The document discusses ways to improve Windows performance by addressing common issues such as bad user habits, insufficient hardware, and system configuration problems. It highlights the importance of maintaining at least 15% free disk space, managing startup programs, and using built-in Windows tools like the disk cleanup utility and Windows Experience Index. Additionally, it mentions third-party tools like CCleaner and WinPatrol for further optimization of the system.

1. Hacks
for
Windows
How
to
improve
your
Windows
experience

2. Reasons
why
your
computers
slows
down
• Bad
users’
habits
• Other
reasons
due
to
system
configuration

3. Bad
users’
habits
a. Too
many
files
and
folders
b. Installing/uninstalling
programs
too
often
c. Too
many
auto
starting
programs

4. Bad
users’
habits
Too
many
filers
and
folders
Windows
needs
at
least
15%
of
free
disk
space.
On
the
right
you
can
see
a
positive
example
of
hard
drive
space
management.
Here
you
can
see
two
hard
disks
(C:
and
D:),
but
in
your
case
you’ll
mostly
have
one
hard
drive
only
(C:).
Things
get
tricky
when
that
bar
is
full
or
almost
full.
To
check
you’re
using
less
than
15%
you
only
need
to
divide
the
used
space
by
the
total
disk
space

5. Bad
users’
habits
Too
many
auto
starting
programs
They
use
too
much
RAM
memory,
so
that
nothing
is
left
for
other
applications
or
files.
They
are
displayed
in
System
Configuration,
that
can
be
opened
by
entering
msconfig
in
Start/Search.
Go
to
Startup
tab
and
try
to
slash
this
list
to
the
minimum,
leaving
Microsoft
services
alone.
In
the
example,
the
deselected
programs
aren’t
necessary
for
Windows
to
function,
so
I
disabled
them
to
save
RAM
memory.

6. System
configuration
problems
Outdated
or
insufficient
hardware

7. System
Configuration
problems
Outdated
/
insufficient
hardware
• Microsoft
determines
the
minimum
requirements
necessary
to
run
a
specific
Windows
version,to
know
them
go
to
www.microsoft.com
• Even
though
you
meet
the
requirement
that
can
not
be
enough.
For
example,
a
gaming
PC
will
need
at
least
16
GB
RAM
memory
and
two
video
cards,
but
the
minimum
necessary
to
install
Windows
7
is
1
GB
RAM
and
20
GB
hard
drive
disk
space.

8. Solutions
• Windows
tools
• Third-­‐party
tools

9. Windows
tools
• System
Configuration
• Disk
Cleanup
Utility
• Windows
Experience
Index

10. System
Configuration
I
already
showed
you
an
example
before

11. Windows
Experience
Index
Assigns
the
system
an
overall
score,
ranging
from
1.0
to
7.9,
determined
by
individual
scores
for
each
hardware
category.
Shows
what
hardware
component
needs
to
be
upgraded.
In
this
example
it’s
the
video
card,
because
it
scores
3.0
(half
the
other
components).
Windows
Experience
Index
-­‐
Does
Windows
play
bingo?
for
more
details.

12. Disk
Cleanup
Utility
This
built-­‐in
Windows
functionality
is
used
to
delete
temporary
files.
To
use
it
you'll
need
to
right-­‐click
the
volume
where
Windows
is
installed
and
select
Properties
and
then
choose
Disk
Cleanup
(you
can
also
access
it
by
entering
cleanmgr.exe
in
Start/
Search).
The
utility
calculates
how
much
space
can
be
freed.
At
this
point
you
can
click
OK
and
proceed
cleaning
up
the
selected
files.
If
you
need
more
space
you
can
click
Cleanup
System
Files
to
select
temporary
system
files
that
can
be
deleted

13. Third-­‐party
tools
• CCleaner
• WinPatrol

14. CCleaner
It
can
remove
unnecessary
files
and
orphaned
entries
and
allows
users
to
backup
the
Registry
before
making
any
changes.
I
warmly
recommend
to
do
so,
as
it
allows
to
revert
your
changes
in
case
of
problems.
Available
from
https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

15. WinPatrol
Monitors
auto-­‐starting
programs
and
is
available
for
free
at
www.winpatrol.com
Every
time
a
program
tries
to
register
itself
at
startup,
the
software
will
ask
you
for
a
confirmation