Consider alternative approaches to improve performance.
Consider alternative approaches to improve performance.
I prepared the following cheat sheet with all the necessary adjustments for a fresh W11 setup. Across four PCs I aimed for uniformity and performance. Reducing W11 and customizing its configuration made it easier for me. Initially, I relied on utilities to edit an ISO or O&O shutup from GitHub, but I wasn’t sure what they did and had to reset them due to problems. Now I prefer making changes myself so I understand the process and avoid mistakes. I won’t use any automated tools that handle everything automatically. The only method I use is Rufus to bypass TPM and online account activation. To remove spyware or tracking, I followed a specific guide, though most recommendations seem similar. See how I applied those steps in my cheat sheet. Are there other aspects I should modify (and what’s the manual way for each)? Yes, I searched this forum, but all results repeat the same advice or suggest using those “magic tools.”
In 24h2 Bitlocker is on by default during a normal installation, in both Pro and Home editions. Bitlocker does affect drive performance alot, and since user is not informed it is turned on during installation, it could lead to unpleasent surprise when updating bios. Since you're using Rufus you can just add that it'll disable Bitlocker in that aswell.
You might want to consider adjusting certain settings manually or disabling them altogether. The search feature manages indexing, but using it heavily in Explorer is unnecessary—it can be turned off. This will still allow searching, though it may become slower because it searches the entire drive instead of relying on the index. Disabling Windows search is especially beneficial if you have slow storage devices.
The "Windows search" service is essentially the same as indexing. You can disable it directly through the regular settings menu, as shown in the screenshot. Turning off services can lead to complications, especially with newer Windows versions like W10/W11, where the setup is already minimal and risky. I've found that most recommended services aren't running on my system, and those that are use very little resources. It's best to avoid such adjustments unless absolutely necessary.
You can also disable indexing for each drive, similar to what's shown in the screenshot. The issue isn't the indexing service consuming much memory; it's that the drives are constantly working to keep everything indexed. This continuous indexing can slow things down, particularly with slower storage devices like hard drives.
Does indexing only activate when there’s an update? I came across old, debated tips about turning it off or on. Some even suggest using external tools instead of the built-in search feature (I prefer avoiding third-party apps). For SSDs, does it really count? My system includes SSDs for storage and HDDs for data—plus some are all SSD. Personally, I don’t often use the search function, usually finding files by exploring my organized folder layout.
Only one of my 4 PCs has 32GB. The others have 16GB. Wouldn't Windows not automatically use less page file if it has enough RAM? Older Windows' had more user tinkering requirements. But newer Windows seems to do a good job using modern hardware better. User changing stuff can be worse...
Ensure your page file size is checked in Advanced System Settings while you're using the system normally.
I recently looked into my 32GB W10 PC with 4864MB reported. However, the actual usage isn't clear unless you're seeing real data. Your current RAM is at 14.4GB, which is below the minimum required 16MB and above the recommended 4952MB. With a fast SSD, it's hard to say if upgrading would be beneficial. If you add more RAM later, would keeping the page file unnecessary? I remember struggling with this after adjusting the page file once; now I just let Windows handle it.