10 Windows Vista tips that will make your computing life easier.
Nobody can deny that Windows Vista is indeed one of the best offerings from Microsoft to all of its loyal patrons. This doesn’t mean, however, that it’s completely perfect in every way. So how do you use this new operating system to the fullest? Here are 10 helpful tips for you:
1. Turn off your System Restore.
One of the best features of Windows Vista is its System Restore. This will basically allow you to create your backup files automatically. If your PC crashes, you can utilize your System Restore to change the settings to default and bring back your lost files. The problem here is it can actually slow down the speed of your PC. You may need to disable it from time to time.
2. Disable your indexing engine.
An indexing engine improves your Search option significantly. However, this may be a dilemma if you’re going to play some PC games. It tends to eat up the speed of your PC, not to mention it becomes an annoying background. When playing, learn to disable it.
3. Turn off your SuperFetch.
Besides the indexing engine, you may need SuperFetch so it will be very easy for you to locate frequently used files and data. Nevertheless, it can also slow down your PC’s speed, considering you need as much as space as you can especially when you’re going to play online and PC games.
4. Modify your Startup program.
Startup programs are the different applications that also load once you turn on your PC. Of course, the more programs that you’re going to place in your Startup, the slower your PC will become, especially when you’re using Windows Vista. Thus, make sure that you can remove those applications that have already been deleted from your system as well as those you necessarily want.
5. Close hibernation.
Hibernation, like SuperFetch and indexing engine, eats up the space in your hard disk. Unless it’s highly needed to turn on your Hibernation feature, such as when you have to attend to something without turning off your PC, it’s best to disable or turn it off.
6. Close your sidebar.
Sidebars are really nice to the eyes and one of the selling points of Windows Vista. However, it can hurt the speed of your PC. Hence, if you think you can live without it, then you better turn it off. You can always turn it on once you feel you need its dire help.
7. Include some 3D sound.
There are numerous Windows games that can give you full gaming experience, complete with sound effects. The downside is that if you’re playing games for Windows XP, you may not be able to hear it in Windows Vista. You can make use of the Alchemy software, which is can work effectively with Windows Vista.
8. Employ the use of external devices.
Majority of the newly manufactured PCs today have their own built-in USB ports. This way, you can add an additional external device in your computer. This will also be helpful if you like to add extra space or if you want to avoid cluttering your hard disk with some files and increase your PC’s speed.
9. Utilize Alt+Tab feature.
When you’re opening too many files in one seating, you’ll probably go nuts if you don’t know how to deal with them. The best thing that you can do is to press Alt + Tab all together. This will help you switch among applications fast. If you’re using the AERO feature, you may use the Windows + Tab keys.
10. Use the shrink-to-fit feature.
It’s not surprising when you need to download and even print some pages right from the World Wide Web. Perhaps you’re finding it real hard to copy them in a Word document or you want to save some time. However, printers are generally not compatible when it comes to printing such documents as they are set to 8.5-by-11-inch measurement. What you can do, though, is to make use of the “Shrink to Fit” option of Windows Vista. It will automatically convert your page to a short bond paper.
