How to Speed Up Vista's Boot Time

Article by Lamar Stonecypher

Can you bake bread in the time it takes for your Vista PC to start up? Or does it seem that
way? Fortunately, there are some relatively easy steps to take to speed up Vista's boot time.
We describe several of them here.

Before We Begin . . .
A good thing to do before making adjustments to Vista settings and operation is to set a Vista
system restore point in case something goes wrong and makes your PC unbootable. We will
try our best to avoid that, but let’s be cautious.

Also, in the following, it’s assumed that if you have User Access Control (UAC) active,
you’ll click through any questions from Vista security by giving yourself all the permissions
to continue.

Creating a restore point isn’t hard. Right-click “Computer” and select Properties – or press
the Windows key, right-click “Computer” in the Start Menu, and select Properties. Then click
on “Advanced system settings” under “Tasks.” This will open the “System Properties”
dialog. Click the “Create” button and give your restore point a name. It will then say
“Creating restore point” and when done, “The restore point was created successfully.”

Images

If you get error 0×8004230C and a message that “Shadow copying the specified volume is
not supported,” then the Shadow Copy service is not running on your Vista PC. Unless, for
some reason, you don’t really WANT Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) running, you can fix this
by pressing the Windows key and typing “services.msc” into the search block. This will open
the “Services” dialog.
Image

Find “Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider” in the list and

right-click it. This will open the “Shadow Copy Provider
Properties” dialog. Under “Startup type:” set it to Automatic. Then
click “OK.” Back in the Services dialog, right-click the same line
and select “Start” to make the service start immediately.

Then do the same for “Volume Shadow Copy.”

Once both services are running, you won’t see the error message and your restore point will
be created.

Shadow Copy in Vista powers the Vista Backup Center, “Previous Versions“ and the ability
to go back to the “last known good configuration” when a startup problem occurs. There’s no
good reason NOT to be running this service in Vista. (I’m sure that somebody will let me
know if I’m wrong here.)

Now that we're safely backed up, let's continue.

Change the Boot Options

Unless you’re running a dual-boot machine, you can save some start up time by turning off
Vista boot options you don’t need and turning on options you do need. This also is not
complicated. Click on Computer, then Properties, and then “Advanced system settings” to
open the System Properties dialog. Under “Startup and Recovery,” click the Settings button.

Image

Un-check “Time to display list of operating systems.” (Unless,

again, you have a dual-boot configuration.) While you’re here, it’s a
good idea to set “Time to display recovery options when needed” to
15 seconds or more. Then click OK twice to close everything.

Dump the Prefetch Folder

Each time you start up your PC or laptop, Vista keeps track of the programs that you start. It
then creates small pointer files (.pf) in a Prefetch subdirectory of Windows. Microsoft says,
"The prefetch folder is self-maintaining, and there's no need to delete it or empty its contents.
If you empty the folder, Windows and your programs will take longer to open the next time
you turn on your computer.”
Let’s test that notion. Press the Windows key and enter “prefetch.”

My experience is that the Prefetch folder contains pointers to programs that I haven’t used in
quite some time, and even pointers to programs that are no longer installed.

It certainly does not hurt to dump the Prefetch folder, reboot, and let Windows restart. You
may save as much as five seconds here. (That’s not a lot, but every bit helps.)

To dump the Prefetch folder, click any file in the folder and then press Ctrl-A to select all
files. Note: if you are using an external storage card for ReadyBoost, press Ctrl and click the
ReadyBoost folder to un-select it. Then press Delete to finish

Stop Unnecessary Services in Vista

This is a big one, but proceed with caution here! We really don’t want to have to use that
restore point we created, do we?

To see the list of services running of your Vista PC, press the Windows key and enter
“msconfig.” This will open the System Configuration dialog. Click on the Startup tab to see
the list of processes that run at boot time.

Here you need to be a bit judicious. Do not stop a service if you do not know what it does. If
you’re not sure, do a Google search and find out what the service is.

For example, I see a MobileMe startup item from Apple. I don’t recognize that one, and since
I don’t have an iPod, I wonder if this process is needed. A Google search tells me that
MobileMe is a service that pushes stuff from the “cloud” to my mobile device. A quick check
here tells me that I don’t have an Apple mobile device, so I don’t need that!

Amazon Unbox. Well, sometimes I buy TV shows and MP3s from Amazon, but does it need
to run at start-up? I’m usually reasonably sure when I’ve purchased something from Amazon
and could start it to download myself. I don’t need Amazon Unbox.

There are other services you may not need. Some applications start a part of themselves at
start-up to decrease the perceived time it takes to start the application. If it’s an application
you don’t often need to use, then you can prevent it from starting automatically. (I don’t need
OpenOffice to prestart.)

Bear in mind as you look at your services that one may impinge or rely upon another. For
example, I have a Systran “server” running on my PC. It interacts with MS Word, Internet
Explorer, and (until version 3) Firefox. It’s an example of a service that I do want to start.

