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Slimming down Vista

roguerower

roguerower

Diamond Member
Reading a pre-built review by AT the other day, I noticed that the editor had mentioned turning off several Vista functions and said that it was just a few of a large list of things that are usually done. Does anyone have this list or guide?
 
Don't have a guide but here's a few things I've done. Right click Computer and go to Properties. On the left bar, click Advanced system settings. Then go into in Performance settings. I have customized the Visual Effects such as the fades and animations simply cause it makes things seem faster. These are just minor tweaks though. I'm one of the few who don't find UAC very meaningful. Just me though. I've never had any issues NOT using it. I just don't like being told I can't create new directories in my programs folder.

To answer your question though, I'm pretty sure I have taken a look at what you're talking about, but I can't remember where. You might wanna try majorgeeks.com. I'll try and find it for ya.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Why bother? It takes up a couple of dollars in drive space, and doesn't affect performance one iota.
Click to expand...

Yep. I have everything enabled except animating windows, transparent glass, and all shadows and it runs great and still looks good.
 
I have it running right now w/ everything and it looks nice. Here's what I'm talking about. I took it from the AT review of the Velocity Micro Edge PC.

"We don't normally delve into the Vista settings or usability very much, but in this case there were a number of small tweaks that bear mentioning. First of all, automatic updates, user account control, and system restore were all set to Off. To our minds this is a plus, as these are all settings an enthusiast would normally disable anyway. TCP/IP settings arrived set to "Manual" with a local DNS server and static IP - clearly this is a mistake, and it was present on both of our test systems, but we suspect it wouldn't happen to a typical end user and we'll write it off as a review sample anomaly."

Yes...no...look familiar?
 
It depends on how you want your computer setup. I have UAC turned off, but I don't think that's the best way to run. I would try working with it because it adds a tremendous amount of security, and with it on, IE7 is the most secure browser you can use with Vista.

I set automatic updates to notify me of updates, but nothing more. I can then review what updates are available, and implement them if I choose to.

System Restore is nice to have. For the cost of a little drive space, you can easily recover from a bad driver install, or other system setting mishap. It's easier to use than reinstalling the O/S, or hacking the registry for minor problems.

Not sure about the network settings. I'm running it pretty much as shipped without problems.
 
Originally posted by: Crusty
Disabling UAC is like taking off your bulletproof vest and walking into the line of fire.
Click to expand...
Not really. XP doesn't have it and tons of people are using it.

In terms of the OP's question, I found that disabling indexing was the one thing that helped boost Vista performance the most.

There's not much else you can do, unfortunately. I played around disabling services but it didn't really do anything.

I would say that running Windows XP is pretty much the easiest and best way to run "Vista Lite".
 
Originally posted by: SickBeast
Originally posted by: Crusty
Disabling UAC is like taking off your bulletproof vest and walking into the line of fire.
Click to expand...
Not really. XP doesn't have it and tons of people are using it.

In terms of the OP's question, I found that disabling indexing was the one thing that helped boost Vista performance the most.

There's not much else you can do, unfortunately. I played around disabling services but it didn't really do anything.

I would say that running Windows XP is pretty much the easiest and best way to run "Vista Lite".
Click to expand...

UAC is important security feature IMHO,if you must disable it try TweakUAC.


Not really. XP doesn't have it and tons of people are using it.
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Think of loads of people having sex without protection is it safer ?..we know the answer to that one,at least try my suggestion above.


I ended up disabling 3 things,first was Sickbeasts suggestion indexing(I don't use it much so was not important to me),second was auto defrag( I prefer my third party defrag software) and last was real time scan with Defender(I set that to scan once a week) Vista is very responsive and to be honest I find it quicker then when I was using XP with same hardware.


 
Originally posted by: SickBeast
Not really. XP doesn't have it and tons of people are using it.
Click to expand...

And the vast majority of PC's that are bots or infected with malware are XP pc's for that very reason. So this is hardly a good reason to leave UAC off.

In terms of the OP's question, I found that disabling indexing was the one thing that helped boost Vista performance the most.
Click to expand...

