Even with speeds measured in gigahertz and terabytes per second, I’ve found that there is still some waiting involved, despite the fact that computers have come a long way from the days of the beige boxes. This is especially true when I switch on my computer after shutting it off. I believe I’ve finally found out how to speed up the machine’s startup after years of trying everything.
If you’re tired of solving Rubik’s Cubes while you wait for Windows to load on your computer, there are obviously some issues you need to address. I’ve found a few ways to speed up the startup process so you can start working (or playing) sooner.
1. Turn on the Fast Startup Mode in Windows.
An obvious place to start your search is Windows’ Fast Startup option, which performs exactly what it sounds like. Flipping the switch is rather simple if the option was ever turned off, or if it wasn’t enabled on the desktop you constructed yourself. It’s likely that the feature is enabled by default on your computer.
Select Power Options after opening the Control Panel in Icon view. Click. Select the function of the sidebar’s power buttons. In the list of choices, there ought to be a tick next to Turn on rapid startup. In order to activate the Fast Startup function, you must first click the Change settings that are presently unavailable link at the top of that window if it is grayed out. When you’re done, be sure to click Save changes.
This is basically a transitional state between hibernation and shutdown. The next time you shut down your computer, the background operating system will enter hibernation mode, which will let you come up with a clean state more quickly, but it won’t save your open apps as hibernation does. However, rebooting is unaffected, so you may need to restart your computer in order to complete chores like updating Windows or accessing your BIOS.
2. Modify Your BIOS/UEFI Configuration
The BIOS of some PCs has a Fast Boot option. The Fast Boot option skips some of the checks your computer does when it initially boots up, in contrast to Windows’ Fast Startup. If it isn’t already, most people would benefit from turning this on, but overclockers and those who need frequent access to the BIOS may want to keep it off.
Restart your computer and hit the designated key on the startup screen to access the BIOS configuration in order to activate this function. The brand and model of your machine will determine the precise key. Look through the menu for any quick boot parameters (or whatever your system calls them) and enable them. Since each motherboard is unique, check your UEFI/BIOS settings to see if there are any additional features you can turn on or off to expedite the boot process.
Changing your Boot Order Priority to prioritize the hard drive over a network boot or DVD drive is another suggestion made by some, but I’ve never found that this makes a big difference. If you’re unsure, consult the maker of your motherboard or the computer’s handbook to perhaps receive some guidance.
3. Reduce the Number of Startup Programs
Your computer will take longer to boot up and become useable if you have more apps scheduled to run at startup. While many of your initial programs generally don’t need constant operation, others may. To see what starts at startup, open the Task Manager by using Ctrl-Shift-Esc. Go to the Startup tab (Windows 10) or choose the Startup programs category (Windows 11) after selecting More information near the bottom.
A list of the applications that start with your machine will appear, along with Windows’ estimate of how much each program affects startup time. (You can also see “Last BIOS Time” in the top-right corner. This indicates how long it takes your BIOS to turn over control to Windows; if it’s more than a few seconds, you may want to check the BIOS settings again as previously said. You may just have a sluggish motherboard in some situations.)
Go into the application’s options and uncheck the option to open it with Windows if you notice a program on this list that you don’t require at starting, particularly if it has a large initial effect. (I don’t believe Epic Games Launcher needs to launch with your PC, but I do think Dropbox is worth the starting effect since you want it running always.
You may stop that application from starting at boot by disabling it from this Task Manager window if you don’t see an option in the startup settings. Additionally, you may disable anything you don’t want to launch upon startup by going to Settings > Apps > Startup.
To reach your Startup folder, you may also launch File Explorer and put %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup into the address bar. Any shortcuts you set here will start immediately when the computer boots up, so remove anything you don’t want to start from the folder.
4. During downtime, allow Windows updates to run.
It must take some time for Windows to apply updates when you shut down and often when you restart. You should set up active hours to let Windows to do its job while you aren’t using the computer. This entails allowing your computer to perform automatic updates if you’re sick of your computer “Getting Windows Ready” after an update when all you want to do is play games.
Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change Active Hours in Windows 10 and click the Change button to do this. Navigate to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced settings in Windows 11, click on Active hours, and choose “Manually” from the drop-down menu. Windows will do automatic updates and reboots outside of the times you choose, when the machine is more likely to be inactive, such as from 9 to 5.
5. Invest on a solid-state drive instead
Solid-state drives, which are far quicker than the spinning mechanical hard drives of the past, are now included with the majority of computers. It’s time for an internal update if you’re still utilizing an outdated PC with a legacy hard disk. In addition to apps starting almost instantly, your computer will boot up far quicker than it would with your outdated hard drive.
Upgrading to a 2.5-inch SSD should be simple for almost any desktop PC with a spinning drive. If you don’t want to start from scratch, you may use our tutorial to replicate your Windows installation to an SSD. Because it might differ from machine to machine, you will need to find out how to open up your particular computer and change the drive. The good news is that most PCs should just need a screwdriver and perhaps a Torx bit.
6. Simply switch to sleep mode.
The problem is that starting from scratch will always take longer than starting up from sleep. Consider just putting your computer to sleep if you’re annoyed by how long it takes to start; I do it myself. In terms of electrical expenses, sleep may use a little more energy than a complete shutdown, although the difference is minimal. We have a tutorial to help you prevent rogue background apps from waking up your computer when you put it to sleep.
However, shutting down still has its place. For instance, I probably want to completely shut down my laptop before packing it in my suitcase for a trip. However, you won’t have to worry about that annoying starting time as much if you utilize sleep more often.