Optimizing Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or how to speed up your laptop?
To begin with, I would like to make a reservation that this article is suitable for any computer, both for a laptop and for any other computer on which the operating system Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 is installed.
Recently, I very often hear from people the phrases "My laptop slows down", "My computer does not work well", etc. In fact, there can be a lot of reasons for this, and not one specialist will immediately solve your problem and will not tell you what to do if you come and say that your computer slows down.
Therefore, I decided to write an instruction on how to optimize Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. The instruction will not only touch on optimizing the operation of the OS (Operating System) with a hard drive, but will also be supplemented to optimize the OS as a whole and over time.
Therefore, you can independently try to optimize the operation of your laptop / PC, this will not be a problem even for a novice user, we will not talk about reinstalling the computer OS.
We are looking for the reason for the slow operation of our computer:
The first thing to do, which usually does not cause problems for the user, is to press the keyboard shortcuts. CTRL + ALT + DEL and select Task Manager.
Go to the Performance tab and at the bottom click on the Resource Monitor button. Accordingly, when your laptop slows down, we look at this resource monitor and see which part of our hardware is loaded with the maximum CPU (processor), Disk or Memory. If you have problems with the network, you can pay attention to the Network.
Right there we can see what process or processes (programs) are loading our computer.
I'll make a reservation right away that if you have a laptop, then in 90% of cases the Disk (HDD) will be the most loaded part of the hardware. Due to the fact that it has a low data processing speed. If we compare the disk of a regular desktop PC, it works 99% at 7200rpm, while a laptop disk at 5600rpm, on average 40-60 Mb / s, there are several additional parameters that affect the speed, such as the speed of work with the buffer and the amount input / output operations. But the rest of the culprit will still be the disk because it does not have time to process all the information coming to it at the same time from you when you use programs and from background tasks (programs).
Due to the fact that Microsoft is now providing a free upgrade to Windows 10, many laptop users who have upgraded from Windows 7.8 and 8.1 have this problem. Well, he loves Windows 10 to work with a hard drive.
1. Choosing a classic theme
Choose a classic theme as it is the least resource intensive. To choose a classic theme you need to go to start -> control panel -> screen -> personalization here we select the classic theme and click OK
- If you are using a laptop or computer with an integrated / integrated video card (onboard), since the integrated video card does not have its own memory, it uses the normal RAM of your laptop.
- If you have a discrete video card, that is, this is a separate module, this item can be skipped.
2. Gadgets / Widgets
- Disable gadgets if you are using them, use them as little as possible, it is better not to use them at all.
3. Add and remove programs
- Remove unused programs, and do not install programs that you will not use.
- Always uninstall the program if it was installed, and not portable through the control panel, this is necessary so that, in addition to the installed files, the keys in the registry are also deleted.
4. Cleaning and defragmenting the disk
Of course, you need to clean the disk, but you don't need to defragment if you are using Windows Vista, 7 or newer. The reason for all is that defragmentation in these operating systems is performed automatically on a schedule. To check it, just go to disk properties -> service tab -> Optimization / Defragmentation and you will see when the last defragmentation was performed.
If you are using an SSD drive (solid state), be sure to disable scheduled defragmentation and never do it!
5. Antivirus programs and virus protection
You can do as you like, but here's my advice if you have a licensed system. For all licensed versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft provides a free antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials you can download it on the official website.
Install it yourself if you don't use sites of questionable content, just download the latest version of Dr.Web cureit once a week and check your computer in your free time, that is, when you are not using it.
Any other antivirus, no matter how you are assured and no matter how good it is, will slow down the entire operation of your OS.
If you have Windows 8, 8.1 or 10, then you do not need to install anything, the antivirus is already built-in, you just need to remove the third-party antivirus and make sure that the built-in one works.
To do this, go to START - Settings - Update & Security - Windows Defender and turn it on... Or Control Panel - Windows Defender and turn on.
Also, in the Defender settings, find and enable the item for checking removable media.
Then proceed as in the case of Windows 7, check your computer with Dr.Web cureit once a week. 
I recommend that you disable all programs at startup except those that are required for the correct operation of the PC / Laptop.
