How to improve the performance of windows 10. Turn off OneDrive sync

  • 02.07.2020

Whichever version of Microsoft's OS you are talking about, one of the most common questions is how to make it faster. In this tutorial, we'll talk about why Windows 10 slows down and how to speed it up, what can affect its performance and what actions can improve it in certain situations.

We will not talk about increasing the performance of a computer by changing any hardware characteristics (this is in the article), but only about what most often causes the brakes of Windows 10 and how this can be fixed, thereby speeding up the operation of the OS.

Recently, on some computers and laptops, lags in the Windows 10 interface with the latest updates have become a frequent problem. In some cases, the cause of the problem is the default CFG (Control Flow Guard) function, the function of which is to protect against exploits that exploit memory access vulnerabilities.

The threat is not very common, and if you get rid of the brakes of Windows 10 is more valuable than providing additional security features, you can disable CFG

Disabling CFG should work right away, but I would recommend restarting your computer (keep in mind that shutting down and turning on in Windows 10 is not the same as restarting).

Windows 10 processes loading CPU or memory

Sometimes it happens that the incorrect operation of some background process causes system brakes. You can identify such processes using the task manager.

If among these processes there are those that are actively using the processor (or a significant amount of RAM) all the time, search the Internet for what this process is and, depending on what is found, take action.

Windows 10 tracking features

Many have read that Windows 10 spies on its users. And if I personally do not have any concerns about this, then in terms of the impact on the speed of the system, such functions can have a negative impact.

For this reason, disabling them may be worthwhile. For details on these features and how to disable them, see the manual.

Applications on the Start Menu

Immediately after installing or upgrading to Windows 10, you will find a set of live app tiles in the start menu. They also use system resources (albeit usually only marginally) to update and display information. Do you use them?

If not, a reasonable step would be to at least remove them from the start menu or disable live tiles (right-click to detach from the start screen) or even delete them (see).

Drivers

Another reason for the slow performance of Windows 10, and for more users than you might think, is the lack of original hardware drivers. This is especially true for video card drivers, but it can also apply to SATA drivers, the chipset in general, and other devices.

Despite the fact that the new OS seems to have "learned" to automatically install a large number of original hardware drivers, it will not be superfluous to go to the device manager (through the right click on the "Start" button) and look into the properties of key devices (video cards in the first place) to the "Driver" tab. If Microsoft is listed as the supplier, download and install the drivers from the official website of the manufacturer of your laptop or computer, and if we are talking about a video card, then from the websites of NVidia, AMD or Intel, depending on the model.

Graphic effects and sounds

I can't say that this item (disabling graphic effects and sounds) can seriously increase the speed of Windows 10 on modern computers, but on an old PC or laptop it can give some performance gain.

To disable graphic effects, right-click on the "Start" button and select "System", and then, on the left - "Advanced system settings". On the Advanced tab, in the Performance section, click Options.

Here you can turn off all animations and effects of Windows 10 at once by checking the item "Provide the best performance". You can also leave some of them, without which the work becomes not very convenient - for example, the effects of maximizing and minimizing windows.

Optionally, press Windows (logo key) + I, go to Accessibility - Other options, and turn off Play Animations on Windows.

Also, in Windows 10 Settings, under Personalization - Colors, disable transparency for the Start Menu, Taskbar and Action Center, this can also have a positive effect on the overall performance of a slow system.

To disable event sounds, right-click on the start button and select "Control Panel", and then - "Sound". On the “Sounds” tab, you can enable the “Silent” sound scheme and Windows 10 will no longer have to go to the hard drive in search of a file and start playing sound when certain events occur.

Unwanted and malware

If your system slows down in an incomprehensible way, and no methods help, then there is a possibility of the presence of malicious and unwanted programs on the computer, while very many of these programs are not "visible" to antivirus, no matter how good it is.

If you are experiencing slow browsers, among other things, you should look at the list of extensions and disable all those that you do not need or, worse, are not known. Often they are the problem.

And now a list of some things that I would not recommend doing in order to hypothetically speed up the system, but which are often recommended here and there on the Internet.

  1. Disable Windows 10 paging file - It is often recommended if you have a significant amount of RAM to extend the lifespan of your SSD and the like. I would not do this: first of all, with a high probability there will be no performance gain, and some programs may not run at all without a swap file, even if you have 32 GB of RAM. At the same time, if you are a novice user, you may not even figure out why, in fact, they do not start.
  2. Constantly "clean the computer from rubbish". Some of them, on a daily basis or by automatic means, clear the browser cache from the computer, clean the registry, clean up temporary files using CCleaner and similar programs. Despite the fact that the use of such utilities can be useful and convenient (see), your actions may not always lead to the desired result, you need to understand what exactly is being done. For example, clearing the browser cache is only needed for problems that, in theory, can be solved with it. By itself, the cache in browsers is designed specifically to speed up page loading and really speeds it up.
  3. Disable unnecessary Windows 10 services. The same as with the paging file, especially if you are not very versed in this - when there is a problem with the operation of the Internet, a program or something else, you may not understand and remember what caused it as once disabled "unnecessary" service.
  4. Keep the programs in startup (and indeed, use them) "To speed up the computer." They can not only not speed up, but also slow down its work.
  5. Disable file indexing in Windows 10. Except, possibly, when you have an SSD installed on your computer.
  6. Disable services. But on this score I have instructions.

