Registry of a computer acts just like a warehouse. This warehouse gathers numerous files and applications of the system. It includes files for software and hardware configurations—be it device drivers or kernel settings or any setting that you can think of.
Too much of cluttering of the registry over a period of time, slows down the system. Of course, you can make changes to the registry, to get your system up. However, do remember a fact that it is not easy to handle registry without a proper knowledge. Any wrong change in it may end up in a big mess, so it is better not to take any chance and take a backup, before tweaking it.
To speed up the system, here are few tips that you can follow:
Change in the speed of Menu
To open a file or folder from within the ‘Start’ menu could be annoying, as it may take too long to open. Make it better by changing a line in the registry file, and increase the speed to access the folders from the menu.
Type ‘run’ in the search box and type ‘regedit’ in the window that opens up in front of you. This will open up the registry editor window. Once it is open, go to the registry key:
‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\MenuShowDelay’
You will come across a value that is 400 viz. 0.4 seconds. To speed up the menu, you can make it 200 and you will see the change in speed, while accessing the menu.
Load the kernel into Ram
If your system has RAM more than 256 MB, then you give a try of loading the kernel into the RAM, instead of the swap file. To do this, go to the registry editor window and:
You need to navigate to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePaging Executive’ registry key.
You will be able to view a value, once you’re there. Change that value to 1 and restart your system. You can notice a boost in the speed of the system.
Alter the NTFS settings
‘8.3’ is a naming convention in NTFS hard drives that is usually, used by 16-bit programs. Cases are rare that users use 16-bit programs, but this naming convention sits in the file system and reduces the speed of your system. So, it is better that this convention is disabled.
To disable it, use the registry editor window and navigate to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation’ key. Change the value of ‘DWORD’ key to 1. Restart your system for the changes to be effective.
These simple tweaks in the registry will speed up your system. Do not worry, if anything goes wrong as you have the registry backup with you.
Enjoy computing!
