• Set the desktop to a plain, one-color background. Big photographic wallpaper can slow load time.

• If you're not into desktop widgets along the screen's edge, or maybe prefer those from another source (like Google), turn off Windows Sidebar. It takes up space on your desktop. Go to the Windows Sidebar Properties control panel and deselect Start Sidebar when Windows starts.

• Aero is the name for the fancy graphics interface in Vista that delivers things like transparency in windows. Cool as it looks, Aero can slow down your system. In the Personalization control panel, select Windows Color and Appearance. In the next window, click Open classic appearance properties. Change the color scheme to something else, such as Windows Standard, and click Effects to turn off menu shadows and the ability to see windows as you drag them.

• Go to the System control panel, click System Protection, and on the Advanced tab, click the button in the Performance box. If you turn off every option under Visual Effects (like animated controls, fading menus, and shadows under your mouse cursor), it should speed things up.

• The network icon in the system tray shows a subtle animation to indicate you're online; right-click and select "Turn off activity animation" to stop it—unless you like incessant reminders that you're online.

• If you've got a very fast USB thumb drive, insert it and activate Windows ReadyBoost. This cache can help a bit with performance while the drive is inserted.

• Adjust the power settings, especially if you've got a laptop that is unplugged while in use. The "high performance" pre-sets will drain juice faster.