Such as Nvidia, AMD catalyst, Realtek Manager and programs for the correct operation of the touchpad if you are using a laptop.
- If you have Windows XP, Vista and 7. Press the Win + R button combination - and enter the msconfig command. In the window that opens, select the "startup" tab and uncheck the boxes from all programs that are not needed.
- If you have Windows 8, 8.1, 10 - Startup is located in the task manager.
Open the Task Manager and see a window without tabs 
click the More button and you will have tabs. Click on the startup tab and disable unnecessary programs. 
I especially recommend disabling the flags with torrent programs such as Utorrent / BitTorrent, etc., or set up restrictions on download and upload in them, all torrent programs clog the Internet channel and load the network equipment, which has a bad effect on the speed of your Internet.
7. Optimization programs
Same way categorically do not recommend use any similar programs such as Auslogics, CCleaner, etc. Firstly, these are nothing more than temporary results. Secondly, everything you need to have in Windows, you just need to learn how to use it.
From personal experience, Auslogics was relevant no more than on XP, and that was mainly due to defragmentation, although there was a built-in one. The effects are all temporary. Sometimes, once at a time, you may not have to clean out the registers so that after a reboot BSODs fall out, again experience. If you correctly uninstall programs and use only licensed software or trusted sources, you do not need to clean the registries, unless you clean viruses, but this is another story.
After prolonged use of these programs on a computer, you have to use them more and more, and the computer slows down more and more. You can see for yourself by installing them.
8. Windows Search Service.
To further optimize your laptop, you can disable windows search service.
Windows Search Is a service that is responsible for indexing content, caching properties and search results for files, email and other content. WSearch also loves to work in the background at inopportune moments and overloads the Hard Disk with work.
This service only affects the search for files on the computer, if you ever use it at all, I can't remember in my memory the last time it was. Typically, a search is done in a folder using the F3 key. The search will be slightly slower as files will not be cached in the background.
- You can disable it in Control Panel - Administration - Services- we are looking for the Windows Search or WSearch service.
Click Double, click the button stop and select the launch type: disabled and click OK.
You will feel like your computer, or rather the disk will breathe easy.
Also, after disabling this service, you can disable file indexing in the disk property. Computer - right-click on the disk - properties - general tab - uncheck which is highlighted in the picture, press ok and press all the confirmations that come out and where there is an error that it is not possible to perform an operation with the system file press the button Skip everything the error occurs due to the fact that the file is currently in use by Windows and cannot be changed.
Indexing must be disabled if you are using an SSD and want to extend its operation!
9. File Swap
Another way to free up your disk and reduce its usage is to move or disable the paging file.
File Swap -(swap-file, paging-file) - a file on the hard disk (pagefile.sys; has the attributes Hidden, System) used by Windows to store parts of programs and data files that do not fit in RAM.
This file is dynamic by default and Windows shoves into it everything that does not fit into the RAM if you have little of it. The file is constantly being written and read, that is, it constantly loads the disk with work in addition to the main load. At the same time, if the disk is normal (HDD - Hard Disk Drive), the work of the entire computer slows down due to the fact that the disk works much, much slower than RAM, and hence the slower response of programs (freezes / freezes, etc., call it as you like ).
Ways to solve this problem:
If you have a lot of RAM, for example 4GB or more, you can simply turn off the swap file and restart your computer.
How to disable - press the keyboard shortcuts Win + Pause (Win is where the Windows icon is usually between the CTRL and ALT keys).
Next, select Extra options- tab Additionally— Parameters… - in the window that appears again the tab Additionally - find the button change and press it.
In the window that appears, uncheck the box Automatically select volume ...- below we select the item No swap file, press the button Ask and than OK.
But if you use many programs or hundreds of tabs in the browser or play games, well, or after disconnecting, you periodically see such an error or a similar one. 
Then if you have a second hard drive physical, not logical, we need to move the paging file to the second drive.
File transfer is the same as disconnecting. You can check a physical or logical disk by clicking on my computer - with the right mouse button - select the item management - in the window that opens, select disk management. 
