Introduction | General	Helpline Q&A Directory
Shorter startups How can I shorten the amount of time that it takes my computer to boot up? I don't want to have to wait so long between turning the machine on and getting down to work. An obvious step to get your PC to start up more quickly is to reduce the number of programs that load at bootup. These include diagnostics, favourite applications and unnecessary modules inserted by installation programs. Deciding which programs to keep is a matter of judgment, for the most part. For example, you want your antivirus program's background autoprotector running at all times, but you don't need to load the whole antivirus program and scan your hard drive every time you boot. To find startup programs, select Start, Run. Type Msconfig and press Enter. This takes you to Windows 98's System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab - you'll find a list of commands, each with a checkbox. Uncheck any you think you might not use (you can always go back and recheck them later). Repeat the process in the autoexec.bat and config.sys tabs (if they're empty that's fine). When you're done, click ok, reboot, and then see how much time you've saved. Not enough? Defragging your hard drive every other week will also help to make your system boot faster. Finally, your system start may be slowed by a large font collection. To trim the number of fonts loading at bootup, select Start, Run. Type fonts and press Enter. You can then drag selected fonts to another folder to keep them out of the boot process (they'll still be available should you want them).
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