Windows 7 / Getting Started

---

Clean out your Temp folder

Sometimes having too many files in Windows' Temp folder can not only slow Windows startup, but in extreme cases, can prevent Windows from loading at all. Windows and your applications use this folder to temporarily store data while you're working with documents. When those applications and documents are closed (or when the applications just crash), they often leave the temporary files behind, and they accumulate quickly.

Out of the box, Windows 7 uses up to four Temp folders:

C:\Users\{your_user_name}\AppData\Local\Temp
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Temp
C:\Windows\Temp
C:\Windows\winsxs\Temp

although Windows and your applications primarily use only the first one. To clear out your old temporary files, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the Temp folder, and delete anything more than a day old. (Windows won't let you delete any files that are still in use.)

Another way to clear out the Temp folder is to use the Disk Cleanup tool (cleanmgr.exe); after selecting your Windows drive from the Drives list (usually C:), select Temporary files in the Files to delete list, and click OK. Or, if you want your Temp folder cleaned automatically, use the Clear out the Temp folder tool in Creative Element Power Tools.

You can change the location of your Temp folder, making it easier to locate and clean out by hand. In Control Panel, open System, click the Advanced system settings link, and under the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables. Underneath the upper box, click New. Type TEMP for the Variable name, put the full path of the folder you'd like to use in the Variable value field, and click OK. Do the same thing for the TMP variable (no "E" this time), and then click OK when you're done. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Tame antivirus software

Antivirus programs are typically set up to not only load automatically whenever you start Windows, but to check for updates, too. For instance, the otherwise excellent (and free) Avast! Home Edition can completely halt a Windows system for 15-20 seconds while it downloads and installs necessary updates.

While you may not want to stop loading your antivirus software automatically, you can delay it by writing a simple startup script that loads the software after waiting, say, 45 seconds. Or, to delay background services, open the Services window (services.msc), double-click a service in the list, and set the Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start). This way, you can start working while your antivirus program loads in the background.

Add more memory

Windows 7 needs at least a gigabyte of memory to run, but 3 GB is better for 32-bit Windows, or 4 GB if you have the 64-bit edition.

Memory prices are always dropping, typically making it remarkably inexpensive to add more RAM to your system, and doing so will significantly improve performance across the board. See the section "Make Your Hardware Perform".

Networking

Windows polls each active wired network connection on your system while it boots your system, and then polls your wireless adapter (if you have one) for any networks in range. Each of these steps takes time, so if there are any network adapters on your PC you don't use, you can disable them to speed things up. In the Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel, click Manage network connections, and then right-click on each network connection you're not using and select Disable.

Next, if you have any permanent mapped network drives you're not using, open Windows Explorer, right-click any unneeded mapped drives, and select Disconnect.