How to speed up your Windows based PC and Laptop at start up.

Have you noticed that your PC or laptop crawls on starting up? It is no longer the quick and speedy machine you've bought 1 or 2 years ago. Have you noticed programs popping up and starting up when you turn on your device?  Like software updater, yahoo messenger, skype, etc. etc.

What happens is once you've started your device and has finished loading windows, it starts to load the programs that are configured to start when windows starts. It is like a formed  "habit" which we do bundled in a certain task.

When we install programs from an internet download or from a disc, most often is we miss the part asking us whether we like to run the program at the start up, and just click OK, without knowing that we have already given the installation the permission to run the program at start up. .


The good news is, users can control what starts when windows starts.

To tweak the startup programs, you need to go to msconfig utility.

For XP users
click Start , Run, type in the box     msconfig

For Vista users
click Logo, type in the box       msconfig

For Windows 7
click Start, Search Programs and files, type in the box      msconfig

When at msconfig, click startup

As you can see, these programs are all checked, and this means they are all loaded when windows starts up.

Now I would uncheck all program files I do not want, especially those with C:\Program Files address, as they can be started when you need them by going to program files. I would not touch  those with C:\PROGRA~, C:\WINDOWS entries, as windows need them.

 

You could see I unchecked the MP3 Rocket as well even though it is a C:\PROGRA~ , because I downloaded it myself, and I know that even without the program running at the start up, my computer still works  fine.


Click apply and restart your computer to take effect. If your computer has an administrator account, be sure to log in to the administrator account before doing this.


As there are a lot of things that make a computer slow, or even stops responding like virus infections, hardware failures, etc etc., this is the most common symptom I encountered and easiest to solve. I know everyone who manages to create an email can do this simple trick, do not rely much on the technicians as some of them  are more interested with your wallet and I will be surprised if they will talk you through  what they will be doing.