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19Dec2013
OptimizePerformanceofWindows8
HowtoOptimizethePerformanceofWindows8and8.1
Information
Thistutorialwillprovideyouwithalistofsuggestionstohelpoptimize,speedup,andimprovethe
performanceofWindows8,WindowsRT,Windows8.1,andWindowsRT8.1.
Youcanpickandchoosewhichlistedsuggestionsyouwouldliketodo,orfeelcomfortabledoing.Ifyou
donotnoticeanincreaseinperformanceorhaveaproblemwiththesuggestion,thenyoucanalways
gobackandundothesuggestionatit'sprovidedtutoriallink.
Ifyoulike,pleasefeelfreetopostanyofyourownsuggestionsthatyoufindtohelptheperformance
ofWindows8.
Note
Windows8and8.1MinimumSystemRequirements
Processor:1gigahertz(GHz)orfasterwithsupportforPAE,NX,andSSE2(moreinfo)
RAM:1gigabyte(GB)(32bit)or2GB(64bit)
Harddiskspace:16GB(32bit)or20GB(64bit)
Graphicscard:MicrosoftDirectX9graphicsdevicewithWDDMdriver
Here'sHow:
1.InstallMoreand/orFasterRAM
ThemoreRAM(memory)youhave,thebetteryourperformancecanbeuptoapoint.Usually4GB
(32bit)or8GB(64bit)willbethesweetspotandplentyunlessyoudomemoryintensiveactions
suchasvideoeditingoralotofmultitasking.
MemoryperformancewilldependonfastthebandwidthMHZrating(higherthebetter)is,andifyou
areusingDDR3memoryintriplechannelmodeinsteadofjustoneoramixofRAMsticksinonly
singlechannelmode.It'sbesttohaveallofyourRAMstickswiththeexactsamespecs.
YouwillneedtocheckyourmotherboardspecstoseehowmuchandwhattypeofRAMitsupports.
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OptimizePerformanceofWindows8
HowtoOptimizethePerformanceofWindows8and8.1
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2.UseaSSD(SolidStateDrive)insteadofHDD(HardDiskDrive)
InstallingWindows8onaSSDwillgiveyouadramaticincreaseinperformanceoveraHDD.
SSDvsHDD|StorageReview.comStorageReviews
SSDvsHardDrive
3.InstalltheLatestBIOSandDeviceDrivers
Makesurethatyouhavethelatestavailabledriversinstalledforallofyourdevices,andBIOS
versionforyourmotherboard.Thesewilloftenhaveupdatesthatcorrectnewbugs,bugsfromthe
previousversions,andmayaddnewfeatures,andincreaseperformance.Youcangetthematyour
devicemanufacturer'swebsite.Thereleasenotes(ifavailable)ofthedriverorBIOSversionwilltell
youwhatchangeshavebeenmadesincethelastversiontoseeifyouwishtoinstallitornot.Be
suretohavethecorrectversionsforyour32bitor64bitWindows8.
4.CheckforandInstallWindowsUpdates
MicrosoftusuallyreleasesimportantupdatesonthesecondTuesdayonceamonth.However,
updatescouldbereleasedatanytime.YoushouldcheckforandinstallavailableWindowsUpdates
thatcouldincludebugfixes,securitypatches,WindowsDefenderdefinitions,etc....thatcouldhelp
keepstableand/orimprovetheperformanceofWindows.
5.Usethe"HighPerformance"PowerPlan
The"Highperformance"powerplanmaximizessystemperformanceandresponsiveness.However,if
youuseamobilePCrunningonbatterypower,thenyouwillnoticethatyourbatterydoesn'tlast
aslongwhileusingthisplan.Youcanadjustyourpowerplansettingstofityourneeds.
6.PutyourPCtoSleeporHibernateinsteadofaFullShutDown
IfyourPCdoesnotrunprimarilyoffofabattery,thenusingsleepmodewillallowyourPCtowake
upalmostinstantlycomparedtoastartingupfromafullshutdown.
IfyourPCdoesrunonbattery,thenusinghibernate,orfaststartupbelow,willallowyourPCto
resumequickercomparedtostartingupfromafullshutdown.Don'tusehibernateifyouaregoing
tokeepyourPCinabagforverylongsinceitcouldcausethePCtooverheat.
7.TurnOnFastStartupforaHybridBoot/Shutdown
FastStartup(aka:hybridbootorhybridShutdown)isanewfeatureinWindows8tohelpyour
PCstartupfasteraftershuttingdown.Whenturnedon,Windows8doesthisbyusingahybrid
shutdown(apartialhibernate)methodthatsavesonlythekernalsessionanddevicedrivers
(systeminformation)tothehibernate(hiberfil.sys)fileondiskinsteadofclosingitwhenyoushut
downyourPC.Thisalsomakesthehiberfil.sysfiletobemuchsmallerthanwhathibernatewould
use(often4GBormore).WhenyoustartyourPCagain,Windows8usesthatsavedsystem
informationtoresumeyoursysteminsteadofhavingtodoacoldboottofullyrestartit.Usingthis
techniquewithbootgivesasignificantadvantageforboottimes,sincereadingthehiberfileinand
reinitializingdriversismuchfasteronmostsystems(3070%fasteronmostsystemstested).Ifyou
haveamotherboardwithUEFI,thenfaststartupwillbeevenfaster.
8.DisableHibernateifNotUsed
IfyoudonotusehibernateorFastStartup,thendisablinghibernatewillsaveyouaGB+sizefile
frombeingsavedonyourharddrivewhenyouhibernatethePC.Whenhibernateisdisabled,the
shutdowntimewillalsobeshorterbynothavingtowaitonmemorybeingsavedtothehiberfil.sys
file.
9.TurnOffUnneededVisualEffects
Youcanoptimizeperformancebychanginghowmenusandwindowsappear.Uncheckthevisual
effectoptionsthatyoudonotwantorneed,orselecttheAdjustforbestperformanceoption,
tohelpperformance.Themostcommonvisualeffectstouncheckare:
Animatewindowswhenminimizingandmaximizing
Animationsinthetaskbar
Fadeorslidemenusintoview
FadeorslideToolTipsintoview
Fadeoutmenuitemsafterclicking
Showshadowsunderwindows
Slideopencomboboxes
10.SpeedUpWindowsShutDownTime
YoucansetandadjusttheAutoEndTasks,HungAppTimeout,WaitToKillAppTimeout,and/or
WaitToKillServiceTimeoutvaluesforhowlongWindowswaitsforhungprogramsandother
programstosavedataandclosebeforeshuttingdown.
11.ReduceTimetoDisplay"Chooseandoperatingsystem"atBoot
IfyouhavemorethanoneoperatingsysteminstalledalongwithWindows8foradualormultiboot
system,thenyoucouldchangetheamountoftimeyouwaitbeforethedefaultoperatingsystem
runsautomaticallyatstartup,oruntilyouselectanOStorun.
12.EnableWriteCachingforStorageDevices
Thisoptionisusuallythebestchoicetouseforstoragedevicesthatmustprovidethehighest
possibleperformance,andthatyouintendtonotremovefromthesystemfrequently,suchas
internalharddiskdrives.
13.MovePageFiletoSeparateHardDisk
MovingthepagefiletoasecondphysicalharddriveinsteadofthesameC:drivethatWindowsis
oncanhelpimprovetheperformanceofWindowsiftheotherharddriveisatleastasfastorfaster
thantheWindowsdrive.DoingthisallowsWindowstousethepagefileononedrivewhilenot
havingtointerruptreadsorwritesontheWindowsdrive.BesuretoletthepagefilebeSystem
Managed.Windowsdoesagreatjobofkeepingyourpagefileinpeakconditionandperformance.
