How to speed up your Windows

[Satoshi]

Hi guys, today I'll show you how to speed up your machine using three simple steps. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BACKUP YOUR FILES BEFORE DOING SO, IN CASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG.
CLEARING TEMP FILES.
The first thing you want to do is that to click the Windows button and search for "Run" and click it. Once the box pops up you need to write "%temp%" and click OK or hit enter. It will open up a folder with loads of files which are slowing your machine down, therefore you need to delete all of them by holding down CTRL+A which will select all the files at once, then press DELETE button on your keyboard. Don't worry, it will stop you from deleting important/needed files in case it needs to.
CLEARING PREFETCH FILES.
After clearing out your temp files, you need to clear the prefetch files. Hit the Windows button again and search for "Run" then click it. Once the box shows up, write "prefetch" and click OK or hit enter. It will open up a folder with loads of files, again, which you need to delete. Hold down CTRL+A to select all of them at once and then hit the DELETE button on your keyboard.
RUNNING DISK CLEANUP.
Now after you cleared out your temp and prefetch files, you should run a disk cleanup on top of that to clean your disk even further. You can do that by hitting the Windows button and search for "Disk Cleanup" then click it and choose to clean the drive where your Windows is installed or you can just open My Computer and right click the drive where your Windows is and hit Properties then Disk Cleanup on the right bottom corner.

[Morais]

What is the prefetch folder?

Each time you turn on your computer, Windows keeps track of the way your computer starts and which programs you commonly open. Windows saves this information as a number of small files in the prefetch folder. The next time you turn on your computer, Windows refers to these files to help speed the start process.

The prefetch folder is a subfolder of the Windows system folder. The prefetch folder is self-maintaining, and there's no need to delete it or empty its contents. If you empty the folder, Windows and your programs will take longer to open the next time you turn on your computer.

Who should I believe?

[Satoshi]

I haven't experienced any issue regarding opening/closing programs when I deleted it. Your best shot would be making a backup of the files before deleting, in case you won't like the results.

[TheRock]

Really? Deleting program cache files+thumbnails make programs/windows faster? Hey, why not delete System32 too??

If you want to speed up your computer there are many things you can do.

1) Right Click on C: > Disk Cleanup (For advanced users with weekly back-up, it's recommended to do advanced disk cleanup to delete update files - previous installations on disk)
2) Defragment of Hard Disk.
3) Minimize the Start-up applications (Prior to W8/10> Windows+R>msconfig>Start up tab) (Cleanup programs which are not necessary, leave the drivers like sound, graphics, usb3)

Other options in terms of speeding the computer - maintance:
* Install Windows using UEFI (for instant boot unlike legacy bios boot)
* Install Windows on a small partition for better defragmentation ability
* Upgrade to SSD.
* Overclock of CPU-RAM-GPU
* Clearing PC Case + fans off dust
* Applying thermal paste for lower temperature > more lifetime.
* Increase Physical RAM and disable pagefile of Windows.
* Always seek for updated drivers - update BIOS
* Delete History of browser (Cookies, cache etc)
* Usage of AdBlock plugins, which speed up the load of a page (Yet don't forget to white-list Argonath!)

Most of them can be done by CCleaner or RegistryFix (Though I never rely on cleaning applications, prefer the manual way.)

[Devin]

* Overclock of CPU-RAM-GPU

Really not necessary in most cases, plus it adds more strain to your hardware which is pointless unless you do some serious overclocking and you have proper cooling.

* Applying thermal paste for lower temperature > more lifetime.

You may want to rephrase that to; replace thermal paste at ** intervals or after so many months/years

* Increase Physical RAM and disable pagefile of Windows.

Best way to cause system instability, disabling the pagefile of Windows. Many applications such as flash and even games (GTA V) require a page file to function. Disabling the page file will lead to software instability and even operating system crashes.

* Always seek for updated drivers - update BIOS

I would honestly say be cautious when updating a BIOS, the consequences of a failed BIOS update can lead to killing a motherboard in inexperienced hands.
Fortunately many boards now come out with a dual bios system which will help in the event of a screw-up.
Then again, a BIOS update is not necessary unless the person has hardware incompatibilities like adding an SSD to their PC which can't detect it without a newer BIOS edition.

