Microsoft Windows 10, launched in July 2015 was the latest offering by Microsoft in the world of operating system. Microsoft included a bunch of new features like Xbox Live Integration, Cortana and replaced Internet Explorer with Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 to make it user interactive. Windows 10 was offered to all the registered users running Windows 7/Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade in order to make Windows 10 as the most prominent operating system in he world.
But while concentrating on promotional events, new features, and updates Microsoft has forgotten about the older PCs running on the operating system like Vista. Although we can install Windows 10 on older PCs using an ISO image, Windows 10 don’t work as efficiently on them as it does on newer PCs. There are problems like start-up time is more, it hangs and stuck when you try to open a high size software. So want to get rid of these problems? Want Windows 10 faster? Here’s how to enjoy faster Windows 10 on older PCs.
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Disable/Stop Visual Effects and Animations
With Windows 10, Microsoft has introduced shadows, animations, and visual effects. Although they are a delight to your eyes, they slow down your older computer a great deal. These animations don’t affect the performance of newer PCs with latest specs but the performance of Windows 10 really goes down when you are using these animations on older and outdated PCs. You can follow the below steps to turn off the visual effects and animations:
- Type sysdm.cpl in Windows 10 search bar. Press enter.
- You have been taken to “system properties”. Click on Advanced Tab.
- Tap on Settings in the performance section.
You will now see a dialog box with a list of animations and special effects options. You can examine each option and decide which option you want to keep on and which to keep off. Alternatively, you can select “Adjust for best performance” and click OK. Windows 10 will automatically detect the animations which slow down your computer and turn it off.
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Stop/Disable Programs which Run Automatically on Startup
With the introduction of live tiles and metro style apps in Windows 10, many programs start running automatically in the background when your PC is started. Most of these programs will be the ones which you very rarely use and they make your computer sluggish. All you have to do is stop these programs and your PC will run smooth. To disable these programs, follow the below steps:
- Open the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
- Click on Startup option. Here you see the programs which start when you power on your PC. You will be able to see the Program name, publisher’s name and the “startup impact”. The startup impact will determine how much your computer slows down because of that particular program.
- Now choose the program you want to stop from launching at startup. Right-click on it and select “Disable”.
This will only prevent the program from starting at startup as it will fasten your computer. You can always launch the program manually whenever you want.
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Use Performance Monitor
Windows 10 has a great tool named as Performance Monitor. As the name suggests, it is used to create a detailed performance report of your computer and list down all the issues with your computer and suggest fixes. To get performance report from performance monitor, just type perfmon /report in your Windows 10 search bar and press Enter. Now, Performance Monitor will launch and it will take a few minutes to create a performance report.
The generated performance report is very detailed and interactive. You should look for Warning section in the report. It lists all the issues with your PC like a driver problem, software problem etc and it also gives you a solution for each problem.
Next on, move to the Resource Overview section. There you will find how your CPU, memory, disk, and network are performing. There are 3 indications for that. Green indicates there is no problem, red indicates there is a problem and yellow indicated potential issues.
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Remove Bloatware
Most of the time the reason why your PC works slower is a Bloatware which is installed by the manufacturer. Removing that Bloatware and Adware will make your computer quicker by say around 50%. To remove a bloatware from your PC, first, check out for it. For this, you can use any security suite like Norton or Quick Heal or you can even use Windows 10’s inbuilt anti-malware app known as Windows Defender. Just type Windows Defender in Windows 10 search bar and press Enter. Windows Defender will be launched and it will scan your PC for any malware and if found it will be removed automatically.
You can also use tools like “MalwareBytes Anti-Malware”. This tool will search for a malware and remove it while a paid version of this tool will protect your PC by trying to stop the infections in the first place. The next thing to do is to get rid of bloatware. You can use tools like Should I Remove It?, SlimComputer, PC Decrapifier to search for bloatware and remove them. You should use all of these tools as a single tool cannot remove all the bloatware from your PC.
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Use Windows Troubleshooter
Like Performance Monitor, there’s another hidden tool in Windows 10 which very few know about. It is called Windows Troubleshooter and it helps you to sniff out performance problems and solve them. Just type troubleshooting in Windows 10 search bar and a “Troubleshooting Control Panel” icon will appear. Press Enter and it will be launched. Now click “Run Maintainance Tasks” in system and security section. A screen will appear named as “Troubleshoot and help prevent computer problems”. Click next.
The Windows Troubleshooter will now search for performance issues on your computer, identify files and less used shortcuts and report them to you so that you can fix it. You may also get a message which says “Try troubleshooting as an administrator”. So if you have administrating rights, click it and the troubleshooter will start doing its work.
These were a few simple tips which you should use to enjoy faster windows 10 on older PCs.
