I had to use a Windows 7 lap top that was unusably slow. Here’s how I got it performing slightly better (only one of the two CPUs is being pegged by crappy Windows 7 services now).
To see what’s running:
- Give the computer the 3 finger salute (Ctrl-Alt-Del)
- Select Start Task Manager from the screen that pops up
- Check the Show processes from all users check box (and beware that Windows 7 will uncheck it later)
- Click the CPU heading to sort by CPU used
If you see TrustedImageInstaller.exe constantly running:
- Open the Control Panel
- Select small icon view
- Select Windows Update
- Select Settings
- Disable automatic install and automatic download
If you see McAfee running and you aren’t using it, remove it completely:
- Open Control Panel/Programs and Features
- Find McAfee in the list, right click and uninstall
- Download the McAfee Consumer Products Removal tool from: McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool – McAfee Support
- Run it
- Click Remove
- Click Yes in the User Account C0ntrol dialog that pops up
- Click Next
- Select Agree and click Next
- Fill in the captcha and click Next
- When the removal is done, click Restart then Yes
If you see svchost.exe burning CPU:
- Select View/Columns from the top menu and add PID
- Find the PID of the service in the Services tab
- If its Windows Update, right click and Stop it
Disable useless services. e.g. unless you care about the latest Adobe acrobat reader, disable the Adobe ARM Service:
- Open a Command Prompt
- Run: msconfig
- Click Startup
- Uncheck McAfee Security Scanner (why is it still here?)
- Uncheck Adobe ARM Service
Advertisements