Computer startup is quite slow

[CostaP]

As the title suggests, when I put my computer on, the startup is quite slow. I am guessing roughly 5 minutes? How quickly should it start up and why is it so slow? Checked on tastmanager and everything is disable on startup even though it shows on customise bar a few things that open, such as onedrive, nvidia, mcafee lifefsafe. I have a gaming pc and have many games/modelling software installed aswell. 1.8TB and half of it is full anyway..

PC SPECS: -Intel Core i5-3470
-8GB RAM
-Windows 8.1
-Nvidia gtx 760 graphics card
-64 bit operating system

Any other info needed please feel free to ask! Thanks

 

[R4lNM4N]

The time it SHOULD take will depend on many things. Usually long boot times are due to either a failing or fragmented hard drive, or too many startup programs. You should first go into the system configuration panel and disable unnecessary startup items. Do this by: pressing your windows key and the "R" key. Type msconfig and hit enter. Go to the startup tab and disable items that you don't need to start with Windows.

You can download hdtune here and run that to check your hard drive. Alternatively, you can run Windows' own disk checker and defragmenter by right clicking your C drive>properties>tools tab> error-checking and defragmentation.

The venerable Ccleaner may also help by cleaning junk files and removing unnecessary registry entries. This is a free program that has been around for years. Download it here.

If the drive is still good, and these utilities/disabling startup items don't help, I would then recommend a fresh installation of Windows. I perform this "clean install" on my own machines 2-3 times a year.

 

[CostaP]

The time it SHOULD take will depend on many things. Usually long boot times are due to either a failing or fragmented hard drive, or too many startup programs. You should first go into the system configuration panel and disable unnecessary startup items. Do this by: pressing your windows key and the "R" key. Type msconfig and hit enter. Go to the startup tab and disable items that you don't need to start with Windows.

You can download hdtune here and run that to check your hard drive. Alternatively, you can run Windows' own disk checker and defragmenter by right clicking your C drive>properties>tools tab> error-checking and defragmentation.

The venerable Ccleaner may also help by cleaning junk files and removing unnecessary registry entries. This is a free program that has been around for years. Download it here.

If the drive is still good, and these utilities/disabling startup items don't help, I would then recommend a fresh installation of Windows. I perform this "clean install" on my own machines 2-3 times a year.

My harddrive isnt broken otherwise I wouldn't be able to use my pc? I did the msconfig/startup procedure but like I said before, everything was disabled..except sticky notes but that's nothing. I also did the error-checking but all was fine. With the defragmentation., I get this message/image so not sure what I need to do next/what it means. >> http://imgur.com/p2XlQqn << I will try the venerable Ccleaner, although what is it exactly? Always weary of downloading sofwares like that...

 

[R4lNM4N]

Oh wow ok...That's one fragmented drive! Run the defragmenter in Windows by clicking optimize. (it will probably take a while.) Also check out that "change settings" button under the scheduled optimization section. It says that its set to run automatically but your system says it hasn't been run since mid July. It's probably set to defrag automatically at a time when it's usually turned off. Defragmenting that drive WILL help!

I understand your concern about software but CCleaner has been reputable for a long time. It sometimes wants to install the google toolbar but you can just unselect it during the install process. It will remove junk/temp files and scan your registry for bad entries. Harmless and helpful.

 

[CostaP]

Oh wow ok...That's one fragmented drive! Run the defragmenter in Windows by clicking optimize. (it will probably take a while.) Also check out that "change settings" button under the scheduled optimization section. It says that its set to run automatically but your system says it hasn't been run since mid July. It's probably set to defrag automatically at a time when it's usually turned off. Defragmenting that drive WILL help!

I understand your concern about software but CCleaner has been reputable for a long time. It sometimes wants to install the google toolbar but you can just unselect it during the install process. It will remove junk/temp files and scan your registry for bad entries. Harmless and helpful.

What does defragmentation mean if I was to click it? I read somewhere that it cleans the harddrive? So for example, my C drive needs 21% fragmentation? If I have made any sense?

 

[R4lNM4N]

So...When your computer writes files to your hard drive, it writes it to "one piece" of the drive. Over time, as files are moved, deleted and added, it creates gaps on the drive where these files used to be. These gaps are available to write new files to. The next file to be written starts on the next available open space. When that space is filled, the system looks to the next available space or "gap" on the drive for writing the rest of that file. This file is now broken up or "fragmented" on two, three, four or hundreds of pieces all over the drive.

Now, when your computer needs to access that one "fragmented" file, it must read a piece from here, a piece from there etc. For the average HDD, this latency created by reading multiple places of the drive for a single file takes a while. When you defragment a drive, Windows is rearranging these fragments of files so that the entire file is readable from one continuous group of sectors.

This is not an issue for SSD's. Their read/write operations are so fast that any latency due to fragmented files is not even noticeable. SSD's also have a limited number of read/write operations, albeit an enormous number, this is why it's best practice to NOT defragment SSD's.

Does that make sense? Here's the wiki on fragmentation and defragmentation...Now, defrag your darn HD.

