How do you keep your system running at it's best?

Hello, use this and you will never (should never) have to do another clean install.

Imaging with free Macrium

Pretty much, Windows 7 is one of the most tweaked OS's that you can use. Microsoft has tweaked this one, real good. I just let if run and use a good firewall, virus/malware protection, latest updates, latest drivers, don't install a lot of gunk, and just let it be.:)

McDougal, I would highly recommend to get an external disk asap. A PC without it is only half a PC. The day your system crashes you will appreciate to have images. Here are some at very reasonable prices - less than $50 and up. Storage Devices Deals - Deals2buy.com

If your Win7 system slows down over time, then it's cleanup time or you're installing crap (or both). I've run a few machines as Win7 since RTM back in August 2009, and some of those were beta upgrades to RC to RTM. Keeping my personal files on a separate drive, only installing what I needed, and using built-in or Microsoft tools where possible (Windows firewall, defrag.exe, and MSE, for example) and all run at least as they did when first installed (in fact, slightly better post-SP1).

The tweaking "craze" back in the XP days is just no longer relevant for performance on a Win7 box. The only real legitimate reason to monkey with Win7 nowadays is to cram it on a small SSD, but running that long-term will be difficult and is really not a good idea with SSD prices being much lower now than they were mid-2009.

McDougal said:

Bare Foot Kid said:

Hello, use this and you will never (should never) have to do another clean install.

Imaging with free Macrium

Thanks for the suggestion, I've thought about doing this....but I don't have enough space to do so. I've got no external hard drives....the largest hard drive I have other than my main system is 80GB......and that too is in a computer. As much as I'd love to do this....I really can't. I would get an external HDD, but I have much more important things to buy now, lol.

p5bdkw said:

Pretty much, Windows 7 is one of the most tweaked OS's that you can use. Microsoft has tweaked this one, real good. I just let if run and use a good firewall, virus/malware protection, latest updates, latest drivers, don't install a lot of gunk, and just let it be.:)

So you don't do any cleanups/defraggs at all (advanced disk cleanup, example)? I agree, Windows 7 is Microsoft's best OS ever released....but everything slows down eventually....even Linux, lol. As of tweaking....I don't tweak the hidden stuff (services), just stuff like disabling indexing, adjusting Aero settings, disable auto defrag, UAC etc. Sometimes its a good idea for me to defrag cuz of all my dozens of CD's backed up as FLAC files

I defrag once a week. I've tried all the other tweaks and don't notice a difference in performance after applying them.:)

Hi again McDougal. As all the pro's here will and have told you, Win 7 does not require "tweeking". You will also find lots of posts here regarding "Registry Cleaners". I would get rid of the Wise Registry Cleaner you have been using.

By the way did you try the Cobian backup program?

Regards
JohnnyA