Bridging the gap between tiny and not too functional smartphones and sizeable notebook computers, netbooks have suddenly turned interesting to those that needed full multimedia capabilities of a PC in a smaller packaging. It’s been nearly three years since the first netbooks appeared, with 60 million being sold since. Modest hardware, the need for the best autonomy possible and a lower price of the final product all cried for the familiar (and cheap) Windows XP. Although it’s more than capable to satisfy the needs of users, the ten-year-old XP is, nevertheless, an ugly detail on the screens of modern netbooks. Microsoft became aware of that, and decided to offer netbook users a special version of Windows 7, optimized for their PCs. Unfortunately, this version of Windows 7 never really became mainstream, so users were forced to install some of the regular versions on their rather weak hardware. Whether you already have one of the Windows 7 versions installed, or you’re only planning to install one, the system will benefit from being adjusted to the capabilities of the meagre hardware of your netbook. If you still haven’t decided on which particular version to install, we recommend 32-bit variants of Home Premium or Professional.(Un)Necessary Software
Manufacturers tend to deliver their netbooks with tonnes of unnecessary software which only practically serves the purpose of occupying the resources of your PC. Most netbooks arrive with the operating system preinstalled, so if this is the case with your copy of Windows 7, make sure you visit the Programs and Features menu of your Control Panel and remove all unnecessary programs and, well, features.
The screen size of these pixies ranges between 9 and 13 inches, which means that the desktop surface needs to be used with maximum efficiency. First and foremost, consider setting the taskbar to auto-hide (right-click the taskbar, then click Properties, and finally, tick the “Auto-hide the taskbar” option). Many users dislike this feature, but it can drastically improve available room on your desktop, which is of special significance while browsing the internet or scrolling through text.
One of the common mistakes users make when equipping their new netbook with software is installing things they rarely or never use. The software you choose will also affect how long the battery lasts, so you really need to differentiate which applications you truly need on your netbook, and which are basically only usable on your home PC. Corel, AutoCad, Photoshop and other massive programs are simply not intended for use with netbooks, due to the limitations of the installed hardware. When picking software for your netbook, you should pay attention to the complexity of the graphics interface as well. Programs such as Firefox and Microsoft Office have bulky menus and multiple toolbars, which “eat up” usable display surface. You can install Google Chrome and Open Office instead, for example, which make additional room available on both bottom and top edges. Always install light or portable application versions when they are available. If you wish to install an anti-virus program on your netbook, pick a less demanding one, such as AVG or Avast!, which are readily available for free download at any time.
Drivers and Power Management
Before you carry your new notebook with the OS installed “outside”, make sure that it’s using the latest drivers. The “Seven” does have a large base of drivers and there is no device which will remain driverless, but even if the Device Manager isn’t displaying a “yellow question mark”, this doesn’t mean that you have the best available drivers for your netbook. On a power-saving device such as a netbook, a small difference between Windows’ generic driver and the manufacturer’s optimized driver can have great impact on how long the battery lasts. For example, a generic chipset driver could stop you from setting screen contrast, although the Device Manager shows that the device status is OK. Optimized drivers also tend to strain the CPU less, therefore saving power. That’s why you need to visit your netbook’s manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. It always pays off.
Manufacturers also offer their own power management tools, which manipulate resources in an optimal way, in order to further save power. Windows 7 comes with the Mobility Center application preinstalled, but it’s rather limited. Therefore, you own manufacturer’s application is usually a much better choice, especially since it generally includes CPU and RAM clock control to a certain extent, something that the Windows application doesn’t have.
Aero and Startup
Many netbooks are capable of running Aero, but even those with stronger graphics card, such as Nvidia’s ION, have to use the CPU for that feature to a certain extent. It’s unnecessary to stress just how much stress Aero can put on a PC. Therefore, we suggest that you leave Aero and all those advanced display options for your home PC. Type “adjust the appearance” into the search field of the start menu, and choose “Appearance and Performance of Windows”. You should turn off all unnecessary options there. Glass and preview effects are the ones that consume the most, in fact, while the rest of them aren’t too taxing on battery life. We suggest you turn off the following features: Enable Aero Peek, Enable desktop composition, Enable transparent glass, Save taskbar thumbnail previews and Show window contents while dragging.
One of the common mistakes users make when equipping their new netbook with software is installing things they rarely or never use. The software you choose will also affect how long the battery lasts, so you really need to differentiate which applications you truly need on your netbook, and which are basically only usable on your home PC. Corel, AutoCad, Photoshop and other massive programs are simply not intended for use with netbooks, due to the limitations of the installed hardware. When picking software for your netbook, you should pay attention to the complexity of the graphics interface as well. Programs such as Firefox and Microsoft Office have bulky menus and multiple toolbars, which “eat up” usable display surface. You can install Google Chrome and Open Office instead, for example, which make additional room available on both bottom and top edges. Always install light or portable application versions when they are available. If you wish to install an anti-virus program on your netbook, pick a less demanding one, such as AVG or Avast!, which are readily available for free download at any time.
Drivers and Power Management
Before you carry your new notebook with the OS installed “outside”, make sure that it’s using the latest drivers. The “Seven” does have a large base of drivers and there is no device which will remain driverless, but even if the Device Manager isn’t displaying a “yellow question mark”, this doesn’t mean that you have the best available drivers for your netbook. On a power-saving device such as a netbook, a small difference between Windows’ generic driver and the manufacturer’s optimized driver can have great impact on how long the battery lasts. For example, a generic chipset driver could stop you from setting screen contrast, although the Device Manager shows that the device status is OK. Optimized drivers also tend to strain the CPU less, therefore saving power. That’s why you need to visit your netbook’s manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. It always pays off.
Manufacturers also offer their own power management tools, which manipulate resources in an optimal way, in order to further save power. Windows 7 comes with the Mobility Center application preinstalled, but it’s rather limited. Therefore, you own manufacturer’s application is usually a much better choice, especially since it generally includes CPU and RAM clock control to a certain extent, something that the Windows application doesn’t have.
Aero and Startup
Many netbooks are capable of running Aero, but even those with stronger graphics card, such as Nvidia’s ION, have to use the CPU for that feature to a certain extent. It’s unnecessary to stress just how much stress Aero can put on a PC. Therefore, we suggest that you leave Aero and all those advanced display options for your home PC. Type “adjust the appearance” into the search field of the start menu, and choose “Appearance and Performance of Windows”. You should turn off all unnecessary options there. Glass and preview effects are the ones that consume the most, in fact, while the rest of them aren’t too taxing on battery life. We suggest you turn off the following features: Enable Aero Peek, Enable desktop composition, Enable transparent glass, Save taskbar thumbnail previews and Show window contents while dragging.
Once you’ve finished installing programs, type “msconfig” into the search field of the start menu and run the app. Choose the “Startup” option and turn off all software you don’t want running on startup. This will not only cut down on startup time, but also put some load off the CPU, therefore saving battery. You can leave your anti-virus program, power utility application and frequently used programs on.
Hardware
Netbooks don’t have a lot of upgrade options, but almost any model has upgradeable RAM or an exchangeable HDD. Memory is pretty cheap nowadays, and Windows 7 will breathe much more freely with 2 GB RAM installed, even if you don’t tend to run demanding applications. If money is not an issue, you can also replace the existing HDD in your netbook with an SSD. Yes, good SSD models of decent capacity are expensive goods and cost almost half of the price of an average netbook, but they will significantly extend battery life, heat up very little and bring performance up to a whole new level.
Intel has already presented the new generation of Atom CPUs, while AMD launched their own Neo CPUs, so we can expect new models, performing even better in Windows 7, very soon. It’s true that the hardware netbooks are running on is modest, but a few mild tweaks, and you’ll be running Windows 7 with no performance or battery life impact. Therefore, if you care for your operating system to be just as attractive as your hardware, we strongly encourage you to install Windows 7 and enjoy the advantages of Microsoft’s latest.
Hardware
Netbooks don’t have a lot of upgrade options, but almost any model has upgradeable RAM or an exchangeable HDD. Memory is pretty cheap nowadays, and Windows 7 will breathe much more freely with 2 GB RAM installed, even if you don’t tend to run demanding applications. If money is not an issue, you can also replace the existing HDD in your netbook with an SSD. Yes, good SSD models of decent capacity are expensive goods and cost almost half of the price of an average netbook, but they will significantly extend battery life, heat up very little and bring performance up to a whole new level.
Intel has already presented the new generation of Atom CPUs, while AMD launched their own Neo CPUs, so we can expect new models, performing even better in Windows 7, very soon. It’s true that the hardware netbooks are running on is modest, but a few mild tweaks, and you’ll be running Windows 7 with no performance or battery life impact. Therefore, if you care for your operating system to be just as attractive as your hardware, we strongly encourage you to install Windows 7 and enjoy the advantages of Microsoft’s latest.
Source: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/How-to-Optimize-Windows-7-on-Your-Netbook.html
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