By Kyle Sager

So you have a Windows computer that’s booting slowly? When the Computer ages, one may have an abundance of programs installed, or have not done proper configurations after pulling it out of the box. Performing little bit of maintenance can significantly improve your start up times. This little tutorial will just do that!

System Configuration (MSconfig) is a built in utility to disable or enable program applications on Start up. ITunes, Adobe, Steam etc. are some of the examples of programs one may see listed. MSconfig works in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. To get to System Configuration in Windows 7, go to Start | Type “MSconfig.exe” in the Search area. In Windows 8, go to Desktop | Right Click on Start Button | Run | Within Run type “MSconfig.exe.” The System Configuration utility will pop up and a list of tabs will show. Select the one that says “Startup.” Here you can uncheck or disable program applications. When you apply the changes you’d like in the lower right hand corner a boot may be required. On the next boot up you will notice a difference since those applications you disabled are not bogging down the systems resources. Don’t worry! Just click on your icons to launch the program!
Buying a new Computer usually comes with bloat ware. This means those Best Buy apps the computer comes with if you bought the computer from Best Buy. Each manufacture will place their own software on the computer, like Toshiba. In this case its best practice to use Windows default programs and uninstall the manufactures programs. You will be freeing up space on the Hard Drive by doing so.

To uninstall these programs in Windows 7 you will need to go to Start | Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features. To uninstall these programs in Windows 8 go to Desktop | Right Click on Start Button | Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features. A list of programs installed on your Computer will appear. To uninstall the desired program, right click on one from the list and select “uninstall.” Follow the programs uninstall process. A reboot may be required for some programs after uninstalling.

Another great tip is to Defragment the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) of your computer. Defragmenting takes data located on the disk of the hard drive and compresses it together moving it closer to the center of the disc; thus providing a slight increase of read and write speeds leading to better performance. To Defrag within Windows 7, go to Start | Within Search type “Defrag” | Open up Windows Disk Defragmenter | Select the Disk you want to Defrag. In Windows 8 go to Desktop | Run | In Run type “Defrag” Open up Windows Disk Defragmenter | Select the Disk you want to Defrag.
With these few tips alone, not only are you increasing the computers life span but also optimizing its performance at no cost at all!

Kyle Sager is a member of the Computer Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning on a career in Information Technology. Currently works as Help Desk Technician in the Technology field. His goal is to excel within Cyber Defense and Network Security in the near future. Check out his work at KyleSager.com!