My computer is taking a really long time to boot up, open programs, etc. Start up and shut down are the longest procedures. It wasn't like this a few months ago. It seems like the computer is always running. How do I find out what programs I need to run when I turn the computer on, maybe that's the problem?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
How-To Geek Forums » Windows XP
speed- windows xp home
(9 posts)
Also, use msconfig (Click Start->Run->msconfig (press Enter)) to remove any unnecessary programs from starting up automatically when windows loads itself. Typically you should have only your security programs loading automatically when windows starts. Disabling a few services can also help reduce the booting time.
Regular removal of useless files and defragmenting your HDD will keep your system in good shape.
bnozzi, hello and welcome. It's most likely that you have some program, or several programs, that are running at startup. I agree with k9 that the best course is to use msconfig to drastically reduce the number of programs running at startup time. If you cut way back on the applications on the Startup tab and see your performance return, that would be a clear indication that one of those startups is a problem.
It is interesting that many of you believe that the startup programs slow the system down. I myself do not think so. I have 24 programs running at startup but e.g. now when I am on the Forum my CPU utilization is 1%. So where are all those Mips that are being eaten? Another story, of course, is the possibility of a bad apple amongst the startups. That is always possible and can be tested by disabling them.
IMHO, startup services don't affect performance much, but startup programs can slow down things a bit on lower end systems if they eat up CPU time and memory. Bootup times are definitely affected by number of items starting up. The nastiest ones are those that put useless stuff in the startup list/system tray without permission (itunes, Creative, Adobe etc) and i hate those.
IIRC, Bootvis (free) should be able to give you a timeline of the startup process. It used to be available from Microsoft at one time, but I think they have discontinued support. Should still be available from third-party sites.
@whs, I don't believe that all startup programs cause problems and slowdowns. It's just that the *typical* user tends to collect gunk in their startup list without their knowledge. Multiple virus checkers, anti-spyware apps, toolbars, and so on get installed without their knowledge. Also, as Tiger mentions, the iTunes helper and iPod service, Adobe speed loader and gamma, and so on. Even AVG and Norton IS on their default settings check for updates on every boot and then run a scan after any update. All of this startup gunk does slow down the boot time and make the system feel sluggish -- as the OP said, it feels like the system is always running because one of these useless startups probably is running in the background.
You are hardly a typical user, whs. I'll bet that you know what all of those 24 startup processes are, what purpose they serve, and would know what to do to prevent them from becoming runaways. The typical Windows user doesn't know this like we geeks do. I have seen a cleanup of startup programs have a noticeable and dramatic speed up effect on many systems. Neither CCleaner nor a defrag pass can produce such noticeable results.
ScottW, The way you put it, I cannot argue (as usual). Maybe we should recommend to throw out everything other than the security programs - at least for starters - plus a few select ones like Sidebar, AOL fast launch, the odd toolbar (those if applicable) plus whatever one wants in the notification area for convenience.
On the other hand, one does not do so many reboots any more. Especially since SP1 reduced them for updates. So I guess it comes down to throwing out what I would call the "buggers". Btw: I use WinPatrol to manage the startups and services and find that a lot more convenient than MSCONFIG.
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