Windows 7 Repeatedly Pauses or Stalls: Fixes

Windows 7 may repeatedly, inexplicably pause or stall–either for several seconds or up to a minute or more. This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including problematic drivers, bad RAM and more.
Here are a few fixes that have proven successful for a number of users experiencing this problem:
Check performance tools First, [...]

Speeding Up Windows 7 with Process Explorer

Here’s a free, easy and quick method for routinely eliminating performance bottlenecks in Windows 7.
Download and install Process Explorer, which is part of the Microsoft SysInternals package. Launch the program, and you’ll be presented a beautiful display of all processes currently running on your system, along with a bevy of information about each process, including [...]

What’s New in Windows 7 Build 7021: Faster Graphics, Smaller Installer

Windows 7 Build 7021 is the latest build of the new OS, due in final form on October 22nd, to leak to file sharing networks. Users report that the new release provides yet another significant speed boost, along with the following enhancements:

Smaller installer
Better automatic driver installation (if you had third-party device issues with previous releases, [...]

Windows 7 Build 7137 Leaks; Gets Another Speed Boost

The latest pre-release edition of Windows 7, build 7137, has been distributed to testers and subsequently leaked to various file-sharing services. Users of the new build report yet another speed speed boost relative to prior build,s particularly with regard to graphic performance.
Users also report the installation of new ATI graphics card drivers after the update.
If [...]

Serious System Slowdown? Try Disabling Windows Search

If your system suddenly slows dramatically or stalls altogether, with a spike in processor usage from the task “searchprotocolhost.exe,” you may want to try disabling the Windows Search service. Follow these steps:
Click the Start button. In Windows Vista, type services.msc in the search box and press enter. In Windows XP, select “Run” then type services.msc [...]

Windows 7 Build 7077 Leaks, Gets Significant Speed Boost

The latest pre-release edition of Windows 7, build 7077, has been distributed to testers and subsequently leaked to various file-sharing services. Users of the new build report as dramatic speed boost relative to the prior build, particularly when launching applications and transferring files.
If you are having problems installing Windows 7, see our previous coverage [...]

Slow iTunes: Boosting Performance

A number of Windows iTunes users have reported extremely poor performance from the application. Symptoms include long lags when clicking on items, delays before playback starts, slow launches and more.
Fixes
There are a few specific fixes that can provide a significant boost in iTunes for Windows speed.
Exclude iTunes library from antivirus software Launch [...]

Slow File Copying in Windows Vista: Fixes

A number of users have reported inordinately slow file copying between folders, across networks, or across local drives. There are a few very simple, very effective fixes for this issue, as follows:
Update your system board drivers The drivers included with some boards may be prone to slow and or corrupt data transfers. Updating your motherboard’s [...]

Five Real Ways to Speed Up a Slow Windows Vista

Here’s the dirty little secret about most registry cleaners and defragmentation tools: they don’t work that well. Despite their boasting, most programs that claim to automatically “optimize” your system or “clean out the junk” generally leave users virtually unchanged system performance. And unless there’s a direct reason to suspect heavy disk fragmentation (if there is, [...]

Speeding Up Internet Explorer 8

Several users have reported significantly slower performance under Internet Explorer 8, particularly when the browser is first launched or when navigating to new pages. Delays of up to 30 seconds or more have been reported.

The problem, in most cases, is the presence of IE restricted sites and enhanced security configuration zones, which are generally created [...]