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| JL, 19 June 2007 Booting Up
When I can cook a full-course
breakfast in the time it takes my computer to boot up I start thinking
it must be
time to reinstall my operating system. But a much simpler
method can make a difference.
One of the big causes of slow bootup are all the programs unnecessarily starting at the same time your computer starts. It's a good idea to have your firewall and anti-virus starting up at the same time as your computer. And a few others might be desirable. The rest of it is questionable. A couple years ago I came across a program called StartupRun. It's for Windows systems. (pre-Vista) What it tells me is what programs are starting when my computer starts. These are all the programs that have given themselves permission to be included in my bootup. Sometimes programs do that when they're being installed if you're not watching your options. I used to fool around with making changes through Windows (the back of beyond somewhere) but I never really understood what I was doing. One time I followed a complex list of instructions from some-one who said they got their boot-up time down to 28 seconds. After that I really did have to re-install my operating system. StartupRun makes it possible to simply disable a startup item without deleting it, so if I find it's something that's actually needed I can go back in and re-enable it. It will also show spyware that's loading and mark it in pink. I've never seen any on my computer but that's what they say.  Some of the items are recognizable, such as Windows Messenger, which I never use, so I simply disable it. That shaves some off my boot-up time. And so on down the list. If I don't know what it is, I can look it up on Google. It's free and it's totally safe as long as you don't go deleting things. Disable anything you really don't need Windows to be including in your startup menu, and look up the meaning of anything you don't recognize. Another program that works in a similar way is Startup Inspector, also free, better-looking and with more options.  This is a smarter cookie.
In the lower left is the key of the 5 icons that
indicate your programs as either Unknown, Not Recommended, Not
Required, User's Choice and System Required. After you click
the Consult button near the top left, it will give you more detailed
information on all your programs. Now you can make a decision
whether to
leave them in your startup menu or turn them off. You will
need
an internet connection to get the information.
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