14.UninstallUnneededPrograms
MostOEMcomputersthatyoubuyataretailoutlethaveatonofbloatwareandtrialsoftware
installedonit.Someofthesecantakeupalotofresources.Uninstalltheprogramsthatyoudonot
usefromProgramsandFeatures.
15.DisableorDeleteUnneededStartupItems
Startupitemsaretheprograms,shortcuts,folders,drivers,etc...thataresettorunautomatically
atstartupwhenausersignsintoWindows8.Disablingordeletingthemfromrunningatstartup
canimprovestartuptimeandreducetheamountofsystemresourcesbeingbeusedbythem.Itis
alsoagoodideatocheckyourstartupitemseveryonceinawhiletohelpmakesurethatsome
unknownprogramormalwarehasnotplaceditselftorunatthestartupofWindows.
16.ReducetheStartupDelayTimeforDesktopApps
WhenWindows8startsupand/oryousignin,anydesktopappsthathavebeensettorunat
startuparedelayedbyafew(510)secondsbeforetheyactuallyrunbydefaultnow.Previous
Windowsdidnothavethisdelayforstartupprograms.
Whileyoucannotcompletelyeliminatethisstartupdelay,youcanreducethedelaytimetohelp.
17.SetUnusedServicestoManualorDisabled
Servicesuseprocessesthatruninthebackgroundusingpartofyourcomputer'sresources.Check
throughyourserviceswiththehelpoftheguideprovidedinthislink,andstopandsettomanual
theservicesthataffectsfeaturesthatyoudonotuseorneedtogainatinybitmoreperformance.
WARNING:Disablingthewrongservicecouldhurtperformance,orevencrippleWindows.Ifyou
donottrulyknowwhatyouaredoing,thenit'shighlyrecommendedtonotdothis.
18.SettoGotoDesktoporStartwhenYouSigninorCloseApps
Tosaveyourselfaclick,youcouldsettohaveWindowsgodirectlytoeitheryourdesktoporStart
screenbydefaultwhenyousignintoWindowsorclosemodernapps.
19.AutomaticallySignintoUserAccountatStartup
IfyouaretheonlyonethatusesyourhomePC,thenyoucouldsetWindowstoautomaticallysign
intoyouruseraccountatstartuptosaveyoutimefromhavingtomanuallysignin.
Youmayalsowishtodothis:
HowtoRequireaPasswordafterDisplayisOffforSpecifiedTimeinWindows8.1
HowtoEnableorDisablePasswordProtectiononWakeupinWindows8and8.1
WARNING:DoingthiswillalsoallowanyonewithaccesstoyourPCtobeautomaticallysigned
intoyouruseraccountiftheystartupWindows.
20.DisableorUninstallInternetExplorerAddonsandToolbars
DisablingoruninstallinganyunneededinstalledaddonsinInternetExplorerwillhelpthe
performanceofInternetExplorer.
21.DisableFirstSigninAnimationforNewUsers
Whilethefirstsigninanimationmaybehelpfultonewuserstoseewhentheysigninforthefirst
time,disablingthefirstsigninanimationwillgiveafasternewaccountpreparationtime.
22.DisableHelpTipsforNewUsers
InWindows8.1andWindowsRT8.1,newuserswillnowseepopuphelptipswhentheyfirstmove
thepointernearthehiddenCharms,Start,andSwitcheraccesspointstohelpIDwhattheyare
forandhowtoopenthem.Bydefault,Windowswillshowthesehelptipsuntiltheuserhas
successfullycompletedthescenariostoopentheUI.Ifyoudonotwantthesehelptips,then
disablingwillsavetheuser'stimebynothavingtogothroughthem.
23.ChangeAutomaticMaintenanceSettingsandTime
MaintenanceactivityinWindowsisdesignedtoruninthebackgroundwithlimiteduserinteraction
andminimalimpacttoperformanceandenergyefficiency.YoushouldchangetheAutomatic
Maintenancetowhattimeyouwanttorunthedailymaintenancetasks,andiftoallowthe
scheduledmaintenancetowakethecomputertorunatthescheduledtime.It'sbesttosetthe
timetowhenyouwillnotbeusingthecomputer,butwhenthecomputerisstillturnedonorasleep
ifsettowakeup.
