Inexplicable

Windows are Mac?

If it happens again, you might see what programs you have running on startup.

And if it does happen, there are things you can do to help, such as using a startup delayer so that all programs aren't trying to start up at once.

And, sometimes, computers are just plain baffling to us mortals. ;-)

Bufty said:

For several weeks now my desktop computer has been taking longer and longer to boot up. It was 20 minutes yesterday.

Then wonder of wonders, today it took around two minutes to boot up and when I restarted it out of curiosity fifteen minutes ago -it was up and running in under two minutes!

I am not seeking any help here - I'm simply baffled as to why the sudden improvement in performance.

I wondered if it was something to do with Skype because it was always before the Skype programme was shown on my toolbar as loaded that the delay seemed to occur.

Strange.

Click to expand...

So it was taking a long time from first seeing the desktop to actually being able to do stuff?

All things to do with computers are inexplicable to me.

MM

Usually computers take a long time to boot because they are trying to load a lot of programs that are set as 'start up' programs - things like your antivirus, your printer drivers, various other little things that run in the background all the time and take up resources. Often you don't actually need them running unless you are using them (things like Napster and Dropbox and the various itunes related programs for example - unless you are using them you don't need them running but they all start as you boot). To reduce boot up time you can use a program that lists your start up programs and allows you to delay their start or turn them off. Norton does this (in start up manager) but there is a way to do this in windows itself without using another program (the Norton system basically uses that program and overlays it). I can't remember how to do it, though...

It is possible that SkyPe was running in start up and taking up a lot of resources doing so and now isn't....

Or the computer was automatically updating which will slow down the startup and shutdown procedures depending on how many updates and what it is updating. Windows does this by default.

Have you looked at the processes in Task Manager when you first start the computer.

Also, are you familiar with using msconfig?

Drat, too many footprints around the body now. We'll never know whodunnit.