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Quick Easy Way to Speed Up Your PC at Startup
When I got my new Dell laptop a couple of months ago it was love at first click. But there was one tiny thing that was still bugging me about it.
Gawd Steph, you’re never happy! You have a brand new fast laptop with a crapton of memory and a spanky new copy of Creative Suite 5
I’ll tell ya the problem. While the new machine was awesome when it was on, it still took about 27 and a half hours to actually turn on. Which is completely ridiculous. How can I update you on the minutiae of my day when my computer’s bootup is slower than your grandma on roller skates? And don’t even get me started on Dell Stage. ARRRRRGH.
That was the kicker – what seemed to take the longest part of starting the computer was the stupid Dell Stage thing, which I turned off immediately once it was on anyways. I asked Dell tech support about this and they tried telling me I was going to have to pay someone to find out how to do that.
Ummmm. No.
A quick internet search later, and I found my answer, which I am super jazzed to share with you!
Note: I’m a PC. If you’re a Mac, this tutorial probably won’t work for you.
1) Click your little Start rear endon at the bottom left corner of the screen. Note that search box at the bottom of the pop-up. Type in msconfig and hit enter.
2) Click to choose the program Windows finds.
3) Click the “Startup” tab. You’ll see every single program that starts automatically when you boot up your computer. I am not a computer genius, so I can’t tell you the ins and outs of what to turn on and what to turn off. But for me, what seemed safe was to leave everything that was by Microsoft and Dell turned on, along with my antivirus software and programs like Quickbooks that I’m always using anyways. Everything else I turned off. And now my computer starts right up. While we’re young.
Who else has tips and tricks on how to make your computer work better? I hear putting a grilled cheese sandwich in the cd drive makes for a happy machine.
(DISCLAIMER: I can not be held responsible if you actually put a grilled cheese sandwich in your cd drive. Don’t do it. But if you do, please send me pictures.)
Freelance illustrator Steph Calvert is an award-winning artist with 24 years of experience working as a creative professional. She is based in McDonough, Georgia, just south of Atlanta.
Steph Calvert has expertise as a children’s book illustrator. She is an expert surface pattern designer for art licensing and creates line drawings for publishing and product design. Steph has years of additional expertise as a mural artist, creating original art, and logo design for small businesses. She is currently querying literary agents with her first author/illustrator book projects.
Writing CLIENTS INCLUDE
Moonfrye.com
OC Weekly
Educational Highlights
National SCBWI Conference, 2023
Illustration Summer Camp – The Highlights Foundation, 2021
Make Art That Sells, 2017
BFA in Computer Art – SCAD, 1999
2 responses to “Quick Easy Way to Speed Up Your PC at Startup”
Too simple! Why didn’t i think of that. None of the other sites i got to before yours had this solution, so glad you found it. I kept seeing “use another launcher” so figured they must not be talking about anything that was happening with me.
Thank you!
You’re so welcome! I’m going to be posting more of these tutorials as I find things I’m trying to learn myself through Google searches, cuz I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wanting to know these things!