Print
Chrome is Google’s new foray into the browser market. By design, Chrome is supposed to be small, efficient, and fast. Because of this design, there aren’t any speed tweaks you can do to make Chrome run faster. However, there are things about Chrome that you can tweak, such as themes, having multiple homepages.
When you open Google Chrome, you will notice that it opens your most visited sites. While this is awesome, we prefer to have our web browsers start a pre-determined page. While we could tell Chrome to open one page, why stop there when we can have it open several pages at once.
Click on the wrench button in the top, right hand corner of the browser and click Options. In the Startup section, click Open the following pages and then click the Add button.
In the URL text box, enter the first website you want to open and click on the Add button. Repeat this process as many times as you wish. For speed and loading purposes, we recommend that you limit the amount of websites opening at startup to three.
Close Google Chrome. When you re-open the browser, the websites you chose should open automatically in tabs.
As you may have noticed, Google Chrome lacks the ability to change themes. For some reason Google thought it would be a good idea not to give this capability. However, with the help of a small tweak, you can make your own theme or use a pre-made theme.
We recommend you use a pre-made theme from here. Any one of these themes should work. If you want to create a theme yourself, click here. It is a complicated procedure, so we recommend that you take some time to read the entire post before attempting.
After download the theme, extract the directory and replace the default.dll file inside of the Themes folder, located at C:\Users\$username$\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\$version_number$\ in Windows Vista and Windows 7 and C:\Documents and Settings\$username$\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\$version_number$\Themes in Windows XP. Make sure you close Google Chrome before attempting to replace the default.dll file.
If the tweak was done correctly, Google Chrome should have a different theme when you re-open the browser.
Every copy of Google Chrome has a unique id for the installation. It’s highly unlikely that Google would want to do anything with your browsing history, but with Chrome Privacy Guard, it will scramble the unique id so no one will know what you are doing with Chrome.
Download Chrome Privacy Guard from here. Unzip the directory and double-click on ChromePrivacyGuard.exe to run start Chrome.
No further tweaking is necessary, but if you want to keep scrambling the ID, you must click on the ChromePrivacyGuard.exe file instead of clicking on the regular Chrome file on your Desktop.
We recommend you paste the file on your Desktop for easy access.
If you watch many YouTube videos, then you know there are some software programs that will allow you to download these videos to your computer.
With Google Chrome, you don’t need to download any software. In fact, with a simple bookmarklet you can download all the flash videos you want:
javascript:window.location.href="http://youtube.com/get_video?video_id=" + swfArgs['video_id']+ "&l=" + swfArgs['l'] + "&sk=" + swfArgs['sk'] + '&fmt_map' + swfArgs['fmt_map'] + '&t=' + swfArgs['t'];
javascript:window.location.href="http://youtube.com/get_video?video_id=" + swfArgs['video_id']+ "&fmt=18" + "&l=" + swfArgs['l'] + "&sk=" + swfArgs['sk'] + '&fmt_map' + swfArgs['fmt_map'] + '&t=' + swfArgs['t'];
The first bookmarklet is for standard .flv and the second is the higher quality .mp4, if available.
Right click in your bookmarks bar and select Add Page. In the Name textbox, type YouTube FLV. In the URL text field, paste the first bookmarklet pasted above.
Repeat the process again, but name it YouTube MP4 and paste the second bookmarklet text to create it.
If you did it correctly, you should have two new bookmarks.
If you hate resizing a browser window when someone resizes the window or a website does it automatically, then this feature is for you.
Google Chrome includes many startup switches, but most are only useful for developers.
The -start-maximized startup switch does exactly what it says, it opens the browser to the largest size possible, filling the screen (not to be confused with Full Screen).
To use this switch, right click on the Google Chrome icon on your desktop and select Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab and put your cursor in the Target text box. After it says chrome.exe, add a space and the following line of text: -start-maximized
Click Apply and then Ok. Now open the browser and it should start maximized. If you get an error, make sure you entered the text exactly as stated above.