Disk 0 and Disk 1 are different physical disks, and the fact that each physical is divided into 3 partitions are logical disks. For example, drive C: should be on drive 0, then drive D: on drive 1. Then you can safely transfer the paging file from drive C: to drive D :. And if C: and D: are both on disk 0, then there is no point in transferring, since you have disk 1, not 2.
When you open the window you will have 2 disks for example C and D. Uncheck the box automatically select the size of the paging file - We choose drive C - select item no swap file and press the button Ask. Then we choose drive D - select item System selectable size.
Most importantly, who would not say there is no better optimization for a laptop and for a desktop PC than a solid-state SSD Disk with an operating system installed on it.
If your laptop is running slowly, try to optimize its OS before reinstalling Windows, as after reinstalling without optimization, the situation may not change.
While working at the computer, users download some files, copy others, install and uninstall others .... As a result, the Windows system turns out to be porridge. In principle, this is not scary, but there are 2 problems here.
First, with a large number of files, you will have little free space. And with their constant copying, moving and deleting, incorrect entries in the registry, hidden junk files, etc. appear. You don't even see them, but they take up space, and most importantly, they slow down your PC or laptop. To get rid of brakes and glitches, you need to periodically do a complete cleaning of your computer from debris. How? With the help of special software.
There are many utilities out there today, and choosing one is not an easy task. Therefore, to keep it simple, below are the 7 best programs for cleaning and optimizing your computer. With their help, you can clean your PC of junk without deleting Windows, and speed up its work.
I note right away that the utilities below are universal and work on Windows 10, 8, 7. Therefore, the OS version on your computer or laptop does not matter.
One of the best programs for cleaning your computer from junk is Advanced SystemCare. It is easy to use and ideal for beginners. Just one click, a few minutes - and Windows cleaning is completed successfully.
And this utility has a whole car of possibilities. For example, it can do:
- smart defragmentation of the hard drive;
- removal of junk files and malware;
- fix shortcuts;
- repair and defragmentation of the registry;
- optimization and acceleration of the system for games;
- fixing vulnerabilities;
- acceleration of the Internet, etc.
You just need to put a tick in the necessary items and click the "Check" button. And for those who want to do everything manually, there is a tab "Tool Base".
By the way, this utility is completely in Russian and free (there are some restrictions compared to the paid version). That is why it is considered a good computer cleaner. Link to the office. Advanced SystemCare website.
CCleaner
Another great program for cleaning and speeding up your computer is CCleaner. You should have heard of her. And first of all, because it is one of the best programs for cleaning the computer registry.
Its main features:
- emptying the trash can, temporary files and browsers (cache, cookies);
- cleaning and optimization of the registry;
- removal of software;
- cleaning programs from startup;
- analysis and erasing of disks;
- search for duplicates;
- System Restore.
By the way, cleaning the system from garbage is very fast. And this is a huge plus of this utility. After all, removing unnecessary files and programs takes no more than 5 minutes!
Another plus of CCleaner is the automatic cleaning of your computer or laptop. You can customize the utility for yourself by specifying that:
- cleaning was performed when the PC was started (not recommended - this is too often);
- the program monitors the system or browsers and notifies when there is little space left;
- all files older than 24 hours were deleted from the recycle bin, etc.
The utility is released in several versions: paid, free and portable (does not require installation). Any of them is completely in Russian. The possibilities of a free utility for cleaning a computer or laptop are more than enough, so if necessary, you can find it at the office. the CCleaner website.
Auslogics BoostSpeed
If your computer slows down a lot, try the Auslogics BoostSpeed utility. This is a great program for cleaning and optimizing your computer, which will help you eliminate errors and speed up your computer.
Like the previous two utilities, it also has a number of useful tools:
- maintenance of hard drives (cleaning, troubleshooting, defragmentation);
- freeing up free space on the HDD;
- software control and autorun settings;
- cleaning the registry and defragmenting it;
- system tuning and optimization of Windows services;
- file recovery;
- acceleration of the Internet, etc.
Also included in Auslogics BoostSpeed is an "Advisor" that gives advice on speeding up your PC or laptop and fixing critical errors.
Another plus is the presence of a scheduler. You can set an automatic cleaning of your computer or laptop by selecting:
- frequency (every day, week or month);
- day of the week;
- exact start time of optimization;
- actions to be taken.