Again, proceed with caution.

If You Want to Become a Vista Startup Services Sensei

If this article has whetted your appetite and you decide to become a master of your startup
services, download Autoruns from the Microsoft Sysinternals website.
“This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any
startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or
login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs
include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys.”

Autoruns is pretty amazing. (Click the image to enlarge.)

Image

Minimize the Number of Desktop Icons

Windows Explorer redraws the desktop, icon by icon, several times during start-up, including
before and after loading the Vista sidebar. Deleting desktop icons does not remove the
programs from the PC, so you should look critically at your desktop icons. Are some images
or notes that you could move to a single "My Stuff" folder on the desktop? Do you really
need icons from programs that you know well and use frequently? In Vista, it's often easier to
press the Windows key on the keyboard or click the Start icon, enter a few charcters of the
program's name. and press Enter to start it.

You can identify program shortcuts on the desktop by the presence of a small white block
with a blue arrow superimposed on the programs' icons. (Programs that run and insert
themselves in the System Tray certainly don't need to have desktop icons as well, do they?)

This will be a slight increase, but it will get you productive on your PC a little bit sooner.

Set the Vista Indexer for Delayed Startup

The Vista file indexer contributes to a slow startup by starting its search update just as
applications are trying to "phone home" for updates and other Windows services are trying to
start. Fortunately, setting the indexer for delayed startup is easy.

Press the Windows button or click the Start button/orb and enter

services.msc

clearing the UAC prompt if active on your machine. In the "Services" dialog, select the
“Extended” tab at the bottom, scroll down and double-click “Windows Search." Next to
“Startup Type”, click the selection bar and select “Automatic (Delayed Start).” And that's it.
The indexer will wait for other processes to finish before starting its scan.
Change the Order of Startup Applications
Beyond speeding up Vista's boot time, we are also concerned with how quickly we can begin
to use our productivity applications. If you have several applications installed that include
start-up services, such as inserting themselves in the System Tray or "phoning home" for
updates, you can spread the startup sequence out by using a utility application called Startup
Delayer. This is, in effect, sacriicing speed for smoothness, but the perceived up-tick in how
soon you can get to the applications you want to use can be surprising.

This is also helpful when start-up errors are occurring, like when a service that depends on
another service tries to start first. An example could be an antivirus program that tries to
retrieve updates before the network services are up and running.

More information about using Startup Delayer (and Autoruns) can be found in "How to
Change the Order of Startup Applications in Vista."

This article was updated on April 8, 2009. The section on delaying the Vista file indexer
startup was added.

If you want to link to this article from your web page or blog, please use:

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/7047.aspx

How to Change the Order of Startup Applications in Vista

Are so many different applications trying to start at the same time during Vista's boot up that
it's bogging down your PC so much that it's minutes before you can use it? This article
addresses stopping unneeded services and streamlining the startup process in Windows Vista.

It Rains on the Just and the Unjust

After you’ve used a Vista PC for a while and have installed several applications that install
startup services, the last phase of Windows' startup, where it loads applications and their
“helpers” can become mind-bogglingly slow – so slow that they actually delay you using
your computer.

There are two ways to approach this problem, and both can be used together. The first is
identifying the startup services and deactivating those that are not needed. Sysinternal's
Autoruns can help here. The second method is to use an application like Studio R2's Startup
Delay to time or “spread out” startup applications. Both programs are Vista-compatible.

The essential difference in these approaches is that Autoruns deals with all services and
Startup Delay deals only with add-on applications, not essential services. This also means
that incorrect or unknowledgeable use of Autoruns could make your system unbootable. So
be careful out there. If you don’t know what a service is or what it does, STOP before you
reach into the plumbing. Instead, go to Google and find out what the service IS.
On the Side of Caution: Vista Restore Point
Before we start looking at this, as a precaution, let’s set a Vista Restore Point. This is the
fastest way to set a restore point.

1. Press the Windows button and type in “systempropertiesprotection”

2. If User Access Control is active, click “Continue.”

3. Click “Create.”

4. Enter a meaningful name for your restore point.

5. Click “Create” again and watch as it creates the restore point.

6. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog.

Have a Way to Reach a Recovery Environment

Having a Restore Point is great, but if the system is unbootable or unstable because you’ve
stopped some essential service, you’ll need a way to reach a Recovery Environment.
Technically, Vista should do this all by itself, but if your paranoia dwells at the highest
levels, you should have a backup method of starting the PC. If you don't have a Vista DVD,
we recommend that you create a Vista boot disc that will mount a Recovery Environment.
Please see “How to Create a Bootable Disc in Vista” for full step-by-step instructions.

Identifying Startup Services with Autoruns

Running Autoruns for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of pipes and
junctions in Vista’s plumbing. Fortunately, we’re mainly interested in those services that run
under the “Logon” tab.