Only if you actually don't use the feature. A better method of fixing any performance loss caused by excessive indexing is to trim down indexing to the start menu and only the actual user files searched. Another thing you can do is trim down the types of files indexed to only those types you want fast searching for. Once this is done, indexing takes less than a minute for most people and rarely bothers you afterwards.

Once you learn to use the search function, to start programs and find files, you would be amazed at how much more productive you can be.

There's not much else you can do, unfortunately. I played around disabling services but it didn't really do anything.
Click to expand...

That is because services run on a IO priority system and release resources to the actual programs you are running when needed.

One big thing the OP can do to free resources and speed Vista up is to turn off Defender's real time protection. Defender has a poor record of detecting malware, so it is not worth the penalty to have it on at all times. Use a good Anti-Virus package, like the Avira free edition instead. I hear Norton has their act together and is one of the lightest on the resources if you have the money to pay for it.

I would say that running Windows XP is pretty much the easiest and best way to run "Vista Lite".
Click to expand...

XP is not Vista lite. XP is one big gaping security hole unless you run as a standard user. The problem with making XP secure is it is a lot harder to do than in Vista, which defaults to least privilege because of UAC.

 
Originally posted by: Crusty
Disabling UAC is like taking off your bulletproof vest and walking into the line of fire.
Click to expand...

It is also like refusing to use a condom while having a orgy with a room of IV drug users and crack whores.
 
Originally posted by: soonerproud
Originally posted by: Crusty
Disabling UAC is like taking off your bulletproof vest and walking into the line of fire.
Click to expand...

It is also like refusing to use a condom while having a orgy with a room of IV drug users and crack whores.
Click to expand...

Yeah i think normal users should stick to all the security features ON. Exceptionally if you have problems with viruses, and/or constant computer problems.

This here is a very good read concerning UAC http://www.tweak-uac.com/uac-quiet-mode/

Thanks alot mem!!!
 
Thanks to all of you for your help.

I currently have Vista Enterprise installed but will be purchasing Ultimate from my school when the spring semester starts and reinstalling. I'll end up looking at this again when that rolls around.
 
Originally posted by: roguerower
Thanks to all of you for your help.

I currently have Vista Enterprise installed but will be purchasing Ultimate from my school when the spring semester starts and reinstalling. I'll end up looking at this again when that rolls around.
Click to expand...

The best tweaking guide is written by a Persian guy, Koroush Ghazi. It is a free downloadable PDF file and he offers a deluxe edition if you want diagrams and pictures, for a small fee. (I recommend downloading the free version first, and if you really like it support the guy by buying the deluxe version.) The best part about this guide is it doesn't just tell you to tweak a bunch of stuff out of the blue, but explains all of Vista's features in detail and then lets the end user make the decision if that is something they want to tweak or not.

TweakGuides Tweaking Companion

Here is a article on Vista annoyances that he has also written to help people solve the most common annoyances.

Vista Annoyances Resolved

Have a Merry Christmas!

 
Originally posted by: soonerproud
Originally posted by: roguerower
Thanks to all of you for your help.

I currently have Vista Enterprise installed but will be purchasing Ultimate from my school when the spring semester starts and reinstalling. I'll end up looking at this again when that rolls around.
Click to expand...

The best tweaking guide is written by a Persian guy, Koroush Ghazi. It is a free downloadable PDF file and he offers a deluxe edition if you want diagrams and pictures, for a small fee. (I recommend downloading the free version first, and if you really like it support the guy by buying the deluxe version.) The best part about this guide is it doesn't just tell you to tweak a bunch of stuff out of the blue, but explains all of Vista's features in detail and then lets the end user make the decision if that is something they want to tweak or not.

TweakGuides Tweaking Companion

Here is a article on Vista annoyances that he has also written to help people solve the most common annoyances.

Vista Annoyances Resolved

Have a Merry Christmas!
Click to expand...

All of his guides are top notch. His site is always my first stop when looking for a game guide.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Why bother? It takes up a couple of dollars in drive space, and doesn't affect performance one iota.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Vista is a screamer on my system already. Ram is cheap, storage is cheap, what's the big deal?

Honestly, I wouldn't take AT's advice on what "cut out" of an OS.
 
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