg


And here's my... thingy.
SystemStatisticsofSilverfall.jpg


And here's my AWESOME background. I haven't made any sigs in months. I'm so Happy! I'm gonna send it to my sister at Howard University Washington DC.

AngelBackground7.jpg


I'm gonna try playing Silverfall again later today. Thanks.
 

My Computer

yeah i would say you need a new video card. and that will help improve your system
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM BUILT BY ME
    CPU
    AMD PHENOM II X3 710 2.6GHZ Overclocked to 3.25GHZ Stable
    Motherboard
    Ecs Gf8200a Phenom-2 X4 Quad Core Mboard
    Memory
    8BG PC5300 4 x 2GB OCZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCI-E ATI HD 4670 1GB Overclocked 4GB Total
    Sound Card
    Onboard 7.1 HD AUDIO
    Monitor(s) Displays
    55" Vizio LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 HD
    Hard Drives
    1TB Seagate, 1TB Hitachi, 250GB Maxtor, 250GB Seagate
    PSU
    Kingwin ABT-610MM Maximum Power 610 Watt ATX 12V
    Case
    GENERIC
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS7500-AlCu LED Universal CPU Cooler, 4 CASE FANS
    Keyboard
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS KEYBOARD
    Mouse
    MICROSOFT WIRELESS MOUSE
    Internet Speed
    CABLE 15MBPS
Yeah all your ratings are fine except the two relating to graphics. You can speed up your pc but getting a decent speed for running new games is going to be hard with that graphics chip. I know its possible to replace the graphics in laptops but your better waiting on answer from someone with a laptop to see if you can replace yours and if so, how you can do it.

Only 10 steps to go lol. It'll take a while but its worth it :)
 

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I tried Silverfall again and it ran smoothly. I had no serious lag problems what-so-ever... until I went out and fought a few zombies. It started to lag in a fluent and ignorable way. Looks like this stuff is REALLY working. YES!
 

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Uhm... I'm not entirely sure if this is a problem, but Defrag All and Defrag Boot Files didn't work on Part Four. -_-
Should I skip them and move on?
 

My Computer

Those shortcuts should run on vista. When you double left click on them they should launch a cmd window. You then just wait for the window to disapear by itself.

But if they are not working then right click on the desktop and select new then shortcut. In the location box type C:\Windows\System32\Defrag.exe -b %SystemDrive% then click Next and then click finish. Then right click on the icon you created and click on Run as Administrator

The step above creates the defrag boot files shortcut and for the defrag all files shortcut you just do the same again but in the location box type C:\Windows\System32\Defrag.exe -w -v %SystemDrive%
 

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Well, the "Defrag Boot Files.lnk" shortcut won't work. My only question is whether or not the black window itself is suppose to be selected throughout the entire process or not (the selected window is usually Notepad++ while I'm reading video game guides). The reason why I ask this is because I worry how long it is suppose to run. Do I really HAVE to do that one anyway?

OH! I can now play Left 4 Dead for about six minutes before it slows down (impossible to kill a witch) and then I'd have to restart my computer if I wanted to play it smoothly again (restarting the game didn't work). This slow down was for every game I had; but fortunately Unreal Tournament doesn't require a lot a RAM. YES!

By the bi, I still can't play Dark Messiah (period) on the lowest setting and resolution (I used to play it on medium).
 

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If you cant get the shortcuts to work then just skip them. The guide i gave you is best done by doing one step straight after the other and not using your pc for anything else while you are doing each step.

It takes time to do all the steps one after the other but its worth it. If i was you id run a full virus scan on the pc then go to my guide and start at step 5.
 

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I need an immediate answer for this problem. It's been about an hour and the 5th paragraph of STEP 7 is being done. The "TuneUp 1-Click Maintenance" program thingy has already corrected every problem but the last one (Degree of Fragmentation). It is currently "Defragmenting 'Local Disk (C:)'...(2.2%)." Should I just "Skip task" (stop that correction) or what?
 

My Computer

If you think its not doing anything then click on cancel then run tune up 1 click again. It may just be that your hard drive is huge and has a lot of fragmented files but to be on the safe side click cancel then run it again.

Its best if you run no programmes at the same time, so close all open apps the run 1 click and go have some dinner or something :)
 

My Computer

Uhm... it's now on 7.7% and all I've been doing was seeing what things I can change in TuneUp Styler (Would there be any problem if were to change anything in there?).
How necessary is this process anyway? GOSH I feel so naggy! >.<
My hard drive is 219 GB with 29.2 GB free.
 
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My Computer

How often do you normally defrag your hard drive?

I use TuneUpStyler to change my logon screen to the same image as my wallpaper but thats all i use it for. Id advise fixing the problems on your pc first before you change anything with TuneUpStyler.
 

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