Additional Information

  • Keep Windows 10 up to date (however, this is not difficult, since updates are installed forcibly), monitor the state of the computer, startup programs, and the presence of malware.
  • If you feel like a confident user, use licensed or free software from official sites, have not encountered viruses for a long time, then it is possible to consider the option of using only the built-in protection tools of Windows 10 instead of third-party antiviruses and firewalls, which will also speed up the system.
  • Monitor free space on the system partition of the hard drive. If there is not enough of it (less than 3-5 GB), this is almost guaranteed to lead to performance problems. Moreover, if your hard drive is divided into two or more partitions, I recommend using the second of these partitions only for storing data, but not for installing programs - it is better to put them on the system partition (if you have two physical disks, this recommendation can be neglected) ...
  • Important: do not keep two or more third-party antiviruses on your computer - most people know about this, but you have to face the fact that someone's work with Windows has become impossible after installing two antiviruses on a regular basis.

It is also worth considering that the reasons for the slow operation of Windows 10 can be caused not only by one of the above, but also by many other problems, sometimes more serious: for example, a failing hard drive, overheating, and others.

The question of how to speed up your computer, Windows 10 decides radically, offering the widest set of functions in the history of "windows". The system is initially well optimized for new devices and shows high performance largely thanks to automatic services. So, if earlier on Win7 / 8.1 it was necessary to manually clean the folders for temporary storage of files, now the system is cleaning everything outdated and unnecessary on its own. For example, after updating, after 10 days, the old Windows will be removed. The same goes for old service packs and optimizations for both solid-state SSDs and old HDDs. The question of how to increase the performance of the system lies only in the plane of hardware limitations (in the case of using old or very weak, budget equipment).

Therefore, for those who want to build a friendly relationship with a new system on an old laptop or PC, it is advisable to learn a number of tips for fine tuning.

Windows 10: the basics of success

Like previous versions, Windows 10 was developed on the basis of Windows Vista with a deep modernization of the kernel and shell. This is the newest, most secure version of "windows", characterized by high performance, it is well optimized for older systems and "weak" computers. Initially, during the release, the version did not differ in stability, but after a year and a half, drivers appeared for almost any device, the system became more stable and reliable. Getting the device to show the blue screen of death has become quite problematic. If only you are an insider and use test builds rather than release builds.

In addition to automatic settings, the user can use manual ones, which will significantly increase the performance of a computer - even a very weak budget one.

First of all, you should refuse to synchronize with Microsoft services, provided that you do not use them all the time. This can be done either by third-party programs, or by using the service settings in the registry and standard means through the privacy menu, network settings and accounts.

How to reduce the load on an old Windows 10 PC

Before speeding up a laptop on Windows 10, it is worth saving all important data, passwords.

Having saved the data, you can proceed to disabling all those "buns" that so load a system that is weak in hardware. For example, it is advisable to go to the store and click on the account icon, select "Settings" in the menu. In this menu, use the sliders to turn off the App Updates, Update Apps Automatically, Live Tiles, and Display Products on Tiles option. Further, you can postpone "automatic system updates". To do this, you need to go through the path "Start" - "Settings" - "Network and Internet", then select "Wi-Fi" and the network that is currently connected. By clicking on the network, you get into its settings and then it is advisable to select the item "Limit connection" - "Set as a metered connection". So you will reduce the consumption of the Internet on Windows, save your computer from unnecessary loads.

For old PCs and weak laptops, constant updates "load" the system too much, it is better to refuse them, and install a light antivirus for safety.

Increase in productivity

When answering the question of how to increase the performance of Windows 10, it is worth remembering about disk defragmentation. This procedure will improve the performance of even a weak device. To start it, go to "This computer", click LMB on the C drive, in the pop-up menu select "Properties", then "Service" and "Optimize". The disk optimization (defragmentation) window will open. By selecting "Analysis", you can find out the degree of fragmentation of the drive, if it shows more than 10%, it is better to perform the defragmentation procedure by clicking on the appropriate item ("Optimize").

Also, the performance is positively affected by the constant cleaning of the drive from old files. To do this, go to "Start" - "Settings" - "System" - "Storage" - "Drive C" - "Temporary files". At this point, select "Temporary files". If desired, data can be deleted from the Downloads folder and from the Trash by selecting Empty Trash.

The computer will boot faster if unnecessary applications are removed from the startup menu. To do this, use the keyboard shortcut Control-Alt-Delete to launch the "Task Manager".

