How To Beat Windows XP Slow Startup Issues
The trouble with Windows XP slow startup times is understanding what system/program alterations can actually improve the performance. Luckily, the operating system provides a number of tools which can prove to be quite useful for speeding up things.
The starting point is to work out which applications are being initialized as the system boots. The Microsoft system configuration tool (start menu, run program, enter msconfig) is the tool for identifying these applications. It details, on the startup tab, which programs are initialized at boot time. You can use the check boxes provided to disable those programs you want to omit from initialization. This does not remove the applications – it simply disables them from initialization. As a result you can start them up later if desired.
With the msconfig tool still open, you should also identify which programs you leave activated. You need to understand how to improve the performance of these tools. Open up the task manager and identify how much RAM they’re using (on the processes tab). These applications should then be checked for updates, replaced with one of the competitor’s tools or remove it altogether. As always, only remove or disable applications you are familiar with and which were sure do not contribute to the security and stability of your applications and operation system.
Finally, Windows XP slow startup performance is also a direct factor of the overall speed of your computer. Improving overall efficiency of applications and operating system will give your start up times a boost too. This can be improved by running an anti-virus application, running the Disk Defragmenter to speed up disk access times and by increasing the size of your virtual memory (under performance options). If you’re running low on disk space then virtual memory may not be able to expand. Therefore, it makes sense to also clear away temporary files and unused applications to free up some extra disk space.
Related posts: