How to speed up your computer when you turn it on

Your PC is very slow in starting up and this forces you to consume a lot of electricity: you avoid turning it off in every way and, if you really have to stay away from home for a long period of time, resort to suspending the computer. This allows you to resume your work session in no time, without having to wait for the initial loading of the system and all the programs.

How do you say? This is actually the way things are and is that why you would like some suggestions on how to speed up your computer when you turn it on? Well, that’s natural, I understand. Suspending your computer is definitely a convenience but your poor Windows computer is sick of being turned on 24/7 and needs to restart from time to time to make the most of it.

Do you agree with me? Very well! So why don’t you try my advice on how to speed up your computer? I am sure that with a little patience you will be able to improve the performance of your trusty technological companion; you just need to follow the instructions contained in this tutorial. Are you ready to get started? I wish you a good read.

Index

• Disable autorun programs and services
• Defragment hard disk partitions
• Optimize the Prefetch folder
• Update your PC hardware components

Disable autorun programs and services

Windows startup can be affected primarily by software that runs automatically. It does not essentially depend on the number of programs executed (which can be an influencing factor), but on how demanding they are in terms of computer resources.

I’ll give you just an example to make you understand: you have installed an antivirus that starts, as it should be, every time you turn on your PC; however, this antivirus is very demanding and takes up most of the resources when Windows starts. In this case, your PC will take some time to boot. This problem can be solved by trying to replace your antivirus with a lighter, but equally effective and efficient one.

Alternatively, you can solve it in an even simpler way: to disable at startup the programs that are not useful for starting the PC. In the course of this paragraph, I will explain how to proceed.

On Windows 10, run the command to start  Task Manager ( Task Manager ): to do so you can make a combination of keys on your keyboard Ctrl + Shift + Esc (or Ctrl + Shift + Esc ), you can also click with the right mouse button mouse on the taskbar and then select the item  Task management from the context menu.

Whichever way you did this, from the window that appears, click the Startup tab to view the list of auto-running software. Select the one you want to disable and click the Disable button at the bottom.

If, among the running programs you have left, there is any that is too heavy for your PC, then replace it, as I advised you before. For example, if antivirus is one of your problems, you can decide whether to use Windows Defender, already pre-installed on Windows 10, or consult my guide on the best antivirus to understand which antivirus to install on your PC.

Another problem could arise if there are services that start up on your PC when you turn on Windows. The services are not necessarily software installed on your PC, but are instead “operations” that allow the launch of programs and tools that can also be used by the same software. In some cases, there are services that you can safely disable.

To view the list of services, start the Task Manager as I indicated earlier and click on the Services tab. Now you just need to click on any service with the right mouse button and select the item Open services. In the new panel that will be opened you will be able to view the services and set some parameters related to them.

However, keep in mind that some services are essential for the functioning of the operating system, so I advise you to pay close attention to what you disable. Be warned: an essential Windows service that is accidentally disabled can damage your operating system, and you may run the risk of having to restore it.

Defragment hard disk partitions

When you turn on your PC, it performs some internal system functions for the preparation of the desktop and, in general, for the preparation of all the resources that guarantee the correct functioning of the entire operating system. Furthermore, as I also told you in the previous paragraph, some software starts when Windows is turned on and, overall, they use resources for their operation.

However, a slow boot problem arises if the data on your hard drive partition is fragmented. In this case, both the operating system and the programs that start automatically have difficulty in accessing their specific data in a short time as these are precisely fragmented.

Defragmentation is therefore a process that can make the difference in starting a PC, as it allows you to eliminate fragmentation and optimize start-up times. You can then decide to start the defragmentation procedure on your computer’s hard disk to reduce, even if slightly, the start-up times. However, I remind you not to perform this defragmentation procedure in case of SSD, as these devices do not require it.

That said, if you want to know how to carry out this procedure, I suggest you read the following lines, where I will explain how to use the Windows tool used for this purpose.

Click the magnifying glass icon   ( Search ) and type defragment and optimize drives. In the results that will appear on the screen, you will have to click on the one that corresponds to your search term.

In the window that will be shown to you, click on the partition you want to analyze to see if there is any fragmented data and then click on the Analyze button. Once the analysis is complete, click the Optimize button.

You can also plan to periodically optimize the partitions of your hard disk, so as to be sure you never run into data fragmentation problems. To do this click the Change settings button and check the  Run on a schedule box.

Then select whether to perform the procedure Every day, Every week or Every month (personally I do not recommend a daily procedure, as this could slow down your PC). When done, click the Ok button to confirm.

There are also programs that you can use to defrag your data: I told you about it in this guide of mine entitled How to defrag your PC.

Optimize the Prefetch folder

The temporary files that are generated on your PC every time do not in themselves result in a substantial slowdown in the startup of your operating system. On the other hand, the temporary data generated in the Prefetch folder, a folder that contains all the information for the correct and optimized execution of both the software and the operating system itself, is a separate matter.

But be careful: this does not mean that you have to disable the Windows Prefetch function or that you have to empty this folder (manually or using software to do both). What I advise you to do, however, is to delete the older and obsolete files present in Prefetch to ensure optimization of this Windows feature.

To do this quickly you can for example install software such as CCleaner that take care of cleaning and optimizing your computer. In my guide on how to free up disk space I told you in detail about the features of this software and how to download and install it; I therefore advise you to carefully read my indicated article.

After you have downloaded, installed and become familiar with the intuitive interface of this software, then click on the Clean button, located in the right bar, and select the Windows tab. Scroll through the list of entries and make sure the Old prefetch data box is enabled in the Advanced section.

Update your PC hardware components

If your PC is particularly dated, the tricks I just told you about may not be effective. In this case, you must opt ​​for a computer replacement or an update of the hardware components present in your PC; surely these last operations could solve your problems.

To speed up the computer when you turn it on, you could consider replacing the processor and consequently also the motherboard and also the RAM. However, it must be considered that more powerful hardware components will also require a larger power supply: sometimes, in the case of old computers, one replacement leads to another and the simplest (and cheapest) solution could be to completely replace the entire PC. :

Alternatively, if you’re on a tight budget, opt for simple hard drive replacement in favor of an SSD – this could dramatically reduce boot times.

Finally, I therefore recommend that you read my guides on the RAMs to be installed on your PC and on the best SSDs to deepen this complicated topic related to hardware updating.

 

 

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