PC start up times?
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 781
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From: UK.
PC start up times?
Hi all....after the answer to a question re my PC start up time.
From shut down it take on average of 1min 20secs...for the desk top icon page to appear.
If I look at task manager the processes....the CPU has a lowish percentage....memory maybe 50%....disc can read 100% for maybe a minute and then start to have much lower % readings.
Its the disk at 100% that gets my attention....does that need further investigation.
Its an older dell machine with the older type HDD hard drive the type that makes noises as it works.
It has 4gb of ram...a 1 TB memory...processor 3.3ghz intel core 3rd gen
Its a new used machine to me...I use it only to access the internet and view photos.
Am I expecting to much....as I say its mainly the 100% disk reading in the Task Manager screen that gets my attention.
From shut down it take on average of 1min 20secs...for the desk top icon page to appear.
If I look at task manager the processes....the CPU has a lowish percentage....memory maybe 50%....disc can read 100% for maybe a minute and then start to have much lower % readings.
Its the disk at 100% that gets my attention....does that need further investigation.
Its an older dell machine with the older type HDD hard drive the type that makes noises as it works.
It has 4gb of ram...a 1 TB memory...processor 3.3ghz intel core 3rd gen
Its a new used machine to me...I use it only to access the internet and view photos.
Am I expecting to much....as I say its mainly the 100% disk reading in the Task Manager screen that gets my attention.
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Berkshire, UK
I have a windoze laptop that takes somewhat longer than 1m20s quite often. Even after the full desktop has appeared the mail washer and mail browser open and are un-usable with "application not responding, cancel or wait" dialogue box. Like yours, the task manager shows 100% disk activity and a few percent cpu. It turns out that a disk scanning app runs to a schedule and gets in the way of everything else. Machine is 8GB with Core i7 processor and is totally stuffed by the scanning. Eventually it gets over it and then it works fast enough.
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From: DM33
I'm now running an SSD on that machine and the boot time is very much shorter than when the mechanical HDD were new.
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Reading, UK
If I can get my PC to shut down and get back up and running to my desktop in under 10 minutes, it's a good day. 
At least, with the VerboseStatus flag set in the registry, I can see what is taking the time, mostly shutting down services.
At least, with the VerboseStatus flag set in the registry, I can see what is taking the time, mostly shutting down services.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Twickenham, home of rugby
4GB RAM is pretty small for any current OS.
1TB is storage, not really "memory".
Disk utilisation of 100% is probably down to fragmentation and paging. Paging out can be reduced by adding RAM, fragmentation by defragmenting the HDD. Note that you shouldn't do this with SSDs. Before defragmenting, delete anything you don't want, un-install programs you don't use and user accounts you don't need, then empty the recycle bin.
If you are concerned about performance, the 2 best things to do would be to double the RAM (or more) and switch to an SSD for your boot drive. You don't have to ditch your current drive - use it for storage.
It would be easiest to clone the current HDD to the new disk, that way you wouldn't have to reinstall your OS and applications and transfer user settings. The down side is that you would have to have a new disk at least the same size as the used space on your existing disk, so you might have to get a 1TB disk: £50 - £90. Probably have to also get a 2.5" to 3.5" caddy to install the disk.
That's a pretty old CPU & chipset - launched in 2012, EoL 2019, so DDR3 RAM - cheap as chips! £20 for 16GB (2 x 8GB modules) on Amazon, possibly cheaper 2nd hand / refurbed on ebay.
For £70 - 100 you could vastly improve performance.
1TB is storage, not really "memory".
Disk utilisation of 100% is probably down to fragmentation and paging. Paging out can be reduced by adding RAM, fragmentation by defragmenting the HDD. Note that you shouldn't do this with SSDs. Before defragmenting, delete anything you don't want, un-install programs you don't use and user accounts you don't need, then empty the recycle bin.
If you are concerned about performance, the 2 best things to do would be to double the RAM (or more) and switch to an SSD for your boot drive. You don't have to ditch your current drive - use it for storage.
It would be easiest to clone the current HDD to the new disk, that way you wouldn't have to reinstall your OS and applications and transfer user settings. The down side is that you would have to have a new disk at least the same size as the used space on your existing disk, so you might have to get a 1TB disk: £50 - £90. Probably have to also get a 2.5" to 3.5" caddy to install the disk.
