Remove Unused Programs

• Slimming down the amount of software installed on your system will provide benefits. You probably don't use all of the software you have installed. Getting rid of unnecessary programs will free up valuable hard drive space and significantly speed up your computer's operation and responsiveness. Uninstall programs using the Windows control panel and accessing the "Add/Remove Program" panel.
  
  

Tweak Windows' Appearance

• Tweaking the appearance of the Windows interface lets you customize it and increase its speed. Using less graphic effects can provide better performance instantly. In Windows Vista or XP, go to the "System" control panel and select the "Advanced" tab. In the "Visual Effects" tab, click "Adjust for best performance" and click "OK." This will give your computer the Windows 98 look and make it faster without all the fancy XP or Vista graphics. To change the appearance in Windows 7, access the Control Panel and click "Change Theme" under the Appearance panel. From the themes browser, scroll down to find "Classic Theme" and apply it by selecting it and clicking "OK." Right-click on the taskbar and put a check mark in the "Use small icons" box.
  
  

Disable unwanted startup programs

• When installing new programs, many of them add a small launcher application that starts up when Windows starts. Over time, you end up with too many memory- and CPU-hogging applets running on the notification area of the taskbar. Clear the clutter and allow only needed programs to launch with Windows. Click "Start" and "Run," type "msconfig" in the box and press "Enter." Click the "Startup" tab. Look through the list and disable unneeded programs by clearing check marks from the boxes next to them. Don't disable any programs that list the Windows directory next to them.
  
  

Disable unecessary Windows services

• Windows services are similar to startup programs. Many unneeded ones run at startup. Some of the services actually open your computer to security risks if enabled. To access the services control panel, click "Start," then "Run," type "Services.msc" in the box and press "Enter." To disable any service, right-click on it and click "Properties," then set the "Startup type" box to "Automatic," "Manual" or "Disabled." Two services you should disable right away are "Indexing service" and "Remote Registry." Indexing service hogs a lot of CPU, and remote registry is a security risk. Be careful not to disable any service without first researching what it does.