LEFA

Use the OS's own tools to maximize your PC's performance without spending a dime.
In previous versions of Windows, tweaking settings to get the fastest system possible used to require bouncing from one arcane dialog box to the next. Though Vista makes most system information easier to find, many of the tools that will put your PC into overdrive remain buried. Here's a guide to Windows' built-in performance tools.

A new Control Panel applet in Vista collects your favorite (and not so favorite) tools for analyzing and revving up your system: Click Start, Control Panel, System and Maintenance, Performance Information and Tools, and click the links on the left to access the tools you need (see the image at right). Be sure not to neglect the various options that lurk behind the 'Advanced tools' link.

Note: Few of these tools are new to Vista--XP users can access most of them by following the steps listed in the chart below.


1Windows XP and 2000 have no equivalents for Vista's System Health Report or Ready Boost.

(Source:PCWORLD.COM)