You can remove programs from the folder by right-clicking and deleting. The programs here are shortcuts, so you will not affect the program itself. You can also find a list of startup programs in the System Information tool, as shown in Figure G.
You can view a list of startup programs in the System Information tool.
To access the System Information tool, type msinfo32 in the Start Menu's Search/Run box or on the All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu. This tool is for viewing the information only; you can't make changes to the startup programs here.
In some cases, you may have to edit the registry to prevent a program from loading at startup. The System Information tool will show you the location in the registry that needs to be edited.
Adjust visual effects settings
You may be able to speed up performance by adjusting the
settings of Vista's visual effects, thus sacrificing some of the bling for
increased performance. When you click this option in the Performance Tools And
Information interface, the User Account Control dialog box will display,
requiring you to enter administrative credentials. If you're already logged on
as an administrator, you'll be prompted to approve continuing. This opens the
Performance Options dialog box, shown in Figure
H.
You can adjust settings via the Performance Options dialog box.
You can also access the Performance Options dialog box from the Control Panel | System | Advanced System Settings | Settings button in the Performance section.
Either way, on the Visual Effects tab, you have four choices:
- Let Windows choose the best settings for your computer
- Adjust for best appearance
- Adjust for best performance
- Create custom settings, choosing to turn on or off whichever visual effects you want
The more visual effects you have turned on, the more the hit on performance. If you choose the option to adjust for best performance, all of the visual effects will be disabled. You may want to turn off those effects that are purely aesthetic, such as transparent glass and fading or sliding menus, while leaving on those that are more functional, such as showing thumbnails instead of icons.
Adjusting other advanced settings
In the Performance Options dialog box, you can click the
Advanced tab to adjust other settings that affect performance. In the top
section, you can control processor scheduling, as shown in Figure I.
On the Advanced tab of Performance Options, you can allocate processor use.
Here, you can adjust for best performance of applications or background services. For the most responsiveness, you'll want to adjust for best performance of applications.
15%
7%
Go back to XP, or get a mac.