One of the questions I am often asked is how to speed up the time it
takes Windows to load or boot. There are a variety of factors (both
hardware and software) involved in lowering the amount of time it takes
for Windows to load. I will go over most of these ways in this page
starting with changes in the system BIOS and moving onward from there.
All of these changes are optional, and do not need to be carried out.
Instead, they are offered as suggestions to try to lower the time it
takes for Windows to boot. Some of these changes are very advanced and
should only be attempted if you are comfortable with making the changes
and have your data backed up.
System BIOS Changes
One of the first places to help speed boot time in Windows is to make
some simple changes to the system BIOS. The BIOS or Basic Input/Output
System is a set of instructions and commands built into the motherboard
that allows the computer to know what type of hardware is connected and
how to communicate with that hardware. You'll first have to
gain access to the BIOS setup screen to make any changes. Do not make
changes to the system settings in the BIOS lightly, one mistake can
render the computer unbootable and cause more problems than its worth.
For this reason, do not attempt making changes to the system BIOS
unless you are willing to accept the risk along with it. With that
said, you'll want to follow the directions below and make some simple
changes to speed up the boot process.
1) You must start with the computer completely off, not in sleep or
hibernation mode. Then turn the computer on.
2) Enter the system BIOS screen by the manufacturers suggestion.
Depending on the computer, this may involve pressing the DEL key,
pressing F1, Pressing F10, holding down CTRL-ALT-S, or a variety of
other keystrokes to get to the BIOS screen. For a more complete list of
keystrokes to enter the BIOS screen, visit
Michael
Steven's page on the
subject.
3) Once in the BIOS setup, look for a BOOT menu and select it with your
keyboard arrow keys, Tab, and Enter.
4) In most modern BIOS screens, you'll find an option for Quick Boot.
Enable this to skip memory tests and other minor Power On Self Tests
(POST).
5) Find an option for Boot Device Priority next, and change the first
boot device to be the hard drive. Changing this option will speed up
the boot process, but it will also not allow the computer to boot from
a floppy disk or CD-ROM. If booting from anything other than the hard
drive is important to you, please skip this step. If later on, you need
to boot from a CD-ROM, simply re-enter the BIOS setup and make the
CD-ROM the first boot device.
6) Choose the option to Exit and Save Changes and the computer will
reboot.
There are other options in the BIOS to speed up boot time such as
choosing the exact settings for your hard drive, and disabling AUTO
DETECT of hard drives and other media. However I am skipping those
changes and leaving them for a later discussion.
Changes to Windows Settings
The next group of changes to consider will be to the many Windows
settings. We will use a handy tool called the System Configuration
Utility to accomplish most of these changes. Follow the steps below to
open and use this tool.
Startup Tab Changes
1) Click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG and press Enter
2) Click on the STARTUP tab in the System Configuration Utility to view
all the items that begin on Startup. An example is shown below.
Each item on the Startup tab that is checked loads immediately after
Windows starts. If there are lots of items here, this will slow down
the boot time for Windows considerably. Each of these items can be
toggled on or off simply by using the checkmark box to the left of the
item.
The column directly to right of the checkmark is the Name of the
program, while the next column over is the location on the hard drive
or other device of the file. Finally the last column shows where in the
computer the file is started from. This location could be in the
registry as is the case with all the locations that begin with HKLM or
HKCU, or it could be in the Windows Startup folder found under ALL
PROGRAMS in Windows XP.
You can examine each of these startup items and uncheck any that are
not necessary. How do you know which ones are not necessary? Well, in
most computer configurations, you'll want drivers running for your
graphics or video controller and sound card, and most likely an
antivirus and firewall running. Other startup items are usually extras
that could be eliminated from boot up. To discover what a particular
item is used for, jot down the name for the item and go over to a site
called
Process Library,
type in the name of the process and click Find. This is a very handy
tool for discovering which startup items are truly needed.
When you are done modifying the checkmarks to the Startup tab, click OK
and you'll be asked to reboot the system.