That's a pretty old CPU & chipset - launched in 2012, EoL 2019, so DDR3 RAM - cheap as chips! £20 for 16GB (2 x 8GB modules) on Amazon, possibly cheaper 2nd hand / refurbed on ebay.
For £70 - 100 you could vastly improve performance.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Twickenham, home of rugby
It's not too bad for an old PC with a spinning HDD.
The PC I'm using I built quite a few years ago, and it now has 24GB DDR4 RAM, an SSD and a 4-core intel i5 @ 3.6GHz. That goes from hitting the power button to logged in and desktop displayed and ready to work in 27 secs - it would be quicker if I didn't have to enter a power-on password and then ctrl + alt + del for login with username and password. I think it would be sub 20 secs without those.
How annoying is that extra minute?!!
SD
The PC I'm using I built quite a few years ago, and it now has 24GB DDR4 RAM, an SSD and a 4-core intel i5 @ 3.6GHz. That goes from hitting the power button to logged in and desktop displayed and ready to work in 27 secs - it would be quicker if I didn't have to enter a power-on password and then ctrl + alt + del for login with username and password. I think it would be sub 20 secs without those.
How annoying is that extra minute?!!
SD
Joined: Oct 2019
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From: USA
I have had 2 hard drive failures on my "every day" laptop. The 100% disk utilization with little data being transferred should have been a clue. It wasn't the first time and I lost some data. The second time I was able to clone the drive before it failed completely and I lost no data.
I'm now running an SSD on that machine and the boot time is very much shorter than when the mechanical HDD were new.
I'm now running an SSD on that machine and the boot time is very much shorter than when the mechanical HDD were new.
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Greece
that startup time actually isn’t too bad for an older HDD-those drives hit 100% while they spin up and load Windows. If you really want it faster, swapping in an SSD or adding more RAM helps a lot, but if you’re just browsing and looking at photos, you’re probably fine as is.
Psychophysiological entity
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
I use Ccleaner Home use (free) and have done since it was invented. My computer (4 gig) starts grinding to standstill after using FaceBook etc., - just gawping at a load of pictures. Ccleaner just strips out cookies and leaves in the ones you save. It does lots of other stuff. Takes about 30 seconds to run it. Could not do without it.
I have an SSD divided into C: and D: with a WD Black for E: and F: The SSD made a lot of difference. I've saved E: for a new operating system should I want to take my SSD out .
My computer, (bought the motherboard used 10 years ago. i5 ) I'm troubled with it rebooting while Skyping and on certain YTubes. It takes a long time to reload, and seems to involve Skype. (that finishes on May 5th) However, the YTube thing leaves me thinking it's not all down to skype. A driving instruction Tube always fails at a given point. Odd. Too old to buy new stuff as the Memory is of a type that would have to be thrown away because I only have two slots and the replacements are some exotic type that cost a fortune. In the meantime, my pal goes to a house 100 yards away and buys a fast i7 that runs at a zillion Htz - all for 70 quid.
I used to enjoy computers but I just can't be bothered with anything that makes my brain hurt these days.
I have an SSD divided into C: and D: with a WD Black for E: and F: The SSD made a lot of difference. I've saved E: for a new operating system should I want to take my SSD out .
My computer, (bought the motherboard used 10 years ago. i5 ) I'm troubled with it rebooting while Skyping and on certain YTubes. It takes a long time to reload, and seems to involve Skype. (that finishes on May 5th) However, the YTube thing leaves me thinking it's not all down to skype. A driving instruction Tube always fails at a given point. Odd. Too old to buy new stuff as the Memory is of a type that would have to be thrown away because I only have two slots and the replacements are some exotic type that cost a fortune. In the meantime, my pal goes to a house 100 yards away and buys a fast i7 that runs at a zillion Htz - all for 70 quid.
I used to enjoy computers but I just can't be bothered with anything that makes my brain hurt these days.
Joined: Nov 1999
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From: UK
The OP might find that your hard drive is getting full. When they do, computers slow right down. They use the hard drive for normal operation, not just saving stuff. They are always shunting stuff in and out of the hard drive - this might be the 'paging' that Saab talks of ? I don't know exactly what PCs do in the background, or why they do it.
If the hard drive is nearly full though, it really slows down the computer.
I like the sound of Ccleaner, if it works on Apple OS.
