How can I reduce Windows 7 boot times?

I have a Sony VAIO laptop that has an i7 processor, 6 GB of RAM and a 7200 RPM 500 GB 2.5 inch drive.

I work in .NET, so I have SQL Server Developer, Visual Studio and a lot of other tools like that.

The machine takes nearly 4 minutes to boot up. I actually timed it this morning and it is 2:45 seconds, although it is still isn't really responsive at that point. It's clear things are still loading, in other words.

I have ReadyBoost but that doesn't seem to help. Most of the boot up occurs before ReadyBoost even comes online, which is a shame because the flash memory for it is quite fast.

Is there a way to speed up the boot time and/or make ReadyBoost more effective?

rsteckly

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 359

Answers

There is a freeware program called Soluto which is claimed to speed up Windows boot time. It works for Windows 7. I haven't experienced it but I think it is worth trying in your case.

Mehper C. Palavuzlar

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 51 093

4I have been using Soluto since early Alpha and am very pleased about the results. Initially lowered my boot time by 35%. – Aron Rotteveel – 2010-11-24T18:47:30.173

Ive tried Soluto, it's an easy way of filtering what starts at boot up and either stopping it altogether or deferring it to start after boot up. – Tog – 2010-11-24T21:25:21.957

So it turns out that a lot of the time in the boot was being taken by....Microsoft! Microsoft Security Essentials AntiMalware was taking 30 seconds a boot. Along with other programs, Soluto has taken my boot down to 1:55 from 4:04. – rsteckly – 2010-11-24T21:56:57.107

@rsteckly: 53% improvement is pretty good. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar – 2010-11-24T22:38:08.450

I lowered only ~2%. Probably because I already optimized my system as much as possible. (It's still "slow" because it's ~5 years old.) – Mateen Ulhaq – 2011-05-25T02:07:04.467

Have you tried running "Autoruns"?

You could start with entries under "Logon".

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. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.

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TFM

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 4 243

Great for finding problematic items. Often a conflict with two processes trying to start and one timing out. This tool will help but it will take some trial and error changes to the boot. – Dave M – 2010-11-24T18:12:43.483

4 minutes of boot time with those specs, means something is very wrong with your laptop. Has it always been that slow?

I strongly suggest making Sony take a good look at it just to make sure there are no hardware issues, if it is still covered by the warranty.

If there aren't any hardware issues, then try to format the hard drive and reinstall everything.

Upgrading to a SSD hard drive will give you the best possible speed boost, but at a cost. Alternatively, a hybrid drive such as a Seagate Momentus XT will give you some extra speed without breaking the bank.

molgar

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 1 551

It wasn't always that slow, but its never been fast either. Honestly, I'm really dissatisfied with the product because it has known overheating issues and the fan comes on like the machine is going to blow up before the OS even starts! That's just not reasonable. – rsteckly – 2010-11-24T18:17:33.053

Actually, the fan coming on hard is normal. The BIOS controls the fans on first start, and most systems I've worked with have spun the fans up to full speed before power management comes online and takes them down to normal speeds. – music2myear – 2011-05-10T18:46:54.470

You can use Windows Performance Tools Kit to analyse your leak of boot performance. This tool give you detailed information about the Windows boot process. Take a look on google for it.... To understand the boot phases i recommend you look too for the "Windows On/Off Transictions". In this document Microsoft provides on them knowledge base descriptions about all phases and processes that needs to be booted on your system. I know a way to improve your system boot time using the Windows Performance Tool Kit, you can type the command: "xbootmgr -trace boot -prepSystem". It will boot up your computer for six times genarating prefetches for the boot process....

Diogo

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 28 202

Here is a link to a optimization guide: [http://www.briteccomputers.co.uk/forum/tutorials-and-how-to/how-to-speed-up-boot-process-under-windows-vista-or-windows-7

– Diogo – 2011-05-11T16:58:42.177

My answer from here.

If I were you, I would check out TweakHound. Determine how hard you want your machine tweaked (still pretty, or can you handle no-Aero?). They tell you what you're doing, and what'll be the side effects. You can disable extra services/startup items [which speeds your machine a lot], and they give you a list of what to disable, so you don't mess up your machine.

Primum non nocere (First, do no harm) This guide is not a strip down the OS to the bare bones gamers guide. The intent of this guide is to allow you to tweak the system while maintaining full functionality. Yes, there is stuff you can uninstall, turn off, or disable and I will show you how to do that. But (those who followed my previous guides have seen this before), there is one thing I would like you to keep in mind. I've always believed that Sir Isaac Newton's 3rd Law, commonly phrased as "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" applies to just about everything in life. It applies to tweaking as well. Every time you make a change it costs something. I'll let you know what that something is. For example, turning all the eye-candy off can result in more available system resources but may lessen the user experience.

Mateen Ulhaq

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 3 207

Check out the following reasons and try to fix them to reduce the boot up time for your laptop

Scan for Viruses & Malware
Change Boot Priority and Turn on Quick Boot in BIOS
Disable/Delay Startup Apps
Disable Nonessential Hardware
Hide Unused Fonts
No GUI Boot
Eliminate Boot Delays
Remove Crapware

Fixing the above things will surely help you to reduce the boot time as I reduced mine to 45 sec.

Sumit Dawas

Posted 2010-11-24T17:45:52.597

Reputation: 1