Welcome To My Insane Planet

System BIOS Changes

One of the first places to help speed boot time in Windows is to makesome simple changes to the system BIOS. The BIOS or Basic Input/OutputSystem is a set of instructions and commands built into the motherboardthat allows the computer to know what type of hardware is connected andhow to communicate with that hardware.  You'll first have togain access to the BIOS setup screen to make any changes. Do not makechanges to the system settings in the BIOS lightly, one mistake canrender the computer unbootable and cause more problems than its worth.For this reason, do not attempt making changes to the system BIOSunless you are willing to accept the risk along with it. With thatsaid, you'll want to follow the directions below and make some simplechanges to speed up the boot process.

1) You must start with the computer completely off, not in sleep orhibernation 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 ofother keystrokes to get to the BIOS screen. For a more complete list ofkeystrokes to enter the BIOS screen, visit MichaelSteven's page on thesubject.

3) Once in the BIOS setup, look for a BOOT menu and select it with yourkeyboard 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 firstboot device to be the hard drive. Changing this option will speed upthe boot process, but it will also not allow the computer to boot froma floppy disk or CD-ROM. If booting from anything other than the harddrive is important to you, please skip this step. If later on, you needto boot from a CD-ROM, simply re-enter the BIOS setup and make theCD-ROM the first boot device.

6) Choose the option to Exit and Save Changes and the computer willreboot.

There are other options in the BIOS to speed up boot time such aschoosing the exact settings for your hard drive, and disabling AUTODETECT of hard drives and other media. However I am skipping thosechanges and leaving them for a later discussion.

Changes to Windows Settings

The next group of changes to consider will be to the many Windowssettings. We will use a handy tool called the System ConfigurationUtility to accomplish most of these changes. Follow the steps below toopen 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 viewall the items that begin on Startup. An example is shown below.

Each item on the Startup tab that is checked loads immediately afterWindows starts. If there are lots of items here, this will slow downthe boot time for Windows considerably. Each of these items can betoggled on or off simply by using the checkmark box to the left of theitem.

The column directly to right of the checkmark is the Name of theprogram, while the next column over is the location on the hard driveor other device of the file. Finally the last column shows where in thecomputer the file is started from. This location could be in theregistry as is the case with all the locations that begin with HKLM orHKCU, or it could be in the Windows Startup folder found under ALLPROGRAMS in Windows XP.

You can examine each of these startup items and uncheck any that arenot necessary. How do you know which ones are not necessary? Well, inmost computer configurations, you'll want drivers running for yourgraphics or video controller and sound card, and most likely anantivirus and firewall running. Other startup items are usually extrasthat could be eliminated from boot up. To discover what a particularitem is used for, jot down the name for the item and go over to a sitecalled Process Library,type in the name of the process and click Find. This is a very handytool for discovering which startup items are truly needed.

When you are done modifying the checkmarks to the Startup tab, click OKand you'll be asked to reboot the system.

Windows Services Changes

Once the computer is rebooted, click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIGand press Enter again. This will reopen the System ConfigurationUtility. Click on the Services tab, then click on the option at thebottom called "Hide All Microsoft Services" to see what unnecessaryWindows services are running that can be removed. Generally speaking,you want services related to your video/sound cards and antivirus orfirewall programs left running. Other services may not be essential andcan be removed. Remember to only remove unessential services or yourisk experiencing boot problems. Use Google to search for informationon unfamiliar services. Another good resource is BlackViper's Strange Services page.

Hardware Changes to Increase Boot Time

Adding more Memory (RAM)

Other than upgrading the motherboard and CPU, you can generallyincrease the amount of RAM in your computer to make it load programsand applications faster and provide a more enjoyable computingexperience. You'll want to check your motherboard to make sure you haveavailable slots and the maximum amount of RAM you can add to yourparticular motherboard.

Replacing your Hard Drivewith a Faster RPM Drive

If you have a slower hard drive such as a 5400 RPM or slower, you maywant to consider upgrading to a faster 7200 RPM

hard drive. The difference in RPM speed will generally be quitenoticeable.

Changing to Static IP

If your computer is connected to a local area network that you controland you have a DHCP server enabled on your router, during the bootprocess the computer queries the network for a valid IP address. Youcan shave seconds off your boot time by assigning a valid IP address toyour computer instead of using DHCP to assign it. To setup a Static IPfor your computer, follow these directions.

1) Click on Start, Run

2) Type NCPA.CPL and press Enter to open the Network Connection ControlPanel

3)  Right-click on the Local Area Connection and chooseProperties

4)  Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties

5) You should see a screen similar to the one below. Fill in yourstatic IP, subnet, default gateway, and DNS server information andclick OK. If you aren't sure of your IP ranges on your router, consultyour router manual or a friend that is more knowledgeable in networkingterminology. Again, this is an optional item and does not necessarilyneed to be accomplished. Using DHCP is fine, although you sacrifice afew seconds for an IP to be assigned to from the network.

