1. Slow Start Up
2. Slow Loading Start Menu
3. Slow Right Click Context Menu
4. Slow Send To Menu
5. Slow Defragmentation
6. Slow loading My Computer Window
7. Slow loading Add or Remove Programs Applet
8. Slow Ending of Unresponsive Programs
9. Disable Animations and Appearance Overhauls to maximize performance

10. Additional Tips:

• Always keep your computer clean.
• Don’t keep installing software.
• Keep as less programs as possible running on the System Tray.
  

via  makeuseof

First Do Essential Housekeeping

• Run up-to-date anti-virus
• Run up-to-date anti-spyware (preferably two or more)
• Empty “temp” files
• Empty Recycle Bin
• Run chkdsk and disk defragmenter
• Back up your system

Make your computer start faster

• The boot process involving the BIOS
• About Bootvis.exe
• Loading Windows
• Drivers and hardware
• Networking tweaks

Limiting the programs and services that start up

Making the system run better

• Controlling what starts up

via vlaurie

1. Download Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program, Adaware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. Microsoft's program can be downloaded at Microsoft Windows Defender.

2. Install Microsoft's anti-spyware program now, but not the other two.
3. Run MSconfig.
4. Boot into Safe Mode.
5. Delete any spyware programs from your add/remove. To do this, select Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. Check all unknown programs against SpywareGuide.com.
6. Locate the temp folder in your computer and delete everything in the folder.
7. Still in Safe Mode, install Adaware and Spybot. Run Adaware, Microsoft's anti-spyware and Spybot.
8. Reboot into standard Windows mode.
9. Download HijackThis. You can get this program here Merijn.org.
10. Post the logfile in the Automated Log Analyzer at HijackThis.
11. After determining what's safe and isn't, check appropriate boxes and click Fix Checked.
12. Run the Microsoft Anti-Malicious program, which you can download at the Microsoft Download Center.
13. Download and run BLBeta Expert.
14. For Internet Explorer, click Tools> Internet Options> Security Tab.
15. For Firefox, type about:config in the address bar. Right click in the window and click New and Integer. In the first box, type privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins. In the second box, type 2. This will prevent Flash popups in Firefox.
16. Open Regedit by clicking Start>Run and type in regedit.
17. Once Regedit is open, click the plus symbol next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, the plus symbol next to Control Panel, and then click the Desktop folder icon to display its contents.
18. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCURRENTCONTROLSETCONTROLFILESYSTEM. Right-click Filesystem, select New, and DWORD Value.
19. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONEXPLORER. Create a new DWORD Value called DesktopProcess, and set its Value Data to 1.
20. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop.
21. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand SOFTWARE, expand Microsoft, expand Windows, and expand CurrentVersion.
22. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop.
23. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand System, expand CurrentControlSet, and click Control.
24. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, click Desktop, and double-click the MenuShowDelay string in the right-hand pane.
25. Close regedit.
26. Set Recycle Bin to 1-3 percent of the hard drive space.
27. To ensure DMA is in use, click Start, right-click My Computer, click Properties, select the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager.

via howtodothings