How often do you use the Search function built into Windows? If you just said, "WHAT Search function?" then I bet you can speed up your computer a little!

Improve XP and Vista performance by turning off Indexing

One of the first things I check on a customer's computer that is running slow is how much RAM the computer has. The next place I look, especially if there isn't much RAM, is at Indexing.

Windows XP and Vista want to keep track of all the files on your computer all the time, in case you need to search for one. Indexing just helps Windows retrieve a file faster when you have to use Windows to search for it. By "search" I don't mean use Google or some other search engine to look for something on the Internet. I mean using the built-in Windows search function to find a file on your computer. If you don't do that very often (or if you didn't even know Windows had a built in search function), or you are using Copernic (http://www.copernic.com/)or Google Desktop Search (http://desktop.google.com/), then you can safely turn off Indexing, and improve your computer's performance.

You will still be able to use the search function in Windows it will just take a little longer to find things. Your ability "to Google" will not be affected.

To turn off indexing in XP:

Double-click on My Computer

Right-click on your hard drive (usually "C:")

Click on Properties

Uncheck the box at the bottom that reads "Allow Indexing Service to..."

OK your way out

It will take Windows a few minutes to make the change, and you will see a progress bar as this happens. If you receive a message that says a file can't be accessed, simply say "Yes to all" and Windows will skip everything that is in use. That's not going to be a problem for you.

While you're in there, you can uncheck the box for "Compress drive to save disk space." There are many good, extremely technical explanations of why it's not a good idea to leave that checked, for instance in this forum:

Does compress drive save space help

But the simplest explanation is this one: "Compressing files to save space is a little like emptying the ash trays to save weight in the automobile." I'd love to tell you who said that, but the post is Anonymous.

If you have more than one hard drive in your computer, you can repeat those steps for each drive, or you might want to just disable the service.

To disable the indexing service in XP:

Click Start Run

Type "services.msc" (without the quotation marks)

Press Enter

Scroll-down to "Indexing Service" and double-click it.

If the service status is "Started", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button.

To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled."

OK your way out

The same general principle applies to Vista, but the instructions are a little different. You can turn Indexing off completely, and disable the service in Vista as in XP, but you can also turn it off selectively. So if you often search your Documents, but rarely search anything else, you can tell Indexing just to index your Documents.

Again, you can still use the built in search whenever you want it, but you might find it a little slower. What you gain is that all the rest of the time, everything is a little bit faster, and your hard drive isn't thrashing.

To turn off indexing totally or selectively in Vista:

Click on Start Control Panel System and Maintenance Indexing Options

Click on Modify

OK your way out

To disable the indexing service in Vista:

Click on Start Control Panel Services

Scroll down to Windows Search and double-click it.

If the service status is "Started", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button.

To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled."

OK your way out

Turning off Indexing will help speed up a slow computer...a little bit.

There are common causes for computer sluggishness, as discussed here(http://rlis.com/columns/column156.htm), here (http://rlis.com/columns/column157.htm), and here (http://rlis.com/columns/column158.htm). Assuming you have a malware-free computer with an optimized startup routine, the single thing you can do to have the most impact is install more RAM. See this column (http://rlis.com/columns/column171.htm) about why RAM is our friend!

Do you need help with your computer? With your printer/camera/music player? Do you have a new computer and now you're wondering how to get the files from the old one over to the new one? Do you need spyware/malware/virus removal? I'm here to help you and your computer get along! To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a visit, email cate@rlis.com.

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