Are there any changes I can make to my operating system that will improve performance?

Yes, there are a few changes you can make to your operating system that can improve performance. You can free up resources by uninstalling unnecessary programs and disabling startup items, perform disk clean up and defragmenting regularly, increase the amount of RAM by adding more memory, upgrade your hard drive for faster access, disable visual effects, run an antivirus scan, and update your operating system with the latest patches and service packs.