Check your device performance and health in Windows Security

To help you keep your device secure, Windows Security monitors your device for security issues and provides a health report, which appears on the Device performance & health page. The Health report alerts you to common issues in four key areas and offers recommendations to remedy them.

For more info on Windows Security see Stay protected with Windows Security.

View the Health report for your device in Windows Security

In the search box on the taskbar, type Windows Security, and then select it from the results.

Select Device performance & health to view the Health report.

Note: If your device is part of an organization, your administrator may not have granted you permission to view Device performance & health.

The Health report starts off by showing you the last time a Device Health scan was run. The time displayed should be basically the current time, as Windows Security tries to run a Device Health scan when you open the Device performance & health page.

Beyond the time of last scan you’ll see the status of the key areas that Device Health monitors:

Storage capacity — Is your system running low on disk space?

Apps and software — Is any of your software failing, or in need of an update?

Battery life — Is anything putting an extra strain on your PC’s battery? You might not see this on on a desktop PC that is always plugged in.

Windows Time service — Having your system set to the correct time is important for a lot of system processes. Windows Time service automatically synchronizes your system clock to an internet-based time service so your system time is always correct. If this service is off, or failing, Device performance & health will let you know so you can fix it.

What if the Health report says there are problems?

A green check means everything is fine, but if you see a yellow mark that means something needs attention. Click the item to see what recommendations Device Health has for you.

For help resolving performance issues on your Windows 10 PC, see Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10.

For help freeing up space on your device, see Free up drive space in Windows 10.

Make sure you have the latest updates installed by checking Windows Update. See Windows Update: FAQ.

If all else fails it may be helpful to use Fresh Start to do a clean installation of Windows. Fresh Start can usually preserve your data, but it’s always a good idea to have tested backups of your data. For more information on Fresh Start see Give your PC a Fresh Start.

Optimize Windows for better performance

Here are some tips to help you optimize Windows 7 for faster performance.

Try the Performance troubleshooter

The first thing that you can try is the Performance troubleshooter, which can automatically find and fix problems. The Performance troubleshooter checks issues that might slow down your computer’s performance, such as how many users are currently logged on to the computer and whether multiple programs are running at the same time.

Open the Performance troubleshooter by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under System and Security, click Check for performance issues.

Delete programs you never use

Many PC manufacturers pack new computers with programs you didn’t order and might not want. These often include trial editions and limited-edition versions of programs that software companies hope you’ll try, find useful, and then pay to upgrade to full versions or newer versions. If you decide you don’t want them, keeping the software on your computer might slow it down by using precious memory, disk space, and processing power.

It’s a good idea to uninstall all the programs you don’t plan to use. This should include both manufacturer-installed software and software you installed yourself but don’t want any more—especially utility programs designed to help manage and tune your computer’s hardware and software. Utility programs such as virus scanners, disk cleaners, and backup tools often run automatically at startup, quietly chugging along in the background where you can’t see them. Many people have no idea they’re even running.

Even if your PC is older, it might contain manufacturer-installed programs that you never noticed or have since forgotten about. It’s never too late to remove these and get rid of the clutter and wasted system resources. Maybe you thought you might use the software someday, but never did. Uninstall it and see if your PC runs faster.

Limit how many programs run at startup

Many programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts. Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the background, where you can’t see them running, so they’ll open right away when you click their icons. That’s helpful for programs you use a lot, but for programs you rarely or never use, this wastes precious memory and slows down the time it takes Windows to finish starting up.

Decide for yourself if you want a program to run at startup.

But how can you tell what programs run automatically at startup? Sometimes this is obvious, because the program adds an icon to the notification area on the taskbar, where you can see it running. Look there to see if there are any programs running that you don’t want to start automatically. Point to each icon to see the program name. Be sure to click the Show hidden icons button so you don’t miss any icons.

Even after you check the notification area, you might still miss some programs that run automatically at startup. AutoRuns for Windows, a free tool that you can download from the Microsoft website, shows you all of the programs and processes that run when you start Windows. You can stop a program from running automatically when Windows starts by opening the AutoRuns for Windows program, and then by clearing the check box next to the name of the program you want to stop. AutoRuns for Windows is designed for advanced users.

Defragment your hard disk

Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.

Clean up your hard disk

Unnecessary files on your hard disk take up disk space and can slow down your computer. Disk Cleanup removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.

Run fewer programs at the same time

Sometimes changing your computing behavior can have a big impact on your PC’s performance. If you’re the type of computer user who likes to keep eight programs and a dozen browser windows open at once—all while sending instant messages to your friends—don’t be surprised if your PC bogs down. Keeping a lot of e‑mail messages open can also use up memory.

If you find your PC slowing down, ask yourself if you really need to keep all your programs and windows open at once. Find a better way to remind yourself to reply to e‑mail messages rather than keeping all of them open.

Make sure you’re only running one antivirus program. Running more than one antivirus program can also slow down your computer. Fortunately, if you’re running more than one antivirus program, Action Center notifies you and can help you fix the problem.

Turn off visual effects

If Windows is running slowly, you can speed it up by disabling some of its visual effects. It comes down to appearance versus performance. Would you rather have Windows run faster or look prettier? If your PC is fast enough, you don’t have to make this tradeoff, but if your computer is just barely powerful enough for Windows 7, it can be useful to scale back on the visual bells and whistles.

You can choose which visual effects to turn off, one by one, or you can let Windows choose for you. There are 20 visual effects you can control, such as the transparent glass look, the way menus open or close, and whether shadows are displayed.

To adjust all visual effects for best performance:

Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools.

Click Adjust visual effects. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click the Visual Effects tab, click Adjust for best performance, and then click OK. (For a less drastic option, select Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer.)

