Optimizing Startup Files

Operating systems and many applications need certain processes and supportive programs to be launched during the startup. Some of these programs are unnecessary and slows down the system. Here the basic system startup tweaks and guides the user to select the services according to their need.

Introduction:

Windows XP is a faster booting operating system compared with Microsoft’s previous releases. But after some days the booting time of the system increases due to increase in start-up files and services. Start-up files and services are the background processes which are executed during system booting. Some of these start-up files are daemon applications which run all the time in the background. More start-up files make the system much slower and increases the booting time of the windows.

The following steps give some of the tricks to optimize the system start-up.

If the system installed with multiple OS then on the boot time the first file is boot.ini. The boot menu will wait for nearly 30 seconds. To avoid this, click start -> Run and typeMsconfig. There in BOOT.INI tab change the timeout to 5 seconds, which reduces the boot menu waiting time of the system. For latest version like windows vista, windows server 2003, windows server 2008 they incorporate a utility called BCDedit.exe. So to speed up the booting of this operating system the third party tools for Boot Management is used.

Startup programs:

Startup programs are programs that automatically launch during system start up. Some of these files are must for proper execution of the applications, and some others are junk startup files unnecessarily occupying memory which slows down the startup process. To select which one needed and to delete the unwanted entries we have to edit the registry.

To delete unwanted startup programs

Go to Start -> Run; type regedit

There go to the registry key

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

There the auto run programs listed in the right side of the window. There we can delete the unwanted files.

Prefetcher

Windows XP has a new feature called prefetcher, which monitors the boot process to determine which files are needed, and then preloads those files early in the boot process to optimize startup. We can optimize the startup using registry editor by modifying the prefetcher parameter.

[HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\

MemoryManagement\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher]

The default value of EnablePrefetcher is 3, but changing this value to 2 increases the booting speed.

To see the programs in start-up and the boot time loading services Microsoft recommends

This software gives the details of start-up and boot time services. The user must know well about the necessary and unwanted start-up in the list and disable the right choice. Disabling mandatory services may lead to system crash. So it is better to leave all the Microsoft corporation services and other application, database server services. Apart from these services the user may disable unwanted services and start-up programs from the system.

Unnecessary services:

Services are background process which helps the user by providing the service when necessary but they run always in the background. Windows has lot of services runs behind the screen. Some of the services are necessary for system functioning and some other are no use at all for the particular system configuration.

To get the services list click Start -> Run and type services.msc

Which will opens checked list box where we can uncheck the unwanted services.

They are

Alerter – this service send alerts over network to administrator

Computer browser – to browse through available computer in the network

Messenger – provides facility to send NET SEND over network systems.

The above services are unwanted when the system is standalone, without a network connection.

Distributed Link Tracking Client – This service is used in NTFS file system. If the system didn’t use NTFS then it is better to stop this service

Help and Support – This service gives help on pressing F1. If you won’t need this service you can disable this service.

Print Spooler – if you have no printer then you can disable this.

Server – For sharing files and printer among other systems in the network. If you didn’t prefer file sharing you can disable this service.

Task Scheduler- if you are not scheduling tasks it is safe to disable this service.

Smart Card – if you have no smart, then safely disable this service.

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