Make Windows Start Up Faster

I have heard several of my customers constantly complain that their machines take far too long to boot  into windows and that once it does that it takes several more seconds of waiting before they can do anything while it continues to load. What most of them do not realize is that many of the programs they install natively set themselves up to run int he background at start up. Many messengers, gaming interfaces, anti-virus programs, and other apps designed to make your life easier are the biggest culprits of slowdown. I, for one, would rather most of my programs run when I tell them to; rather than eat into my system resources when I'm not using them. This tutorial will show you a quick tip for getting Windows to load faster by disabling programs from auto-starting.

This trick has been an essential part of every Windows Power User's routine since Windows 98. It's not a hack, it's just good house keeping. If you try these steps and have found that a service you really like running all the time has been disabled, it's just a simple matter of following these steps again and checking a box to turn it back on.

You will need to start the Microsoft Configuration application. To do this open your start menu. In the search box type "msconfig" then click the link that comes up in the top of the start menu.

Once msconfig loads the first thing you will want to do is pair down any un-needed services. To do this click the "Services" tab. At the bottom of this screen you will see a check box labeled "Hide All Microsoft Sevices" - Check the box and the list should become quite a bit shorter.

If you want to be diligent and picky, un-check specific services from the remaining list that you want to disable. However, I recommend clicking "Disable All" - when you are done selecting services to kill be sure you click "Apply"

Just as you did on the previous screen uncheck any un-needed programs from the list or "Disable All." There is nothing on this list that will keep windows from working. The fewer programs that you leave checked on this screen the faster Windows is going to load. When you have made your changes be sure to click "Apply." and close msconfig. Windows will give you a message to let you know that you have made changes; click "Okay."

Now when you start your computer you should notice a significant change in load time. If not; then background programs were not your issue in the first place and you may want to look into cleaning out your registry or defragmenting your main boot drive. In fact, even if you notice a difference I would consider doing so anyway as it could make your system even faster.

Note: When you restart your computer the first time after making these changes, windows may prompt you to let you know that changes were made to the startup routine. This is just a precaution windows puts in so that the user knows that they may have changed something. be sure to check the box that says not to warn you every time you start up windows and click okay. You shouldn't see this message anymore.

Also if you install programs or make changes to your system it's good to check msconfig every month or so to see if the new programs have added themselves to your startup list and disable anything you don't want to be there.