Another Computer Club members asked: when my computer was new, it used to start up quickly. Now it seems to take forever. What can I do to correct this?

There are several things that can cause this problem and I have addressed most of them in other places but not as a unit yet. This is a good time to create a "guide" for what you can do to fix this. Here is what I do when I go to a customers house and find this situation:

1. The very first thing I do is ask when the last time was that they defragged the hard drive. If I get the "deer in the headlights" look, I know that i have probably found the main cause of their problem. I will check and if it is too bad, i will get the defrag going in safe mode and then make another appointment to come back in a day or two.

2. The next thing I do is go through my little "Windows XP Optimization" routine. This is explained in Related Link 1 below, top right hand tip.The only thing not mentioned there is the "Visual Effects" settings under the performance options. I normally click on "adjust for best performance" and then go down and select the bottom two options if the owner likes the pretty colors in XP. When you get to the "Black Viper" services settings, use a little common sense there or you can find yourself disabling your wireless connection or something that you might need if you use shared resources in your home. Remember that the Black Viper recommendations are for a stand alone system that you want to run at optimum efficiency.

3. The next step is to eliminate the programs that are running at startup that you do not need. Here I also start looking for telltale traces of spyware and adware. If I see too much of that I will deal with it before completing this step.

I sometime see machines with 50 - 100 items starting up when the computer boots. Every one of these programs contributes to slowing down the computer and they can lead to other problems. Take control of your computer and learn how to know what is running and why it is there.
You have probably heard of the MSCONFIG utility and many of you have probably used it before. However, it can be a little confusing trying to figure out what all those lines mean. A good general rule is to not disable something you are not familiar with. You may inadvertently disable some of the protection you just got through installing! There is help out there. There is one tool that I have found to be very useful. It is called The Ultimate Troubleshooter and you can buy a single license for $29 (see related link #2). Another helpful tool is the Task List Programs site in the RELATED LINK #3 below. This is brought to you by the makers of The Ultimate Troubleshooter and is free.

I also found a free tool very similar to TUT. I have tried it and it appears to be almost as good as TUT. Did I mention that it is FREE!

If, at the end of this process, you have not totally cured your problem, it is time to check for Spyware and Adware and if that isn't the problem, you need to check your hardware. You could have a heat problem or something else like a BIOS setting that has changed and can be slowing your machine down.

RELATED LINK 1: Windows XP Install Guide.

RELATED LINK 2: TUT - The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

RELATED LINK 3: Task List Programs.

RELATED LINK 4: How to use MSCONFIG.

RELATED LINK 5: WorldStart Article.

I hope this helps!