Restart regularly

This tip is simple. Restart your PC at least once a week, especially if you use it a lot. Restarting a PC is a good way to clear out its memory and ensure that any errant processes and services that started running get shut down.

Restarting closes all the software running on your PC—not only the programs you see running on the taskbar, but also dozens of services that might have been started by various programs and never stopped. Restarting can fix mysterious performance problems when the exact cause is hard to pinpoint.

If you keep so many programs, e‑mail messages, and websites open that you think restarting is a hassle, that’s probably a sign you should restart your PC. The more things you have open and the longer you keep them running, the greater the chances your PC will bog down and eventually run low on memory.

Add more memory

This isn’t a guide to buying hardware that will speed up your computer. But no discussion of how to make Windows run faster would be complete without mentioning that you should consider adding more random access memory (RAM) to your PC.

If a computer running Windows 7 seems too slow, it’s usually because the PC doesn’t have enough RAM. The best way to speed it up is to add more.

Windows 7 can run on a PC with 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM, but it runs better with 2 GB. For optimal performance, boost that to 3 GB or more.

Another option is to boost the amount of memory by using Windows‌ ReadyBoost. This feature allows you to use the storage space on some removable media devices, such as USB flash drives, to speed up your computer. It’s easier to plug a flash drive into a USB port than to open your PC case and plug memory modules into its motherboard.

Check for viruses and spyware

If your PC is running slowly, it’s possible that it’s infected with a virus or spyware. This is not as common as the other problems, but it’s something to consider. Before you worry too much, check your PC using antispyware and antivirus programs.

A common symptom of a virus is a much slower-than-normal computer performance. Other signs include unexpected messages that pop up on your PC, programs that start automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.

Spyware is a type of program that’s installed, usually without your knowledge, to watch your activity on the Internet. You can check for spyware with Windows Defender or other antispyware programs.

The best way to deal with viruses is to prevent them in the first place. Always run antivirus software and keep it up to date. Even if you take such precautions, however, it’s possible for your PC to become infected.

Check your computer’s speed

If you try these tips and your computer is still too slow, you might need a new PC or some hardware upgrades, such as a new hard disk or faster video card. There’s no need to guess the speed of your computer, however. Windows provides a way to check and rate your PC’s speed with a tool called the Windows Experience Index.

The Windows Experience Index rates your computer on five key components and gives you a number for each, as well as an overall base score. This base score is only as good as your worst-performing component subscore. Base scores currently range from 1 to 7.9. If your PC is rated lower than 2 or 3, it might be time to consider a new PC, depending on what tasks you want to do with your computer.

Change the size of virtual memory

If you receive warnings that your virtual memory is low, you’ll need to increase the minimum size of your paging file. Windows sets the initial minimum size of the paging file equal to the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer, and the maximum size equal to three times the amount of RAM installed on your computer. If you see warnings at these recommended levels, then increase the minimum and maximum sizes.

Open System by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.

In the left pane, click Advanced system settings . If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.

Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.

Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.

Click Custom size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.

Note: Increases in size usually don’t require a restart for the changes to take effect, but if you decrease the size, you’ll need to restart your computer. We recommend that you don’t disable or delete the paging file.

Manually rebuild performance counters for Windows Server 2008 64 bit or Windows Server 2008 R2 systems

This article helps solve an issue where some performance counter libraries become corrupted and need to be rebuilt.

Original product version: В Windows Server 2012 R2
Original KB number: В 2554336

Symptoms

When you use the Performance Monitor tool, some counters may be missing or don’t contain counter data. The performance counter libraries may become corrupted and need to be rebuilt.

You may see the following errors in the application log:

Cause

This behavior may occur if certain extensible counters corrupt the registry, or if Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)-based programs modify the registry.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use the following methods.

Ensure that the counters aren’t disabled in the registry

The counters may be disabled via registry settings. Check the following registry locations to ensure that the counters haven’t been disabled:

%servicename% represents any service with a performance counter. For example: PerfDisk, PerfOS, etc.

There may be registry keys for DisablePerformanceCounters in any of these locations. As per the article Disable Performance Counters, this value should be set to 0. If the value is anything other than 0 the counter may be disabled.

• A value of 1 means the counter is disabled.
• A value of 2 means the 32-bit counter is disabled.
• A value of 4 means the 64-bit counter is disabled.

Rebuild all performance counters including extensible and third-party counters

To rebuild all performance counters including extensible and third-party counters, type the following commands at an Administrative command prompt. Press ENTER after each command.

Rebuild the counters:

Resync the counters with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI):

Stop and restart the Performance Logs and Alerts service.

Stop and restart the Windows Management Instrumentation service.

Create a new Data Collector Set (don’t use an existing Data Collector Set).

Sometimes, running lodctr /R may not recover all counters. If you notice this happening, verify the file c:\windows\system32\PerfStringBackup.INI contains the proper information. You can copy this file from an identical machine to restore the counters. There may be slight differences in this file from machine to machine. But if you notice a drastic difference in size, it may be missing information. Always create a backup copy before replacing. There’s no guarantee that copying this file from another machine will restore all counters. If possible, compare the file to backups of the machine to see if the file size has reduced at some point in time.

For many counters, the location of the ini files to install perf counters is under windows\winsxs , such as the ini files for IIS.

If you see the following errors:

You’ll need to use the counter install ini files in the directory c:\Windows\winsxs .

Multiple folders may exist for counters that you need to repair. In those cases, you might need to use trial and error to find the correct ini files.

In this example, try installing the infoctrs.ini from each folder using:

When it’s successful, you’ll see the following entry in the application log:

You need do the same for the following counters:

After which you’ll see:

Following these steps, rerun WINMGMT /RESYNCPERF .