Windows Update Windows Update downloads and installs Microsoft patches designed to fix security issues or other bugs, as well as increase the speed of certain applications. This tool also lets you download the latest drivers -- files the OS needs to properly communicate with peripherals such as a graphics or Ethernet card. You can enable automatic downloads and installation of patches and drivers by clicking "Windows Update" in the Start menu and selecting the "Turn automatic updates on or off" link.
Task Manager The Windows Task Manager proves critical when it comes to identifying and solving performance issues, and its Performance tab contains two real-time graphs of your computer's most important resources: the central processing unit and random-access memory usage. If the graphs reveal CPU or RAM usage consistently near or at 100 percent, your computer may lack the processing power or memory required to run the applications currently open. The Processes tab, which displays the amount of CPU power and memory used by each application, lets you terminate a process by clicking on its name and selecting "End task." Quitting an application this way is not risk-free, however, because you might lose unsaved progress and/or other programs that depend on it could crash. Several Windows core processes, such as "winlogon.exe" or "dwm.exe," should never be terminated; when in doubt, research a program before terminating or deleting it. You can launch the Task Manager by right-clicking on the Windows taskbar and selecting it by name.
Msconfig Among other features, the Msconfig utility lets you determine the applications your computer should launch at startup. To open this utility, click on the "Start" icon, type "msconfig" in the search field and select the "Msconfig" link. This tool's Startup tab contains a list of applications that have added themselves to the startup list. You may be surprised by how many appear there, even if you seldom use them; instant-messaging applications and phone and camera managers are particularly guilty of overusing this Windows feature. While some programs have a legitimate reason to run constantly in the background, a long list of running applications can significantly slow your system. You can remove programs from the list by unchecking the box next to them and rebooting your computer, but removing a program designed to interact with some of your hardware, such as a camera or printer manager, may prevent you from using some of the associated device's features until you manually launch the application.
Performance Index The Windows Experience Index, found in the Control Panel under "Performance Information and Tools," assigns a number that represents your computer's ability to run advanced visual Windows features, with 1.0 as the lowest score and 7.9 the highest. To assign a score to your computer, the EI tool uses a testing routine that evaluates several core components of your computer, such as the amount of memory and the speed of your graphics card. To run the testing routine, select the "Re-run this assessment" link at the bottom of the Windows Experience Index window and wait for the test to complete. A window will appear with suggestions of features to turn off to improve your computer's performance, if necessary.
Event Viewer The Event Viewer tracks important Windows actions that may reveal the source of your computer's slowdown. Microsoft explains that “events” are “programs that don't start as expected or updates that are downloaded automatically,” and include issues related to security and the operating system itself. You’ll find this tool in the Control Panel by clicking on “System and Security” and “Administrative Tools” before double-clicking on “Event Viewer.” This utility contains a number of categories and event logs, with subcategories nested beneath them, so it takes some effort to find what you need. Under Applications and Services Logs, you can review a list of error events; double-clicking on one reveals a description of what happened. Many event descriptions also include an “Event Log Online Help” link to facilitate troubleshooting.
Disk Cleanup Your computer uses its hard drive for storage of documents, movies and other static content, while open applications typically employ RAM modules, or sticks, inside your computer to store temporary files. If a program needs more space than the modules have available, it may access your hard drive to store temporary data. Over time, your hard drive can accumulate unnecessary content, from temporary Internet files to downloaded programs. The Disk Cleanup tool deletes them from your machine safely. Find it by typing "Disk Cleanup" in the Start menu's search box and pressing the "Enter" key, then select the types of truly unnecessary files you want to delete from your system by activating the check boxes next to them before clicking "OK."
Disk Defragmenter When your computer deletes a file, it erases only the hard drive sectors that contained that particular file, leaving a hole between the file stored before the deleted file and the one stored after it. Over time, your hard drive partitions start to look like Swiss cheese, and when saving new files, your computer must divide the files into smaller chunks to fit them into the available holes. Retrieving those file fragments can dramatically decrease your computer's performance, but Windows' Disk Defragmenter reorganizes the fragments, making it easier for your computer to retrieve and store information. You can launch it from the "System Tools" folder, inside the "Accessories" section of the Start menu.
Registry Cleaners The Windows registry contains a list of core settings for your operating system and third-party applications. Uninstalled programs may leave some of their data behind, leading to a cluttered and inefficient registry that slows your computer. Microsoft no longer supports its registry cleaner for Windows, but you can use one of several available third-party tools to clean the registry. CNET's Download.com website recommends WinASO Registry Optimizer, Advanced SystemCare Free or CCleaner, which are all free. Downloading a trusted and vetted product is vital, because malware posing as a cleaner can wreak havoc with your system.
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