Youmightalso:
Change"OptimizeDrives"ScheduleSettings
TurnAutomaticWindowsUpdatesOnorOff
24.UseOptimizeDrivestoTRIMSSDsandDefragHDDs
Bydefault,OptimizeDrivesrunsautomaticallyonaweeklyschedule(ifturnedon)duringthe
timeyouhavesetforautomaticmaintenance.However,youshouldcheckandoptimizeyour
drivesatleastonceaweektokeepthemfrombeingdefragmentedandperformingwell.
25.SpeedUptheMenuShowTime
ThisreducetheamountoftimeittakesforamenuinWindowstopop,fade,orslideopenwhen
yourunthemousepointeroverit.
26.SpeedUpMouseHoverTime
Youcanchangethedelaytime,inmilliseconds,thatthemousepointerhastostayhoveredona
itembeforeitisselectedoropensapopupinWindows.
27.KeepyourIndexEnabledandUpdated,orDisabletheIndex
Yourneedsfortheindex,searches,andlibrarieswilldeterminewhatwillbebestforyou.The
indexingservicehelpstomakethesearchfunctioninWindows8runmuchfaster.However,itcan
alsodrainyourcomputershardwareresources,particularlyonoldermachines.
BydefaulttheindexisenabledinWindows.Ifyoudoalotofsearchesinspecificlocationsorfor
specificfiletypes,thensearchingusingtheindexwiththeselocationsandfiletypesaddedtobe
includedintheindexcouldhelpgiveyoufastersearchresultsthandoingnonindexsearches.If
youfindthattheindexsearchresultsarenotaccurate,thenrebuildingtheindexwillupdatethe
indexforaccuratesearchresultsafterwards.
Ifyouliketoonlydononindexsearchestoalwayshaveaccuratesearchresults,thenyoucould
eitherdisabletheindexorsetyourSearchoptionstonotusetheindexwhensearchinginfile
foldersforsystemfiles.Nonindexsearcheswilltakeabitlongertogivesearchresults.Ifyou
disabletheindex,thenthiswillhelpyourharddrivenotrunasmuchwhiletheindex(ifenabled)
automaticallyupdatesitselfinthebackgroundwhenyourcomputerisidle.Ifyoudisabletheindex,
youwillalsonolongerbeabletosearchwithinlibraries.
28.Set"Turnoffharddiskafter"toNeverorIncreaseTime
WhilehavingyourHDDsturnoffaftersetxamountofidleminutescanhelpsaveenergy,itcanalso
causeyourPCtopausewhilewaitingfortheHDDtospinbackupwhenneeded.Youcouldeither
setthistoneverturnofftheHDDs,orincreasetheamountofidleminutesbeforeturningoffthe
HDDstoavoiditbeingturnedoffwhileyoumaystillneeditandhavetowaitforittospinbackup
asoften.
29.DisableProgramCompatibilityAssistant
TheProgramCompatibilityAssistant(PCA)runsinthebackgroundandmonitorsuserinitiated
programsforknowncompatibilityissuesatruntime.Wheneverapotentialissuewithanapplication
isdetected,thePCAwillprompttheuserwithpointerstorecommendedsolutions.DisablingthePCA
willstopitfromrunninginthebackgroundandusingsystemresources.
30.CleanYourComputer
Keepingthefansandinsideofyourcomputercleananddustfreecanhelppreventperformance
issues.Dustactsasaninsulator,makingitharderforyourhardwaretodissipatethebuildupof
heat.Whenthisproblembecomessignificantenoughforyourcomputertooverheat,certain
componentssuchasyourprocessororgraphicscardmaytemporarilythrottlebacktheirclock
speedsinordertopreventdamagetoyourhardware.
