Setup:
Acer Aspire One AOA150-Bb
Intel Atom N270 @ 1.60 Ghz
1.5 GB RAM
32-bit Windows 7 SP1
Tweak Windows For Performance
Follow the guide on how to debloat and optimize Windows 7 for better performance.
Use Pale Moon Optimized For Atom
Download Pale Moon
Pale Moon is a free and open-source fork of the popular Firefox browser available for Linux, Windows, and Android. This browser is relatively faster than vanilla Firefox or Chrome on this setup.
This version of Pale Moon is optimized specifically for use on Intel Atom™ processors and compatible
with the Windows XP and Server 2003 operating systems.
Many low-powered netbooks and laptops are equipped with this processor, and using a build of Pale Moon
specifically optimized for this processor will reduce power consumption and increase speed of the browser
for these systems.
Install Modded Graphic Drivers
Download Chell Drivers
These drivers provide a decent boost in graphical programs but obviously you won't be playing any recent AAA game with this kind of hardware as it is very limited.
League of Legends - Lowest settings: 10-12 FPS
Use GMABooster
This little program will boost the clock of the graphics chip GMA 950 up to 400 Mhz (2.4x boost), giving you a slight FPS increase.
This guide is aimed at more experienced users who want to squeeze every last bit of performance from their system by maintaining a very barebones operating system that won't get in their way.
Setup:
Desktop computer or laptop
Wired or wifi internet connection
Sole computer on the network
No bluetooth
No Antivirus/Firewall
Ideally you want to have less than 25-28 services running the background, no themes, no junkware installed.
Backup Data
Before you do anything, make sure that ALL your data is backed up to another hard drive or external USB drive.
One thing people always forget to back up is their AppData folder (C:\Users\[YOUR ACCOUNT NAME]\AppData), so it's best to just back up all your user account.
Update Win 7
I highly recommend you get all the available "important updates" for your system and leave out any updates that are "recommended".
Under Windows Update - Go to Change Settings - Under Important Updates pick Never Check for Updates
Under Recommended Updates untick Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates
Press OK
Here is a list of updates to avoid (preventing the Windows 10 update and telemetry updates):
KB971033 - Update for windows activation technologies
KB2902907 - Description not available, update was pulled by Microsoft
KB2922324 - Description not available, update was pulled by Microsoft
KB2952664 - Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
KB2976978 - Performs and collect compatibility appraiser logs in order to ease the upgrade experience to Windows 10
KB2977759 - Compatibility update for Windows 7 RTM (for Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program)
KB2990214 - Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
KB3012973 - Upgrade to windows 10
KB3014460 - Update for windows insider preview / upgrade to windows 10
KB3015249 - Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
KB3021917 - Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
KB3022345 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3035583 - Installs the 'Get Windows 10' app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
KB3050265 - Updates Windows Update Client for Windows 7 (changes system files to support upgrade)
KB3065987 - Updates Windows Update Client for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (changes system files to support upgrade)
KB3068708 - (replaces KB3022345) Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3075249 - Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
KB3075851 - Updates Windows Update Client for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (changes system files to support upgrade)
KB3080149 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
Disable Services
All of the following services will be disabled to minimize the memory footprint of the system. Be aware that you might need to use some of these services depending on your setup such as Bluetooth, WiFi, Printing, Network etc. I put those services in bold.
Start - Type services.msc - Double click a service and select Startup Type: Disabled - Press OK to validate
ActiveX Installer
Adaptive Brightness
Application Identity
ASP.NET State Service
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (needed for Windows Update)
BitLocker Drive Encryption Service
Block Level Backup Engine Service
BranchCache
CNG Key Isolation
Computer Browser
Desktop Window Manager Session (needed for theming)
Diagnostic Policy Service
Diagnostic Service Host
Diagnostic System Host
Distributed Link Tracking Client
DNS Client
Extensible Authentication Protocol
Function Discovery Provider Host
Function Discovery Resource Publication
Health Key and Certificate Management
HomeGroup Listener
HomeGroup Provider
Human Interface Device Access
IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Internet Explorer ETW Collector Service
Internet Pass-Through Service
IP Helper
IPsec Policy Agent
KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator
Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN
Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service
Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider
Net.Msmq Listener Adapter
Net.Pipe Listener Adapter
Net.Tcp Listener Adapter
Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service
Netlogon
Offline Files
Parental Controls
Performance Logs & Alerts
PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator
PNRP Machine Name Publication Service
Portable Device Enumerator Service
Print Spooler
Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support
Program Compatibility Assistant Service
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
Remote Access Connection Manager
Remote Desktop Configuration
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector
Remote Registry
Routing and Remote Access
Secondary Logon
Security Center
Server
Shell Hardware Detection
Smart Card
Smart Card Removal Policy
SNMP Trap
SPP Notification Service
SSDP Discovery
Superfetch
Tablet PC Input Service
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telephony
Themes
UPnP Device Host
Virtual Disk
Volume Shadow Copy
WebClient
Windows Backup
Windows Biometric Service
Windows CardSpace
Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar
Windows Defender
Windows Driver Foundation - User-mode Driver Framework
Windows Error Reporting Service
Windows Firewall
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache
Windows Remote Management (WS-Management)
Windows Update
WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service
WLAN AutoConfig
Workstation
WWAN AutoConfig
Reboot.
Disable Startup Items
A lot of programs these days want to take over your computer right as you power it on, this really slows you down. Things like Java, Intel Control Panel, Steam, Origin, Skype etc.
Start - Type msconfig - Under the Startup tab press Disable all - press OK
Enable No GUI boot
This will shave off a few seconds during boot time.
Start - Type msconfig - Under the Boot tab tick No GUI boot - press OK
Adjust For Performance
This will disable things like animations, shadows and font smoothing.
Start - Control Panel - System - Advanced System Settings - Advanced tab - Under Performance click Settings... - Visual Effects tab - Select Adjust for best performance - Press OK
Enable User Account Control
Since we don't have an antivirus nor firewall running, it is a good idea to have UAC running to protect ourselves from unwanted modifications to our system.
Start - Control Panel - User Accounts - Change User Account Control settings - Set the the slider to Default - Press OK
