Windows® 7 Tweaks: A Comprehensive Guide on Customizing, Increasing Performance, and Securing Microsoft® Windows 7

Chapter 13. Making Your Computer Log On Faster

Ever wonder why it takes your computer so long to start up after you log on? After all, the system already loaded the majority of the operating system components. Does your computer take longer to load after you sign on than it used to take when you first brought it home? These are all questions to which you will find answers in this chapter. You can make your system load faster by using a number of cool tweaks and hacks. The last chapter touched on how to make the system boot faster. This chapter concentrates on how to make the system load faster after the operating system has loaded and you are presented with the welcome sign-on screen.

After you turn on your computer, it goes through the boot-up process, which loads the main system components and drivers. Eventually, when those are finished loading, the Windows shell is started and you are presented with the sign-on screen. After the welcome screen is displayed and you sign on, the system begins to load your user profile settings and the rest of the Windows shell. When that is finished loading, the system runs the applications that are in the startup folder as well as other sneaky registry startup programs. After these applications are finished loading, your mouse will no longer display the hourglass and you are set to do whatever you want with your computer.

This chapter begins by examining ways to speed up the logon process. Then it discusses how to get rid of all those extra applications ...