Computer Technology Tip

Improving Speed and Response of a new Windows Vista Computer

So, you've purchased a new Windows Vista computer. After getting familiar with the basics, you may wonder why this new computer seems slower than the old one. Shouldn't a new computer be faster? Not necessarily. Often a "well maintained" older computer will be faster than a brand new one out of the box. The term "well maintained" is subjective. What I'm talking about is maintaining your computer based on my previous maintenance articles in the TV-Guide & Digest. Microsoft's maintenance implementation is minimal in System Tools and you won't get all of the performance your computer has to offer. Vista has the same minimal tools to maintain your computer that XP has. In fact the familiar System Tools is located in the same place as in XP. (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools).

Keep in mind that computers will run better when there are fewer programs that run at the same time. By that I mean there are many hidden or background programs that run unnecessarily when you start your new computer. The msconfig utility is to be used in Vista as well as in XP to control the number of programs that are allowed to start when you computer is powered up.

This important utility is not found in System Tools. Click Start and type msconfig in the Start Search box and press the keyboard's Enter key. When the window opens click the Startup tab. Uncheck all the items that don't refer to your computer's security. Leave checks next to your anti-virus, anti-spyware programs, and firewall if you use one separately from Vista's built-in one. After making changes, OK the window and click Restart. It's safe to perform this operation and should you notice some change in the computer's operation you can rerun msconfig and put a check back in any program that you unchecked previously. Nothing you do can cause a permanent problem in this Startup area. Try it!

Another problem with new computers is the choice of security (anti-virus, etc.) software your manufacturer chooses for you. Actually, you have no choice with a new computer. Well, you do but you need to uninstall Norton, McAfee, or whatever security software comes on your new machine and install my recommended anti-virus program - Avast, and anti-spyware program - Spyware Terminator. These two programs don't slow down your computer nearly as much as the security programs that come on new computer. Unfortunately the major manufacturers don't care about your new computer's performance so you have to take matters into your own hand if you want a better performing machine.

Basically, to get the most out your new Vista computer make sure it has at least 1GB of memory, you have run the msconfig utility, and have installed Avast and Spyware Terminator. Major Service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AOL also provide security software. All of these will degrade the performance of your new computer. If you decide you want to allow this software to be installed, you must first uninstall the existing security software from the manufacturer. The rule is to have one anti-virus program, one firewall program, and one pop-up blocker installed. However, you may have more than one anti-spyware program installed. The Windows Defender anti-spyware program is bundled into Vista and is actually part of the operating system. Windows Defender is not a particularly good performing program so you need to supplement it with Spyware Terminator.

For assistance in configuring your new Vista computer using this article or help with other computer problems, join our monthly meetings on the second Tuesday at 7:00 PM upstairs in Winfield Hall.

Don Trauger

To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Winfield Hall.

On this website Calendar has a week's view of activities and events similar to the month's guide.