This isn’t the sort of very specific computer issue I’d write about – there are many people better qualified to do it. What prompted me was a friend who complained about the 10-minute start-up time for her netbook.
There are a number of reasons why a computer (portable or otherwise) could be slow to boot. If you’re having this problem, look down the list to see which might be affecting you:
- It’s very old
- Too many apps. are loading code when the computer starts
- There’s not enough RAM
What are the solutions?
If you computer is just old, you’ll either have to get a new one, or put up with the slowness. If there are too many apps. loading code, get a utility (or a friendly IT person) to help you get rid of those you don’t need. If there’s not enough RAM (you know you don’t have enough if the computer’s spec. says you can fit some more), buy some more memory. If you are going to buy memory, shop around … people like Crucial, MemoryC and Offtek can sell you perfectly good memory at a fraction of the manufacturer’s prices.
There is one other thing you can do … which I do on my Acer netbook and my 5-year old Compaq notebook … to get going quicker after you switch on:
… ALWAYS choose the ‘Hibernate’ option when you turn it off.
Occasionally this may conflict with something Windows is doing. Sometimes you will have to do a full shut down and restart. But mostly your computer will be up and running much more quickly than it used to be.
Oh, and if you have a Mac … I guess the bullet points are still relevant, but I don’t have one, so can’t offer any further advice – sorry!
A whole blog post inspired by me! Thank you
Well Emily, you’re just that sort of person!