Windows Bootup Optimisation?

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Okay first of all let me explain what I am talking about in the non-technical way I understand it so we don't get our wires crossed. I am talking about when after you PC has gone through POST and you see the Windows XP logo and that little green bar moving accross the screen before the welcome screen shows and your Desktop loads and Windows startup starts.

Now obviously a way of meauring the time it takes to bootip(even if it may be a fairly stupid way) is too count how often that bar goes accross the screen. Now usually this is around 40 for me (yeah I know this is a lot...I just have a lot of junk I like to run...honestly RAP I could make your Q9450 lag as if it was a P1). I can live with that but I am curious about what is actually being loaded during this time because I have optimisation program (which I don't like using as I can't tell wether making a tick is turning an option on or keeping it on...so I would prefer not to use it again...not to mention it's not fond of ATI graphics cards and if I forget not use a certain optimisation then my whole Windows installation is history) which can reduce these 40 bars...to down to around 11.

Now I am curious what actually gets loaded during this time and what determines the length of bootup?

Also what do you think this program changes to magically alter my bootup time by that much? I have not come accross another Optimisation program that has the same result on bootup (not that I have tried too many as I only try free ones) so I am curious what this program does so radically different.

The program is a german program called XP Regtune (so I guess it just changes stuff in the registry?) which unfortunately has not been updated in ages.

Anyways this is not a glaring problem, I am just curious that's all.

Edit: O by the note that this boost happens regardless of what I turn on or off. So I can't see one of the options I selected magically creating this increase it seems to do it by default.

[runawayprisoner]

Disabling some services and then activating them AFTER you've gotten into Windows, disabling bootup device seeking, disabling a few other junks... etc.

I manually tweak my own windows, and you can guess... my Eee PC loads in only one cycle of that loading screen. From the Windows XP load screen into desktop and ready to use, it takes about 10 seconds. You can bet that it's almost instant on the Q9450.

Thing is... Windows just has too many junks that over 80% of its users don't even know that the junks exist. By taking them out, and preserving only every day functionality (music, videos, etc...), you are guaranteed a 90% boot time boost. And actually up to 50% performance boost even if you use a bunch of antivirus softwares.

Either way, shouldn't this be software-related?

[refraction]

its generally drivers that are loaded, but strangely where they are on the drive can effect it.

A program i used long ago called TuneXP by Driverheaven folks, it has a defrag bootfiles option n puts them in order on your drive in which they load, it seems to really help.

also if you have lots of disconnected hardware (mainly due to upgrading over time) it can also slow it down, you can remove these i the device manager, i suggest googling "show disconnected hardware in device manager"

[Hard core Rikki]

Profile the startup sequence first, and you'll know exactly where it takes too much time, and what could greatly speed it up.

Bootvis
Download BootVis 1.3.37.0 - BootVis - Microsoft tool to provide faster XP boot and resume times - Softpedia

Fast Boot / Fast Resume Design

[Coolsvilleman]

I get 11 and 1/2 windows bars at bootup. And there is always a slight pause at around bar 8 or 9. I don't think its possible to get any less just by how the boo sequence works. Though my user profile takes forever to load and i turned tons of stuff off.

[Mad]

Here the bar only goes 3 times.

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Oops yeah I guess...I put it here though cuz I thought it had a lot to do with the HDD aswell.

Main reason why I even ask this question is that since I got my new HDD...about every 3rd or 4th bootup it like hangs mid bootup and then runs that bootup screen for even longer ...so let's say I usually see the screen for 1 to 1 one a half minutes...well every third or 4th bootup it boots for like 3 seconds, hangs for a minute and then boots for like another 2 minutes before loading normally...so I was curious what might have that effect between the 2 different harddrives (if it's HDD related).

Or alternatively I am worried that my CPU might be announcing that it's thinking about retirement within the next few months or so as I don't see any processor activity during that hang (the litte light which I think indicates processing never flickers or hardly flickers during the hang)...although I don't think a CPU would be issuing a surrender notice on an almost scheduled basis.

[runawayprisoner]

You can try re-installing Windows and see if that would fix the problems? Most of the time, re-installing will fix a lot of problems with new hardwares.

[Squall-Leonhart]

add devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 to the system variables and open device manager,

make it show hidden devices, and remove any old devices that have ghosted(greyed out)
be careful not to remove the microsoft devices in the audio section as these are required for sound to work.

most often you'll find alot of non plug and play drivers that can be removed, but DO NOT remove ghosted fs_rec or vga otherwise your computer will catch fire or your porn will be deleted :O.

At this point, make sure you have SP3 installed as this makes a few services manual by default as they aren't required for most users.

Then get a decent Defrag app like perfect disk, start off by running an offline defrag (as doing it after a online defrag will just mess up the previous defrag) then run a full defrag, with my own experience, this changes it from 20+ passes to 1-5

Btw, Bootvis is useless. it doesn't work on modern systems due to the device count.

[Hard core Rikki]

Do a Bootvis check, with both methods.
Feel free to pm results if you feel comfortable with that.

Do a Bootvis check, with both methods.
Feel free to pm results if you feel comfortable with that.

[Squall-Leonhart]

Bootvis doesn't do jack dude :P systems i've used bootvis on have either broken or remained at the same crappity performance. especially since the msft tools can't handle currently loaded device drivers, while 3rd party sw does.

Note: Windows cannot defrag the registry, software capable of boot-time(offline) defrags can, boot slowdowns can be caused by registry fragmentation

[Hard core Rikki]

Bootvis allows to profile. Obviously, it doesnt improve a thing, it's just for benching the bootup sequence.

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Ok checking out bootvis now.

The previous HDD buckeled so this one already has an entirely clean windows install on it with no old or disconnected hardware aside from the previous HDD which was connected in slave just to get all my data off and then promptly disconnected.

[Squall-Leonhart]

:P windows has built in startup performance monitoring, it just requires enabling it :\

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

Errr...how am I meant to use Bootvis?

And which 2 modes are you talking about Rikki?

[Hard core Rikki]

trace next boot and trace next boot+driver delaying (technically, only the first should be needed. the second one is just for completeness, and should not be needed). The results should be significantly more insightful than guesses.

[Squall-Leonhart]

i recommend doing the driver delay, this will allow you to find out if an installed driver is entering a hung state,.

[SCHUMI-4-EVA]

I did the 2nd first (as I thought it would be bettter).....and bootvis.....crashed

My PC is awesome

[runawayprisoner]

Originally Posted by SCHUMI-4-EVA

I did the 2nd first (as I thought it would be bettter).....and bootvis.....crashed

My PC is awesome

Oh my god... lol...
Just because Squall said that bootvis was useless..