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

[McDougal]

How do you keep your system running at it's best, so you won't have to re-install for as long as possible? Your favorite software/tweaks/optimizations? Here's a list of what I like to do plus the software I install to help me out (all free stuff ):

Tweaks/Optimizations:
1. Immediately after a fresh install/full system update, I follow Black Viper's guides.
2. Then I follow this forum's Optimize guide.
This is done before I install any software.

Software I like:
1. CCleaner
2. Wise Registry Cleaner (free)
3. Wise Disk Cleaner (free)
4. Defraggler
5. GlaryUtilities (free)
6. Advanced Disk Cleanup (built-in, not really software, cleanmgr /sageset:50, cleanmgr /sagerun:50)
7. Msconfig and disable startup items after installing all programs

I defrag/clean regularly......and only install software I need, and don't install any beta stuff.

What do you do? Have any suggestions for me?

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

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

Imaging with free Macrium

 

[Sardonicus]

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]

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.

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

 

[whs]

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

 

[cluberti]

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.

 

[Sardonicus]

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.

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.

 

[McDougal]

Thanks whs for the advice...I'll consider it later, I've got too much going on now to afford something even if it's that cheap lol. I'll definitely keep it in mind, possibly as soon as next month.

@cluberti, wow lol, I've reinstalled at least three times since I got this laptop a year or two ago. My laptop has some odd hardware....well, it's really only my clock speed of 1.3GHz and Intel GMA graphics. But my system requires a tad more tweaking than the new ones thesedays.

 

[johnnya]

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

 

[McDougal]

Thanks for the reply , think I'll follow everyone's advice and remove the registry cleaner and not try anything for a while.

About Cobian...it's working great! Very helpful to make sure all of my stuff is backed up, I'll continue to use it.

 

[gregrocker]

Get a perfect reinstall one last time, then save a Win7 backup image after setup so you never have to reinstall again - just reimage the HD in 20 minutes from stored image using the DVD or Repair CD.

Reinstalling Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Golden]

Hi,

To add to WHS' advice : an external USB drive is an absolute must for your images/backups.

Regards,
Golden

 

[whs]

On one laptop that we sometimes haul around and that is the last without an SSD I made a seperate 50GB imaging partition that can hold 4 images and I rotate images thru there. That will not help when the HDD crashes, but it is convenient when you are far from home and the system goes on the blink. There is also a seperate data partition so the system images are only around 11GBs.

With the SSD laptops that does, of course, not work. There I do not have 500GBs of disk space. But for laptops with reasonable size HDDs (250GB or larger) that is an alternative to protect yourself against malware and OS failures.

 

[Seventy Nine]

I thoroughly agree with those recommending you get rid of the registry cleaners. I got myself into plenty of trouble by "cleaning" the registry with CCleaner so now I just use IObit uninstaller (freeware) to clean up when uninstalling programs and leave the rest to Windows.

I'd also be wary of Defraggler. I can't be sure, but I think it may have messed up my system restore files once way back when. Ever since then I've used Auslogics Disk Defrag (freeware) and found it does a perfectly adequate job in a fraction of the time. OK so it may not be optimising the file placement but I never noticed any performance kick from that level of defragmentation anyway.

 

[McDougal]

Thanks everyone for the replies !

So basically what you're all saying is I should do one last re-install....then immediately after make an image? I think I can do that.....all my files etc. are on my data partition, so I don't need to worry about those.....all I need to worry about is my programs, which I can handle, lol. My OS partition is about 20GB.....I could easily make an image of that and store it on my other data partition. My total hard drive space is 250GB.

A quick question about Windows licenses.....from my understanding....each Windows 7 license key has a unique activation on each computer that allows you to re-install an unlimited amount of times on that specific machine? Just curious, want to make sure I don't have to obtain another license key from my subscription.....

 

[gregrocker]

A reinstall should cause no problems with reactivation. Just reinsert the key during install.

If you're wiping the HD first, you'll need to wait to activate with an Upgrade version key until after install, then do the quick registry workaround given here: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version - Windows 7 Forums

I would back up your files and image externally so they will not be lost in case of HD failure, but you can quickly reimage the replacement HD and have your current data backup. You can even link your User folders to another HD so that they are not part of the image which keeps it leaner, and your files always current in their own partition "vault." User Folders - Change Default Location - Windows 7 Forums

 

[whs]

McDougal, just a little word of caution. Before you create an additional partition for the images (as I suggested above), double check in Disk Management that you do not already have 4 primary partitions on the system. If you do have 4 primaries, a 5th partition would be fatal because all partitions would be converted into dynamics. Result is that your system does not boot any more.

If your system is an OEM installation (the OS came with the computer), there are good chances that you may have 4 primaries. Those OEM took the bad habit of installing hidden partitions that you do not see in Computer - only in Disk Management. Should you be in doubt, take a snip of your Disk Management window and post it here for us to have a look.

But if you originally installed the system from an installation disk yourself, you most likely do not have that problem.

 

[TVeblen]

To keep my rig running smoothly I do the following housecleaning. I have good intentions of doing these thing regularly, but it doesn't happen on a predictable schedule - just when I think of it / get to it.

I make backup disk images (goal: once a week, actual: more like once a month)
I clear ALL in browser cache after every session.
I run Disk Cleanup (once a week?)
I Defragment the hard disks (once a month?)
I run a full AV scan (goal: once a week, actual: more like once a month)
I run anti spyware/malware (more like once a month)
I blow out my case with compressed air (once a month? Or when I can write my initials on the grill)

If I uninstall anything I manually go through the registry and clean up the obvious stragglers. When in doubt I leave it alone.

Most of my programs and all of my user files are on different partitions than the OS. It's got a place all for itself.

That's it. Installed Dec 2009. Still going like new.

 

[McDougal]

Okay, I've successfully done one last re-install. I installed Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit, then after installing drivers/updates, refreshing WEI, and activating, I made an image of my OS partition and put that on my data partition (using the built-in imaging tool). The image is about 10-12GB. So far everything is working perfectly , and all my files are still there from my data partition.

@whs, thanks for the warning , my laptop came with an OEM installation of Win7 Home Premium. Back then, it came with an OS, DATA, and recovery partition. A while ago....I got myself a TechNet Standard subscritpion. Then, I formatted my whole drive (after backing up, of course), and started all over, creating my own OS and DATA partition.

The good news ! I've decided to purchase an external hard drive. After some quick research....I found this WD 1TB, does anyone have anything against this? Or is it a good buy?

 

[pparks1]

I don't run any of the Black Viper tweaks...I find that if you do enough tweaking the system actually slows down.

I don't run any registry cleaners or disk cleaners on any type of regular basis. They "might" be used in the event that something really bad happens, but not as a day-to-day maintenance utility.

Msconfig and disable unwanted startup applications is something that I DO.

I don't hardly ever run a defrag by hand. Windows runs it automatically in the background, that has been sufficient for me.

My recommendations are to
1). Get an external drive and image
2). install as little as possible and only what you actually need.
3). test anything and everything you can in a virtual machine.