Aero tweaks, even if you don't use Aero.

Whether or not you use Aero, there are still a few things you can do to get some more speed. You can disable some of the graphics effects that can look nice, but really don’t add much. Here’s how:

• Open Control Panel.
• Choose “Performance and System Tools.”
• Click “Adjust visual effects.”
• You can now either choose “Adjust for best performance,” or you can choose Custom and pick the effects you want to keep.

Suggestion: Keep “Smooth edges of screen fonts” and “Use visual styles on windows and buttons” or the result might look awful. Everything else is up to you.

Finally, while Vista’s sidebar can be a cool thing — let’s face it, that clock is kind of nice — it’s also a resource hog. It slows your computer. Disable it.

• Right-click on the Sidebar (or, if it’s not visible, choose “Windows Sidebar Properties” from the Control Panel).
• Uncheck “Start Sidebar when Windows starts.”
• Click OK.
• If the Sidebar is currently open, right-click on it and choose Close Sidebar.