Why is Visual Studio 2010 so slow?

Question

What is up with Visual Studio 2010.  It is soooo sloooow! (compared to VS 2008!)

Takes a while to start up. (12 seconds just to start up---old VS 2008 was about 3 & excel 2007 is about 2)

Intellisense is glacially slow.  (Sometimes I need to close and re-open files because it refreshes faster.)

Compiling is only slightly slower than VS 2008.

I am running VS2010 with Windows 7 x64 Ultimate on a Lenovo ThinkPad x61 (4GB ram/SSD)

Windows experience scores:

processor 4.9

memory 4.9

graphics 4.9

gaming graphics 3.1

primary HDD 7.0

I am mainly using c# and c++.

I am using a NON BETA version:

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

Version 10.0.30319.1 RTMRel

Microsoft .NET Framework

Version 4.0.30319 RTMRel

Installed Version: Professional

Answer 1

Hi M-A-S,

Does devenv.exe /safemode take that long?

You may use Process Explorer to check what component or resource the devenv.exe (VS IDE process) loads to take such a long time.

Thanks.

---

Figo Fei
MSDN Subscriber Support in Forum
If you have any feedback on our support, please contact [e-mail] 

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 2

Hi M-A-S,

I must admit that I also feel that VS2010 is slower than VS2008, but not so slow in my computer.

You can try with using "optimized for performance" setting for your environment display.

Hum... and try to compare the performance with and without Antivirus enabled.

 

---

Best regards,
Ferry Meidianto | My Blog

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 3

Figo,

Thanks for the suggestion.  Unfortunately, the safemode switch really doesn't decrease the time it takes to load Visual Studio.  The intellisense is also just as slow.

-----MAS

Answer 4

Ferry,

I am beginning to think that VS2010 is just slow.  I have another workstation where I just installed the c# version of VS2010 express.  It just takes a long time for this to load and intellisense is just as glacially slow as the regular VS2010.

I tried it with and without the antivirus enabled.  It seems to have no effect on the execution or loading speed.

I tried to tweak the optimized for performance" setting for the environment display, but I cannot seem to find it in VS2010.  Would you be able to show me where this is?

Thanks!

-----MAS

Answer 5

Ferry,

I am beginning to think that VS2010 is just slow.  I have another workstation where I just installed the c# version of VS2010 express.  It just takes a long time for this to load and intellisense is just as glacially slow as the regular VS2010.

I tried it with and without the antivirus enabled.  It seems to have no effect on the execution or loading speed.

I tried to tweak the optimized for performance" setting for the environment display, but I cannot seem to find it in VS2010.  Would you be able to show me where this is?

Thanks!

-----MAS

Hi MAS,

It's Control Panel --> System --> Advanced system settings --> Advanced (tab) --> Performance (group) --> Settings (button) --> choose Adjust for best performance.

---

Best regards,
Ferry Meidianto | My Blog

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 6

It's Control Panel --> System --> Advanced system settings --> Advanced (tab) --> Performance (group) --> Settings (button) --> choose Adjust for best performance.

I thought you were talking about a Visual Studio 2010 setting.

Since VS2008, and all of the other software on the system works optimally, I must conclude that VS2010 is just slow.  The same is true of the Express version. 

Oh, well.  The sluggish Intellisense is particularly sad.

Answer 7

Hi MAS,

Have you tried the setting?
Just FYI, VS2010 was built on top of WPF while the previous versions was on top of Windows Form. So some time lacks of Graphic processing capability can causes (or adds) some slowness.

---

Best regards,
Ferry Meidianto | My Blog

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 8

Ferry,

Yes, I did try the setting.  It did not change anything that I could notice.  VS2010 still loads slowly, and intellisense is still slow to notice things.

I have sought out acquaintances of mine that have used both VS2008 and VS2010.  All of them have noticed similar slowness of VS2010 relative to VS2008.

Regards,

Mark

Answer 9

I have to agree with MAS.  Very slow compared to 2008.

Answer 10

Visual Studio 2010 runs faster when the Windows Automation API 3.0 is installed: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981741

HTH.

---

Figo Fei
MSDN Subscriber Support in Forum
If you have any feedback on our support, please contact [e-mail] 

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 11

Visual Studio 2010 runs faster when the Windows Automation API 3.0 is installed: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981741

HTH.

It seems M-A-S said M-A-S is using Windows 7 (x64) in the first post. I don't see how Windows Automation API 3.0 would be relevant to Windows 7. Isn't it already included in Windows 7 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976779)?

CMIIW.

---

Maximilian Haru Raditya

Answer 12

Correct, the Windows Automation API 3.0 is already included in Windows 7.  It might be worth checking out the video driver though, even some newer systems have problems.

 

 

---

David Berg - MSFT

Answer 13

Same experience, try each "solution" given above, still so slow.
I have just installed a  new SSD (OCZ vertex2), reinstall from scratch, 7, vs 2010 (not SP1),  then SDK, and the rockett comes back...

:)

 

Answer 14

Try disabling visual effects inside Visual Studio.

1) Run Visual Studio 2010

2) Go to Tools\Options\Environment\General

3) Uncheck "Automatically adjust visual experience based on client performances" and "Enable rich client visual experience" boxes.

This should speed up VS a little. I'm not sure if disabling "Use hardware graphics acceleration if available" option will also speed VS, try it.