Image

A second thing to know about Autoruns is that if you stop a service and reboot your PC, the
service does not disappear from the list. You can easily reactivate it by running Autoruns
again and finding the service’s line in the listing.
Here we suggest that you make a paper and pencil list of the services you’ve stopped just in
case you need to find them again and restart them. Include in your entries the name of the
service, the tab where the item is located, and maybe a brief note about what in the world you
were thinking when you stopped the service.

As an example of Autorun’s use, I see under the Login tab, “RemoteControl” started by
“PowerDVD RC Service.” Since I use a media center PC, that’s a good service for me to
keep because it makes Power DVD compatible with my existing media center remote control.
If I saw that and did not have a remote, it would be an unneeded service that I could safely
block.

Not all applications are great about filling out all the columns in Autoruns. If an entry does
not include a description and publisher, go to the last field in the list and find out which
directory it’s running from. You can then deduce what the service does.

Again, be cautious. The worst thing that could happen is that you’d need to boot Vista from a
CD or DVD, mount a Recovery Environment, and go back to your created Restore Point. For
less drastic problems, you can go back to your Restore Point with Vista running.

Once you’ve used Autoruns to stop services that you absolutely don’t need and have verified
this by rebooting and trying out several applications, going online and browsing Bright Hub,
and maybe sending an email, it’s time to look at easing the startup load of applications that
do load.

Are so many different applications trying to start at the same time during Vista's boot up that
it's bogging down your PC so much that it's minutes before you can use it? This article
addresses stopping unneeded services and streamlining the startup process in Windows Vista.

It Rains on the Just and the Unjust

After you’ve used a Vista PC for a while and have installed several applications that install
startup services, the last phase of Windows' startup, where it loads applications and their
“helpers” can become mind-bogglingly slow – so slow that they actually delay you using
your computer.

There are two ways to approach this problem, and both can be used together. The first is
identifying the startup services and deactivating those that are not needed. Sysinternal's
Autoruns can help here. The second method is to use an application like Studio R2's Startup
Delay to time or “spread out” startup applications. Both programs are Vista-compatible.

The essential difference in these approaches is that Autoruns deals with all services and
Startup Delay deals only with add-on applications, not essential services. This also means
that incorrect or unknowledgeable use of Autoruns could make your system unbootable. So
be careful out there. If you don’t know what a service is or what it does, STOP before you
reach into the plumbing. Instead, go to Google and find out what the service IS.
On the Side of Caution: Vista Restore Point
Before we start looking at this, as a precaution, let’s set a Vista Restore Point. This is the
fastest way to set a restore point.

1. Press the Windows button and type in “systempropertiesprotection”

2. If User Access Control is active, click “Continue.”

3. Click “Create.”

4. Enter a meaningful name for your restore point.

5. Click “Create” again and watch as it creates the restore point.

6. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog.

Have a Way to Reach a Recovery Environment

Having a Restore Point is great, but if the system is unbootable or unstable because you’ve
stopped some essential service, you’ll need a way to reach a Recovery Environment.
Technically, Vista should do this all by itself, but if your paranoia dwells at the highest
levels, you should have a backup method of starting the PC. If you don't have a Vista DVD,
we recommend that you create a Vista boot disc that will mount a Recovery Environment.
Please see “How to Create a Bootable Disc in Vista” for full step-by-step instructions.

Identifying Startup Services with Autoruns

Running Autoruns for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of pipes and
junctions in Vista’s plumbing. Fortunately, we’re mainly interested in those services that run
under the “Logon” tab.

Image

A second thing to know about Autoruns is that if you stop a service and reboot your PC, the
service does not disappear from the list. You can easily reactivate it by running Autoruns
again and finding the service’s line in the listing.
Here we suggest that you make a paper and pencil list of the services you’ve stopped just in
case you need to find them again and restart them. Include in your entries the name of the
service, the tab where the item is located, and maybe a brief note about what in the world you
were thinking when you stopped the service.

As an example of Autorun’s use, I see under the Login tab, “RemoteControl” started by
“PowerDVD RC Service.” Since I use a media center PC, that’s a good service for me to
keep because it makes Power DVD compatible with my existing media center remote control.
If I saw that and did not have a remote, it would be an unneeded service that I could safely
block.

Not all applications are great about filling out all the columns in Autoruns. If an entry does
not include a description and publisher, go to the last field in the list and find out which
directory it’s running from. You can then deduce what the service does.

Again, be cautious. The worst thing that could happen is that you’d need to boot Vista from a
CD or DVD, mount a Recovery Environment, and go back to your created Restore Point. For
less drastic problems, you can go back to your Restore Point with Vista running.

Once you’ve used Autoruns to stop services that you absolutely don’t need and have verified
this by rebooting and trying out several applications, going online and browsing Bright Hub,
and maybe sending an email, it’s time to look at easing the startup load of applications that
do load.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-

platform/articles/10347.aspx#ixzz11koNjuLI