The problem most people seem to have with Windows Vista is how slow it is. I've got Vista, and I've managed to get it to a good speed now, having followed advice from places like lifehacker.com. The main problem is the RAM-eating parts of the OS. Some of what you can do to cut down on this is:
On the desktop, right-click > Personalize > Theme; and choose one that isn't Aero
Start > Games > Tools > Performance Information and Tools > Adjust Visual Effects > Adjust for best performance
Go back, and click Manage startup programs > Show for all users and remove the ones you don't need, eg iTunes and Quicktime
Go back, and click Open Disk Cleanup. Go through that, specifying what you want to remove. Everything but Hibernation Files if you hibernate, are fine to go
Start > Computer; right-click on (C: ) > Properties; uncheck the box for indexing. Do the same for (D: ) if you have one
Go to Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift + Esc) > Services > Services [in the bottom-right]. Go through each of them and right-click > Properties on each one to do with software (eg iTunes, Media Center). You can set these to Manual if they are on Automatic. This means they will only run when called to, instead of running all the time
More general things you can do are: delete any desktop shortcuts and icons that you don't need a lot; and remove any programs you don't use. If you want a fast internet browser, I'd recommend Avant or Opera, though Firefox is getting quicker.
One of the best ways to speed up any Microsoft OS, is to build a new setup disk using nlite or vlite. Remove everything, stopping just short of basic functionality.
Then re-install it, and you'll notice a BIG difference.
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How to speed up Vista blog
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