Why is my Windows 7 computer so slow to startup? How can I make it faster?

What is slow?

What is your computer make and model?

How much RAM?

Is your system free from error?

Event Viewer Reports

1. Normally when an error occurs on your computer looking in Event Viewer should be your starting point for finding a solution. Most system related errors are logged and getting an exact copy of the relevant report is important. Unfortunately understanding the reports is not easy and most computer users need help with their interpretation. I have more to say later on interpretation.

2. Event Viewer comprises three main Windows logs. These are Application, Security and System. For troubleshooting purposes System is by far the most important.

3. To access the System log select Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer, from the list in the left side of the window select Windows Logs and System. Place the cursor on System, right click and select Filter Current Log. Check the box before Error and click on OK and you see only Error reports. Click on the Date and Time Column Header to sort. You may need to click a second time to see the latest Report at the top.

4. A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double click on the error you want to copy. Click on the Copy button to place a copy on your Clipboard and close Event Viewer. Now start your message and paste into the body of the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from Event Viewer.

5. There are three types of Report, being Information, Warning and Error reports. In most situations it is Error Reports that offer the best information but occasionally Warning Reports provide useful clues.

6. All reports have date and time stamps and when troubleshooting it is important to concentrate on more recent reports. Study reports since the point when the computer was last booted and then check whether a similar report appeared in the previous session. If errors do not repeat investigation as to why they occurred is wasted effort.

7. Within individual reports the more important information is Event ID and Source as these help when looking for help on the internet. The description is equally important and copying the exact text for use as the search criteria greatly helps getting better results when using Google. Do not paraphrase descriptions when asking others for help.

Type Device Manager in the Search box above the Start button and press ENTER. Are there any yellow question marks in Device Manager? If yes what is the Device Error code.

To see Hidden Devices (Non Plug and Play Drivers) you need to select View, Show Hidden Devices. It is necessary to do this every time you open Device Manager if you need to see them.

A further complication can be Ghosted Devices –installed but not connected!http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2005/04/29/display-hidden-devices-in-device-manager-xp/

Hi,

Use the Clean Boot and other methods to try to determine the cause of and/or eliminate
the issues.

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References to Vista also apply to Windows 7.

What antivirus/antispyware/security products do you have on machine? Include any you have EVER
had on this machine including those you uninstalled (they leave remnants behind which can cause
strange issues).

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Do these :

Try these to clear corruption and repair/replace damaged/missing system files.

Start - type this in Search Box ->  COMMAND   find at top and RIGHT CLICK  -  RUN AS ADMIN

Enter this at the prompt - sfc /scannow

How to Repair Windows 7 System Files with System File Checker
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

How to analyze the log file entries that the Microsoft Windows Resource Checker (SFC.exe) program
generates in Windows Vista cbs.log
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228

Also run CheckDisk so we can rule out corruption as much as possible.

How to Run Disk Check in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html

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After the above :

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or
Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Use Advanced Tools to Troubleshoot Performance Problems in Windows 7
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/6152/use-advanced-tools-to-troubleshoot-performance-problems-in-windows-7/

Problems with overall system speed and performance
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/gp/slow_windows_performance?p=1

How to troubleshoot performance issues in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950685

Optimizing Microsoft Windows Vista Performance
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/959062

To see all that is loading bootup - wait a few minutes without doing anything - then Right Click
TaskBar - Task Manager - take a look at Appplications - Processes - Services - this is a quick
reference (if you have a little box on Lower Left - Show for All Users then check that).

How to Change, Add, or Remove Startup Programs in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1401-startup-programs-change.html

A quick check to see which are loading is Method 2 there - using MSCONFIG then post a list of
those here.
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Tools that should help :

Process Explorer - Free - Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open,
which DLLs they have loaded, and more. This uniquely powerful utility will even show you who owns
each process.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

Autoruns - Free - See what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots
and you login. Autoruns also shows you the full list of Registry and file locations where applications can
configure auto-start settings.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

Process Monitor - Free - Monitor file system, Registry, process, thread and DLL activity in real-time.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx

There are many excellent free tools at Sysinternals
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx

WhatsInStartUP - Free - This utility displays the list of all applications that are loaded automatically
when Windows starts up. For each application, the following information is displayed: Startup Type (Registry/Startup Folder), Command -Line String, Product Name, File Version, Company Name,
Location in the Registry or file system, and more. It allows you to easily disable or delete unwanted
programs that runs in your Windows startup.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/what_run_in_startup.html

There are many excellent free tools at NirSoft
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/index.html

Window Watcher - Free - Do you know what's running on your computer? Maybe not. The Window
Watcher tells all, reporting every window created by every running program, whether the window
is visible or not.
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptwinwatch.asp

Many excellent free tools and an excellent newsletter at Karenware
http://www.karenware.com/

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Consider this an absolute must - manually updating your drivers.

Vista and Windows 7 love updated drivers so here is how to update the major ones.

This is my generic how to for proper driver updates :

This utility makes it easy to see which versions are loaded :

DriverView - Free - utility displays the list of all device drivers currently loaded on your system.
For each driver in the list, additional useful information is displayed: load address of the driver,
description, version, product name, company that created the driver, and more.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html

For Drivers check System Maker as fallbacks and Device Maker's which are the most current.
Control Panel - Device Manager - Display Adapter - write down the make and complete model
of your video adapter - double click - Driver's tab - write down the version info. Now click UPdate
Driver (this may not do anything as MS is far behind certifying drivers) - then Right Click -
Uninstall - REBOOT this will refresh the driver stack.

Repeat that for Network - Network Card (NIC), Wifi, Sound, Mouse and Keyboard if 3rd party
with their own software and drivers and any other major device drivers you have.

Now go to System Maker's site (Dell, HP, Toshiba as examples) (as rollback) and then Device
Maker's site (Realtek, Intel, Nvidia, ATI as examples) and get their latest versions. (Look for
BIOS, Chipset and software updates at System Maker's site while there.)

Download - SAVE - go to where you put them - Right Click - RUN AD ADMIN - REBOOT after
each installation.

Always check in Device Manager - Drivers tab to be sure the version you are installing actually
shows up. This is because some drivers rollback before the latest is installed (sound drivers
particularly do this) so install a driver - reboot - check to be sure it is installed and repeat as
needed.

Repeat at Device Makers - BTW at Device Makers DO NOT RUN THEIR SCANNER - check
manually by model.

Manually look at manufacturer's sites for drivers - and Device Maker's sites.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driverssupport/ht/driverdlmfgr.htm

Installing and updating drivers in Windows 7 (updating drivers manually using the methods above
is preferred to ensure the latest drivers from System maker and Device makers are found)
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/43216-installing-updating-drivers-7-a.html

If you update drivers manually then it is a good idea to disable Driver Installations in Windows
Updates, this leaves Windows Updates ON however it will not install drivers which will usually be
older and cause issues. If Updates suggests a new driver then HIDE it (Right Click on it) and then
go look for new ones manually if you wish.

How To Disable Automatic Driver Installation In Windows Vista - Drivers
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/how-to-disable-automatic-driver-installation-in-windows-vista/
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730606(WS.10).aspx

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Refer to these threads for many more excellent tips however be sure to check your antivirus
programs, update major drivers and BIOS, and also troubleshoot with the cleanboot method
first.

Problems with overall system speed and performance
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/slow_windows_performance/en-us

Performance and Maintenance tips
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/19e5d6c3-bf07-49ac-a2fa-6718c988f125

Windows Explorer has stopped working
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/6ab02526-5071-4dcc-895f-d90202bad8b3

Hope this helps.