[TheRock]

Really not necessary in most cases, plus it adds more strain to your hardware which is pointless unless you do some serious overclocking and you have proper cooling.

I was refering to old - low end hardware, that's way things rolled. I recall times when people could not purchase Model A and went with Model B(Overclocked to speeds of A, EX 478-early 775 Pentiums)..

You may want to rephrase that to; replace thermal paste at ** intervals or after so many months/years

Replacement of thermal paste is essential, and required at least once per year, always depending on the paste quality though.
I replace both CPU and GPU at least once every 3 months, though people say that's too much, that's just me wanting low temperatures, using MX-4 aswell

Best way to cause system instability, disabling the pagefile of Windows. Many applications such as flash and even games (GTA V) require a page file to function. Disabling the page file will lead to software instability and even operating system crashes.

If disabling it would cause such instability by means of constant crashes I don't see why they added an option to disable it. I do not use many programs that require it, so I don't see a point to have it. GTA V runs fluently without pagefile. First of all the idea behind this is that pagefile (Virtual Memory) is stored and operated at HDD, practically when a program maxes out the Physical Memory, swap file/pagefile is enabled. It is operated on HDD though which is known to have some drawbacks as matter the performance and speed, as if it can not operate at speeds of RAM. Secondly, unless configured manually by user it can sometimes make a huge impact on HDD, important for those like me who use 1st gen SSD's with low capacity (In my case: 64gb)

I would honestly say be cautious when updating a BIOS, the consequences of a failed BIOS update can lead to killing a motherboard in inexperienced hands.
Fortunately many boards now come out with a dual bios system which will help in the event of a screw-up.
Then again, a BIOS update is not necessary unless the person has hardware incompatibilities like adding an SSD to their PC which can't detect it without a newer BIOS edition.

Simple users wont even bother to update drivers, and thats because they are not aware if there is actually a problem or not, they just pay someone to fix it. On the other hand, average user(+advanced ones) are aware when something is wrong and how to fix it (At least if someone can google and follow simple steps). Even at risk of failure there are still ways to recover a motherboards' BIOS, some come with SPI_J1 Connector embedded. Anyways, good thing is that nowdays most if not all motherboards come with Dual-BIOS options just in case of failure.

(Ex: http://e-shop.fccps.cz/download/adv/frr/spi/msi_spi.html)

[Janar]

Replacement of thermal paste is essential, and required at least once per year, always depending on the paste quality though.
I replace both CPU and GPU at least once every 3 months, though people say that's too much, that's just me wanting low temperatures, using MX-4 aswell

I actually wonder, how much do you gain from it. Been using same thermal paste for 5 months, no change in temperatures.

If disabling it would cause such instability by means of constant crashes I don't see why they added an option to disable it. I do not use many programs that require it, so I don't see a point to have it. GTA V runs fluently without pagefile. First of all the idea behind this is that pagefile (Virtual Memory) is stored and operated at HDD, practically when a program maxes out the Physical Memory, swap file/pagefile is enabled. It is operated on HDD though which is known to have some drawbacks as matter the performance and speed, as if it can not operate at speeds of RAM. Secondly, unless configured manually by user it can sometimes make a huge impact on HDD, important for those like me who use 1st gen SSD's with low capacity (In my case: 64gb)

GTA:V starts to give issues without pagefile and claims that it is running out of memory (16GB RAM here, tested, can test again if necessary, plenty of free RAM available.)

[Devin]

I was refering to old - low end hardware, that's way things rolled. I recall times when people could not purchase Model A and went with Model B(Overclocked to speeds of A, EX 478-early 775 Pentiums)..

Honestly speaking, overclocking outdated hardware to try and get more performance is the best way to end up buying new hardware anyway. Aftermarket cooling is necessary in any overclocking situation where you actually bring the speed up to anything meaningful.

