Windows 10 is definitely a better operating system than Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but if you don't use it on a high-end computer, we could feel the PC slow down and get stuck in some situations, especially when loading heavier applications (3D, photo editing and games). Even if every hardware makes history in itself and so also every installation of Windows, we can always improve the situation by learning the best ways to optimize the performance of Windows 10, without giving up anything and making some targeted changes to the settings and some services present in the system.
By following this guide we will be able to use Windows 10 even with machines with less than 8 GB of RAM, ready to surf the Internet and read mail without having to change computers.
READ ALSO -> How to speed up your PC to the maximum
1) We disable auto-start programs
The easiest to apply and also most effective trick to optimize Windows 10 concerns programs in auto-startup, which inevitably occur at system startup by slowing down this delicate phase and slowing down the PC given the resources occupied in terms of RAM and disk fixed always busy.
To disable all programs in auto-start (or only those that we don't need), just right-click on the bottom bar and open the Task Manager menu.
In the window we click on More details and, in the advanced menu, go to the Start tab.
Here we will find all the programs set to start together with Windows: disable them all by right-clicking on each item and using the Disable option.
Alternatively, if we want to make a more accurate selection, we disable those that have an Impact on startup on the Medium and High values.
2) Resource consumption
Even on Windows 10 we can keep an eye on the consumption of system resources .
To do this, simply open the Task Manager menu, make sure that the extended menu with the More details option is open and finally bring us to the Performance tab.
We can immediately check the CPU activity, the RAM of the various disks present and the peripherals for the network connection.
To get even more precise information we can click on the various graphs or click Open Resource Monitoring to get a more precise detail of which programs or services are consuming the most by slowing down the PC.
In addition to monitoring Windows resources, it is always important to keep an eye on the event log to understand the source of errors that can occur from time to time.
READ ALSO: Optimize your Windows PC: best free automatic programs
3) Deactivate the graphic effects
Windows visual effects have always been a problem for older PCs, ever since Windows Vista.
In Windows 10 the Aero effect (that of transparencies) has been eliminated, but there are still many animations and graphic effects that are beautiful to look at, but heavy.
To disable the graphic effects, let's go to the path Control Panel -> System and Security -> System, click on Advanced System Settings and then on Settings, under the Performance section.
The same screen can be obtained by right-clicking on this PC icon and opening the Properties menu.
In the first tab, simply select the Adjust item in order to obtain the best performance .
An interesting trick for Windows 10 that allows you to gain a lot of speed and decrease the consumption of resources is to set the lightest graphic theme called Aero Lite, which unfortunately is hidden and cannot be set without a particular procedure.
Let's go to C: \ Windows \ Resources \ Themes, right-click on the aero.theme file and select Open with -> Notepad .
In the fifth line of the text file, find a property called DisplayName and modify it by writing: DisplayName = Aero Lite
Similarly, find the VisualStyles property below and change where Aero.msstyles is written with Aerolite.msstyles
Save the file (it takes administrator rights to complete the procedure).
Now, from the desktop, you can click with the right mouse button and choose the Customize item, then bringing us to Themes ; from here we can choose the light theme among those available.
4) Stop indexing
The search for programs and files in Windows 10 is very good but it costs the computer a lot of effort.
You can therefore disable file indexing to improve overall system performance by replacing the default search tool with a lighter alternative.
To disable Windows search and indexing, press the Start menu icon and search for the system program called Indexing Options .
From the window we click on Edit and remove the check mark from all the paths in the Modify selected paths section.
After removing everything, we click OK and go to Advanced, so we can recreate an empty index by clicking on New index .
Here are several options explained in the article on how to search for file names and contents in Windows
5) Use the power saving settings to improve performance
If you are using a laptop, using the power management settings wisely will allow you to optimize your system sensitively.
The maximum performance setting of all computer hardware components is the best one, although, of course, it will consume more battery in case the PC is not connected to the power outlet.
We then open the Start menu, look for the Energy saving options item and select the High performance item.
If you prefer to find a better and more balanced custom combination, you can read the guide on Windows Power Options.
6) We occasionally shut down the PC completely (without fast boot)
In another article we saw that there is a new function for the fast start of Windows 10: the PC is never completely turned off, but a special hibernation mode is used to be able to start the system much faster after the shutdown. or a restart.
To clean your memory of errors and to confirm system updates, it is a good idea to shutdown your computer from time to time.
To do this, just hold down the Shift key while clicking on the Shut down item in the Start menu, so as to shutdown the computer completely without active fast boot.
Alternatively we can search for the Command Prompt program from the Start menu and run the command
shutdown -s -t 0
In order to shutdown the computer completely without the hybrid features.
We recommend to do this once a month, in order to solve any problem.
7) Use the integrated antivirus
Why install another antivirus when Windows has one integrated in it, optimized to remain light and not cumbersome on resources "> programs that are no longer needed in Windows 10.
READ ALSO: Antivirus for Windows 10: better to install one or just Windows Defender?
8) Changes by experts
To conclude the guide we will show you a registry key that most geeks will like:
- MenuShowDelay is the name of a property in Windows of the time interval from the moment the mouse cursor is placed on a menu, until it appears.
By default, the value of this property is set to 400 milliseconds.
By changing this value you can make the menus appear faster.
Press Win + Q on the keyboard to start the search and type " regedit ".
Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key > Control Panel> Desktop, search for the MenuShowDelay property, right click and choose Edit.
In the window that appears, change the 400 to 20.
Click OK, restart your computer and check the difference.
In another article, we talked about other very useful tips to optimize Windows 7 for a fast PC and better performance, which we can also use without problems on Windows 10.
READ ALSO: Things to do to optimize Windows and have a fast and stable PC