Free laptop acceleration

To guaranteed to increase the performance of a laptop on Windows 10, it is undesirable to use optimization programs. There are many of them on the network, but, as a rule, they only create the appearance of an increase in efficiency, but in fact they load the computer even more.

If you decide to speed up your laptop a little, then use the standard tools.

To reduce the load on the CPU, you can ditch the Metro software by removing Groove Music, News, Weather, and other programs. Hanging in the background, they are constantly consuming system resources. So, "Groove Music" with automatic settings sends data about the music library to Microsoft servers and tries to find covers (pictures by tags) for each song. Weather and news constantly download information from information portals, and on a full automatic basis. It is also desirable to customize the "Start" itself. For example, if you do not want ads in it, then on the desktop, click LMB and select "Personalization", then go to the "Start" tab of the menu that opens, and there disable the "Sometimes show recommendations in the" Start "slider. In the same "Personalization" in the "Lock screen" menu, select a local photo on your PC.

Much has been written about how to speed up Windows 10, but most of the advice is based on solutions for older systems. In the new telemetry system, Metro applications require increased data exchange with Microsoft servers, which significantly load the system. With the help of the Destroy Windows Spying (DWS) program, we speed up the system by removing unnecessary applications and turning off the update permanently (if necessary, you can turn it back on).

In addition, you can remove all spyware tasks: prohibit the collection of feedback about programs, the system and general telemetry (data typed on the keyboard, location, content viewed on the network). Using the utility will give a significant increase in system performance, because a large number of unnecessary tasks for the user will be disabled. If you do not trust the DWS developers, you can also disable modules manually through the registry and group policies.

However, remember that only experienced users can increase the productivity of the OS in this way, an unprepared person can only worsen the condition of his laptop.

Using "light antiviruses and programs"

If you are interested in how to increase the performance of a laptop (old or budget) without a hardware upgrade, then software optimization is the best solution. When you have configured everything that is possible in the system itself, all that remains is the transition to lighter programs.

The performance of a Windows computer is greatly affected by an antivirus program. She makes sure that no malicious code gets on the device and does not harm. But today's threats have become sophisticated, resulting in an increasingly sophisticated antivirus solution. As a result, these programs have become clumsy and "gluttonous", especially during "scanning" (they take up to 80-100% of all system resources). Installing light versions of antiviruses will help make life easier for the device. For example, Avast Free or ESET NOD 32, Avira latest versions (more optimized for Win 10 OS).

Also, to speed up the work of a weak machine, it is advisable to use old or lightweight versions of the browser. You can use Edge or Internet Explorer 11, but they sometimes display pages incorrectly and may freeze altogether. Alternatively, there is Mozilla's SeaMonkey.

Hardware acceleration

Not only software, but also hardware can speed up work on Windows 10, and in some cases this approach is more relevant and reliable. By increasing the RAM from 1-2 GB to 3-4 or 6 GB, you can get a significant increase in performance. Good results are obtained by replacing the HDD drive (usually at 5400 rpm and with a cache memory of 16 MB) with a faster version with a spindle speed of 7200 or 10,000 rpm and with a cache of 32 or 64 MB. You can also install a solid-state SSD-drive (better than the SLC type, it is more reliable and with a long resource).

With the help of hardware, we are multiplying the performance of Windows 10. No "optimizers" will help you get a significant increase in performance, only an upgrade. Of course, this procedure is not free, but if we are talking about an outdated laptop with DDR2 or DDR3 memory, then buying an additional 2–4 GB bracket is not a very expensive investment. In addition, the price of a modern 64–120 GB SSD has also dropped significantly. You can also change the central processor if we are talking about a stationary PC.

Acceleration of the work of "tens"

Like any operating system, the "dozen" have a lot of settings that help the user to perfectly fine-tune the system to suit his needs. By default, the installed software works to satisfy any client. But the "Default" settings are not always beneficial to owners of weak equipment. They have to either put up with slow performance, or try to optimize their systems. And if there is no money for an upgrade, all that remains is to make the system itself more agile. "Optimizations" have always been, they have become popular since Windows XP.


Now the easiest way to increase productivity is by disabling telemetry and metro applications that are unnecessary for the Russian user. The English-speaking Top Ten has a voice assistant and the system has deep integration with the Internet.

So how do you set up Windows 10 securely and lastingly? At the very least, it is worth turning off the update and installing a non-resource-intensive antivirus, abandoning all built-in programs, and regularly cleaning the system. If possible, install a 32-bit version of the operating system (it is less resource-intensive).

Not so long ago, the operating system Windows 10 got its start. Its main difference from previous versions is that it will become the last one, although updates will not stop. As Microsoft announced in April 2017, the OS will continue to receive new updates in a timely manner approximately twice a year.