Now you have seen our list of all the essential tips, tweaks and hacks you need to implement on your web browser. With these essential tweaks down, you are ready to go explore the various other tweaks that these browsers offer. If we missed any of your favorite essential awesomizing tweaks for any of the web browsers listed, please let us know in the comments section.
Comments are closed on this article
alexamica
March 15, 2011 at 12:09pm
I have been using dll file extension for a while now and I had no problems with the , like some are saying and it helped me to improve my windows and I have installed some great programs .
waleedraza
February 09, 2011 at 10:37pm
You Can Downlaod New Version Of C Cleaner at : www.mysoft101.com Or http://www.meratvforum.com
perfectpitcher22
January 30, 2011 at 3:30pm
Thanks for all your replies regarding this speedypc issue. Everybody certainly needs a faster computer. Some users may be okay with the tips and advice on this article, but there are also others who may find it erroneous. I was not so sure if WOT is actually safe, so I am still waiting for more replies on this thread.
speeddemon21
May 13, 2009 at 12:15am
Stry8993 can find help here http://home.comcast.net/~username54321/starfield/mods.html#options_picture_13
Why A Duck
May 01, 2009 at 8:30am
When I first installed IE8, it would take 5-10 seconds to start, and then 5-10 additional seconds for each new tab. Page rendering was hella fast, but the startup delay made me mad.
Finally figured it out after much Googling. If you have let SpyBot (or similar) "immunize" IE, it adds 10,000+ sites to IE's restricted site list. IE7 was cool with that, but IE8 ... not so much. After I undid SpyBots immunization and then redid it with everything but IE's domain and resitricted domain boxes checked, IE8 worked like a champ.
I don't like having to undo SpyBot's protection, but hopefully IE's built-in SmartScreen filter (or WOT) will mitigate this risk.
Bless
April 24, 2009 at 3:43pm
Need to add, disabling the auto complete and the feed seemed to make my newly installed IE works faster,
has anyone tried and felt the same thing?
I dont want to mess around further than this since anything beyond this point is irreversible, definitely dont wanna spent another 6 hours sitting on my chair to format, install and download all the windows update, flash player & java update for my vista, huh...
Bless
April 24, 2009 at 3:25pm
I tried the IE8 tweak exactly just as decribed, and the result is quite dissapointing in my opinion.
I dont know maybe it's just me but it seemed that IE8 after the tweak is slower than IE7. I had to reformat my windows and reinstall it all over again. :(
Deborah
April 24, 2009 at 2:00am
Thank you, Josh, for recommending WOT to the readers of Maximum PC. I just wanted to clarify the statement about user ratings.
Our system is based on the assumption that not all users are equally reliable. New users are not very reliable, but over time their reliability increases and their ratings have more weight. Because of this, a previously unrated site will not be influenced by a single new user’s rating. And ratings may change over time and in some cases move to unrated again. This is because the confidence in the ratings falls below the visible threshold. You can see more on our blog about these two things at http://www.mywot.com/blog/anonymity-vs-democracy and http://www.mywot.com/blog/confidence
Safe surfing,
Deborah
Web of Trust
www.mywot.com
ericlaw
April 23, 2009 at 5:54pm
Reader beware: This article is full of terrible advice for IE users and it's not clear that the author did any real research.
1> IE8 uses 6 connections by default, not two. This has been true for over a year, and is documented on the IE team blog. Increasing the limit beyond 6 can result in SLOWER performance.
2> SmartScreen is significantly more effective than competitive anti-phishing/anti-malware solutions, and the claim that it "slows down browsing" is unfounded; URL reputation checks happen in a different thread and in parallel; they are non-blocking.
The idea that WOT is safe "because" it requires two votes is simply absurd.
3> Claiming that RSS support slows down browsing is also incorrect; RSS feeds aren't checked by the browser, they're checked by the Windows Feeds platform on a schedule. The browser does not block on synchronization.
4> Re-registering actxprxy.dll on Vista does nothing at best and is harmful at worst.
