Unexplained change in start up time

[JayCee6828]

Hi,

 

Until about a week ago my PC went from switch on to a useable screen in exactly 60 seconds; all of a sudden it has started to take nearer two minutes. The only change to configuration I have made recently is to install Visual C++ but that is not running at startup.

 

Any ideas where I can check what is slowing the startup up?

 

Self built PC with AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition, 2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM, Windows 7 home premium.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi Jay, you do seem to be having some odd problems with your machine.

Have a look here at this useful page regarding items at start up, =

 

Windows startup programs. What are they? Are they required? How can I disable them?

 

He mentions also a free utility called "Autoruns" this will look at your system and tell you all that is present at start up, you can download that from here=

 

Autoruns for Windows

 

Hope that is of help.

Nev.

[JayCee6828]

Thanks Nev, I will have a shufti at them - strangely after taking two minutes yesterday, this morning it took just 1 minute dead on from switch on to useable - weird or what?

 

I wouldn't classify these things so much as problems more just niggly bits and pieces that most people would probably ignore but I belong, I guess, to the old school who wants to be in control of what my computer is doing and where it is putting things, not the other way round.

 

Speaking of which I have a directory of MP3 files in subdirectories by artist and yesterday I noticed a large number of them had mysteriously acquired AlbumArt files; there was a huge amount and often many in a single subdirectory of an artist. I know what they are but what on earth put them there and who asked for them to be put there - I sure as hell didn't! Any ideas??