The secret of the 30 second start

BIOS TWEAKS

Launch your BIOS setup program (usually by pressing Delete during boot-up), and look for a Boot menu. Look for a ‘Quick Boot’ option to disable memory tests, and make sure your hard drive comes first in the Boot Order menu. Turn off any logo displays, too.

ADVANCED IDEAS

Look for an Onboard Device or Integrated Peripherals menu, and disable anything you don’t need. If you have a sound or graphics card, disable the onboard chips, and turn off unused network adapters, too. Disable your floppy disc drive if you don’t need it.

BOOT MENU

If the PC has a boot menu, perhaps because it’s got both Windows Vista and Windows XP installed, then by default this will display for up to 30 seconds. Launch MSCONFIG, click Boot, and enter fi ve seconds in the Timeout box for a welcome speed boost.

PASSWORD-FREE?

Entering your password every boot can slow you down. If you’re the only person using your PC, and you don’t mind losing a little security, then type control userpasswords2 in Start Search, press Enter, and clear ‘Users must enter a user name…’ to disable this.

RESOURCE HOGS

Launch Windows Defender and click Tools> Software Explorer to see the programs that load when Windows starts. Don’t automatically delete them all, but if you’re positive a program is unnecessary, click it and select Disable to stop it loading.