Any way to make win98se boot faster?

[jyates]

Hi all,

I'm hoping that maybe someone has an idea for this.

I've got win98se on a computer and nothing is loading in the "background" or on the taskbar on
boot, but when the desktop comes up the mouse cursor stays a hour glass for probably 10 seconds
or so after the basic desktop icons become visible.

I'm thinking I've read somewhere that the computer is looking for a network connect during this time.
I don't have a network card installed at all. And am not on a network nor will be.

Is there anywhere in the registry that I can reduce the amount of time it looks for a network connection?

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[JOSEPHLB]

you may have some other stuff running in the background that is hidden

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

check in that registry area first.. ..
and then..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: JOSEPHLB
you may have some other stuff running in the background that is hidden

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

check in that registry area first.. ..
and then..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

Very true. Most OS's load up other things than what can be seen even after the GUI is loaded. You could try MSCONFIG to see what is loading.

 

[jyates]

It's a bare install of windows. I haven't put any other apps on it yet.

But that is a good tip for folks that don't know about the msconfig deal though.

I've had little old ladies bring me computers to look at that were "running slow"
that had 20 apps starting on boot and running in the background

 

[Thor86]

Originally posted by: jyates
It's a bare install of windows. I haven't put any other apps on it yet.

But that is a good tip for folks that don't know about the msconfig deal though.

I've had little old ladies bring me computers to look at that were "running slow"
that had 20 apps starting on boot and running in the background

Did you install your motherboard drivers?

 

[Poontos]

Google -> Startup CPL -> D/L & Install -> Uncheck unecessary progee's. Be careful though.

 

[coolVariable]

WinME boots up way faster (was a 10-15 second difference on my machine.)

 

[GoHAnSoN]

Originally posted by: coolVariable
WinME boots up way faster (was a 10-15 second difference on my machine.)

winXP boots up way way faster than Me....

 

[jyates]

Originally posted by: Thor86

Originally posted by: jyates
It's a bare install of windows. I haven't put any other apps on it yet.

But that is a good tip for folks that don't know about the msconfig deal though.

I've had little old ladies bring me computers to look at that were "running slow"
that had 20 apps starting on boot and running in the background

Did you install your motherboard drivers?

It is a BH6 Abit......I didn't have to load any extra drivers. I might should have
but didn't and the system is working fine. I just don't like the extra time
that I have to wait for the hour glass to vanish on boot up. But it's about the
same as every other install of win98se I've done in the past.

 

[coolVariable]

winXP uses up more resoruces.

 

[jyates]

I'm interested in win98se and knowing why
after the desktop appears and the desktop
icons appear that the mouse cursor stays
like an hourglass for about 10 seconds longer.
I'm not changing my OS to XP no matter what the
boot time is. Changing the OS is not part of
the question.

Apparently there must not be any way to make it
stop searching for a network connection or I
wouldn't have had so many threads telling me
how fast XP boots

 

[Anubis]

you can go int onetwork connections and turn off the network connections. also you can "Dissable" you NIC card in the drvice manager that will also do it

 

[johnlog]

I have XP Pro installed and on another computer ME.

Both computers boot up in about the same time and that is very fast. Much faster than '98 could even attempt.

 

[Jolt2]

That time you are talking about, were the pointer spins after booting up to the desktop, I'm think it is the system backing up and checking the registry files. I'm not real sure on that because I have not turned off that option. Try turning off your registry backup.

ME boots up faster because it does not have to do the DOS stuff first. Their is no autoexec.bat or config DOS files to run in ME (the files are there but for the most part they are empty). This is another way to speed up Win98; make sure those two files are empty. Don't waste time loading real mode DOS drivers if not needed (sound card, etc...) but be careful.

Do a seach at Google for "speed up booting" and you will find all kinds of info.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

OK.. Did you check the registry settings I posted in my first reply?? I am quite sure there are some hidden things in there as well.

Ok... now you mention that you have no network card installed...
Was this the configuration when you installed Win98SE??? Did you have a network card in before.. and then just pulled it out???

If you didn't have the network card in the system when Win98SE was installed, then there were no protocols or drivers installed... so, therefore the computer is NOT looking to connect to the network.. But, lets say for example... you did have a network card installed at the time you installed Win98SE.. but later , removed the network card.... then ... at a small chance.. your system is loading some hidden network card drivers in the background or doing those flakey things that Windows does on occasion..

Also.. like one of the last posts mentioned... Make sure absolutely no DOS stuff is running..
Check your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files... Windows 98SE does not need this stuff.. Edit those files, and ensure they are EMPTY..
Don't delete them.. Windows 98SE will just recreate them on bootup.

 

[jyates]

OK.. Did you check the registry settings I posted in my first reply?? I am quite sure there are some hidden things in there as well.


Nothing there


Ok... now you mention that you have no network card installed...
Was this the configuration when you installed Win98SE??? Did you have a network card in before.. and then just pulled it out???


Fresh install of win98se on machine that never had network card in it. I had been told that the space of time I'm seeing was because it was looking for a network connection but that's just what I had been told not actually fact.


If you didn't have the network card in the system when Win98SE was installed, then there were no protocols or drivers installed... so, therefore the computer is NOT looking to connect to the network.. But, lets say for example... you did have a network card installed at the time you installed Win98SE.. but later , removed the network card.... then ... at a small chance.. your system is loading some hidden network card drivers in the background or doing those flakey things that Windows does on occasion..

Also.. like one of the last posts mentioned... Make sure absolutely no DOS stuff is running..
Check your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files... Windows 98SE does not need this stuff.. Edit those files, and ensure they are EMPTY..
Don't delete them.. Windows 98SE will just recreate them on bootup.

As stated before.....nothing is running both auto and config are empty without any lines in them.


I may have been given some bad information about windows spending that time searching for a network connection.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

There are some other advanced tweaks you can find around on the net.. but there will be very little performance out of it..

Sounds to me you have 98SE tweaked down about the best you can..

 

[jyates]

Thanks, I thought I was running it about as barebones
as I can right now and was wondering why the hourglass
stayed there a little longer but I've seen that on almost
every computer with win98se on it that I've ever seen so
it must just be a part of it