Boost Start-up Speed

Hey guys, I am new to this forum and I just got my m11x R2 about 5 days ago. I wanted to dedicate this thread to increasing start-up speed as I haven't quite found one yet on this forum. Perhaps there is, but I haven't found any satisfactory responses. So, if you have any great ideas on how to boost start-up speed, write them here, so we can all benefit from it! I've noticed that it takes about a minute and a half for mine to start up right out of the box, so I'm sure that many of you are facing the same issue.

Specs: m11x, 500 gb HD, i7 core, 4gb RAM

Thanks!

 

A lot of m11x seems to have long boot ups. One way to improve start up times would to change your hard drive to a SSD or a Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid drive.

 

--Turn off as much startup crap as possible (especially the alienware programs)
--Disable as many taskbar icons as you can
--Turn off as many unnecessary Windows programs and features as you can
--If you don't have an SSD, use a defrag program that puts boot files together to decrease the necessary read time (PerfectDisk is one)
--Turn off the Windows logo boot screen and login sound

With the caveat of "I've never tried this", here's another:
--With TuneUp Utilities, you can set Turbo Mode (which forces Turbo Boost on) to stay on permanently, which is meant to speed up boot time. I have no idea if that's true; TB might kick on during boot already (it seems like it should).


I just timed mine (with an I5 and 7200rpm hd). It took 45 seconds to the login screen and 8 seconds from entering the password to showing the desktop with all taskbar icons loaded. Honestly though, my laptop is rarely ever totally off, so I haven't worked specifically on maximizing boot time. It's also been a few months since I defrag'ed (actually that was a good reminder-- I'm going to do that now).

 

Step 1. -> start -> run -> type msconfig <enter>
Step 2. -> Choose boot tab -> select no gui boot
step 3. -> Change timeout to 3 seconds
Step 4. -> select apply and then ok
Step 5. -> reboot and have a nice day.

StevenX

 

Momentus xt for fast boot, huge storage and price. I think last time I checked newegg it was only 110 bucks for 500gb.


Sorry it's back to regular price. 130 bucks.

 

What's your boot time with it?

 

From pressing power button to full load on start up with no tweaks (I guess this will depend since people do have different programs installed), it takes around 50 seconds.

Shut down time is about 15 seconds from power down/shutdown button.

 

Hmm so there's really no speed difference from my regular 7200rpm, which I timed above at 53 seconds. At a ~216% price increase over a 2.5" 500gb hard drive ($130 vs. $60), it doesn't seem worth it--in terms of boot time only, that is, and just comparing yours and mine (perhaps others will chime in).

 

25-28 seconds to load my desktop. Timed with BootTimer.

 

You've got some serious issues with boot time services or startup items. I was getting 45-50 with my 5400rpm drive.

 

Same, here.

 

I did a lot of reading and the momentus xt doesn't perform as well as most people would like it to. Just check the newegg customer reviews on on it if you don't believe me.

 

Yowza that's pretty darn nice!

 

I am happy with my Momentus XT'(s) newegg.com reviews are like best buy reviews, different level of users rating items based of things other than the item it self. I do notice a difference with my M11X, it boots in 44 secs from 66secs with a 7200rpm. One weird thing my welcome screen comes up, then goes black then comes up then windows opens, any ideas?

 

LOL I felt this was super fast since my 5.4k drive was well over a minute for a full boot.

How does boot timer measure the time though? From the power button press time or post alienware head bios screen?

I think just to pass the bios screen takes well over 10 seconds.

 

Just tried the boot timer.

Less than 27 seconds, but it's flawed IMO.

 

43 seconds according to BootTimer for me. That does seem a bit too fast, but regardless, it shows the XT outperforms my hd.

 

Best way to boost startup speed: DON'T upgrade to A03. (It slows my boot, at least, by 30 seconds, to about a minute fifteen seconds)

 

SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD, SSD SSD, SSD and SSD!!!!!!!!111!oneone1!

Seriously though. I have a boot time of 18 seconds. SSD is the way to go.

 

I wish I could use a SSD, but I like my 500gb for $115.00

 

Exactly. I would love an ssd but really hate to worry about hard drive space.

 

And SSD are very expensive... Longevity wise, I have already been conviced (mostly through research) that it will outlast my 2-3year usage span of this laptop, but gee... they are expensive like non other.

 

Hmmm... it would appear that you're right in that it's not from power on. I just used boot timer 3 times in a row and got times of 28, 25 and 27 seconds. Timing it a fourth time with a stop watch I got 36 seconds.

 

When I used my stop watch (a phone ofcourse!), I timed from press of the power button, and stopped on the last thing loading at task manager (icons by the clock), which usually is the alien head command center in my case. I did wait until the eye went green x).

