Increase speed under Windows 8: Eight performance tips

A few clicks: Increase the speed under Windwos 8 by deleting useless files. Picture: Win 8 settings (screenshot)

Optimize speed under Windows 8: Although the eighth version of Windows is already faster than Windows 7 in the out-of-the-box configuration, you can do even better: with tips and tricks to make your PC perform even faster.

Disposing of system legacy

If you have upgraded from Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 to Windows 8, your PC still has data remnants of the old system on the hard drive.
The most effective way to remove these is to search for the setting “Free up storage space by deleting non-essential files” in the Start screen. In the search result, you will find the entry “Previous system installation(s)”. Check the box there, then click “Clean system files” – that’s it: On average, about 4 GB of storage space has been freed up like that.

Activate quick start function, update graphics drivers to the latest version

Additionally, it makes sense to check the quick start feature: The check box should be set to “Enable quick start (recommended).” You can find this feature under the energy options. For graphics drivers, the driver version should be checked: Nvidia and AMD GPUs have been compatible with Windows 8 since several versions ago. Therefore, they should be updated if they haven’t already been updated.

Clean up autostart, deactivate lockscreen

To ensure that Windows 8 boots up as quickly as possible, it is also advisable in terms of performance to check whether the autostart entries are really all necessary. You can find them in the Task Manager under the "Autostart" tab. Programs that do not need to start automatically can be deactivated here by right-clicking. And since a PC doesn't actually need a lock screen, you can simply deactivate it. This is how it works: Search for "gpedit.msc", then navigate to "Customization" via "Computer Configuration", "Administrative Templates" and "Control Panel". Double-click on the entry "Do not show lock screen" to activate it.

Speed online: Check Internet connection

Of course, the speed of the internet connection is important for overall work performance. If the connection is only slow, fluctuating, or no longer responding at all, it’s time to check it once. Windows 8.1 offers a so-called network problem resolution tool for this purpose. You can learn how to activate it here.

The type of internet connection is also crucial for the speed of the data flow, apart from the operating system. In general, it can be said that fiber optic cables allow for a faster data throughput than DSL networks. For those who would like to see the difference in speed for themselves, they can take a look at a simulation of downloads of various media using various cable and DSL connections here.

Download cool tuning tool

The “Ultimate Windows Tweaker” is an extremely useful tuning tool for Windows 8. With it, over 100 tuning settings are available that make using Windows 8 and 8.1 even smoother. Here you get a veritable control center that allows access to 170 functions – as a freeware. To download it, click here.

Picture above: Win 8 settings (screenshot)