How To Make Windows XP Start Up Faster

You press the computer's power button and it comes alive. It goes through the self-testing process you've seen so many times. But after a few seconds the Windows XP logo shows up with the progress bar underneath and things begin to move in slow motion. These slow startups are usually the cause of a few erroneous configurations in the system. Some of us may have gotten used to it and pay it no mind so long as it eventually gets to the desktop. Most of us may however find it a daily minor source of irritation. A few settings changes can be done in two areas: the computer's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and Windows XP's System Configuration Utility.

1. Set the hard drive to be the first boot device. A computer's BIOS, among other things, manages how your computer will startup. There is an option in BIOS wherein the user can define which device the computer will start looking for boot records. By default it will first seek it in the floppy or optical drive and then only finally look in the hard drive. The boot records are actually in the hard drive so by telling the computer to go there first, startup would begin immediately. To access BIOS press the Del key as soon as you turn the computer on and the self-testing proceeds. Navigate through the different sections of BIOS until you find something like "Boot Device Order" or "Boot Options." In this section set the hard drive or C: as the first boot device. Save this new setting and exit BIOS. The computer will then restart.
2. Remove unnecessary programs from Startup. When the computer has finished its initial self-testing process and is then loading the operating system, certain programs might be inadvertently loading at the same time. These programs due to their own configuration may have been automatically included in the Startup process. To remove them you will need to access the System Configuration Utility. You can do this by clicking on the following in sequence: Start - Run. The small Run window will appear. In the input field, type "msconfig," then click on the OK button. The System Configuration Utility window will come out. In this window, pull up the Startup tab. This tab will show a list of all the programs that simultaneously load with the Startup process. Uncheck from the list such programs like instant messaging or any other secondary applications that you only run when needed. Don't remove files that have a "WINDOWS," "system" or "system32" designation as these are system files and need to be constantly running. Once you're through you can click on the OK button and choose either to restart immediately or exit the utility without restarting. Hopefully in the restart or on the next time you turn on the computer you will notice a faster Startup process.
Decreasing the time it takes for your PC to complete its Startup process is simply a matter of taking out some unnecessary steps. There are just days when you absolutely need your computer to be up and running as quickly as possible.