Slow startup

[Rawben]

Almost since the day we bought our laptop several years ago it's been slow to start up, but now it's worse and taking forever.

I don't know where to start to remedy the problem. Any recommendations?

Thank you!

Specs: Hp Pavillion Entertainment Laptop
Windows Vista

 

[Dawn1113]

First off, I suggest that you defragment your hard drive. It would also be good if you can check that you don't have unnecessary programs in your start up configuration.

To do this, type 'msconfig' (without quotation marks) in the Windows search box and then either press enter on your keyboard or double-click on the MSCONFIG program that appears in the search results.

Once the System Configuration utility is up, click on the 'startup' tab. You should see a list of services and programs that Windows loads every time you boot or restart your PC. Laptops that come with pre-installed copies of Windows usually have a tonload of unnecessary software ticked in that list. These slow your system down and are a waste of RAM and disk space. Check out this Techspot thread to learn more about this particular subject.

If it's an option, then you should also try installing more RAM into your machine.

 

[Marnomancer]

Aye, along with the primary "must-be-done" tweaks Dawn gave, here's something more sophisticated.
The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion
Refer to Page 95 onwards.

 

[Tmagic650]

This entertainment laptop is quite old now. They are also known for over-heating... A fresh install of Windows (or a destructive factory restore) may be the best thing to do here

 

[Jay Pfoutz]

Probably the best thing for this situation is Vista needs to GO!

While I agree with magic ^^, I'd say the laptop would be better off with Ubuntu (Linux). Take a tour.

 

[Marnomancer]

Aye, seconded. My Linux beats my Windows installation by a boot time of 12 secs vs 58 secs on the same machine. But, it's where personal ease comes into play...as does intended usage and compatibility...

 

[Jay Pfoutz]

Ubuntu would probably save this PC. Vista will probably continue to kill it.

 

[Marnomancer]

Agreed. Let's see what the OP has to say about this though.