Fast Windows Fixes

Stifle Shadow Copies' Wastefulness

Problem: Vista is saving my data, but won't let me recover it.

Fast Fix: Vista's Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions include Shadow Copies (or Previous Versions), which lets you recover a file's older version. Vista Home Basic and Home Premium lack this feature but save the data anyway, wasting CPU cycles and disk space. To stop the waste, put all of your documents and other files on a drive or partition other than your Windows disk. Then click Start, type SystemPropertiesProtection, and press Enter. In the list of disks, uncheck the one that contains personal data. Click Turn System Protection Off when prompted, and click OK to close System Properties. Note that having your data on a separate partition also speeds up backups by allowing you to copy only your own files rather than your programs, which change much less frequently and thus need fewer backups.

Use Windows' Own Speed Tweakers

Problem: My computer is relatively new, but it's not nearly fast enough.

Fast Fix: Use the performance tools built into Windows to maximize memory, disk space, and other resources. See "Shift Any Version of Windows Into High Gear" for a handy guide to these utilities.