how to speed up performance

For slow file transfer and slow unzip performance on a Windows laptop, use these steps:

1. Reduce background load during transfers.
   • Avoid running other apps while uploading, downloading, copying, or unzipping large files.
   • Avoid using the internet for other activities during large transfers.
   • Make sure the laptop does not go to sleep during the transfer.
2. Check for disk errors.
   • Open Search.
   • Type computer and open This PC.
   • Right-click the drive being used and select Properties.
   • Open the Tools tab.
   • Under Error checking, select Check.
   • Restart the device if prompted. This can help if hard drive errors are slowing the system.
3. Review startup and installed programs.
   • Open Search.
   • Type appwiz.cpl and open it.
   • For programs that start automatically, use Change if the app provides startup-related options.
   • If an app cannot be stopped from starting and has no configuration option, the program manufacturer must provide that change.
4. Remove extra antivirus products.
   • Running more than one antivirus or antispyware program at the same time can reduce performance or make the device unstable.
   • Keep one security product installed, then uninstall the others from appwiz.cpl.
   • Restart the device after uninstalling.
   • Caution: do not remove all protection.
5. For many small files, zip them first before moving them.
   • Small-file transfers are often slower.
   • Compress the files into one archive, copy the archive, then extract it on the destination system.
   • Use fast compression or no-compression archiving to reduce compression and decompression time.
6. Unzip on the local disk when possible.
   • Decompression can be slower on file shares than on a local disk because unzip tools perform many metadata operations.
   • For best performance, copy the compressed archive to the local disk, unzip it there, and then copy it back if needed.
7. If copying over a network share, use Robocopy instead of File Explorer.
   • File Explorer performs single-threaded copies.
   • robocopy is optimized for higher-performance copy tasks.
   • For files larger than 1 GB, try unbuffered I/O with robocopy /J.
   • For many small files, use multi-threading with /MT and redirect output to a log file.
   • Too many threads can reduce performance; testing is advised.
8. If the transfer is to or from Azure, use the right tool.
   • Use AzCopy for transfers to or from Azure.
   • Use Robocopy between file shares on an on-premises computer.
9. If OneDrive transfers are slow:
   • Use a wired connection instead of wireless.
   • Avoid other apps and network activity during the transfer.
   • Consider running the transfer at night.

For the specific case of a 1 GB folder taking an hour to unzip, the most relevant actions are:

• close other apps,
• make sure the laptop stays awake,
• check the drive for errors,
• verify only one antivirus is running,
• unzip to the local disk instead of a network or cloud-backed location.

References:

• Speed up a Windows 8.1 computer
• Maximize upload and download speed
• Slow SMB files transfer speed
• Troubleshoot Azure Files performance problems
• Zip and unzip files