Despite the rapid development of the operating system, machines with Windows installed over time begin to work slower and slow down, as they are clogged with all kinds of programs and files. If you use a computer or laptop running Windows 10, it is likely that you periodically visit the Internet resources in order to find all kinds of guides to speed up the operating system.

You may have found this information before, but it would be great to mention not only something new, but also combine this “new” with the already known information so that you can always have a complete guide to improving the performance of your Windows PC at your fingertips.

How to speed up Windows 10

Method 1. Prevent programs from starting at system startup

Typically, most Windows users have tons of applications on their computers that automatically start when they turn on the system. Basically, this is the factory software installed by the manufacturer, and other, the autostart of which has not been canceled or it is intentionally enabled.

The decrease in performance is especially noticeable when the computer starts up, when it loads the desktop and at the same time tries to launch a lot of other applications. This significantly slows down the operation of the device, therefore, it is necessary to minimize the number of programs with autorun as much as possible. You can disable the automatic start function using Task manager.

If you are using Windows 7 or Windows XP, in this case, a good utility for disabling autorun would be msconfig.

Method 2. Use fewer applications at a time, reduce the load on RAM (RAM) for better performance

Using multiple applications at the same time can increase your productivity if, for example, you are a designer and need to open Adobe Photoshop with Adobe Illustrator at the same time, but this creates an additional burden on your PC. In most cases, the processor (CPU) does not suffer as much as the RAM (RAM), since RAM is the main resource used.

Try to launch the Task Manager and monitor the memory usage in the tab Performance> Memory... If statistics show that programs are loading RAM, you can easily track down the culprit in this software in the tab Processes to improve the performance of your Windows 10 device.

Note: Make sure you are not dumping an important system process.

Filling up the system memory accordingly slows down the computer. Adding more RAM is one of the options that can solve the problem of poor performance, but it will come with some financial costs. Increasing the size of Windows 10 may be less effective in helping to slow down Swap file.

How to change Paging file? Below is a detailed instruction.

1. Follow the path My Computer> Properties.

2. Please select Additional system parameters.

3. In chapter Performance click Settings and go to the tab Additionally.

4. In chapter Virtual memory press Change.

5. Uncheck the box Automatic swap file size control for all drives. Select the drive you are interested in and enable the function Custom size... Set the initial and maximum file size. Click on OK to save your changes.

Note: If you have excess memory, say 16 GB, there is no need to increase the paging file size. However, disabling it is not an option worth considering as it could cause your computer to run into certain issues.

Method 3. Check if your operating system is damaged

Corrupted data can cause your Windows 10 PC to run extremely slowly, and in the worst cases, even crash.

One of the easy ways to fix corrupted data on Windows 10 is to run the System File Checker utility. It is likely that you are already familiar with it if you have used it in the past trying to recover your hard drive or USB drive. Fixing these corrupted files can undoubtedly speed up Windows 10.

How to start Checking system files(System File Checker) on Windows 10?
Use the command line to do this and open it and enter the following command:

sfc / scannow

This process may take some time depending on the size of your hard drive. An alternative way to run the above tool: My Computer> Windows Disk > Properties> Tools... Now press Verify.

Method 4. Scan your PC for malware

This should be the most anticipated item that you might see in our article regarding speeding up Windows 10. All kinds of computer viruses have been around for decades, and the fear of how they can affect the operating system forced Microsoft to include antivirus software in the list of basic programs; it is called Windows Defender.

It is likely that some application disguised as some system update program or something else may be hiding behind the low performance of your Windows 10.

You need to regularly check your computer for malicious software using Windows Defender or any other third-party antivirus software, which will not only speed up Windows 10, but also avoid a number of other unpleasant situations associated with viruses.

Method 5. Shutting down and restarting Windows is not even an option. This is a necessity

Unfortunately, some users neglect this rule and their personal computers can be active day and night, even if their owner is already asleep for the fifth hour, forgetting that his device also needs to “Shut down” or at least “Reboot”.

Keep in mind that your computer can survive several days without restarting or shutting down the system, but this is not at all a tip for action and does not mean that you need to always keep it in working order.

Restarting or shutting down the computer at regular intervals allows it to clear the system memory, which in turn is gradually consumed during operation, and kills all erroneous processes that opened automatically or due to a problem when starting any of your programs, which allows you to speed up the computer with Windows ten.

Method 6. Prefer hibernation on your PC

If you put your computer into sleep mode, it will take much less time to turn it on than if you start the system from a disabled state. This is due to the fact that the current state of the system, since the last time you worked with it, is saved on the hard disk and reloaded when the device is started.

Let your PC get some sleep.

Putting your computer to sleep is a common thing for any Mac user, as these devices can survive for almost a month working this way. Now Windows users can use this mode more confidently by keeping their computer in sleep mode for long hours.

At the moment when sleep mode is active on your PC, only RAM (RAM) continues to perform its full work. It will be important to note that while hibernation puts the computer into a resting state, it still draws some battery power, albeit in small amounts. Thus, although it is energy-consuming, the sleep mode allows you to speed up the work with the system to a certain extent.