 

[CostaP]

So...When your computer writes files to your hard drive, it writes it to "one piece" of the drive. Over time, as files are moved, deleted and added, it creates gaps on the drive where these files used to be. These gaps are available to write new files to. The next file to be written starts on the next available open space. When that space is filled, the system looks to the next available space or "gap" on the drive for writing the rest of that file. This file is now broken up or "fragmented" on two, three, four or hundreds of pieces all over the drive.

Now, when your computer needs to access that one "fragmented" file, it must read a piece from here, a piece from there etc. For the average HDD, this latency created by reading multiple places of the drive for a single file takes a while. When you defragment a drive, Windows is rearranging these fragments of files so that the entire file is readable from one continuous group of sectors.

This is not an issue for SSD's. Their read/write operations are so fast that any latency due to fragmented files is not even noticeable. SSD's also have a limited number of read/write operations, albeit an enormous number, this is why it's best practice to NOT defragment SSD's.


Does that make sense? Here's the wiki on fragmentation and defragmentation...Now, defrag your darn HD.

Haha I understand much better now thanks!. Just quickly, how long will the defrag take as if its only a few mins I can do it now, otherwise if its hours I will do it overnight!

 

[R4lNM4N]

So...When your computer writes files to your hard drive, it writes it to "one piece" of the drive. Over time, as files are moved, deleted and added, it creates gaps on the drive where these files used to be. These gaps are available to write new files to. The next file to be written starts on the next available open space. When that space is filled, the system looks to the next available space or "gap" on the drive for writing the rest of that file. This file is now broken up or "fragmented" on two, three, four or hundreds of pieces all over the drive.

Now, when your computer needs to access that one "fragmented" file, it must read a piece from here, a piece from there etc. For the average HDD, this latency created by reading multiple places of the drive for a single file takes a while. When you defragment a drive, Windows is rearranging these fragments of files so that the entire file is readable from one continuous group of sectors.

This is not an issue for SSD's. Their read/write operations are so fast that any latency due to fragmented files is not even noticeable. SSD's also have a limited number of read/write operations, albeit an enormous number, this is why it's best practice to NOT defragment SSD's.


Does that make sense? Here's the wiki on fragmentation and defragmentation...Now, defrag your darn HD.

Haha I understand much better now thanks!. Just quickly, how long will the defrag take as if its only a few mins I can do it now, otherwise if its hours I will do it overnight!

It will take hours... if you run it more often, it wouldn't take as long (because it won't be as fragmented.) Look through the settings, it should be scheduled to run at least weekly. I'm assuming, because yours is so fragmented, that it's scheduled to run at a time that your computer is turned off.

Defraggler is a pretty cool, safe program (made by the creators of CCleaner) that I like to use instead of the Windows one. It will disable the windows application when you install it. I like it better...you can download it here.

 

[CostaP]

So...When your computer writes files to your hard drive, it writes it to "one piece" of the drive. Over time, as files are moved, deleted and added, it creates gaps on the drive where these files used to be. These gaps are available to write new files to. The next file to be written starts on the next available open space. When that space is filled, the system looks to the next available space or "gap" on the drive for writing the rest of that file. This file is now broken up or "fragmented" on two, three, four or hundreds of pieces all over the drive.

Now, when your computer needs to access that one "fragmented" file, it must read a piece from here, a piece from there etc. For the average HDD, this latency created by reading multiple places of the drive for a single file takes a while. When you defragment a drive, Windows is rearranging these fragments of files so that the entire file is readable from one continuous group of sectors.

This is not an issue for SSD's. Their read/write operations are so fast that any latency due to fragmented files is not even noticeable. SSD's also have a limited number of read/write operations, albeit an enormous number, this is why it's best practice to NOT defragment SSD's.


Does that make sense? Here's the wiki on fragmentation and defragmentation...Now, defrag your darn HD.

Haha I understand much better now thanks!. Just quickly, how long will the defrag take as if its only a few mins I can do it now, otherwise if its hours I will do it overnight!

It will take hours... if you run it more often, it wouldn't take as long (because it won't be as fragmented.) Look through the settings, it should be scheduled to run at least weekly. I'm assuming, because yours is so fragmented, that it's scheduled to run at a time that your computer is turned off.

Defraggler is a pretty cool, safe program (made by the creators of CCleaner) that I like to use instead of the Windows one. It will disable the windows application when you install it. I like it better...you can download it here.

What do you mean by the defraggler disabling the windows app when I install it? Whats the difference in using the windows one? Also with the windows one, would I click analyze or optimize? Thanks!

 

[R4lNM4N]

You only need one app to monitor drive defragmentation, installing defraggler will make it the default defrag program instead of Windows. They do the same thing, defraggler has a better interface, color codes the sectors etc. Clicking optimize will defrag it, clicking analyze will analyze the drive.

 

[CostaP]

You only need one app to monitor drive defragmentation, installing defraggler will make it the default defrag program instead of Windows. They do the same thing, defraggler has a better interface, color codes the sectors etc. Clicking optimize will defrag it, clicking analyze will analyze the drive.

Oh ok, I think I will just use the windows default one instead to make it easier...😀 Wont need to analyze it so will proceed with defragging it soon (when I am out and not using my pc) and hopefully if all goes well and my pc is faster will accept your solution as best answer! 😛