Welcome to a new section on My Gadget Game & Gizmo Obsession, known as Help Desk Corner. The idea just popped in my head this morning (which means I likely saw it somewhere else and have inadvertently stolen it.) This new section will contain helpful quick tips that you’d typically get from a support call to a help desk.

Today, we will kick things off with bringing speed and performance back to your Windows PC.  If you had your PC (Windows ME, XP, Vista, etc) for a few years, chances are that it doesn’t run as fast as it did when you first got it. I’m going to show a few quick steps (with a reboot) that may help get a little spring back in your PC’s step. There’s nothing incredibly invasive with these steps, though I’ll throw out a disclaimer here. THIS TIP COMES WITH NO WARRANTY AND NO OBLIGATION FROM WWW.MYGGGO.COM. FOLLOW THIS TIP AT YOUR OWN RISK.

With that disclaimer, I have done this step on several of my computers, and have either seen some improvement, great improvement, or just about the same as before.  I have not seen any adverse affects.

To do this you should have administrator rights to your computer.  If you are using your PC at home, or in a small office environment, you likely are already running with admin rights.  If you are in a large network, your system administrator (or help desk) may have to grant you admin rights.  Try the steps below, and if they don’t work…you don’t have the necessary rights.

1. Using MSCONFIG to remove unneeded startup applications. This may speed up your PC’s start up time.
   1. Click the Start button (on the lower-left of your Windows Taskbar).
   2. Choose “Run”. This will bring up the Run dialog box.
   3. In the Run dialog box, type msconfig and click OK. This will bring up System Configuration Utility with 7 tabs.
   4. Click the Startup tab. The Startup tab contains checkboxes to all the applications that automatically start when you turn your computer on.  Many everyday apps like iTunes, Adobe Reader, Skype, and Google automatically add themselves to Startup when you install them. They are started automatically, so when you want to run them, they open quickly.
   5. Scroll through the checked items in the Startup tab.
   6. Uncheck any application that you recognize and do not need running when your computer starts. Some suggested applications are listed below:
      1. QTTASK – QuickTime
      2. AdobeARM – Adobe
      3. Reader_sl – Adobe Reader
      4. RIMAutoUpdate – BlackBerry Desktop Auto Update Application
      5. iTunesHelper – iTunes quick launch application
      6. RoxWatchTray9 – Roxio CD/DVD burning quick launcher
      7. Skype – Skype quick launcher
      8. GoogleToolbarNotifier – Google browser, desktop, or other app quick launcher
      9. hqtray – VMWare quick launcher
   7. Click Apply to save your changes.

1. Using MSCONFIG to remove unneeded services. This may speed up your PC, in general.
   1. In System Configuration Utility, click the Services tab.
   2. First, check the box at the bottom that says “Hide All Microsoft Services”. This will ensure you do not disable any critical services.
   3. Scroll through the remaining checked items in the Services tab.
   4. Uncheck any service that you recognize and do not need running. Some suggested applications are listed below:
      TIP: If you see a service that you do not recognize and question what it is, search Google for the name to determine what it is and what it is used for.
      1. Google Update Service
      2. Google Software Updater
      3. iPod Service
      4. Roxio UPnP Renderer 9
      5. Roxio Upnp Server 9
      6. RoxMediaDB9
      7. Roxio Hard Drive Watcher 9
   5. Click Apply to save your changes.
2. After you have completed removing Startup applications and Services from System Configuration Utility, click Close to close the dialog box. This will prompt a a Restart.
3. Click Restart. Your PC will shutdown and reboot. After the system restarts and you log in, you will be prompted with a dialog box informing you about the changes you made in MSCONFIG.
4. Check the only checkbox in the dialog box, otherwise it will bring up the message everytime you reboot until you do check the box.

That is it.  Hopefully, you have seen some improvement in your PC’s startup time.  Also, hopefully you will notice some overall performance improvements in your system.  The above steps most benefit older computers that have limited memory (RAM and disk space).

If this helped, didn’t help, or you have other suggestions for future Help Desk Corners let us know in comments.