Method 7. Make Your Windows As Ugly As Possible

Eliminate animations and all special effects.

Our modern PCs have an operating system in which the developers have tried to make everything look great, be filled with various animations and effects, as this makes the process of working with the device much more pleasant. All good things usually have another side - these visual improvements sometimes consume more system resources than we would like. Not all PCs are powerful enough to operate efficiently while maintaining all the visual pleasures of the screen.

Sometimes it happens that users do not use their device properly; they install random applications and make a number of other errors that make their computer suffer.

Now, let's take a look at how to enable or disable animations in Windows 10?

In the settings, you can easily switch to the best performance mode by turning off all animations. Follow the path given below:

My computer(right click on the icon) > Properties> Advanced system settings> Settings(In chapter Performance).

In the window Performance parameters select item Provide the best performance... If it doesn't suit you in some way, you can always ask Custom settings and enable / disable certain effects at will.

Disable transparency.

Having a taskbar, a beautiful Start menu and a transparent action center can be pleasing to your eyes, however, as you know, beauty requires sacrifice and, in this case, you have to pay with the resources of your computer. You can turn off transparency by visiting Settings> Personalization> Colors... Click the switch in favor "Switch off" next to item Transparency Effects.

Method 8. Make sure Windows always gets the latest updates

In the Windows working environment, there are a lot of updates and new fixes are released with a certain frequency, which can be installed either independently or forcibly-voluntarily, when the operating system itself begins to install them. Keep in mind that regular system updates on your PC can improve the performance of Windows 10 in addition to protecting your device from unwanted threats in the form of vulnerabilities recently discovered by Microsoft.

Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft began providing generic drivers for a wide array of third-party hardware. Updates for these devices are delivered through Windows Update. In case one of the third party devices does not support the driver provided by Microsoft, you will have to update everything manually.

If you are using the latest versions of Windows 10, updates will install significantly faster than before. The changes are related to the fact that Microsoft has optimized the process of updating the operating system and now most of the installation takes place in the background while the user goes about his business.

Method 9. Fast launch of applications

This is one of the ways to speed up Windows 10 in daily use. You can set your own keyboard shortcuts to launch applications in 1 click without having to search for them by device.

Method 10. Select priorities for your PC

In the same performance window, which we mentioned just above in paragraph 7, go to the Advanced tab. There you can determine what exactly will give priority to your computer: programs that are actively used or services running in the background. This setting will help you to significantly improve system performance in accordance with your needs.

Method 11. Disable cloud sync to speed up Windows 10

Windows 10 offers integrated support for the Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage service. You can save absolutely any data simply by uploading it to the cloud, where it will be safe even if for some reason the hard drive stops working ahead of schedule due to a physical problem. Many users already have their own storage in Google Drive; chances are they won't be able to use Microsoft's cloud.

If you prefer OneDrive and have sync turned on, don't forget about it. It will definitely consume your computer's resources and slow down Windows 10. In fact, this can affect not only OneDrive, but also a number of other services.

To turn off syncing with OneDrive and speed up Windows, go to My Computer> OneDrive(right click on it) > Select storage folders to sync... In the next window, uncheck the box Sync all files and folders in OneDrive and press OK.

Method 12. Use Fast Startup to Reduce Your Computer's Boot Time

One way to speed up the Windows 10 startup process is to enable the hibernation feature, which is disabled by default. Fast startup (enabled by default) is another feature that reduces the startup time of the operating system.

You can check if Fast Startup is enabled on your computer by selecting Power> What the power buttons do... Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable to unlock the shutdown configuration. There you will see the option to enable or disable the Quick Launch feature.

Method 13: Use ReadyBoost to Improve Windows 10 Performance

ReadyBoost Is a Windows function that can increase the speed of your system by using free space, the so-called caching. You can see a noticeable difference in system performance in a positive way, especially if you are using low-quality equipment. Keep in mind, ReadyBoost does not work with SSDs as they are faster than regular USB drives.

Method 14. Disable Live Tiles

First Live tiles was launched in Windows 8. This function in the Start menu or on the start screen provides the user with information about a particular application either from the Internet or from a local network. Unfortunately, like any other background service, it consumes computer resources, slowing it down, and draining the battery.

Let's take a look at how to disable Live Tiles in Windows 10 to increase system performance.

If you are using Windows 10 Pro, you can use the Group Policy Editor. Open in editor User Configuration> Administrative Templates> Start Menu and Taskbar> Disable Tile Notifications.

Otherwise, you will have to manually disable tiles for each application. Open the Start menu> right click on the animated tile of the pinned app> More> Disable live tiles.

Method 15: Use High Performance Mode to Improve PC Performance

Mode High performance Power modes will allow you to get the most out of your computer. In this state, the processor can use its full potential.

