Reinstall Windows Vista for better performance

Digital Studio | Guides | 20/11/2009 10:36am
One Comment

Every version of Windows delivers more new features than the last, and normally this is a very good thing. But occasionally, you might like something simpler. If you want to install Windows Vista on a cheap laptop, for instance, then you’ll probably want to cut the number of features to a minimum, and save all the hard drive space and memory that you can. And there’s no better tool to help you do this than vLite (www.vlite.net).

Did you know that speech support in Windows Vista requires 450MB of hard drive space, for example? VLite can build you a Windows Vista installation disc that leaves it out. You can also strip out games (187MB), languages other than yours (more than 1GB), music and video samples (403MB), Movie and DVD Maker (180MB), and a whole lot more.

EASY REINSTALL Don’t go hunting for driver discs – install them on your custom DVD

It’s not just about hard drive space, though. You can also remove Windows components that consume resources and slow you down. Unwanted services, drivers and more can all be left out, helping you create a lightweight, faster operating system. And having fewer components running means fewer opportunities for hackers and malware to exploit, so you’ll be more secure, too.

Sounds good, right? But be careful – there are some potential problems you’ll need to consider before you start.

Complications

The first issue is that vLite can’t remove features from an existing version of Windows. Instead it builds a new Windows DVD for you, which you must then install. VLite also needs access to a real Windows Vista DVD, so if you only have recovery discs it’s unlikely to work.

Perhaps the most fundamental issue is the potential consequences of removing a Windows component. If you always use Firefox, for example, then you might think it’s safe to get rid of Internet Explorer. But many applications rely on IE to work properly, and if it’s not there then they’ll break in a variety of ways.

There’s also the possibility that a future Windows update will fail because you’ve removed a key component, which is one of the reasons Microsoft says that using vLite is not a good idea.

If you’re going to try the program, then, understand that there may be trial and error involved. You might have to create a custom Windows installation disc two, three, four times, perhaps more, before you iron out the problems.

SAVE SPACE Removing printer drivers alone will save you more than 750MB of hard drive space

If you want to minimise any issues, concentrate on removing components that are unlikely to cause trouble. Dumping the games, for example, should be safe. The music and video samples, sample pictures, screensavers and more can all be removed with little chance of affecting anything else.

You can also do a bit of research to see what other people have to say. Black Viper (www.blackviper.com) has a lengthy list of Windows services and highlights those that can safely be disabled (or removed entirely). Most importantly, read the vLite help, within the program and at www.vlite.net/help. Hover the mouse over any component and the program will tell you what it does, so browse carefully, leave anything you’re not sure of, and your custom Windows Vista installation is far more likely to run smoothly.

Getting started with vLite

Build your own custom version of Windows Vista in under an hour

1 COPY IT Launch vLite, click Browse and point it to the drive containing your Windows DVD. Choose a blank folder to hold the system files and wait as they’re copied across. Then select the Windows Vista edition you’ve purchased and click OK.

2 PICK & CHOOSE Click Components and check the features you want to use in the compatibility window. We recommend adding System Restore to the selection – it uses a lot of resources, but helps you recover from many PC disasters.

3 CUT IT OUT Browse the Components tree and check elements you’d like to remove. Most Accessories can probably go, TV Tuner drivers if you don’t need them and the Windows Firewall if you use something else to protect your PC.

4 SAVE TIME Click Unattended, clear the Skip product key box and enter your Windows product key. Enter your name and computer name, too, and this disc won’t then need to prompt you for these details during the installation process.

5 BURN A DISC Click Apply, choose Rebuild One, click OK and vLite will create an ISO image of an installation DVD. When it’s finished, use your disc burning software to burn this to a DVD, and it’s then ready to be installed on your PC.

Add your own custom drivers

Save time and cut set-up hassles by including drivers and tweaks on your disc

Installing Windows is usually just the first part of setting up your PC. You’ll also need to install the latest drivers, and configure various Windows settings to your tastes before the system is back in working order. But it doesn’t have to be this way. VLite can add drivers and Windows tweaks to your custom set-up disc, and they’ll all be installed automatically.

The process starts by backing up your drivers, which the excellent DriverMax (http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax) can do for free. Just launch the program, click Driver Operations > Export Drivers > Next. Check the drivers for any hardware that you’ve installed or updated, like your graphics card, and click Next again. Finally choose a folder to save the drivers, click Next and they’ll be backed up.

Now choose the Integration button in vLite, click the Drivers tab and check Enable. Click Insert, choose Multiple Driver Folder from the list then select the folder where you saved your drivers. Click Select > All to choose all the dri
vers, click OK and they’ll be integrated into your custom Windows Vista disc.

Next, take a moment to think about your initial Windows settings. Do you always turn User Account Control off after installing Windows Vista, for instance? Then tell Explorer to display file extensions and show hidden files and folders? There’s a quicker way. Click Tweaks > Security, set UAC to Disabled, and after installation it’ll be turned off by default. Click Explorer to confi gure file and folder displays, and browse the menus to discover the other tweaks available.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 10:36 am and is filed under Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.