You may have come across a nag from the Windows Action Center that asks you to consider disabling some apps from the start-up process when Windows boots; this is all part and parcel of Microsoft trying to ensure speedy boot times, and as a result -- from Windows Vista onward -- it added a "Start-up delay" for apps. This is especially apparent in Windows 8, which was geared mainly toward touch and tablets.
This start-up delay can be disabled with varying results, to reduce the delay, do the following:
- Right click on the Start button, select Run
- Type regedit and hit the Enter key (or OK button)
- Go to the following Registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize
If the "Serialize" key does not exist, you should create it in "Explorer" by right clicking on Explorer: New > Key (name it Serialize).
- Create a new DWORD value in the Serialize key called StartupDelayInMSec and set it to 0:
That"s it! Depending on how many items you have in your start-up folder, you may notice a significant boost in the speed of how apps start on boot. Of course this could result in longer boot times if you have lots of start-up processes.
Give it a try and if it"s not for you simply follow the steps above again, this time deleting the Serialize key to revert back to the start-up delay.
This tweak will also work on Windows 8 and 8.1, if you are not familiar with regedit, we recommend that you skip over this tweak.
Note: This tweak works best if you are starting Windows from an SSD and not a traditional HDD.
Thanks for this tip Sergey "hb860" from WinAero!