My Mac was getting slow and cranky and my son discovered that the disc was nearly full. This could not be true, since we had not put that much in, but we found that I had clicked the wrong button when taking some screen shots, and instead of a still screen shot, I had recorded 30 hours of screen activity ! And I did this four times !!
He cleared all that out and we are back to normal.
If the hard drive is nearly full though, it really slows down the computer.
I like the sound of Ccleaner, if it works on Apple OS.
My Mac was getting slow and cranky and my son discovered that the disc was nearly full. This could not be true, since we had not put that much in, but we found that I had clicked the wrong button when taking some screen shots, and instead of a still screen shot, I had recorded 30 hours of screen activity ! And I did this four times !!
He cleared all that out and we are back to normal.
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 154
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From: England
My other half's 6 month old Dell laptop with Windows 11, 32GB of memory, SSD and a 13th gen Core i7 has just taken 17 minutes to start up. I hate the new Sad Nad Microsoft, at least with the old Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer version you were a customer to be sold to and not a product to be sold.
Joined: Nov 1999
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From: UK
I would follow what Saab and Loose suggest, and also check the task manager. You might find that something is taking up a lot of CPU time when you switch on. In my case, drop box was using lots of CPU resources during start-up, but I rarely use drop box.
You might find there is an App you have forgotten about but which uses CPU time at start-up - you might be able to uninstall that type of thing.
Check the boot file, because there might be something in there that you rarely use, but the CPU has to use up time preparing it. You might be able to move some rarely used programmes out of the boot file.
*only do this if you know what you're doing *.
The programmes will still be in your computer but they won't start up when you switch on. If you ever need one of those programmes, it will take a little longer to start up when you click it, but that's probably not a problem.
A final thought is that many PCs will check for updates when they switch on. This is very important to do for cyber security, but it doesn't need to be done on start-up. You should be able to chose when updates happen, and have the PC ask you first - rather than it doing so automatically.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 17,718
Likes: 2,083
From: Reading, UK
My other half's 6 month old Dell laptop with Windows 11, 32GB of memory, SSD and a 13th gen Core i7 has just taken 17 minutes to start up. I hate the new Sad Nad Microsoft, at least with the old Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer version you were a customer to be sold to and not a product to be sold.
At least that will give you a better idea what it's doing during those 17 minutes.
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 271
Likes: 57
From: UK
Hi all....after the answer to a question re my PC start up time.
From shut down it take on average of 1min 20secs...for the desk top icon page to appear.
If I look at task manager the processes....the CPU has a lowish percentage....memory maybe 50%....disc can read 100% for maybe a minute and then start to have much lower % readings.
Its the disk at 100% that gets my attention....does that need further investigation.
Its an older dell machine with the older type HDD hard drive the type that makes noises as it works.
It has 4gb of ram...a 1 TB memory...processor 3.3ghz intel core 3rd gen
Its a new used machine to me...I use it only to access the internet and view photos.
Am I expecting to much....as I say its mainly the 100% disk reading in the Task Manager screen that gets my attention.
From shut down it take on average of 1min 20secs...for the desk top icon page to appear.
If I look at task manager the processes....the CPU has a lowish percentage....memory maybe 50%....disc can read 100% for maybe a minute and then start to have much lower % readings.
Its the disk at 100% that gets my attention....does that need further investigation.
Its an older dell machine with the older type HDD hard drive the type that makes noises as it works.
It has 4gb of ram...a 1 TB memory...processor 3.3ghz intel core 3rd gen
Its a new used machine to me...I use it only to access the internet and view photos.
Am I expecting to much....as I say its mainly the 100% disk reading in the Task Manager screen that gets my attention.
At the end of the day an older PC running with a HDD rather than a SSD is always going to take longer to boot up, especially with the newer versions of Windows [anything after Windows 7]
The only way you are going to get a dramatic improvement is to fit an SSD and more RAM [if your PC will accept more RAM]
I'm running a PC from about 2012 with a i5 3.2 GHz processor and 8GB RAM with a 1TB SSD [and have used my original old 2TB HDD as a back up drive in the PC] and the boot-up time for this is about 20 seconds running Windows 11 [and before anyone says anything, I know it's not a supported processor but I installed it using the work-around and its been fine for the last 18 months or so, including getting updates]
So if you are confident in opening up a PC, you should be able to replace your HDD with an SSD and get a good improvement and even better in you add more RAM.