Start Your Computer Faster

Start Your Computer Faster

Despite the thousands of dollars we spend on the latest netbooks or desktops, computer boot-up time remains a major bugbear. It may not a big problem when the machine is new but as more applications are installed, you’ll probably have enough time to microwave a sandwich, make a cup of coffee and finish that meal before your computer’s start-up screen appears.

This is frustrating especially as we’re increasingly more accustomed to technology that starts instantly at the touch of a button. Before you decide to stick a fork in your computer, you can take steps to speed up the boot-up time of your machine. Matthew Kohut, Worldwide Competitive Analyst, Lenovo International, shares these handy tech tips below:

Defragment your hard disk drive
Go to MY COMPUTER, right click it and choose PROPERTIES. Then choose the TOOLS tab and click the defragment button.

Clean your Windows
On your START menu, go to the RUN option and type in "cleanmgr" (no quotes). This will launch Windows cleanup tool which can help remove old log files.

Unclutter your Startup folder
On your START menu, go to ALL PROGRAMS, and open the STARTUP folder. These are programs that load automatically every time Windows starts. Most of these are not needed at all and will launch as necessary if needed. Just about any one of these can be deleted without causing any harm.

Uninstall any unused programs
Go to your CONTROL PANEL, choose PROGRAMS AND FEATURES or ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS (dependent on Windows version). If you see a program there that you haven't used in some time, remove it.

Many programs load stubs of code when Windows starts and all of the detritus just clogs your hard disk drive and slows startup time as Windows has to parse through all of the data.

Consider downloading a free registry optimiser
You can find many free or inexpensive options by doing an Internet search or going to a site like www.download.com. Put in "registry optimizer" in the search bar. Make sure to read the users' comments to determine which ones are the most effective and safest to use. Choose one with an UNDO function so that if something does not work right after you run it, you can safely get back to your previous configuration.

Add more memory
Consider adding more RAM memory. Many users bought their computers with a minimal amount. Memory is quite cheap and offers a very cost effective upgrade. More memory gives Windows room to work and makes it rely less on its disk-based swap file which is thousands of times slower than RAM memory.

Defragment again
After doing all of this, defragment your hard disk again (if you did it in step one). Or just defragment as the last step.


- wong chee tat :)