The Windows Indexing Service, if you are not familiar with it, basically “pre-emptively” scans all files and folders on your computer ahead of time, so when you run a search the performance is faster. While this is a good idea in theory, it really dampers performance and can cause system issues.

Unless you search for files and folders on your machines a lot, it is best to disable the Indexing Service. Here is how:

1. Login to your computer as an administrator.
2. Right click on My Computer and select Manage.
3. Expand Services and Applications.
4. Click on Services.
5. Locate the Indexing Service entry.
6. Right click and select Properties.
7. Click the Stop button.
8. Change the startup type to Disabled.
9. Click Ok to apply your settings.

This will prevent the indexing service from sucking up system resources and should help your overall performance.