Windows tuning has become very popular among Windows users, but most users just follow the instructions found on the Internet or tune books, they don’t have the utilities to research and identify effective tuning techniques. In this article, I will show you 3 types of must-have tools for a serious Windows tuner.
Type #1 – Virtual Machine.
There are 2 very famous virtual machines that I know of: Microsoft Virtual PC and VMWare. Microsoft Virtual Machine is free, while VMWare provides more compatibility with other operating systems for a fee.
The concept of Virtual Machine is to create a «Virtual PC» on your Windows. Once created, they will boot up like a real computer, requiring you to reinstall the operating system! If you are using VMWare, you can install Linux, Apple, and other operating systems. Microsoft Virtual PC is limited to the Windows operating system.
Type #2: Hard drive imaging software.
Without this software, you won’t get anywhere far enough to determine the actual tuning result.
Hard drive imaging software will take a snapshot of your current hard drive, absolutely everything including files, programs, and registry settings! You can restore your Windows state to the point you backed up in 10 minutes, depending on the size of your hard drive image. Although Windows XP and Vista provided the system restore function, but it is limited to the registry only, the actual files and programs will not be reverted.
2 of the very famous brands are:
to) Paragon Drive Backup – Cheap but nice solution, neat interface, very fast backup and restore speed and fully compatible with Vista.
b) Acronis True Image – Best imaging software, I’ve tried it with Vista and it’s not fully compatible in some situations, future version should solve the problem and it’s a bit expensive.
Type #3 – Touch-up book.
There are many tuning websites and tools, but not many tuning books. You may want to try the «Unleash Vista Power Advance Guide». Another good extreme tech book is «Hacking Windows Vista,» a more general book about the advanced features of Windows Vista.
Remember to prepare your tools before getting in tune, save time and effort, do things right from the first step.
