Fixing Slow Windows Startup

6:15:00 PM |

Why Startup Programs are Important
Startup programs or simply startups are processes that run when Windows is starting up, hence the name startups. Windows knows what programs to startup by referencing certain entries in the Registry. The Registry tells Windows what programs to launch and where they are to be launched from. Every time your computer is starts up, Windows checks the Registry for startups, and launches the startup items requested from the location specified by that startup item.
There are many benefits to startups. Windows uses startups in it's normal operation to start services that it requires to provide support for particular functions and features. Anti-malware and other security software use startups to launch themselves. Startups from programs like these are considered essential because the benefits they provide are substantial. If you manually launched your security software after logging into Windows instead of running it at startup, there would be a high risk of infection every time you started your computer. However, many startup items are superfluous and unnecessary to run when your computer is starting up.
Many installed programs insert startups into the registry so that their programs will run faster when called up. Startups like these pre-load certain components of their proprietary software into memory so that those components do not have to be loaded when the application is launched by the user. This practice results in a faster launch of the application but costs you resources when you are starting up your computer. These kinds of startup items are not necessary for the functionality of Windows nor are they necessary for the functionality of the application in which they assist. The only circumstances under which this kind of startup item can be considered necessary is if the userregularly uses the application in a typical session of Windows. For example, a student uses a laptop primarily for classes at a local community college. The student user accesses Microsoft Office Word to take notes during class. Microsoft Office startups that aid in faster application loading would be considered beneficial in this scenario because the user regularly uses the application on a daily basis.


Common Causes for Slow Windows Startup
Everything your computer does requires resources which are provided in the form of processing power, memory space, and hard disk space. Startup items require all three of these. A startup item is begun by a file (typically an executable file) stored on the hard disk which is then allocated the required amount of memory and then processed by the CPU. Computers have a limited amount of resources and for every startup item that begins with Windows the pool of resources shrinks. The less resources that your computer has to work with, the slower it becomes.
If you're working on a budget computer with minimum required amounts of memory, you cannot afford to run very many applications at startup. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a surplus of memory for running multiple applications, the choice is really up to you whether you want them there or not. In either case, your computer will perform more slowly for every startup item that runs when Windows starts up.
There are of course other reasons why a computer regularly starts up slow but the two main causes are due to a bloated list of startup items and a deficiency of resources. To reclaim your system's resources and speed up your startup, you can optimize your list of startup items to include only those that are necessary to run at startup. We've explained a manual method or doing this in our guide to manually fixing slow Windows startup. Disabling a startup item is not all that complicated but determing those that are important and those that aren't is a bit more complicated. Startup items often have names that are incomprehensible to the common user and there is scarcely a black and white answer readily available on the web for any given startup item.


How to Easily FIX Slow Windows Startup
Most Windows Startup issues are not directly caused by problems with a given startup item. Instead, it generally is either because you have too many startup items stacked up at system boot, or there is a system configuration issue causing a startup delay. However, finding the true cause can often times be difficult. Fortunately, automated tools exist to detect and fix the errors causing your problems.
The tool WindowsAnswers.net has always recommended is FixCleaner. A company by the name of SlimWare Utilities is behind the product. FixCleaner has proven to be an easy, dependable method of fixing slow Windows startup, as well as many other system errors and slowdowns.
click here to download FixCleaner )