Remember to plug in your charger when performing resource-intensive tasks.

Have you ever wondered why power users prefer desktops to laptops? One of the reasons is that they have a constant power supply that dramatically improves performance. In the case of a laptop, we recommend connecting the charger when you start games or use “heavy” software that takes up a lot of resources.

Method 16. Use the built-in troubleshooter

With the release of the Developer Update, Microsoft has provided users with a section for various Windows troubleshooting utilities. Visit Settings> Update & Security> Troubleshoot.

Here you will find options to fix errors related to Bluetooth, BSOD, audio, Windows Updates, keyboard and many other system hardware. Troubleshooting possible issues can make your Windows 10 PC run faster and without errors.

Method 17: Improving Application Performance in Windows 10

If you're using the April Update, Windows 10 now has a new Settings page that lets you tweak advanced graphical settings for individual apps (both UWP and desktop). This can come in handy if you are facing performance issues for a particular application and blame the computer that is not at all to blame.

Open up Settings> System> Display... Scroll down the window and select Graphics settings... On the next screen, select the desktop or UWP app you want to customize and tap Add.

Now click on the application name and click on Options. Here you can choose between different graphical features such as Default, Power Saving and High Performance. High performance tuning allows an application to use the discrete GPU of the system.

Method 18. Free up space on the system drive

The computer can work slowly due to the banal lack of physical memory on the hard drive. Make sure that the system disk has enough free space for the operating system to function properly. Free space must be at least 10% of the total volume of the "C" drive.

Free up space on the system scratch disk and clean the desktop of unnecessary elements. Also, it will be much more useful in case of lack of space, reassign storage location for user documents to another logical partition. This will significantly unload the system disk.

You can move the following user system folders:

  • Downloads
  • The documents
  • Images
  • Video
  • Music

Method 19. Disable the third-party Anti-Virus application

Antivirus applications greatly affect PC performance. If you do not practice visiting unverified or suspicious Internet resources, then you can disable third-party antivirus while performing any complex tasks. Use Windows 10 Built-in Defender - Windows Defender.

Method 20. Recovering your computer

If all the previous methods were powerless to help you, the last option for solving the problem of low system performance is system rollback... You can do this by visiting the section Recovery in the Settings menu. Reinstalling Windows 10 will fix any mistakes you have made, and you will be able to fully enjoy a working operating system again.

If necessary recover erased files and folders, the Starus Recovery tools will help you. You can try and download programs for data recovery completely free of charge from our Internet resource.

The performance of any operating system will degrade over time, and your Windows 10 computer or laptop will start to slow down. Sometimes there is not enough time for full maintenance, but money for it.

Here are 10 tips to speed up your PC.

P. S. All tips were tested on a test virtual machine Version 1607 (Build 14393.105).

1. Tinted interface

The transparent Start menu looks nice, but (slightly) slows down your computer's performance. Turn off transparency to steer resources in the right direction.


Start - Settings - Personalization - Colors - Make Start Menu, Control Panel, and Action Center Transparent Off



2. Disable special effects

Visual beauty is best left for games.


Right click on "Start" - Control Panel - System and Security - System - Advanced System Settings - Options - Visual Effects Tab





To turn off unnecessary animation and special effects, select Provide best performance. You can also select Special Effects and uncheck the visual effects yourself, which you can do without.

3. Clean up startup

Does the PC take a long time to boot after turning on? Perhaps there are a lot of unnecessary programs in startup.






For convenience, sort the programs by the Launch Impact column and disable unnecessary and most resource-consuming ones.


Important: if you are an inexperienced user, we recommend that you carefully study the list and figure out which of these programs are system, and which just waste resources. This is very easy to do - just google the name.

4. Work on bugs

Use the standard Windows 10 tool to find and fix problems. This simple method helps you fix a number of common mistakes.


Right click on "Start" - Control Panel - Troubleshoot - under the System and Security section, click "Troubleshoot" - Next




5. Give 10 seconds

To speed up the startup of your PC at startup, you can reduce the Boot Menu Time-out


Right click on "Start" - Control Panel - System and Security - System - Advanced System Settings - Startup and Recovery - Options




Opposite the line Display a list of operating systems, set the value to 10 seconds.

6. Don't listen to advice

Windows 10 tries to be useful ( It would be better if Skrepysh was returned! - approx. ed.) and tells you how to use the new interface features. Unfortunately, this feature can affect performance. Disable it:


Start - Settings - System - Notifications & Actions - Get tips, hints and tips when using Windows Off



7. Clean the disc

Another method that is relevant for any version of Windows. Disk Cleanup will improve performance and free up space on your hard drive.


In the search box, type "Disk Cleanup" - Run the program - Clean up the disk (yes, sometimes everything is so simple. - Ed.)


8. Remove preinstalled software

Have you ever used the preinstalled programs? Chances are, you never even opened them. Remove this junk, as well as all software that you haven't used for over a year.


Right click on "Start" - Control Panel - Uninstall Programs in the Programs section - Remove all unnecessary



There is no extra software on our virtual machine :)

9. Watch your diet

Do not use Energy Saver mode unnecessarily.


Right click on "Start" - Control Panel - System and Security - Power Supply - Select a scheme - High Performance or Balanced



On the desktop, the settings are not active

10. Reboot your PC

Try just restarting your PC. No, joking aside - it will unload the RAM and will be guaranteed to zero out processes that start to over-consume system resources.

By the way, not everyone knows that shutting down and restarting a PC is not the same thing. Windows 10 uses Fast Boot, which saves a “snapshot” of your system to get you up and running faster. How missing it was before!



Hello IT department, have you tried turning it off and on?

Windows 10 has already surprised many owners of not new machines, moreover in a good way, because after installing it, computers really start to function noticeably faster. This is partly due to just a clean installation, in the process of which old software and any software debris are guaranteed to be removed from the hard disk, which, as a rule, brings little benefit, but qualitatively "eats" system resources and memory. But not everything is so smooth in fact. You often read that even newer PCs work slowly over time, they do not cope with tasks worse. In this article, I would like to share my experience, tell you how you can speed up the device, what you need to do so that your laptop or PC always pleases you. I know that some will say that there are many such articles and that I will not be able to invent a bicycle, but still.

PC upgrade

A powerful computer bought 5 years ago may run the latest version of Windows, but this is not a fact. Understand that "minimum system requirements" are called minimum not just on a whim. The operating system works best when the computer meets or exceeds the “recommended system requirements”. Computers are becoming more powerful and programs are demanding more and more resources. Sooner or later, you will have to upgrade your computer to install a new program. You could even say that the life of a computer is determined by the patience of its owner. If you have the opportunity to update your PC, then this will become almost the main criterion for its improved performance. The more modern processors, video cards, etc., the more chances your device has to provide you with all the delights of working with it.

We all remember the first day of our new laptop, when it seems perfect. Everything opens easily, works correctly, the system does not freeze, there is enough RAM. But over time, this good feeling goes away. We notice that for some reason the laptop turns on and off for a long time, the browser takes a long time to load, we often receive messages that the program is not responding. What happened? What are we doing wrong? I will try to help you.

Disable startup programs

When I turned on the laptop, I began to notice that it sometimes turns on for a long time and loads programs to the taskbar. This can be forgiven if you use such programs frequently; however, a large number of startup programs have a negative impact on the speed of your computer (especially on system boot time). In the Task Manager, which can be easily opened by right-clicking on "Start", the system kindly provides us with all the information about the impact of different programs on the launch of your device. I was pleased that it is very easy to disable the program you do not need and this will help to reduce the load on the processor, memory and speed up the system startup.

Identifying resource-intensive programs

Over time, my laptop began to work slower, its performance dropped, system resources are busy with something, an open application eats up RAM, and forces the system to use the paging file. The application itself can use the disk too actively, causing other programs to run slower when they need to read or write data.

The solution to this problem can also be found in the Task Manager by opening the section Processes. The system uses color to immediately show which application is currently loading your device the most. If this or that application is too sold out, it is better to close it, and if it does not close in the usual way, you can select it in the Task Manager and click the "End Task" button in the lower right corner to force close. Thus, you will undoubtedly speed up your device.

Closing programs in the system tray

When you turn on your PC, some applications run in the background, but you won't even be aware of it. You can find them in the lower right corner in the system tray. Click on the arrow, select the application, press the right mouse button and close it, thereby you will free up system resources at least a little.

Disable visual effects

This will help improve the response a bit. It is especially recommended to do this on not very powerful laptops and netbooks. How do you turn off visual effects? To do this, click on "Start" with the right mouse button and go to "System - Advanced system settings - Advanced - Options - Visual effects". Here you can turn off the visual effects you don't need, you can even turn off everything if you select the "Provide best performance" option. I always use the "Special Effects" option, which allows you to customize the effects.

Freeing up hard disk space

This is not the first time I've written about the fact that often the presence of any garbage in your PC most interferes with its work. We often forget to empty the trash, remove temporary files, thumbnails. After upgrading to Windows 10, users found that the folders from the previous version of the OS remained. To get rid of all this junk, you need to use the built-in Disk Cleanup utility. It is very easy to find it. Just register in Search, click on Disk Cleanup and it starts working. All you have to do is select only the files that you want to delete and in a couple of minutes your disk will noticeably lose weight, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect on its work, and the entire system as well.

Cleaning tab... CCleaner automatically scans the specified directories and removes the temporary files of the most common programs. Almost all popular browsers are supported, such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Google Chrome and others, which allows the user to completely clear all traces of Internet surfing. The temporary files of multimedia, office and standard Windows programs are also thoroughly cleaned.

