by Jade Stephen

Created on: April 29, 2008

Every one has experienced the frustration of a slowly booting computer, and with more invasive operating systems like Microsoft Windows Vista coming out, this problem is becoming far more common. Our systems are quickly becoming our life line and even a few moments without them can impede an entire day, so how can this problem be dealt with? Many companies are now recognizing the need to keep a computer up to date and "tuned" to ensure their performance. Companies such as Dell, HP, and Symantec have recently designed programs that allow a computer professional access to your system to tune it up for a price. These costs rage anywhere from $20-100 and can take as little as ten minutes. The good news is that most of these steps are easily duplicated by most users with the proper guidance.

The biggest problem with a computers speed is that it relies on RAM. When a program is loaded all of the things that it is required to do are stored on the RAM for quick access later. So, the first step that can be taken is to clean up the programs that are running on your system. When windows starts it loads a list of services (instructions on how to run, and what drivers to load), and programs that the user has allowed to start. These lists are available to be edited through Vista's handy MSCONFIG tool which can be accessed through the start button and typing it's name into the search box.

The list of features that are present under both services and startup may be required to keep your computer running so when choosing what programs to use it is best to be careful and take your time. The list under services contains Microsoft services, which are mandatory to run on your system. To hide these programs you may hide them by clicking the box under the list that says "Hide Microsoft Services." Now that all mandatory services are disabled a user can choose to disable all or select just the ones that they wish to be turned off by taking the check mark out of the box beside them. If you chose to disable all non-Microsoft services please note that any software you load at a later point will automatically replace its services into startup.

Under the tab for Startup, there is a list of programs that load when windows starts. These programs will start and hide in the background until called taking up valuable ram. Most of these programs can be disabled and started at your convenience. Programs like Messenger, or P2P software can quickly be started when needed, and should be disabled. Any

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