If your PC is struggling with Vista, another way to get it to run better (with the resources your PC has) is to reduce some of the visual enhancements like fading, sliding menus, drop shadows, etc. All of these features are intended to make Vista
look better but in
no way effect the way its does it job.
Keep in mind though... turning off ALL the effects will have huge impact on the appearance of Windows. Try turning off a few at a time and what benefits your system reaps. Then decide if you need to turn off more.
Click the following...
Start ->
Control Panel ->
System ->
Advanced
Click the
Settings button under
Performance.
On the Visual Effects tab a list of ALL of Vista's visual enhancements along with several user options. To turn an effect off just uncheck its box. There are a LOT to chose from so naturally, you'll want to select those that cause the biggest drain on your PC's resources. Those would be...
- Shadows under menus
- Use a background image for each folder type
- Use visual styles on windows and buttons
- Use Drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
- Show thumbnails instead of icons.
Again, turn off these effects judiciously! Unless your system is really dragging a** your best off just disabling the list above.
Linear Mode
