Why does my computer take so long to boot up?

Computers are slow to boot up because of problems with the startup programs, virus or spyware infections or issues with recently updated or installed software. Updates to the operating system or the drivers can also cause a computer to start up slower than it should.

There are several things that can cause a computer to start booting up slowly during start up. The first thing to check is recently installed software, software updates, Windows updates, or driver updates. If an update or installation correlates with the time the computer started to slow down, it could be the problem.

Other things that can cause a computer to boot up slowly:

• Start up programs - all computers run several programs automatically when they boot up. If there are too many programs, or these programs conflict with each other, the computer can slow down. The programs that automatically start when Windows starts can be changed by using the System Configuration tool.
• Infection - computer viruses, adware and spyware can all make a computer slow down during startup. The solution is to find a trusted antivirus program, ensure it is up-to-date, and run a scan on the computer.
• Windows Registry - the Windows Registry can become corrupted and when this happens, the computer will slow down. This can be fixed by running a registry cleaner.