Run iTunes faster on a Windows machine

Plenty of people use iTunes to handle media and podcasts, but unfortunately it runs somewhat sluggishly on Windows. To get your iTunes working faster, here are a few tips:

• During installation make sure you only select the things that are absolutely essential. Choose to add files yourself, rather than have iTunes scan for them.
• When you install iTunes, the program actually thinks you own a lot of Apple products. If you go into preferences, and then “devices”, you should be able to select some preferences including “look for remote speakers” and “look for Apple TV”.
• Smart Playlists are a great function but they drag up a lot of space. Delete them.
• Turn off cover flow, and switch to the more boring but faster icon display for your media.
• Select the options you want to see for each file. Normally there are some including “artist” and “album”, but these can be changed to save time and memory.