To start scanning, click on the "Analysis" button. After its completion, read the report and click on the "Cleanup" button to permanently delete the files. On some laptops, sometimes several gigabytes of such file trash are deleted!

Registry tab... The installation and subsequent removal of various programs, as a rule, does not go unnoticed for the system. Any installed application leaves its entries in the registry of the operating system and very often, when deleted, this data is not completely erased. The accumulation of such informational garbage in the registry can lead to a rather noticeable decrease in the speed of the computer.

To remove such errors, CCleaner has a built-in registry analyzer. It carefully cleans the registry from all found problems, preventing the deletion of important parameters, which guarantees stable system operation after cleaning. The program also allows you to save a copy of the registry settings before changing them.

Service Tab This section contains utilities for working with the installed software and the system recovery assistant. All these functions partially duplicate the standard Windows 7 tools, but their combination in one section and increased usability make it possible to recommend this program for these tasks.

In the "Startup" list are all programs that run along with the operating system. This function is extremely convenient for launching antivirus software, messenger programs (ICQ, Skype, Viber, etc.) and other programs that are frequently used from the very start of the system. But, many applications that are not so essential when starting Windows are registered in this list, thereby taking away precious resources of the PC's computing system and slowing down the system startup. Carefully study the list of programs and disable and then remove from the list those that you do not need to run at system startup. The programs themselves are not removed from the computer.

In the "Remove Programs" menu the user is invited to get acquainted with the complete list of all programs installed on the mobile computer. To remove unnecessary software, select it in the list and click the "Uninstall" button, after which the uninstall manager will be launched. If you are sure that the program has already been uninstalled, but is still present in the installed list, click on the "Remove" button and CCleaner will erase all references to it from the Windows 7 registry.

System Restore section allows you to delete unnecessary restore points, thereby freeing up space on your hard drive.

So, without a shadow of a doubt, I recommend using CCleaner regularly to optimize Windows. This will allow the Windows system, even after many years, to run as fast as when the system was first started. Just don't overdo it - cleaning your computer once a month will be more than enough.

Defragment your hard drive

Modern operating systems mostly automatically optimize hard drives, but if you are still in doubt, you can do it manually. In Search, write> Optimize drives, select the drive you want to optimize. Analyze it first, then manually optimize it. It will take some time, but then your disk will work more correctly. Also here you can set the time for automatic disk defragmentation. This is very convenient, but sometimes drop by here.

Removing unnecessary programs and applications

Often, our devices have applications and programs that we do not use, or they are simply outdated. This also affects the speed of the PC. Windows 10 has 2 ways to uninstall programs you don't need. This is the usual path Control Panel - Programs - Uninstall programs, where you can easily remove unnecessary programs. You can find another way if you open Settings - System - Applications & Features.

Find an unnecessary application in the list, click on it and easily delete it. It is worth recalling the fact that the new Windows 10 now allows you to choose the drive on which you will store them. This is very convenient for owners, especially if your tablet has little internal memory.

Getting rid of unnecessary browser extensions

A modern browser in our time cannot be imagined without all kinds of extensions that undoubtedly help us in our work, in watching videos, listening to music, etc. But it is worth remembering that too many of these very extensions can negatively affect the operation of the browser. They will slow down your work, consume a lot of RAM. You should use only the extensions you need at the moment, and just disable or remove others.

It is also important to clear the search history, delete downloaded files. All of these will speed up your browser and help your device perform better.

Scanning for viruses and malware

In the last article, I talked a lot about the dangers of viruses, Trojans and other malware. All of them undoubtedly have a bad effect on the performance of your device, forcing it to slow down and slow down. Malware also monitors you in the browser, tracks your requests and searches, and immediately offers you phishing ads, sometimes with a viral page. Therefore, you should at least occasionally check your device for viruses.

Updating Windows and graphics card drivers

I am sure that this phrase of mine will cause a lot of indignation among many, but if you have a licensed Windows 10, then I strongly recommend that you automatically update your laptop, as well as the video card drivers. This will give you the opportunity to receive solutions to certain problems from Microsoft and avoid any incidents in working with the device. It's the same with the video card drivers. Their incorrect work often disrupts the work of the PC, which leads to failures and refusals during use. But it's up to you to decide.

Factory reset and reinstall Windows

Sometimes all the options I have proposed do not help and your device does not work correctly. In this case, you need to reinstall Windows 10. However, do not forget to copy your files, otherwise they may simply be lost during reinstallation. It is certainly better to reinstall the system from scratch. But, if you think that you will not be able or are simply afraid, then the system itself comes to your aid. It will help you reset the device to factory settings, or even reinstall the system from any media. Then your device will fix all errors, clean hard drives, undoubtedly speed up your PC. This is already a very radical measure, but very effective.

In conclusion, I would like to advise you to monitor your device, help it to work correctly, and then it will give you joyful minutes of communication on the Web, working with documents, etc. Be responsible.