HP PCs - Improving PC Performance (Windows 7)

1. Click Start , right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
   The System window opens.
2. Click Advanced System Settings.
   If you are prompted for an Administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   The System Properties window opens with the Advanced tab selected.
3. Under Performance, click Settings.
   
4. Select Adjust for best performance, and then click OK.
   

  caution:

Disabling Aero can greatly improve system performance, but might prevent certain software programs from opening. For example, if you have an HP Touch computer, disabling Aero might prevent the HP TouchSmart software from opening.

1. Right-click an open area of the desktop and select Personalize.
   The Personalization window opens.
   
2. Select a theme that is not an Aero theme.

1. From the Windows desktop, double-click Recycle Bin .
2. Restore any mistakenly deleted items by right-clicking each file, and then selecting Restore.
3. Click Empty the Recycle Bin. Windows removes the contents of the Recycle Bin from the hard disk.
4. Select Yes to confirm.
5. Close the Recycle Bin.

1. Close all open software programs.
2. Click Start , click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
   
3. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then click OK.
   A message opens telling you that Disk Cleanup is calculating how much space you can free on the drive you chose.
   
4. Place a check next to the types of files you want the Disk Cleanup tool to delete. Temporary files are safe to delete.

     caution:

   Selecting some options can have a negative effect. For example: selecting Hibernation File Cleaner can prevent the computer from entering hibernation, and selecting Setup Log Files deletes the files that online phone support agents use to help troubleshoot setup problems. If you are unsure about what to delete, do not delete the files until you know if the files are not important for your use of the computer.

   
5. Click OK.
6. Click Delete Files.

1. Close all open software programs.
2. Click Start , and then click Computer.
3. Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then click Properties.
   
4. In the Properties window, click the Tools tab.
   
5. Under Error-checking, click Check Now.
   If you are prompted for an Administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
6. If desired, click the check box next to Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

     caution:

   Checking and fixing disk errors can take an hour or more to complete, depending on the size of your hard drives, and you CANNOT use your computer during this process.

   
7. Click Start.
   If a window opens stating that Windows can't check the disk while it's in use, click Schedule disk check and follow the on-screen instructions to restart the computer and scan the disk for errors.
   

  caution:

These steps do not apply for computers with solid state drives (SSD). Never defragment an SSD, as this does not improve performance and might harm the drive.

1. Close all open software programs. This includes background programs such as virus scanners.
2. Click Start , click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

   note:

   If Disk Defragmenter repeatedly starts, a hidden background program is still accessing the hard drive. Restart the computer in Safe mode and try again. For more information, see Windows 7 Safe Mode.

3. Click Defragment disk. This could take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on the amount of data on your hard disk drive. You have the option to click Stop operation to stop the tool.
   

  caution:

You might see a RECOVERY (D:) or FACTORY_IMAGE (D:) hard drive. This hard drive is reserved for system recovery and should not be used for anything else.

1. Click Start , and then click Computer.
2. Right-click the hard drive, and then click Properties.
3. View the amount of space available next to Free space.
   

1. Click Start , and then click Control Panel.
2. Under Programs, click Uninstall a program.
   The Uninstall or change a program window opens.
   
3. Select the program you want to remove.
4. Click Uninstall or Uninstall/Change at the top of the program list.
5. Read and respond to any messages that might open while the software is being removed from your computer.

  caution:

Disable only those items that are known and unwanted. Disabling system-critical items might cause problems.

1. Click Start , and type msconfig into the Search box. Click msconfig.
   If you are prompted for an Administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   
   The System Configuration tool displays.
2. Click the General tab, and then click Selective startup.
   
3. Click the Startup tab, and uncheck any tasks that do not contribute to the system and are unwanted.
   If you are unsure about a task, write the name down and research it on the Internet. Do not remove a checkmark if you do not know what the task is. For a list of files that are recommended not to remove, review the HP support document: Using Microsoft System Configuration in Windows 7.
   
4. Click Apply, and then click OK to accept the changes.
5. When prompted, click Restart.
   
6. If Windows or other software stops working after a checkmark is removed from a task, restart the computer and reverse these procedures to replace the checkmark. If needed, you can press F8 after the first blue HP startup screen (after the computer has been turned on) to open safe mode. For more information, go to Windows 7 Safe Mode.

1. Right-click anywhere in an open area on the Windows desktop, and select New and Folder. Name the folder Notstartup. This folder will be used later.
2. Click Start , click All Programs, right-click Startup, and then click Open.
   The Startup folder opens.
   
3. Any icons in the list indicate programs that load when Windows opens. Right-click any of these icons and select Properties to reveal more information about the icon.
4. Right-click any one icon you do not want, and then select Cut.
5. Double-click the Notstartup folder on the desktop that was created earlier.
6. Right-click inside the Notstartup folder, and then click Paste. The icon that was cut from the Startup folder is now placed in the Notstartup folder.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for other programs that you do not want to run at startup.
8. Restart the computer.
   Any items removed from Startup no longer open when Windows opens. You can open the programs by double-clicking the desired item in the Notstartup folder.

1. Click Start , right-click Computer, and then select Properties.
2. From the tasks pane on the left, click System protection.
   
   If you are prompted for an Administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   The System Properties window opens with the System Protection tab selected.
   
3. Click Configure.
4. To reduce the amount of hard drive space the system reserves for system restores, slide the Max Usage: slider bar to 2%. You can choose a higher or lower percentage depending on how many restore points you want and the capacity of your hard drive.
   
5. Click OK.

• Windows, games, or other applications have poor performance or stop responding during use.
• Cooling fans inside the computer become louder since they are spinning faster to remove the heat.
• When starting the computer, it sometimes freezes at a black screen and does not open into Windows. If Windows does open, it usually stops responding.
• The mouse and keyboard stop responding.