5> Disabling autocomplete is a great way to make your browser annoying and slow you down on the web. Anyone with physical or admin access to your computer can abuse you in other ways.
hackman2007
April 26, 2009 at 6:19pm
1. The two connection limit was a typo. Thanks for catching that.
2. It does slow down browsing, at least it did on my connection. WOT takes more than two users to rate a site as safe.
3. Turning off feed checking sped up my browser. Not all of the tweaks mentioned are going to have the same desired affect.
4. The tweak is not harmful. It just re-register's a dll. It doesn't delete or modify anything. As mentioned, it may not speed up your computer. The tests were done a Windows Vista and Windows 7 computer.
5. Autocomplete stores information about you in plain text format. That seems unsafe to me. To each their own I guess.
BizSAR
April 23, 2009 at 6:37pm
Can anyone at MaxPC answer to this comment? I'd like to know before I try any of these.
Thanks :)
smashingpumpin
April 23, 2009 at 4:00pm
I just downloaded the NASA night launch theme and expected Google's main page to be black just like the one in the picture. What am i doing wrong? I like dark themes coz it seems to delay the dimming effect of my dying CRT.
_______________________________________________
he's pwning with a trackpad? oh really? oh reheheheeally?
brainwins
April 23, 2009 at 1:32pm
No Script has been most of the time a big pain in the ass for me. It cripples most of the pages.
It´s probably a good idea for those "dangerous" pages one visits every once in a while. But for everyday browsing is just overkill.
Editorial_Response
April 23, 2009 at 3:49pm
Everyone with Firefox should install NoScript. It will keep your system safe from everything except a directed/targeted attack by a hacker. This is a no brainer.
Another added benefit to NoScript is that it blocks the Digg Bar! That rocks! You can keep the Digg Bar from getting in the way of everyday surfing and you will continue to see the actual URL when you surf. Otherwise you do no tknow where you are headed and what site has just been loaded in your browser.
Kulmanari
April 23, 2009 at 3:39pm
Just click on the NoScript icon in FF and set it to allow every webpage that you navigate to and you have deemed to be safe/legit and you'll never be bothered by it while it sits in the background keeping you safe. There are several websites I visit where NoScript is allowing the page to work just fine, but it has disabled code from places like "google-analytics.com" and "doubleclick.net" which are mostly for information gathering/advertisements and even though Ad-Block Plus keeps you from seeing them, the code would still be running without NoScript.
amacieli
April 23, 2009 at 8:37am
I actually don't find IE8 that much slower than FF3, to the point where there is no real advantage of FF3, except maybe for firebug. Chrome just "aw snaps" every 2 seconds, so I uninstalled that with prejudice (although it is quite fast when it deigns to work), and I'm still playing around with Opera (which seems pretty good, though not compatible with some sites (or vice versa)).
dethdeks
April 23, 2009 at 2:59am
i find that speed dial isn't as great as fast dial, i find with Firefox 3.x that speed dial seems to cause issues, id suggest using fast dial instead, it looks exactly the same but runs faster and is more customizable
link to fast dial
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5721
toohightocomply
April 23, 2009 at 1:38am
Lets keep in mind how many more bugs are in Firefox compared to IE. Plus, Microsoft is a bigger company and can delegate more resources to finding problems than Mozilla can. Mozilla even has on their website a claim about how much better Firefox is, by using a study from 2006!!! Come on. Stop the Fanboyism and stop following orders without significant thought.
roninnder
April 23, 2009 at 2:25am
I find the pure self defeating irony in your post too powerful to take in in a single reading. Take your IE8 love elsewhere MS fanboy troll. This website's patrons are firefox users exactly because we do discriminate in choice of software, substandard though ubiquitous browsers need not apply.
Bobinator2000
April 23, 2009 at 1:07am
It's the NASA Night Launch Theme: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4908
KNFrH2O
April 22, 2009 at 11:27pm
"The newest version of the once dominant Internet Explorer is a quantum leap above previous buggy versions, but remains slow."
People seem to forget that "quantum" doesn't mean huge. :D In this case, though, it still fits! Internet Explorer is horrible (in my opinion).
