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Even the so-called experts miss this other hiding place sometimes.
   technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

How to get Windows to boot up faster


May 14, 2000

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, The Syracuse Newspapers

   Most Windows PCs come to life slowly. You can make Windows boot up more quickly with a few changes to your PC's setup.
   Windows gets its lethargy from two basic causes. The first, which can't be changed, stems from the immense complexity of Windows. We're stuck with that problem.
   But you can do something about the other cause. Windows is, among other things, a manager. It's a ringleader. It tells other programs to get out of bed and get moving each time it boots up.
   Some of these other programs are vital, but most are optional and some are pointless. If you tell Windows to stop loading the useless stuff, bootups will go a lot faster. An added benefit: Windows will have more resource memory.
   Finding out what programs are being loaded with every bootup is a relatively easy task if you have Windows 98, and you can do it with some help if you have Windows 95.
   In Windows 98, choose "Run" in the Start Menu and type"msconfig" (without quotes). You'll see a tab at the top of the window labeled "Startup." Click it and uncheck all the programs you want taken out of the boot sequence. Don't uncheck "Systray" unless you don't need the tray area on the Taskbar where the clock lives.
   After unchecking everything except Systray, reboot and see how things go. If you decide you really need something that was running before, run the configuration program again and check the program to turn it on again, then reboot.
   Windows 95 has no such utility built in. If you have Fix-it 99 or Fix-It 2000, use the startup customizer in Fix-It. Otherwise, you'll need to download one and install it. I checked recent freeware releases and found two free downloadable startup managers. Here are the sites:
   -- http://www.miclone.com.au/startupmanager.htm
   -- http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
   Be sure to read the documentation that comes with the program you install. They both do the same kind of thing Msconfig does. Remove all items except Systray and reboot, then see if you're missing something you need. Run the utility again and fine tune the list.
   We're not through. Programs get started automatically another way, and even the so-called experts miss this other method sometimes.
   The guilty party is Task Scheduler, a program added to Windows 95 (in the Plus! Pack) but standard in Windows 98 It's able to launch programs when Windows starts up, too. These programs are hidden from the MSConfig list and probably won't be listed in freeware utilities.
   If you can't seem to get rid of a program that starts up with Windows, the Task Scheduler might be starting the program. Remove it from Task Scheduler's list.
   If you're not able to get rid of the Critical Update Notification program that runs 288 times a day -- go to http://twcny.rr.com/technofile/texts/bit030799.html for an earlier report on this insane Big Brother program -- remove it from the Task Scheduler, then uninstall it from the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet.