Although the performance of Windows 7 left us in the Test Center impressed right from the start, using it with default settings intact we found seven ways to squeeze maximum performance out of Windows 7 for a truly awesome user experience.

1. Upgrade From Vista SP1, Plus Our Take On Hardware Specifications

Based on testing conducted in the Test Center, Windows 7 has no issues in being upgraded from Vista SP 1 on newer PCs. "Newer" in this case means at least a Pentium 4 processor and a minimum of 2 GB RAM on a 32-bit-based PC. If opting for 64-bit, 4 GB of RAM will give you great performance. Note: These requirements are based on our testing and not on Microsoft's published minimum hardware requirements.

Other hardware requirements would be 16 GB of free hard drive space for the 32-bit install and 20 GB for the 64-bit version.

However, the most optimal install method would be to follow the above hardware requirements and do a clean install of Windows 7. Toss out any notions of upgrading from XP.

2. Turn Off Or Modify System Protection

By default, Windows 7 enables System Protection on the NTFS drive that Windows is installed on. System Protection keeps copies of system settings and previous versions of files that can be restored in case of a system problem or accidental file deletion.

Windows 7 created restore points before significant system events such as a program or driver install. Restore points also are created once every seven days if no other restore points were created in the previous seven.

This restore point creation can conceivably contribute to resource overhead and a possible detriment in system performance. In a corporate IT environment, where there should already be a backup system in place, it makes sense to disable System Protection on end user's machines. Home users can turn it off as well, as long as they too are backing up files. After all, in case of a system failure, it's a lot easier to do a reinstall of Windows 7 and then restore files. Disabling System Protection means you are not sacrificing any performance while restore points are being created.

If users still want to use System Protection, they can disable it, and then enable it when they want to create manual restore points. Windows 7 however, does not have a scheduler for creating these restore points, so a user will have to be vigilant about retaining a set schedule.

3. Utilize The Windows Experience Index

The Windows Experience Index assesses various system components on a scale of 1.0 to 7.9. It assigns subscores to the following: the processor's calculations per second, the RAM memory operations per second, the Aero desktop performance, 3-D graphics performance and the hard disk drive data transfer rate. All of these subscores are then tallied to make the total base score.

Although some argue about the validity of these scores, the index does provide a baseline performance gauge that can be used when upgrading memory, graphics cards and other components.

It is best practice to take note of the base score and subscores before doing any component upgrades, and then after an upgrade, rerunning the assessment within Performance Information and Tools in the Control Panel to calculate new scores.

A score of 2 is the minimum level of sufficiency to perform the most basic computer tasks. For more graphics-intensive tasks, you want to see a score of at least 3.

Windows 7 owes its beautiful interface to the wide array of visual settings available to users. If a pretty desktop is not as important as performance, then it may be a good idea to disable Aero, including the default animated mouse pointers. Users also can opt to disable ClearType, a feature that aids in improving the readability of text on LCD displays found in laptops, Pocket PCs and flat-panel monitors. However, turning off ClearType made a negligible viewing difference on the laptops we tested it out on. Users also can granularly customize visual effects. By default, Windows 7 is set to "Let Windows choose what's best for my computer." Advanced users may want to override those settings and deselect system resource eaters such as animated controls and elements within windows, Aero Peek, Transparent Glass and other features.

5. Modify Data Execution Prevention

Introduced in XP SP2, Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a security feature that helps prevent malicious programs from running executable code from a system's memory reserved for Windows and other safe programs.

Unfortunately, it also can be kind of a pain. Users will sometimes see mysterious DEP errors logged in the Event Viewer, and it has also been known to stop the installation of legitimate programs.

By default, Windows 7 turns on DEP for essential Windows programs and services. That may be resource overkill, especially if you are running a system with a newer processor. Many newer processors have hardware-based DEP. This can negate the need for the software-based DEP that Windows 7 provides.

For users without hardware-based DEP, adequate malware protection should be sufficient enough in providing the same kind of protection that DEP offers.

You can disable DEP in Windows altogether with the following command (remember to run with elevated permissions):

bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff

Users also can choose to run DEP against specific applications and services, provided those applications are DEP-compatible.

6. Customize The Power Management Plan

By default, Windows 7 is set to a 'Balanced' power management plan. This is a good option for users, as it gives full performance and saves power during periods of inactivity. However, based on the type of system (for example, a desktop or laptop) and the user's needs, the Power Management plan can be customized for maximum efficiency.

Users can customize settings such as specifying the time the hard drive gets turned off after a threshold period of inactivity, or if it gets turned off at all. You can opt to turn off the desktop slideshow feature, especially if the system is in a corporate environment where PCs usually have a default background such as the company logo. There also are options to manage USB settings, power buttons and the processor power.

7. Fine Tune User Account Control

Windows 7 remedies rather nicely the annoyance of UAC introduced in Vista. Users now have far greater control over UAC. There is a slider bar that allows UAC to be set as high as "Always notify," in the case of any system change, to "Never notify." It's a safe bet that corporate IT will generally set Windows 7 to "Never notify," because there are usually user polices and access controls in place in the network.

Windows 7 is shaping up to be a hit for Microsoft. The level of customization offered to users with these features really adds to the overall user experience and can really maximize performance.