Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 5: Remove Spyware and Viruses
• Method 2 of 5: Optimize your startup
• Method 3 of 5: Remove unnecessary programs
• Method 4 of 5: Upgrading Equipment
• Method 5 of 5: Other changes

Is your Windows starting to run slowly? Does it take longer to launch programs than before? Follow this guide to speed up Windows 7.

Steps

Method 1 of 5: Remove Spyware and Viruses

1. 1 Run a good antivirus program. The best way to fight viruses is to prevent them from occurring. There are several free and reliable antivirus programs available online. The antivirus program must be running when the computer is connected to the Internet.
2. 2 Check your computer for viruses. If you haven't done so recently, run a virus scan on your computer. If your antivirus program offers you scan options, choose a full scan. Schedule a scan (at least once a week) to prevent viruses.
3. 3 Search for malware. Spyware and malware are programs that get installed without your knowledge, run in the background, and consume valuable system resources. Windows Defender comes preinstalled with a malware scanner and there are many similar free programs available on the Internet.

Method 2 of 5: Optimize your startup

1. 1 Remove unnecessary programs from startup. Many programs start when the computer starts up. This is done to provide quick access to such programs, but this significantly increases the startup time of the system.
2. 2 Look in the notification area at the bottom right of your desktop. The icons that are there and there are programs that start when the system starts. Click the arrow on the left to see all the icons.
3. 3 Select the programs you don't need at startup. The way to remove individual programs from autorun varies, but in general cases, right-click an icon to bring up a menu. In this menu, there may be an option to remove the program from startup. If not, open the program and go to the Settings or Options menu - there you can configure the program launch parameters.
4. 4 Remove invisible programs. Some programs do not appear in the notification area, but they still start when the system starts. To remove such programs, go to the Start menu and type msconfig in the search bar.
   • Go to Startup. Uncheck the boxes for programs that you do not want to start with Windows startup. Make sure you know which programs you are disabling, as it is possible to disable important Windows services, which will affect the operation of the system.

Method 3 of 5: Remove unnecessary programs

1. 1 Remove unnecessary programs. In addition to using up hard disk space, unnecessary programs can still run processes in the background even if you don't need to. This is especially true for anti-virus programs or other similar utilities.
   • New computers often come with preinstalled software. Many of these are test versions that must be purchased for later use. If you do not intend to use these programs, uninstall them.
2. 2 Click Start - Control Panel - Programs and Features, and then click Uninstall. This will open a list of programs installed on your computer. Depending on how many programs are installed, it may take a few minutes for the list to open.
3. 3 Select the program you want to uninstall. On the menu bar (top), the Delete button will become active. Click it to start the uninstallation process. Each program has its own removal method, but most of them are automated.

Method 4 of 5: Upgrading Equipment

1. 1 Add RAM. Windows 7 requires at least 1GB of RAM, but works better with 2GB or more. If you have a 32-bit Windows 7 system, then there will be no more than 4 GB of RAM available. If you have more than 4GB of RAM, consider installing 64-bit Windows.
   • If you have two 512MB RAM sticks, consider replacing them with two 1GB or 2GB sticks, which will significantly improve system performance.
   • Laptops and desktops use different types of memory, so make sure you buy the right type for your computer.
2. 2 Install a new processor. This is much more difficult than upgrading RAM, but it will give the main increase in the speed of the system. When installing a new processor, you will most likely need to reinstall Windows in order for your computer to function normally.
   • Processors in laptops are usually not upgraded.

Method 5 of 5: Other changes

1. 1 Disable search indexing. Disabling this service will increase the overall performance of your computer. If you don't use search often, then you need to do it.
   • Click Start and type services.msc into the search bar. This will open the Services window.
   • Right click on Windows Search and select Properties. In Startup Type, select Disabled. Click Apply to save your changes. Click Stop to terminate current work and this service will no longer start when Windows starts.
2. 2 Disable the Aero theme. The Aero theme is what makes Windows visually appealing. On weak machines, it takes up a significant amount of valuable system resources.
   • Right click on the desktop and select Personalization.
   • Choose any theme from “Basic and High Contrast Themes.” This will strip Windows of all its visual appeal, but will give your system a significant performance boost.
3. 3 Disable transparency.
   • Click Start.
   • Click Control Panel.
   • Click Personalization.
   • Click Window Color.
   • Uncheck the "Enable transparency" checkbox.
   • Click "Save Changes".
4. 4 Run Disk Cleanup. This utility will delete unnecessary files on your hard drive. For some users, this can lead to increased performance.
   • Click Start> All Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Disk Cleanup. The utility will scan the system for unwanted files (this process can take several minutes).
   • After that, choose which files you want to delete. The utility provides a description for each file type you have selected.
5. 5 Defragment your hard drive. When you uninstall programs (their files), the hard disk becomes fragmented, which can slow down the system's access to the necessary programs. Defragmentation is usually scheduled to run, but you can run it manually as well.
   • Click Start> All Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Disk Defragmenter.
6. 6 Reinstall Windows. Reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows can return your computer to its best performance.