BOOTRACER AND AUTORUNS
Wise Game Booster (for on-the-fly optimization) Process Lasso (to rein in resource hogs)
DOES YOUR PC take longer to boot than it used to? In most cases, you can trace this to the growing number of apps on your system, thanks to their tendency to insert themselves into the start-up process even when they’re not essential. What about other parts of your system? Does your PC suddenly struggle to play certain games, or have you started to notice things grinding to a temporary halt every now and then for no obvious reason?
If the answer to any of these frustrations is yes, it sounds as though Windows needs streamlining to eliminate the resource hogs and divert precious system resources to where they’re most needed. In this issue, we’ll focus on eliminating those bottlenecks and reveal ways in which you can keep unruly processes from disrupting your computing life.
We’ll benchmark your current start-up times and reveal how to cut back on the programs that load with Windows (spoiler—only a few should start with your OS), then reveal the various ways in which you can keep your PC running smoothly, from freeing up system resources when you need an extra bit of oomph to ensuring errant processes are kept in check.
1 UNDERSTAND WINDOWS STARTUP
No, you’re not imagining things—your PC really