Windows Services Changes
Once the computer is rebooted, click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG
and press Enter again. This will reopen the System Configuration
Utility. Click on the Services tab, then click on the option at the
bottom called "Hide All Microsoft Services" to see what unnecessary
Windows services are running that can be removed. Generally speaking,
you want services related to your video/sound cards and antivirus or
firewall programs left running. Other services may not be essential and
can be removed. Remember to only remove unessential services or you
risk experiencing boot problems. Use Google to search for information
on unfamiliar services. Another good resource is
Black
Viper's Strange Services page.
Hardware Changes to Increase Boot Time
Adding more Memory (RAM)
Other than upgrading the motherboard and CPU, you can generally
increase the amount of RAM in your computer to make it load programs
and applications faster and provide a more enjoyable computing
experience. You'll want to check your motherboard to make sure you have
available slots and the maximum amount of RAM you can add to your
particular motherboard.
Replacing your Hard Drive
with a Faster RPM Drive
If you have a slower hard drive such as a 5400 RPM or slower, you may
want to consider upgrading to a faster 7200 RPM
hard drive. The difference in RPM speed will generally be quite
noticeable.
Changing to Static IP
If your computer is connected to a local area network that you control
and you have a DHCP server enabled on your router, during the boot
process the computer queries the network for a valid IP address. You
can shave seconds off your boot time by assigning a valid IP address to
your computer instead of using DHCP to assign it. To setup a Static IP
for your computer, follow these directions.
1) Click on Start, Run
2) Type NCPA.CPL and press Enter to open the Network Connection Control
Panel
3) Right-click on the Local Area Connection and choose
Properties
4) Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties
5) You should see a screen similar to the one below. Fill in your
static IP, subnet, default gateway, and DNS server information and
click OK. If you aren't sure of your IP ranges on your router, consult
your router manual or a friend that is more knowledgeable in networking
terminology. Again, this is an optional item and does not necessarily
need to be accomplished. Using DHCP is fine, although you sacrifice a
few seconds for an IP to be assigned to from the network.
Switching from
Master/Slave to Cable Select
In a recent article, I talk about how
changing the configuration on the
hard drive from Master to Cable Select reduced the boot time on this
particular machine by 2 minutes.
Other Windows Performance Tips
Reduce the Number of
Fonts installed
Every font that is installed in Windows has to load when Windows
starts. The more fonts you have installed, the slower Windows loads.
Although you can safely have around 1000 fonts loaded in Windows, I
like to keep my font list closer to 300-500 or fewer if possible. There
are certain fonts that are definitely required by Windows, so be
careful in removing any fonts from your computer unless you know they
are not needed. Fonts such as Verdana,Arial,Trebuchet, Tahoma, Tahoma,
Times New Roman, MS Sans Serif, and Courier New should be left on your
system. Follow the directions below to remove extra fonts from Windows
XP.
1) Open My Computer
2) Double-click on Drive C
3) Click on File, New Folder and title it Fonts Backup
4) Double-click on the Windows folder to open it
5) Double-click on the Fonts folder
6) Highlight the fonts you wish to remove, click on Edit and choose COPY
7) Navigate back to the C:\Fonts Backup folder and PASTE these fonts
into your backup folder
8) Return to the Fonts Folder and right-click on any fonts you
previously copied to the backup folder, then choose Delete.
If you accidentally removed a font, simply reverse the procedure by
copying and pasting the font back into the Windows\Fonts folder.
Disk Cleanup, Scandisk,
and Defrag
Performing regular hard drive maintenance on your computer every few
months will not only catch problems before they cause serious damage
but also make your hard drive run at its optimal level. Follow these
instructions to clean up the drive and defrag it.
1) Open My Computer
2) Right-click on the hard drive usually Drive C
3) Click on the Tools tab
4) Under Error Checking, click on Check Now. Optionally, you may want
to check the boxes to "Automatically Fix File Errors" and "Scan For and
Attempt Recovery for Bad Sectors"
5) Next, click on the General tab and click on Disk Cleanup. After the
computer calculates the amount of files to remove, place a checkmark
next to the type of files you wish to remove and click Ok. Read the
descriptions for each type of file to determine if you should delete it.