At the appointed time, this utility will start and do its job (even if it was turned off).
Once you have configured the Scheduler, you can turn off Auslogics Boostspeed and forget about it altogether. And she herself will clean the trash once a week or a month, delete unnecessary files, and then give you a report on the actions taken. This makes it one of the best software for cleaning and optimizing your computer.
The utility supports Windows 10, 8, 7 and even Vista and XP. Plus it is completely in Russian. The developer's website has 2 versions - paid and free. Link to the office. Auslogics website.
Glary utilities
Glary Utilities is another one of the best computer or laptop cleaning utilities. It is considered a real harvester, since it supports a huge number of functions:
- cleaning, defragmenting, restoring the registry;
- memory optimization;
- removing, restoring and backing up drivers;
- uninstalling software, checking for updates, etc.
Cleaning and optimizing your computer system can be done in 1 click. You just need to put the birds in the right places and click the "Find problems" button. The utility works quite smartly. It takes an average of 10 minutes to check and clean your Windows system.
The utility is paid, but there is also a free version. Link to the office. Glary website.
Revo Uninstaller - remove unnecessary programs
If you do not need functional harvesters, then you can install software that performs a competitive function. For example, there is a good utility for cleaning your computer from unnecessary programs - Revo Uninstaller.
Its main plus: it correctly removes any applications (without leaving tails and junk files). Plus, the utility will even cope with the software that for some reason does not want to be removed in a standard way. However, she also has several additional tools:
- junk file cleaner;
- startup manager;
- hunter mode, etc.
By the way, the cleaner is quite good here. It finds junk files even after checking with other utilities. If you decide to try this software, then go to the office. Revo website.
Wise Registry Cleaner
Another free program for cleaning and optimizing your computer is Wise Registry Cleaner. Works on Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista and XP. He knows how to optimize the system, but its main function is to clean and compress the registry to speed up the work of a computer or laptop.
The error analysis here is very quick and detailed. The utility will find hundreds of problems, even if you first check the registry with another software. Therefore, if you need a quick cleaning of your computer and speed up your work, you can go to the office. Wise Regisry Cleaner website.
Wise Disk Cleaner
And the last utility in this rating is Disk Cleaner. Designed to find and remove garbage, as well as defragment your hard drive. Great for those who want to clean their PC of unnecessary files and speed up their PC.
The utility can delete the application cache, unused help files and other junk that you do not need, but takes up space on your hard drive. The program is completely in Russian and is free, so it is very easy to use it. Link to the office. Wise Disk Cleaner website.
Instead of a conclusion
This is how the TOP programs for cleaning and optimizing your computer turned out. Each of them has its own functionality and distinctive features, which you should definitely familiarize yourself with before downloading.
What's the best computer cleaning program? This is a controversial issue that has no answer. After all, each user likes something different. And the purpose of this article was not to determine the best computer cleaner, but to provide a rating of popular utilities.
In general, if you need to clean your computer or laptop, study this TOP and choose the software you like. All PC cleaners have free versions, so feel free to try any of them.
Download programs to optimize, tune and clean your computer. You can download the best free versions of programs from our site in an instant ..
version: 12.3.0.329 from 18 March 2019 version: BurnAware from 13 March 2019CCleaner is one of the most famous Windows optimizer software, now available for Android and Mac. The mobile version of Sikliner offers quick search and effective removal of non-working, unused and unwanted files, as well as temporary data from browsers and other applications running over the Internet.
The functionality of the application for smartphones and tablets is somewhat different from what we are used to seeing on a computer. There is no registry cleanup, task scheduler, or autostart control here. But there is an application manager, process management, clearing cache and downloads.
version: 5.115.0.140 from 12 March 2019Here is a program for cleaning Windows, which surpasses such monsters as CCleaner, AusLogics BoostSpeed, Advanced System Care, Wise Memory Optimizer. With its help, you will save your PC from unnecessary files, shortcuts and applications, as well as speed up the launch and operation of the system.
