Every aspect of the campaign was overwhelming – the “Get Ready: WOW starts NOW” phrase was hair-raising and almost surreal. It was portrayed like the greatest operating system of all time – glossy ads were here and there, campaign strategies were leaving audiences in awe…until several weeks and months after the release, that is.  Everything fell down to a multitude of negative criticisms.

The cool thing about Windows Vista is its outstanding graphics and user-interface.  This interface is very smooth and sleek to the eye. However, most users fail to appreciate this cool interface due to the plethora of problems associated from the unfathomable loops within the OS itself. Problems include the incompatibility of programs, hardware requirements and even the restrictive license agreements. Most of all, what users loath the most about this platform is its relatively slow response, compared to Microsoft’s previous operating system, Windows XP.

Surely, each of us has our own sentiments about the bad Vista experience – slow downs, incompatibilities and all that – but why don’t we STOP whining and START acting? The internet offers a wide array of tips and tweaks to get that operating system run well – best of all, it’s free to use them.

Personally, before giving a tirade of tips and tweaks, here are some friendly reminders for both XP and Vista users.

*If you have XP as your current operating system, leave it as is.*

It’s ironic that Microsoft released such a great investment (which apparently had gone awry) just in order to build a stronger fan and customer base of their previous operating system release, Windows XP. In fact, there isn’t much in Vista that you cannot do in XP. Windows XP is a more stable and software friendly platform.  The only edge that Vista has over XP is the cosmetics. Though, it’s already public knowledge that XP can be tweaked to get that vista-look and feel (via styles).

If your system was pre-installed with Vista or you were stunned by the Vista campaign and installed yourself a fresh copy in your PC, it’s about time you do the tweaking.

This is another sentiment of the users who have just bought a new computer which has Vista pre-installed. Having it erased from the system to install an XP platform would mean additional expenses- so it is better just to live with it and make the most out of it.

*Tip # 1. Reduce your System’s Visual Effects*
This is, by far, the most commonly used tweak by those users who may either be afraid to meddle with other parts of Vista or who have no knowledge about modifying the physical computer itself. By reducing the visual effects (AKA Aero), your system will not expend much memory in flashing those smooth and slick animations in your screen.

How To: Just right click on the My Computer Icon and choose Properties> Advanced> Performance Settings> Visual Effects> Adjust for Best Performance> Apply> OK. You may opt to check or uncheck the boxes referring to transparencies, animations, and other cosmetic features of vista which you deem unimportant. However, bear in mind that unchecking all the boxes would make you feel nostalgic, sort of like you’re working on a windows 98 platform. So be a little generous to yourself and check some features to preserve the vista look and feel.

*Tip # 2. Limit the number of Start-Up Programs*
Some programs, when installed, are pre-configured to start once Windows has booted – the good thing is that you can opt to stop them from initializing upon start-up. Stopping them from initializing during start-up will significantly reduce your computer’s booting time, as well as its shut down time. Moreover, while you are working, the amount of memory consumed by the system will reduce because the start-up programs have been limited to a few essential programs.

How To: Click Start> Type in Windows Features in the Search Box> Uncheck the boxes of the unnecessary programs>Reboot. Another option would be clicking Start> Run> Type in Services.msc> stop those programs which are not essential to your daily work. However, be careful in stopping the startup of some programs because some of them might just be essential programs for your computer!  If you are unsure of the program, leave it started automatically.

*Tip # 3. Disable the “Clear Page-File on Shut Down” Option*
This is an additional burden on your computer.  It overwrites data stored by third party programs to nothing. This takes a pretty good length of time during shutdown and startup, so you may want to disable this one, especially if the computer you are using is one only you use.

How To: Go to Run> Type in Regedit> Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM CurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management and place a 0 (zero) value to disable the option. Since this involves the registry, be extra careful in tweaking things up. I recommend that you set a restore point before doing this tweaking, as well as before the previous and the next tips.

*Tip # 4. Arrange the Booting Order Sequence and Remove the Booting of Floppy Disks*
You are given the option to edit the configuration of your BIOS on startup. You may, as you wish, change the order of booting devices. Place the Hard Disk First, then your DVD/CD-ROM, and then you may as well remove the Floppy Disk Seek Option as most computers nowadays don’t have nor use floppy disk drives anymore.

*Tip # 5. Use Your USB Flashdrive / USB Key*
Almost every computer user nowadays has a USB flash drive in their pocket at all times. USB flash drives can be used to store a significant amount of data unlike floppy drives. They are handy and are very affordable. One thing that most users don’t know about USB flash drives is that these devices can be used to speed up your computer.

Using A USB Flash Drive To Speed Up Windows

How To: Upon inserting the flash drive into a USB port, a prompt or autoplay window will appear.  Of the options listed, there is a choice that reads “Speed up my system”. Click this command and a new window will appear giving you the choice to allocate a certain space of your flash drive for use as a memory resource. Take note, however, that the number of space used for memory allocation will be deducted to the possible amount of space for saving files (while the USB flash drive is in use).

*Tip # 6. Prioritize the Programs*
Each program is, by default, prioritized equally at Normal Speed. However, for programs which you may use frequently, you can adjust them to Above Normal or even Real Time. This way, the programs classified according to their performance can perform better than those which are not used as commonly.

Prioritizing Programs in Task Manager Can Speed Up Your System

How To: Press ALT+CTRL+Del at the same time and the Windows Task Manager will appear.  Click the processes tab and right click on the program you want to set priority to.  Choose the level of priority to Above Normal, High, or Real Time for a higher priority.
*Tip # 7. Disable the Ever-Stressful Security Prompts*
In Vista, a high level of security is extremely valued and that is why there are security prompts appearing on your screen every time you install a program or copy a file from another user, etc.. This may lessen the speed of your computer and actually make you waste a significant amount of your own time continuously typing in your password into the prompt.

How To: One freeware over the internet is the Tweak VI which allows the disabling of user account control prompts. However, this may diminish the level of security so be a little careful when using this tweak.

Speeding Up Windows With Tweak VI

*Tip # 8. Defragment Your System Manually and Regularly*
By defragmenting your system, what you are doing is putting all the common data and files into a heap so that when your common processes initialize, your system won’t go searching for the fragments of files scattered all over your drive. Disk Defragmentor consolidates those files which work as a group and by doing this, you spare your computer from searching over several folders to look for the necessary files.
Defragmenting can be done automatically or manually but it is recommended that you schedule it manually so that it won’t interfere with your work when you’re using the computer. You may also schedule it automatically for a time during the middle of the night – that way, you avoid interruption.

How To: Click Start> All Programs> Accessories> System Tools and Disk Defragmenter

Windows Vista may be a disaster when compared with earlier versions of Windows.  One good thing about Microsoft is that they try to iron out all the problems. However, ironing them out might take a little longer, so why not try out these tweaks and tips and see if these work out well for your system.  There are thousands of more tweaks and tips scattered on the internet, all with a common goal of speeding up Vista. If you find these tips working for you, you may try out other modifications, as well. Happy tweaking!