You would think that the march of technological progress would have reduced boot times over the years, but newer operating systems can take longer—Microsoft Vista actually tends to boot more slowly than its predecessor, Windows XP. (Microsoft claims its next-generation operating system, Windows 7, should provide drastic improvements in boot time.)
Additionally, boot times increase with a computer’s age. As you use your PC and more programs and devices are installed, the startup process gets even longer. And these slow boot times can lead to bad behavior. Many users become so frustrated that they leave their computers on constantly, wasting electricity and delaying valuable OS security updates.
But take heart: There are steps you can take to speed things along. Depending on the configuration of your computer, many of the various system checks and processes that take place during boot-up may be unnecessary or irrelevant to you. A variety of tricks of varying sophistication can reclaim valuable minutes or seconds of get-up-and-go time. We tested expert tactics on three well-used computers in PM’s tech lab.
Ditch Dusty Programs
As a general rule, an uncluttered computer is a fast computer. The easiest step to speed startup is to remove software that you no longer use. Many of these seemingly fallow programs are running active background processes that launch every time you push the power button. This doesn’t just slow down your startup, it chews up RAM and drags down the overall performance of your PC.
To get a full list of installed software, check Control Panel in Vista and select Remove Programs (in XP go to Add/Remove Programs). If you find programs that you’re not using or that support equipment you no longer own, eliminate them.
One of our test computers, a 3-year-old XP machine, had more than two dozen programs that hadn’t been used in years. After we removed them, the machine’s boot time was reduced from 2 minutes 45 seconds to 2 minutes 21 seconds. Across all three of our computers, the biggest offender was AIM instant-messaging software. Removing it shaved an average of 8 seconds off boot time.
Even brand-new PCs can be junked up with useless applications, known as trialware, that load processes at startup. Since these programs aren’t formally installed on your system, they may not show up in your Remove Programs list. That shouldn’t stop you from getting rid of them if you have no intention of using the software.
The easiest way to purge unwanted trialware is by using a program called, believe it or not, PC Decrapifier. This free, downloadable tool specifically targets trial software and puts it on a chopping block for you to eliminate.
On a Dell laptop
we analyzed, Decrapifier found several programs imploring users to “Get High Speed Internet!” from service providers angling for new business. Delete!
Reconfigure Pushy Software
Some startup slowdowns come from software that you do use, but don’t necessarily need running in your system’s background. Many programs have components that load at startup, then monitor your OS constantly. That makes perfect sense for antivirus software
There are a few ways to check which programs are muscling into your startup sequence. In Vista, you can manage startup applications through Windows Defender, Microsoft’s built-in program that monitors for spyware, pop-ups and performance drags. Defender has an integrated tool called Software Explorer that lets you check programs that load at startup and disable anything unnecessary.
You can also access the list of startup applications in either Vista or XP through the Msconfig utility (type “msconfig” into the Run box in the Start menu). Select the Startup tab, then uncheck any applications you think might be slowing your startup.
Both options allow you to disable a program’s startup component without completely removing it. So if you disable something and then discover that it was vital to the operation of your PC, you can always turn it back on.
Inevitably, you’ll find programs in your startup configuration that you’ve never heard of before. To sort it all out, consult an online reference such as Sysinfo. This site categorizes startup entries according to how necessary they are. On one of our test PCs we found avgtray.exe configured as a startup operation. This miniprogram was a part of the AVG antivirus software suite and was designed to launch AVG from an icon in the system tray at the bottom right of the Windows home screen. SysInfo categorized avgtray.exe as “User’s Choice,” meaning that it’s not imperative to the PC’s operation but could be useful, so we decided to keep it. Many of the items we found in the startup menus of our test PCs were software that could be started on an as-needed basis, but didn’t need to be launched at startup, so we disabled them. that must continually watch for suspicious activity on your PC, but it’s probably not necessary to have the software that came with your digital camera always running so that it can instantly offload pictures.
