Help! My Laptop is Loading at Turtle Speed During Startup!
By: April Tuck
Computers and networks in office settings often operate at high speeds to handle the business workload efficiently. Going home to a sluggish laptop after spending the day working on my desktop computer can be annoying. Trying to finish a quick task that usually takes minutes now requires more time, eating into valuable family time or house chores. How can the situation be helped? The initial instinct you may have when faced with a task you lack the patience or time to finish is to toss it across the room. Dealing with frustration and dwindling patience, it is essential to complete the task rather than resorting to throwing the entire system across the room, which will not resolve the problem. That being said, this choice does not solve the issue.
The laptop may operate slowly when it first boots up for several reasons. Now, let us examine the most prevalent problem and the corresponding solutions.
Laptop Starts Up Slowly
Issue:
Numerous factors, such as hardware, software, settings, upkeep, network, user problems, increasingly full boot drive, an excessive number of programs attempting to start simultaneously with Windows, or aging hardware, might cause a computer to start slowly.
Essentially, numerous things can lead to a slow start. It is difficult to determine which is which until you begin to apply remedies and observe which ones stick.
Most Common Cause:
Multiple Applications Loading at Startup
Solution
The multiple applications a computer is attempting to load at startup is one of the key causes of its prolonged startup times. Disabling these apps will shorten the time it takes you to start using your computer because Windows won't load them immediately after you log in. (Martindale, 2023)
Step By Step:
To disable unnecessary startup programs on a Windows laptop, you can use the Task Manager or the Settings app:
Task Manager
1. Open the Task Manager by clicking the Windows icon, selecting the Settings icon (gear symbol), and typing Task Manager in the search box
2. Select the Startup tab
3. Highlight any program you don't want to start automatically, then click Disable
Settings app
1. Press the Windows + I shortcut to open Settings
2. Select Apps from the left menu, and then click Startup
3. Toggle off any apps or programs that you don't want to turn on automatically on startup
Windows 11 startup is different from the Windows 10 startup options. There might also be subtle differences in older Windows versions.
Other Common Causes:
Full Boot Drive
Solution
If the C drive is getting close to full, it can dramatically affect performance. Clean up space on your hard drive (Dube, 2023)
Step by Step:
1. Select the Start button and type Disk Cleanup. Select the Disk Cleanup app.
2. Under files to Delete, select all boxes. (you can delete all of these files without hurting your Windows system at all.)
3. Select Ok to begin the cleanup process.
Aging Hardware
Solution
Upgrade your computer’s hard drive and/or memory.
Additional Help
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/glossary/reasons-why-your-computer-is-running-slowly/
https://www.quora.com/What-can-I-do-if-my-laptop-is-getting-very-slow-to-boot-up
https://vintageits.com/how-to-fix-slow-computer/
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/windows-10-slow-boot-issues/
References
Martindale, J. (2023, October 4). How to fix slow PC startup. Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/fix-slow-pc-startup-5222474
Dube, R. (2023, May 1). How to clean a hard drive in windows. Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/clean-a-hard-drive-in-windows-5069420
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