SSD boot times

I've got my Intel SSD up and running (X25-M G2). I was able to clone my HDD over to the SSD, and as proud as I was for my accomplishments, I decided to go ahead and re-format and re-install Windows 7 just to be on the safe side. So now I've got Windows 7 working (Pro, 64-bit), I've re-installed a few programs, and everything's going great!

Except that my boot speeds are, while certainly not bad, pretty unspectacular. I already went through this guide and did most things I could to optimize Windows for my SSD. Even with all startup programs disabled, I'm getting boot times consistently around 22.8 seconds. Again, not bad by any stretch, but not the awesome 11-second times I've seen from other computers with similar setups.

So what am I doing wrong? How can I cut my boot time down? Mostly I want to do it for bragging rights - my SSD is making me proud anyway.

 

you're in AHCI mode?

Can you run HDTune (wierd on certain ASUS comps)

And maybe Crystaldiskmark?

Edit: oh wow no GUI boot is MASSIVELY faster

 

Ok.... To get 11 seconds, do a clean install and then shut down all your services and programs in your start up file. That is how you will get that low.

To stay somewhere in that area, you will have to know your OS and carefully shut down all of the services that you do not and will not need in the future. This goes the same with your Startup programs. Learn what you need and what you dont.

From there, install MSE for your virus program as it does not add on much time to your start whatsoever.

My system now, even fully loaded, is ready to go at about 14-15 seconds with MSE and my sidebar....

There is also an article written specific to decreasing your boot and shut down times if you look around hard enough.

EDIT: You also stated that you have installed a few programs. I would advise that you shut down all automatic updating of the programs and Win7 as that also adds to the time.

 

Thanks Les, but I've already tried disabling all programs (including antivirus, just for a trial), and I still get around the same boot time. At least, I disabled all the ones found in msconfig.

I'm a bit scared to go around shutting down services that I don't understand, but I might have to start looking at them. Are there any (not mentioned in your (totally awesome!) guide) which are particularly detrimental to start times?

 

My computer is weird in that I take almost 15 seconds to POST and enter the Windows Loading screen. Seems the laptop takes a while to detect my USB devices.

I'll look at that optimization thing and see how it goes.

 

USB devices can do funny stuff, try booting without them connected.

 

Yep. My desktop can't get through it's Intel Matrix stage if I have my flash drive in it.

 

hmm, 22 seconds with ssd (normal startup, with services and programs running) seems my raid notebook isn't doing so bad then with normal hdd's; i should time it, but i guess i'm around 35 to 40 seconds with a lot of stuff starting up on boot, no need to invest in an expensive ssd then ...

 

Oh shoot.....forgot one even in my stuff that may be valuable. Ensure that your ssd is the primary drive on start up. Alot of systems are set to check for a dvd right off which adds on quite a bit.... Possible this is your situation?

and yes...ensure that there are no external USB devices connected on startup.

 

8 seconds for me to log-in screen. NOT included bios post. That takes about another 10 seconds as well. I hate that.

 

Better than 18 seconds, haha.

 

?
10. Char.

 

So, you gonna share your secrets?

 

You use Windows Seven, I use Windows Vista

 

My POST takes about 18 seconds.

 

Well, that is a bit too long! I wish my Qosmio could pass POST as my ThinkPad does. Takes not more then 1-2 seconds

 

SQOTD- How do I know when it's gone thru POST? I hit my power switch and maybe 3 seconds after that I get the System Utilities option for me to enter my BIOS if I want, then that goes away in about 2 seconds, blank screen for about 10 seconds, then Windows starts up and I am connected. So, from pushing the Start button to being connected I am at about 25 seconds the last time I checked. This is using my Patriot Torqx 64GB SSD, which has always booted the fastest of all my SSD's.

 

I changed my BIOS not to allow me to see the Hit F2 button to enter the BIOS and now I am down to 18 seconds. That is without turning any services or such off. So, that helps a little. I can always remember to hit F2 if I need to!

 

I think you might need 2 drives. SSd for all your windows 7 system files and hard drive for storage.

 

Look here:

Speed Up Windows - How to Speed Up My Computer Easily and Quickly?

Cheers
3Fees

 

problem is, depending on the hardware you have, you can't get your boot times down. on a 1.2ghz 12" laptop i could boot in 30 seconds (with a comparable slow ssd). on a desktop (quadcore, 2.4ghz) i could not boot below 1.5minutes, even while having two of those ssds in raid0.

this was on a clean install.

i then started to mess around with it till i nearly got crazy, then opened the case, and ripped out EVERYTHING from the mainboard. after it was just mainboard, ram, cpu, psu, and ssd, boottime suddenly was around 15 seconds.

after recheck, it was my card reader (which was part of how the pc was sold), the infrared for the remote, the front usb port extender and those. plugging out all of those resulted in a 15 seconds boot. plugging them in, 1.5minutes.

that's why netbooks sometimes are so fast at booting: they don't have much to boot.

 

How obsessive can someone get? The computer can boot as fast as the BIOS can.

 

well, i've seen bios' that have less than 1 sec till os. i've seen bios' with up to 17 seconds till os.

so "as fast as the bios can" can differ massively

 

lol, that is right! My Qosmio takes about 15-17 seconds. While my laptop in my signature is up and fully running in 6