Switching fromMaster/Slave to Cable Select

In a recent article, I talk about how changing the configuration on thehard drive from Master to Cable Select reduced the boot time on thisparticular machine by 2 minutes.

Other Windows Performance Tips

Reduce the Number ofFonts installed

Every font that is installed in Windows has to load when Windowsstarts. The more fonts you have installed, the slower Windows loads.Although you can safely have around 1000 fonts loaded in Windows, Ilike to keep my font list closer to 300-500 or fewer if possible. Thereare certain fonts that are definitely required by Windows, so becareful in removing any fonts from your computer unless you know theyare not needed. Fonts such as Verdana,Arial,Trebuchet, Tahoma, Tahoma,Times New Roman, MS Sans Serif, and Courier New should be left on yoursystem. Follow the directions below to remove extra fonts from WindowsXP.

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 fontsinto your backup folder

Return to the Fonts Folder and right-click on any fonts youpreviously copied to the backup folder, then choose Delete.

If you accidentally removed a font, simply reverse the procedure bycopying and pasting the font back into the Windows\Fonts folder.

Disk Cleanup, Scandisk,and Defrag

Performing regular hard drive maintenance on your computer every fewmonths will not only catch problems before they cause serious damagebut also make your hard drive run at its optimal level. Follow theseinstructions 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 wantto check the boxes to "Automatically Fix File Errors" and "Scan For andAttempt Recovery for Bad Sectors"

5) Next, click on the General tab and click on Disk Cleanup. After thecomputer calculates the amount of files to remove, place a checkmarknext to the type of files you wish to remove and click Ok. Read thedescriptions for each type of file to determine if you should delete it.

6) Finally, click on the Tools tab again and under Defragmentationclick Defragment Now

7) Click on the hard drive you wish to defrag, click on Analyze andthen 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 ofyour system. I recommend running an online virus scan first, then acheck for spyware. You can click on the following links to check yoursystem for viruses.

Online Virus Checkers

Trend MicroHousecall - will scan and remove threats

BitDefenderScan Online - will scan and remove threats

ESet (NOD32) Online Scanner

KasperskyOnline Scan - will scan and remove threats

PandaActivescan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats

McAfeeFreeScan - appears to only scan for but not remove threats

eTrustAntivirus Web Scanner - will scan and remove threats

SymantecSecurity Check - will scan and remove threats

Dr.WebOnline Check - user can upload and test for threats onparticular 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

Ifyour computer is still running slow after changing and checking all ofthese options, it might be time to use a different program forantivirus, firewall, or antispyware security. A blog on the net called The PC Spyhas a graph displaying the boot delay time from most of the popularproducts on the market including Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro,ZoneAlarm, and more.

Not surprisingly, Symantec's InternetSecurity products top the list with a 40+ % boot delay, followed byPanda Antivirus, and Zone Alarm. So, while these products may helpprevent infections and attacks, they also are contributing greatly tothe slowdown your computer is experiencing. Avast, AVG, NOD32, andothers perform much better according to this chart.

Tips or Myths

Thereare other miscellanous tips on the web that may help speed up theWindows boot time, but there are also some very controversial ones.

Emptying the Windows Prefetch Folder

ThePrefetch folder found at C:\WINDOWS\PREFETCH is often a source ofcontroversy concerning its effect on boot time. This folder preloadssome applications to enable faster opening of the most used programs.There are tips on the web that point to changing a registry value oremptying the prefetch folder will improve boot time. From myexperience, deleting the contents of the prefetch folder DOES NOTimprove 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 itdoesn't get overloaded, so why would anyone empty this folder when itspurpose is to speed up loading of applications. You can read more aboutthe Prefetch Myth on XP Myths.

Disable the Windows Boot Logo

Manysites recommend disabling the animated Windows boot logo to help speedup the time it takes to boot. Although it may decrease the time by acouple seconds, the anxiety caused by facing a blank screen andwondering if Windows has stalled or froze during bootup outweighs thesecond or two you may save. Although if you wish to disable the Windowsboot 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 BootVis

WhenWindows XP first came out, Microsoft had a utility called BootVis,which was a performance tracing tool that Microsoft developed fromsoftware developers and system designers. It was used to identifyperformance issues while developing new PC products, but is no longerdistributed. Microsoft states on their web page for BootVis

"Pleasenote that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resumeperformance for end users. Contrary to some published reports,Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system's boot or resumeperformance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe arebuilt into Windows XP. These routines run automatically atpre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operatingsystem."

I personally have tried Bootvis and saw a couple seconds improvement on overall boot time, but nothing extreme in lowering overall bootup speed.