Articles in Category: Windows Performance

Defraggler, in progress

Defragging in Windows 7 (and later)

Disk fragmentation can adversely impact overall system performance. Defragmenting your hard disk periodically can help. Even better, Windows may already be doing it for you.

Memory Usage

Why is Windows using more memory over time?

It’s best not to read too much into available memory. Windows memory management is the stuff of nightmares even for the people who understand it. For the rest of us, it’s just magic.

Why Is My Computer’s Fan Coming On?

You’ve checked for dust, but the computer is still running hot. I’ll point you in the direction of a few more things that could be causing this heat wave… including a heat wave itself.

Rotten Orange

Does an Unstable System Imply a Hardware Problem?

System instability is often the result of what we call “software rot.” It can be the result of installing and uninstalling lots of programs – and the cure isn’t easy.

What Is Pagefile.sys and Can I Move It?

If you’ve added a hard drive to your system you can move pagefile.sys to free up space on your original drive and speed up your system.

How Do I Fix this High CPU Usage Svchost Virus or Whatever It Is?

Many people are experiencing high CPU usage, often 100%, in svchost. Svchost is not a virus, but many people think it acts like one.

Hard Disk

Can I adjust some master NTFS table size to handle large number of files better?

The Master File Table is used by the NTFS file system to track how files are laid out on disk. The layout of the MFT itself can impact performance.