Improving System Performance XP and Vista

From your Email, I understand that your Notebook is running very slow and wish to increase the system performance.

I greatly appreciate that you have forwarded us your concerns and that you have given us an opportunity to assist you in this issue.

The issue could be due to the unwanted programmes running in background.

To resolve this issue I request you to perform the below instuctions :

Improving the Performance of Your Notebook PC in XP steps:


=== Close all open programs not being used ===

To close all programs, follow the steps below:

1. Press and hold CTRL + ALT + DELETE on your keyboard. The Close Program window will open. Close each of the programs listed in the Close Program window, except Explorer and Systray.
2. To close a program, click a name in the Close Program list. Then,click End Task.
3. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each of the programs listed (except Explorer and Systray). When Explorer and Systray are the only items listed in the Close Program window, click Cancel to close the
Close Program window.

CAUTION: Pressing the CTRL + ALT + DELETE keys twice in a row without ending a task will restart the computer. If this occurs, you will have to close all programs again
since all items that were shut down prior to restarting will be running again.

=== Prevent background programs from loading ===

As programs load, the small icons on the systray bar build up (usually these icons are in the lower-right corner, next to the time). Each of these programs run in the background, and each one removes valuable system resources.

If the methods below do not apply to a specific icon, consult the applications documentation or Web site.

Perform the following steps to selectively prevent items from starting when Windows launches.

CAUTION: Only disable items that are known and undesired. Disabling system critical items may cause problems.

1. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then System Information. This will open the System Information window.
2. Click Tools then System Configuration Utility.
3. Click the General tab and then click Selective Startup.
4. Click the Startup tab and remove the checks from any tasks that do not contribute to the system and are unwanted.

If unsure about a task, write the name down and research it on the Internet later. Do not remove a check mark if you do not know what the task is (if possible, do not close Backweb, MotiveMonitor, and Vshield).

5. Click OK to accept the changes. Restart the computer.
6. If Windows or other software stops working after a checkmark is removed from a task you were unsure about, restart the computer and reverse these procedures to replace the checkmark. Press F8 after the very first blue HP startup screen (after the computer has been turned on) to get into Safe mode.

By completing these steps, Windows will run using Selective Startup. This means that Windows prevents the selected programs from starting. If Selective Startup is disabled in the future, all of the selected programs will start again.

=== Empty the Recycle Bin ===

Follow the steps below to empty items from the Recycle Bin:

1. From the Windows Desktop, double-click the Recycle Bin icon.
2. Restore any mistakenly deleted items by highlighting each file, and then selecting File and Restore.
3. Select File and Empty Recycle Bin. Windows will remove the contents of the Recycle Bin from the hard disk (C: is most common).
Select Yes to confirm.
4. Close the Recycle Bin.

=== Deleting temporary files and directories ===

This step will increase hard disk space and reduce the time Windows takes to access the hard drive. To delete these files, use the following steps:

1. Close all open software.
2. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then Disk Cleanup.
3. Place a check next to the types of files you want the Disk Cleanup utility to delete. Temporary files are safe to delete.
4. Select OK.

=== ScanDisk and Defragment the hard drive ===

The program Scandisk checks a hard drive for errors. The program Disk Defragmenter takes all of the scattered bits of program data and groups them together in the front of the drive.

Run ScanDisk before running the Defragmenter as follows:

1. Close all programs that are running. This includes background programs such as virus scanners.
2. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and ScanDisk.
3. Select the drive (usually C:\) and check Automatically Fix Errors.
4. If low on time, select Standard. Otherwise, check Thorough. A thorough scan may take more than an hour to complete and is best done when away from the desk.
5. Click Start and follow the onscreen instructions. If the scandisk starts itself over and over, then a hidden background program is still accessing the hard drive. Restart the computer in Safe mode and try again.
6. After testing, the results will appear. Fix or repair any files, if asked. Click Close to exit program when finished.

After running the Scandisk, run the Defragment following the steps below:

1. Close all programs that are running. This includes background programs such as scanners.
2. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, then System Tools.
3. Click Disk Defragmenter. Follow the onscreen instructions. If Disk Defragmenter starts itself over and over, then a hidden background program is still accessing the hard drive. Restart the computer in Safe mode and try again.

=== Freeing up space on the hard drive ===

Windows uses this space for different types of operations such as caching and virtual memory. The computer may not run reliably if the free disk space drops below five percent of the total disk space.

To see how much space remains on the hard drive:

1. Double-click My Computer, located on the Desktop.
2. Right-click the hard drive (C: is most common), and then click Properties.

Use the following steps to remove unwanted programs and increase hard drive space:

1. Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel.
2. Open Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click the Install/Uninstall tab. Select programs that are no longer used and will not be used.
4. Highlight the program name, and then click the Add/Remove or Change/Remove button and OK.
5. When done, a prompt may appear to restart Windows. Wait until completely removing the unwanted programs; then restart Windows.

Please get back to me with observations and results because it is important that I resolve your issue in a timely manner. I would like to add that we value your precious time and We assure you of our dedicated support, 24 hours, 365 days a year.





Improving system performance in Vista :
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This is just refreshing the articles. You can check the following links for the methods or steps to improve system performance.


Improving the Performance of Your Vista Based Computer:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=c00816938&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=c00815926&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

Increasing System Resources and Performance Without Adding Memory in Windows 95, 98, Me, and XP

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=bph06569&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN


Mehtods in improving the Performance of Your Notebook PC

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?cc=us&docname=c00034290