31.SetCPUPriorityLevelofaProcess
Bydefault,Windowssharestheprocessortimebetweenallrunningprocessesbasedupontheir
prioritylevel.Ifaprocesshasahigherpriority,itgetsmoreprocessortimecomparedtoaprocess
havingalowerpriority.
YoucouldsetpriorityofanapplicationorprocesstorunwithaRealtime,High,AboveNormal,
Normal,BelowNormal,orLowprocessorprioritylevel.Youcouldhaveataskfromanapplication
orprocessfinishfasterbygivingitahigherprioritylevel,orbysettinganonurgenttasktoalower
priorityleveltoallowothertaskstohavemorepriority.
32.ChangeMaximumDownloadConnectionsperServerLimitinInternet
Explorer
InternetExplorerhasalimitfortheamountofsimultaneouslydownloadsperwebsiteorserver.
InternetExplorer7andearlierversionslimitthenumberoffilesthatyoucan
downloadatonetimetotwobydefault.
InternetExplorer8andInternetExplorer9limitthenumberoffilesthatyoucan
downloadatonetimetosixbydefault.
InternetExplorer10andInternetExplorer11limitthenumberoffilesthatyoucan
downloadatonetimetoeightbydefault.
Inaddition,ifyouvisitawebsitewithlotsofimages(andsupportingfileslikeCSSstylesand
Javascript),thenyoucouldhaveaslowerbrowsingexperience.Onaverage,yourbrowsercould
havetomakeseveralrequeststothesite'sserverbeforeitcanfinishloadingthepage.Requesting
allthefilesneededtodownloadwiththedefault8(ex:IE11)atatimeisgoingtobeslowerthan
requestingsay16filesatatime.
Asinternetconnectionspeedsincrease,thedefaultnumberofsimultaneousdownloadstoasingle
websiteorservermaybetorestrictiveandnotmeetyourneeds.
That'sit,
Shawn
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Quote
11Mar2014
ReallyHelpedalot,
Thanks
MySystemSpecs
#1
JoinDate:Feb2014
Posts:34
Windows8.1

ibulletproof
Member
Free optimization tool.
jmodelica.org
Python and Modelica based tool for dynamic optimization. Try now.
Quote
11Mar2014
You'rewelcomeHarshit.I'mgladitcouldhelp.
#2
JoinDate:Jul2009
Posts:15,775
Brink
Administrator
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Quote
14Apr2014
Why"1.InstallMoreand/orFasterRAM"works
ExcellentlistofwaystospeedupaPC.Belowisthewhyfor"1.InstallMoreand/orFasterRAM".
WhenthePCpowersup,theoperatingsystem(OS)iswrittentoRAMfromtheharddrive.Laterprogramsare
readfromtheharddriveandloadedintoRAM.IfthereisnotenoughRAMfortheOSandprograms,apage
faultoccursandtheportionoftheOSorprogramiswrittentotheharddrivevirtualmemory.
Forexample,aPCwith8GBofRAM,loads6GBofOSandprograms.Thetotalloadtimeisthe6GBtransfer
fromthedisktoRAM.(Muchmoreiftheharddriveissignificantlyfragmented.)
Meanwhile,someonewhosaved$75onlyhas2GBofRAM.Thetotalloadtimeisthe6GBtoreadfromthe
disk,plus2GBwritetimetoRAM,plusthe4GBtowritetovirtualmemory,plustheseektimeforthedrive
headstomovefromreadingtowriting.Removingthenegligibleportionsfromtheequationyields:
6GBRead+4GBWrite
=166%
6GBRead
SoifthePCtakesalongtimetobootorifprogramsloadslowly(OptionalExercise:theTaskManagerand
ResourceMonitorindicatethatexcessivepagefaultingisoccurring.),installmoreRAM.
MySystemSpecs
#3
JoinDate:Mar2014
Pittsburgh
Posts:50
MicrosoftWindows8.1
64Bit

JHough
Member
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