 

Why don't you guys use soluto? Soluto ? Anti-Frustration Software It helped me save 30 or more seconds. Command centre was the culprit for my long boot time 20 seconds. I woul love an SSD too but way too expensive as I would want 256GB.

 

The reason your screen is blacking out is because it is switching to the 335m. If you have the intel graphics activated it won't do that.

 

That's what I figured, I could go into Bios and just have only the 335m on too I guess.

Great App, I just cut 30secs off my boot on my P-780U FX

 

Personally I would get rid of the Alienware Command Centre; because:

1. The power options can be set using windows power management
2. The Aliensense is nice, but uses 10% of your CPU the whole time
3. The AlienFX can be set using AlienFX Lite: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/458528-alienfx-lite-linux-windows-alienfx-tool.html (Rep this man for his amazing work)

I have been using the AlienFX Lite program; while dual booting Ubuntu and Win7 (using the program from both OS's) and have not had any problems.

 

From power button to fully loaded desktop 18 seconds, SSD 256gig

But I took this directly from my gaming PC, everything I had running on that still installed and booting. Normally I would've done a fresh install, but I really didn't see the point, no driver issues whatsoever so I left it. Very snappy, even with everything I have loaded I'm still over 6 hrs battery life (last time I checked I think I'm in the 90ish processes running range. If you want fast boots SSD is really the best way to do it. I had a momentus for a short time, it really didn't satisfy me, it helped a bit on boots, but not a drastic amount, and once in windows it really didn't have that quick feel that an SSD gives. But if you're on a budget, it's an option (just didn't satisfy me, but I have been using SSD's for awhile now, so anything less then SSD just feels slow to me)

 

Only one thing to tell you guys
Soluto
Soluto ? Anti-Frustration Software

 

@Bushman87 I'm a bit fed up with Command Center as well, all I use is the AlienFX. AlienFX Lite sounds like all I need.

Just a question, how is your battery life? Do you feel it is any different than having Command Center installed, as the new one supposedly gives another 45 minutes of battery life.

 

Just a heads' up, but AlienFX Lite is extremely buggy, and is at times, difficult to utilise in a practical fashion. I've been using it for over a month now, and switched back to AlienFX which has lower overheads, but simply a longer loading time when loading the application itself.

 

Really? I have had none of those (or other) problems and have been using it for months now.

 

I just tried AlienFX Lite and would like to confirm that it is very buggy on my M11x R1 and that I will be switching back to Command Center. At times the keyboard or one of the speaker lights will not light up. In addition the power button does not reliably show the current power state.

A quick tip for anyone using CC. If you don't use AlienSense you can manually remove it while retaining the rest of CC's functions. Possibly improving boot times and reducing idle load. Just run this file: C:\Program files\Alienware\Command Center\AlienSense\uninst-fastaccess.exe

 

CC with all of the fluff disabled is not a resource hog. Disable AlienSense and AlienFusion services and you're all set. Use Windows' own power settings and Synaptics driver instead.

 

I downloaded soluto, and it does seem to do a good job. I only have one problem with it, it slows down my computer. XP

Yeah, it has it's use as a sort of "discovery" type tool (it helped me find out that certain programs WERE actually removable) and it's also VERY easy to use. The problem is that it's an unnecessary start up program ITSELF!

I found it to be better performance wise using Ccleaner to delete the start up programs instead of having soluto start up EVERY time I start up the computer. Just my point of view.

 

Completely agree Kardas, First time I booted Soluto up it slowed my boot time from 19secs to 37secs in its own estimate Haha - not a great selling point(even though it's free)

 

Measuring boot-up time from the power button being pressed isn't really accurate - especially for those of us dual-booting (and having to make an OS selection each time we boot).

With that in mind (and the Momentus XT 500GB Hybrid drive installed, and a few tweaks applied), I get from pressing Enter on the Grub bootloader screen to the Windows desktop loaded (including a pause to enter my 12-character password) in exactly 30 seconds. I'm fairly happy with that, but I just downloaded Soluto so we'll see what it comes up with.

 

I tried it
its does help bootup faster
nice

 

I have a Momentus XT 500GB as well. I've been getting 42 seconds from power button to windows desktop...(Apps all loaded by 1:30) I'm going to try some of these optimizations later to see if they help.

 

I would that the command center took 20 seconds... But then it popped up with some thing saying it does not have the latest thing for fastacess?...

Boot was like 40 seconds with out command center...
Now with Soluto uninstalled I have a 30 second from power button to windows desktop.

I think my XT Drive is still optimizing.

 

I love this thread so much.

 

Well, not a big improvement, but Soluto improved my boot
times (power button press to desktop) from 29 sec to 26 sec.

I didn't uninstall anything either.

Hey, it worked, and it's free!