Boot up tips

SuperCheetah · Apr 3, 2002

Found this old article over at www.pcstats.com but I believe it still applies now. I'm going to try it on my computer and tell my results. Thought some of you guys might need this, I know I do. I hate waiting for my computer to boot.

Author: Keith McClellan
April 14, 2001
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=641

Quick Boot Tweaks
There are several, very simple tweaks that can be performed that will significantly decrease the amount of time it takes your computer to boot up. Not only that, but several of them will also increase the speed of your system as well. To begin with, there are four main files which all versions of Windows use to a varying degree while booting up. These four files are autoexec.bat, config.sys, system.ini, and msdos.sys. For the most part, unless you are running a command-line virus scanner, autoexec.bat should be empty. However, the other files can be modified to increase system boot time and performance.

For example, adding the line stacks=0,0 to the config.sys file can significantly speed up a computer. However, the two files I really want to focus on here are system.ini and msdos.sys. Within system.ini, add the following lines under [386Enh]:

LocalLoadHigh=1 - This setting tells the computer to load everything the operating system needs into upper memory by default, freeing up as much conventional memory as possible (the first 640K). Microsoft would like us to believe that this no longer effects the system, but they are lying.

DMABufferSize=64 - This setting tells the computer to leave as much memory available for DMA data transfers as possible, speeding up not only the boot process but the system in general.

There are some even more exciting settings available within the msdos.sys file for optimizing the boot process. Before you can modify the msdos.sys file (which is a hidden file, by the way, so you'll have to set Windows to show hidden files from within Windows Explorer), you will need to remove its read-only attribute. To do this, right click on the file, enter its properties menu, and uncheck read-only. Now that you've done that, open the file in notepad and add the following lines:

Logo=0 - This setting turns off the silly Windows splash screen during startup. Disabling this will shave a few seconds off your boot time.

Drvspace=0 - This setting turns off support for Drivespace-compressed FAT16 drives. Since no one uses this anymore, it is safe to disable. Disabling it will not only speed up your boot time, but it will also free up some extra resources as well

Dblspace=0 - Same as above, but this time for Doublespace-compressed FAT16 drives.

DisableLog=1 - This setting disables the log file which Windows creates by default when booting up. Disabling this will shave a few seconds off your boot time, and since no one ever uses the log file for anything anyway, it won't be missed.

AutoScan=0 - This line disables the automatic scandisk that is run if the computer is improperly shutdown - saving a bunch of time if you are constantly restarting your computer using the power button instead of the 'correct' way. Sadly, however, this doesn't appear to work with Windows Me.

Applying these tweaks should dramatically decrease the amount of time it takes for your computer to start up or reboot. Hopefully, these tweaks will help your computer boot up faster, and give you a slight performance boost as well.

svtcobra · Apr 3, 2002

are these for XP as well?

lokem · Apr 4, 2002

Wow... I haven't seen those for a LONG time! The msdos.sys file is 0 bytes in my WinXP PC. I remember that is has to be at least 1024 bytes in older Windows releases. I suppose this tweak is for WinME and below.

Mictlantecuhtli · Apr 4, 2002

None of these applies to NT. I used these years ago with Win9x.

SuperCheetah · Apr 4, 2002

My bad, just saw the article and figured some of them might could be applied to XP as well. Guess not, oh well.

Here is some little ones that I found for 2000 and XP.

Posted: November 19, 2001
Written by: Dan "Tweak Monkey" Kennedy
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/winstartupnew/

Turbo Frequency - ENABLE. This is not available on all motherboards, but on most it will set your bus speed approximately 2.5% higher, offering a generous speed increase. It's overclocking, but very minor, so most people should have no fear of this setting. It will make the whole system a little bit faster.

IDE Hard Disk Detection - This part of the BIOS Setup will detect your hard disks for you; and you can save the configuration. If you configure your hard drives here, you will not have to let your BIOS auto-detect the drives every time you boot up, which will save you time. This is a rather simple process and I don't think I need to explain it further.

Standard BIOS Setup Menu - This part of the BIOS Setup will confirm that all of the hard disks are configured. If you're sure you're not using a certain drive, turn off auto-detection and save yourself some time. CDROM drives usually do not need to be configured for your computer to identify them.

Quick Power On Self Test (or POST) - ENABLE. This will have your system run a less detailed POST, resulting in a quicker boot sequence.

Boot Sequence - Unless you plan on booting off of any drive other than your hard drive, set this to start with C, your hard drive.(ex: "C, A, SCSI."). You can always set it back to "CDROM" or something later.

Boot Up Floppy Seek - DISABLE. If you enable this, your system will take a few seconds to examine the floppy drive in search of a disk, wasting your time.

Also, there are other tweaks for the msconfig and whatnot in the article. Maybe these can help a newbie or someone like myself who just hasn't taken the time to do this.

TS | Thomas · Apr 4, 2002

Got both the Win9x & 2k/XP stuff covered in our Startup guide also.

SuperCheetah · Apr 4, 2002

Ahhhhhhhhh...I give up!!!

boeingfixer · Apr 4, 2002

Originally posted by SuperCheetah
Ahhhhhhhhh...I give up!!!

Sorry Super, I feel for you man.....When you wanna do a LAN party ?? That would be too cool. We could have a huge 3DS LAN party and fly everyone in for a weekend of FPS'ing...Anyone else up for it ??

Ai Hate · Apr 6, 2002

fly me across the globe!!!!

boeingfixer · Apr 6, 2002

Originally posted by Ai Hate
fly me across the globe!!!!

Can you wait til after July ? Thats when I get my new passes for family and friends...

erwin1978 · Apr 10, 2002

WinXP loads at around 45 seconds for me and I'm impressed. I wonder if I can make it to 1 second.

TechSpot

Boot up tips

SuperCheetah Newcomer, in training

svtcobra TechSpot Paladin

lokem Newcomer, in training

Mictlantecuhtli TS Special Forces

SuperCheetah Newcomer, in training

TS | Thomas Newcomer, in training

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