6) Finally, click on the Tools tab again and under Defragmentation
click Defragment Now
7) Click on the hard drive you wish to defrag, click on Analyze and
then click on Defragment. This process may take some time to complete.
Virus/Spyware Scans
Finally, you'll want to complete a thorough virus and spyware scan of
your system. I recommend running an online virus scan first, then a
check for spyware. You can click on the following links to check your
system for viruses.
Online Virus Checkers
Trend Micro
Housecall - will scan and remove threats
BitDefender
Scan Online - will scan and remove threats
ESet (NOD32) Online Scanner
Kaspersky
Online Scan - will scan and remove threats
Panda
Activescan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats
McAfee
FreeScan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats
eTrust
Antivirus Web Scanner - will scan and remove threats
Symantec
Security Check - will scan and remove threats
Dr.Web
Online Check - user can upload and test for threats on
particular files
Trojan Scanner
TrojanScan by WindowsSecurity.com
Spyware Scanners
Malwarebytes AntiMalware
Super AntiSpyware
Spybot Search and Destroy
Using a Different Antivirus, Firewall, or AntiSpyware Program
If
your computer is still running slow after changing and checking all of
these options, it might be time to use a different program for
antivirus, firewall, or antispyware security. A blog on the net called
The PC Spy
has a graph displaying the boot delay time from most of the popular
products on the market including Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro,
ZoneAlarm, and more.
Not surprisingly, Symantec's Internet
Security products top the list with a 40+ % boot delay, followed by
Panda Antivirus, and Zone Alarm. So, while these products may help
prevent infections and attacks, they also are contributing greatly to
the slowdown your computer is experiencing. Avast, AVG, NOD32, and
others perform much better according to this chart.
Tips or Myths
There
are other miscellanous tips on the web that may help speed up the
Windows boot time, but there are also some very controversial ones.
Emptying the Windows Prefetch FolderThe
Prefetch folder found at C:\WINDOWS\PREFETCH is often a source of
controversy concerning its effect on boot time. This folder preloads
some applications to enable faster opening of the most used programs.
There are tips on the web that point to changing a registry value or
emptying the prefetch folder will improve boot time. From my
experience, deleting the contents of the prefetch folder DOES NOT
improve boot time and only slows the time required to open programs.
There is a limit to how many items will be loaded into the folder so it
doesn't get overloaded, so why would anyone empty this folder when its
purpose is to speed up loading of applications. You can read more about
the Prefetch Myth on
XP Myths.
Disable the Windows Boot LogoMany
sites recommend disabling the animated Windows boot logo to help speed
up the time it takes to boot. Although it may decrease the time by a
couple seconds, the anxiety caused by facing a blank screen and
wondering if Windows has stalled or froze during bootup outweighs the
second or two you may save. Although if you wish to disable the Windows
boot logo, follow these steps:
1) Click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG and press Enter
2) Click on the BOOT.INI tab
3) Click the NOGUIBOOT checkbox and click OK
4) Reboot the computer
Using BootVisWhen
Windows XP first came out, Microsoft had a utility called BootVis,
which was a performance tracing tool that Microsoft developed from
software developers and system designers. It was used to identify
performance issues while developing new PC products, but is no longer
distributed. Microsoft states on their web page for BootVis
"Please
note that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume
performance for end users. Contrary to some published reports,
Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system's boot or resume
performance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe are
built into Windows XP. These routines run automatically at
pre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operating
system."
I personally have tried
Bootvis and saw a couple seconds improvement on overall boot time, but nothing extreme in lowering overall bootup speed.
Conclusion
Although
I tried to include as much information as possible in this article, I
have intentionally left some tips, hacks, and changes out. The basic
steps in this article should improve your system boot up time
considerably which in turn should give you a happier computing
experience.
If you wish to offer other suggestions, please email them to
mark@webtrail.com