You would never guess how many times I get asked by people about this very issue. It may simply be that programs and/or services are slowing down Windows during startup. To determine what the problem is, there are some easy steps you can take.
First, restart the computer and boot it up in Safe Mode. To start your computer in Safe Mode, press F8 when the computer is first starting and select Safe Mode from the menu options you are given. If startup performance improves when Windows is in Safe Mode, you have unneeded programs or services slowing down your computer. If Safe Mode does not improve your startup speed, you may have a hardware, driver, or other component issue which you may want to seek assistance with resolving.
If startup performance did improve in Safe Mode, use “msconfig” to stop unnecessary programs or services from loading during startup. Restart the computer and make sure it boots up in normal mode (not Safe Mode), then activate “msconfig” by clicking on the Start Menu and going to the Run box. Type “msconfig” in the run box and hit enter. Go to the Services Tab and check the box marked “Hide All Microsoft Services”.
Now, start scanning through the list of services and disabling services. After disabling one or more services, restart Windows to see if it improves startup speed. If you are unsure what a service does, read the description of the service or use a good search engine before disabling it. By experimenting with disabling services, you will discover which ones should be disabled to improve startup speed.
Next, go to the “Startup” tab and do the same thing with the list of programs under it. This is usually where I see the most improvement in startup speed. Almost every application you install on your computer ends up on this list, and by disabling select programs, you can significantly improve your startup speed. Disable all or some of the programs one at a time to see how your startup speed is improved and then continue experimenting with disabling programs until you have only the select few programs you want to load at startup. After changes are made, you should see improvement in your Windows startup speed.
Remember, just because you disable a program from starting during the Windows startup program does not mean you can never use the program again. The program is still on the computer but is not eating up the computer’s resources until it is needed. You can simply restart the program using the Windows menu.
If you have questions or comments, let us know here at Ironclad Tech Services. We will be glad to help you.
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