Remote Differential Compression checks the changes of your files over a network to move them with as little bandwidth as possible instead of transferring an entire file that has previously been moved. Obiviously, the average home PC user has NO need for this service. With it constantly checking for file changes, this service will greatly slow system performance.

To shut down this service:

1. Click the Start button
2. Select Control Panel
3. Click Classic View on the left side of the window
4. Double-click on Programs and Features
5. Click Turn Windows Features On And Off on the left side of
   the window
6. Uncheck Remote Differential Compression
7. Click OK

There are many new features in Windows Vista that are installed by default that you may not need. These extra and un-needed features can slow down your computer and take up more storage space. Windows Features can be un-installed using the Windows Features utility. Follow these steps to uninstall applications such as the Windows Fax and Scan and many more.

To Turn-Off Some Un-Needed Features:

1. Click on the Start Button
2. Select Control Panel
3. Under Programs click Uninstall a program
4. On the left side menu, click on Turn Windows features on or
   off
5. Scroll through the list as shown below and uncheck from any
   feature you do not want installed.
6. Click OK when you are finished making your changes. The
   features will now be uninstalled.

Windows Defender real-time protection against malware continues to run despite having Automatic operation disabled.

In actuality, this built-in malware protector from Microsoft is very poor at protecting your computer from external threats. You are much better off using a 3rd-party software program like XoftSpy for total protection (see Vista Speed Secret #9 for more information).

To disable:

1. Click the Start button
2. Type “services” into the Start Search box
3. Find Windows Defender in the list of programs
4. Double-click on Windows Defender
5. Choose Tools from the top menu
6. Select Options
7. Uncheck Auto Start at the bottom of the window

Of course, the fastest and easiest way to speed-up your computer is to allow a software program to do it for you! Although you will find that all of the adjustments in this book will speed up your system, the most effective and easiest way to give your computer blazing speed is to clean up your system’s Registry.

Your computer is like your car: it needs periodic maintenance to keep it running at optimum performance. Installing and un-installing programs, surfing the Internet, emailing, and other everyday activities create a sort of “sludge” that builds up in your computer over time, much like an automobile engine. After a while, it doesn’t startup like when it was new, it stalls unexpectedly, and performance is sluggish on the (information) highway.

We strongly recommend running a free Registry scan to find out how many errors you computer is hiding from you. Your computer will likely have hundreds of Registry errors that are dramatically slowing down the potential speed and performance.

Have you scanned your system for spyware, adware and other unwanted pests? 1 of 6 computers has some sort of Spyware or Malware! They dramatically slow down your computer because they use resources to generate popup ads, send spam, and often interfere with the operation of good programs.

If you haven’t scanned recently, we recommend a free scan from a good anti-spyware program. We prefer to use stand-alone, high quality anti-spyware programs like XoftSpy Pro, which give us the ability to scan and repair these problems in seconds.

FINAL NOTE: Recent testing has shown that stand-alone programs do a much better job than the “all-in-one” packages (eg. Norton Internet Security) at detecting spyware, adware, and malware.

Windows Vista uses an always-on defragment set up that isn’t that necessary and will cause your system to slow down. Remember to run a defragment manually once a month.

To shut down this feature:

1. Click the Start button
2. Select Computer
3. Right-click on C: Drive icon
4. Select Properties
5. Click the Tools tab
6. Uncheck Run on a schedule
7. Click OK

Windows Vista Search Indexing is constantly checking the files on your system to make their information available for quick searching. This is helpful, but can severely slow system performance as the average user doesn’t use the search function frequently.

To shut down constant indexing:

1. Click the Start button
2. Select Computer
3. Right-click on the C: Drive icon
4. Select Properties
5. Select the General Tab
6. Uncheck Index this drive for faster searching
7. On the next dialog box, select Apply Changes to Drive C:,
   subfolders and files
8. Click OK

Vista is “sexy” because of its new aero glass transparency effects. Here is how to enable and disable this new eye candy.

1. Click Start (Windows) button
2. Select the Control Panel
3. Double-click Click Appearance and Personalization
4. Under Personalization, click Change the color scheme
5. In the Appearance Settings dialog box, click Windows Vista
   Basic, and then click OK.

Or, if you prefer a Windows 2000-style interface, click Windows Standard, and then click OK.