Various specialized editions, comparing optimizers, came to the conclusion that this software occupies a leading position in its segment. The so-called "utility index" (demand, speed and efficiency of each function) by Glary Utility is 97-98%, while the same indicator, for example, for Wise Memory Optimizer is only 60%, and for Advanced System Care - 85%.
version: 6.2.0.138 from 11 March 2019A program for accelerated defragmentation of hard drives. Maximizes hard drive performance and speeds up your computer. 
Smart Defrag is one of the best free defragmenter. It is used by over 30 million users worldwide. The program speeds up the work of applications installed on the PC and guarantees the safety of information.
Wise Registry Cleaner Free is an excellent computer "junk" recycler. It removes all unnecessary and incorrect files, leaving the ability to recover them.
This small but useful utility is one of the best registry cleaners. According to a number of programmers and users, it is even better than many commercial counterparts.
version: 5.2.7 from 04 March 2019Wise Care 365 will help you remove system cluttering files and speed up your laptop or desktop PC.
Weiss Kea 365 combines the functionality of two predecessors - Disk Cleaner and Wise Registry Cleaner. Includes all the tools necessary for this category of software.
version: 7.0.23.0 from 22 February 2019Auslogics Registry Cleaner (rus) is a program designed to find and fix errors in the registry. It can significantly increase the performance of your computer.
Errors and conflicts in the Windows registry lead not only to malfunctions in the operation of programs, but also to slow down the computer and freeze the system. This problem is solved by special utilities that remove errors and unnecessary entries in the registry - where data on settings and parameters of various applications is stored.
version: 12.9.4 from 20 August 2018Vit Registry Fix is a powerful and free program for cleaning the registry from errors and obsolete data. It has an automatic tool for scanning and removing errors of various types, is able to find more than 50 variants of types of errors in the registry.
In addition, it is possible to manually delete keys from the Software sections. Also, using this program, you can delete the history lists of some programs and the lists of recently opened files in the operating system. In addition to cleaning the registry, the program can find and delete shortcuts with invalid links.
If your Windows 8 or (8.1) works slowly and takes a long time to load, which means it is exposed to increased stress.
What will it take to optimize and speed up Windows 8 (8.1)? First of all, you need to reduce the number of processes at the start of your Windows, close all unnecessary programs that run and run in the background, and also clear temporary memory files. So let's talk about everything in order.
Disable the launch of unnecessary applications and programs
1. Let's go to the "Task Manager" (Who does not remember - press Win + X at the same time).2. Click on the "Startup" tab. Thus, we disable unnecessary programs when Windows boots. We look at the degree of influence of activity on the boot and disk (last column), if it is not there, then you can not turn it off. Select them and click - "Disable". I noted that in my case it can be disabled.
Clearing temporary files and buffers
1. Press simultaneously "Win + R", in the window that appears, enter "% temp%" and click on "Ok".
2. Using the keyboard shortcut "Ctr + A", select them or click on the "Select All" button. You can, of course, select with the mouse, as it is more convenient to whom. We delete them. As you can see in the screenshot, I deleted 36 392 files, freeing up almost 1.5 GB, imagine how much unnecessary garbage was!
3. We repeat step 2, but now we enter “temp” into the line, then “Ok”.
4. There will be a list of files that we also delete. As a result of this action, I freed another 739 MB of disk space!
5. The next point to optimize Windows - go to "My Computer" select the disk where you have installed the system, right-click and select "Properties" in the pop-up menu.
6. Click "Disk Cleanup", Check the boxes for cleaning. As a result, I freed my C drive from another 2.5 GB of unnecessary junk.
To optimize, we clean out unnecessary services
1. By habitual pressing Win + R we call up a pop-up window, register "msconfig" and click "OK".2. Click on the "Services" tab, select the "Do not display Microsoft services" checkbox, mark what you do not need when working. We all press the "Apply" button.
Making changes to the registry settings in Windows 8
1. Press "Win + R" again, call the registry editor with the "regedit" command.2. Find the HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Mouse tab.
3. Look for "MouseHoverTime" on the right side of the screen, click on it and enter 100 in the window that opens, click "Ok".
4. Next, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE tab -> SYSTEM -> Current Set Control -> Control.
5. All the same, we are looking for - "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" and change to 1000.
If you follow all these steps to optimize Windows 8, your computer will run noticeably faster! And free up your hard drive like in my case 4.739 GB.
