Windows 7 offers a neat new feature called Aero that basically transforms parts of open windows on your desktop into transparent panes of glass. It’s a bit of inspired “eye-candy” that adds to the visual appeal of Windows, and the transparent, open effect provided by Aero can reduce some of the claustrophobia caused by having too many windows open at the same time.

However, like many of Windows 7 features, this increased functionality can come with a price. Laptops and computers that have stock video adapters that are “good enough” to get the job done, but unsuitable for more resource-intensive activities might see a performance hit when running Aero’s transparent glass effect.

For you the user, a “performance hit” means a slow computer. Programs, especially internet browsers, may not be as responsive as they could,  and it may take longer to open folders contain much-needed files.

All this can be irritating, but there is one way to speed up your computer: disable Aero’s glass transparency.

In Windows 7:

1. Click anywhere on your desktop, right-click, & select Personalize.
2. Select Window Color at the bottom.
3. Uncheck Enable Transparency.

Now Windows should run a little faster. While eye-candy is dandy, a lean-and-clean Windows interface is quicker!

And if you really want to optimize Windows, why not try out PC TuneUp Maestro?

If you run a Windows machine, there are likely a lot of “temporary” files on your hard drive. Temporary files are usually backup files created, for example, by Microsoft Word, Excel or other other Office applications, usually to help save your work in situations where the computer crashes suddenly. However, some temp files are left behind even when a program is quit correctly. This may be due to programming errors that cause temporary files to not be correctly disposed of when an application is quit. These files can accumulate on your hard drive without you even noticing.

Internet Explorer and other internet browsers also create these “temp” files. Web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, create “Temporary Internet Files” to store user data, including cookies, images from visited Web pages, and the user’s browsing history.

So, temp files can be very useful, and can make using your computer more enjoyable.

However, these temporary can take up a lot of space on your hard drive. This can be inconvenient – in this era of digital downloads space is always at a premium on most PCs – and these temporary files can also slow down your computer. So, sometimes it’s a good idea to get rid of them.

But where to start? It’s possible to remove temporary files manually, but this can take time. As well, there may be some temporary files that you may want to keep. Also, it can be kind of tricky sometimes figuring out where the files actually are, and making sure these files actually get deleted.

So, it’s a good idea to use use Windows’ “Disk Cleanup” feature. Go to the “General Tab” and then click on “Disk Cleanup.” Windows will show you files that can be safely removed, and will provide you with an easy way to do it.

If you want even more powerful tools to help speed up your computer, PC TuneUp Maestro can help you optimize your computer’s hard drive and registry. PC Tunep Maestro can help you easily:

It’s all part of bringing the fun back to computing.