Replacement of thermal paste is essential, and required at least once per year, always depending on the paste quality though.
I replace both CPU and GPU at least once every 3 months, though people say that's too much, that's just me wanting low temperatures, using MX-4 aswell

It is necessary to an extent, in most cases an average user would not need to replace their thermal paste for the lifetime of their hardware. In situations where the hardware is under high usage frequently the paste would be better off with being replaced once in a while. That said however, there's no need to change it more than once a year, even once a year is not necessary if you apply the paste correctly and use proper quality thermal paste.
Three months is unnecessary on any level, it will just lead to unnecessary wear on the clips/screws that hold the cooler down.

If the temperatures are not giving any cause for concern, the paste is doing its job and does not need to be replaced.

If disabling it would cause such instability by means of constant crashes I don't see why they added an option to disable it. I do not use many programs that require it, so I don't see a point to have it. GTA V runs fluently without pagefile. First of all the idea behind this is that pagefile (Virtual Memory) is stored and operated at HDD, practically when a program maxes out the Physical Memory, swap file/pagefile is enabled. It is operated on HDD though which is known to have some drawbacks as matter the performance and speed, as if it can not operate at speeds of RAM. Secondly, unless configured manually by user it can sometimes make a huge impact on HDD, important for those like me who use 1st gen SSD's with low capacity (In my case: 64gb)

I am well aware of the purpose and functionality of a page file. It is there for a purpose, just because the option to disable the page file is there does not mean it is a good idea to disable it. By disabling the page file you prevent the operating system from running efficiently as items being processed like reserving physical ram to store allocations that aren't necessarily requiring ram which also leads to allocations being refused to prevent over committing which will crash software.

As you said you have 8GB of ram as stated in your signature let's use that as an example;
A program which would usually make a writable and private memory mapping of a 4gb file, that space is then reserved on your total 8gb of ram which leads to you only having 4 remaining for the entire system to make use of.

Using a page file also in a sense increases the efficiency of your ram by allowing small files that require reserved memory to make use of the page file whilst leaving ram openly available to applications that require it. By using a page file, it means the actual ram which is faster than the page file is allocated solely to the operating system and games/software.

Simple users wont even bother to update drivers, and thats because they are not aware if there is actually a problem or not, they just pay someone to fix it. On the other hand, average user(+advanced ones) are aware when something is wrong and how to fix it (At least if someone can google and follow simple steps). Even at risk of failure there are still ways to recover a motherboards' BIOS, some come with SPI_J1 Connector embedded. Anyways, good thing is that nowdays most if not all motherboards come with Dual-BIOS options just in case of failure.

Okay so.. you literally just said what I said regarding dual bios. Anyway there is no need to update a bios as you suggested in the topic if there are no compatibility problems.

[vasudevan]

Does a free space in a HDD will determine game speed?

[TheRock]

No, HDD is there for your files and will not make games play faster (It may cause lag however if it is full)

[Devin]

Having low free space on a drive can make a games performance suffer if you have a small amount of ram and the system makes use of the page file to assist with processing/storage of data however.

[TheRock]

For such cases, the use of a USB Stick/Memory Card with ReadyBoost is recommended.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/keep-tabs-on-readyboost-with-windows-7s-performance-monitor/
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff356869.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReadyBoost

[Archie]

Even though the topic itself could have been better, it's useful.
Stickied.

[Mister_Me]

When gaming make sure that 'coreparking' is turned off, its a feature to save energy by disabling CPU cores that aren't needed at the time.
But when playing a game the computer might need a core that is parked, and it has to activate it, resulting in some lag in your framerate everytime it has to activate an extra core.

More info on coreparking and how to disable it

[TheRock]

I've had a clients PC recently with core-parking issue, after spending some time trying to solve the problem OS-Wise (Operating System), we ended up solving it on BIOS whereas some functions like CE1, SVM, AMD's Cool'n'quiet and few more concerning electricity and economy were set fault causing system to read and autoset core-parking on..

Some other things which might help:

1) Set> Power Plan: High Performance
2) (Keyboard Shortcut) Windows + R > type "msconfig"> Boot > Advanced > Cores (tick all)
3) Software to see if you have core-parking enabled:

Code: [Select]

http://netserver.cloudapp.net/files/CoreParkingManager.zipTested working, needs  Net FrameWork 4.0/4.5, easy to use GUI.

If none worked, try this Windows Hotfix:

Code: [Select]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2646060