Hands on: Boost performance for Vista

Vista introduced a number of performance-enhancing technologies, some of which have caused quite a bit of user frustration.

If you get annoyed by heavy disk access, for instance, then Vista’s default configuration could drive you to distraction.

If you also expect plenty of memory available when not running many applications, then Vista could cause some heartache. In this month’s Hardware column, we’ll explain why this happens and what you can do to reduce disk chatter.

Anticipation
Many of Vista’s enhancements involve the operating system doing a better job of anticipating what you’re going to do next and preparing for it. For example, if you regularly launch the same applications in the same order, why not anticipate this by caching the required files for quicker access?

Consequently, should you then make that predicted double-click, Vista will already have done much of the hard work involved in launching the program and will be much quicker than normal. If you end up doing something unexpected, though, Vista can flush the cache and make it available for other files as required.

This anticipation and caching process is behind many of Vista’s new technologies, and they really can boost general operation, but with two caveats: first, the cache needs to be populated at startup; second, this data needs to be stored somewhere. So, much of that heavy disk access when you first start Vista is the operating system caching commonly used files for quicker access later.

This, in turn, is responsible for Task Manager’s initially worrying report that you appear to be running out of Ram even with few or no applications running.

During Vista’s startup, this constant disk access can be frustrating. In our tests with Vista using its default configuration, we found the performance to be so sluggish during the first few minutes following startup that it’s often best to forget about launching anything else.

Once Vista’s settled down, though, there is a marked improvement in application launch times. And while it can be disconcerting to discover you only have a few megabytes of Ram which are genuinely free, surely it’s better that the operating system is actually using this precious resource to enhance overall performance rather than leaving it idle. So, although the period following Vista’s startup can be frustrating, general users are better off reaping the benefits of quicker response later than looking for a way to reduce the initial disk chatter.

But what if you do need a system that’s responsive (or quiet) as soon after startup as possible? Or perhaps you’re using a laptop where all this disk activity is consuming precious battery life? Luckily, Vista includes several options for adjusting or disabling various technologies, which can have the effect of minimising disk access following startup.

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