Boot timing
in [Windows XP]
|
From: Billns on 18 May 2010 13:16 On 5/12/2010 3:03 AM, Bill P wrote: > Using win XP home sp3. > Is there an app that will time how long it takes for a machine to boot up. > Regards Bill > > You've gotten some good suggestions here. I've been using PC's since 1983 and have never had the need or desire to determine the exact boot time of my machine. If I think it's getting slow I look at ways to speed it up, such as removing unneeded startup programs. Bill
From: Twayne on 19 May 2010 14:25 In news:u%23BT9lq9KHA.1892(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, SC Tom <sc(a)tom.net> typed: > Jose wrote: >> On May 14, 4:04 am, "Bill P" <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: >>> Thanks Twayne. I tried Bootvis but it did nothing for my >>> setup (XP SP3) >>> >>> Bill >>> >>> "Twayne" <nob...(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message >>> >>> news:eEGbt1s8KHA.4604(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >>> >>> >>> >>>> Innews:Oe1lfqb8KHA.3840(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl, >>>> Bill P <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> typed: >>>>> Using win XP home sp3. >>>>> Is there an app that will time how long it takes for a >>>>> machine to boot up. Regards Bill >>> >>>> I've never found anything to rival bootvis but I can >>>> give you a head-up. Bootvis, at least in all the people >>>> I know who tried it, including myself, have found it >>>> won't work in SP3. Remember, it hasn't had any support >>>> in a long, long time. >> >> Bootvis works fine in SP3 unless your system is afflicted >> in some way that prevents it from working. >> >> If Bootvis doesn't work, you need to better define what >> "doesn't work" means. I just ran Bootvis on my XP Pro SP3 >> and it works fine. Another popular and revealing tool is Bootlog XP from >> Greatis: http://www.greatis.com/ >> >> If you want to do a good job of figuring out timings and if >> adjustments you make have some influence (in any >> direction), you need to come up with something a little >> more scientific that looking at the icons and deciding >> when you think Windows thinks it is "ready". Remove >> subjective opinions and unmeasurable things from your >> analysis completely. There should be no guessing about >> anything ever. You need to know with 100% certainty when >> the boot cycle is complete with tenth of a second >> granularity to be able to see if your adjustments are >> helping or hurting things. If you are getting paid or laid to fix some >> system that is >> slow to boot, you need to be able to say: Before I >> started, it took exactly this long to boot and now when I >> am done, it takes exactly this long and here is what I >> did. You can see here after my repeatable tests and >> mesurements that things have improved by this amount of >> time (down to the tenth of a second). Then it is easy to justify your $1 >> a second fee for >> speeding up somebody's configuration issues because you >> can measure it exactly, give a printed report, etc. Not >> bad for a usually 30 second system analysis and "fix" of >> the slow boot phenomenon. You could follow the "try a clean boot state >> and see if >> your system boot faster" advice. Well, of course it will >> boot faster, but what do you do next? You could also try >> to "check msconfig for things, culprits and suspicious >> items and disabling them" or "try fiddling with some >> things". If you want to get smart about what happens when your >> system boots, read this article: >> >> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457123.aspx >> >> Stop guessing and just trying things that might work maybe >> and start measuring and you will have better results. > > Bootvis gave me a BSOD with a 0x0000007E error on XP Home > SP3. It also set sfsync02 and sfsync03 errors in the event > log. AFAIK, my system is not "afflicted" in any way. I had > to boot into safe mode, then delete Bootvis from the > Startup folder. I then booted normally and uninstalled it. > But then when I cold booted the next day, I got the same > BSOD. After doing a system restore to the time right before > the initial installation, all is well. I have no Starforce protected > games on my system, and made > a point over the years of never installing one that > required it after reading about all the bad things that may > happen with it. Obviously, from what I've read, it doesn't > play well with Windows all the time. I have used Bootvis in the past, but > never with SP3. I > don't have a problem with my boot time, but was curious as > to what it would show after following this thread. Guess I > found out, ha ha! Yeah, I found out the hard way too but it was easier on me than you - that sucked! I think the problem is that since it hasn't been updated in so many years SP3 was just the final straw for it working. Some have claimed since SP3 came out that it's an "unclean" machine that's the cause of it, but I tend to dispute that and no one has ever described the mechanism that causes it. I've run it on virgin installs and old installs with the same results each time. I do agree it might have to do with hardware or installed programs though; you never know. This particular machine I have is a win 7 machine downgraded to XP by the mfr for me. I do admit that this is the first time I've heard of it causing damage though. A BSod is damage IMO. Thanks for confirming; always interested in such things. HTH, Twayne`
From: Twayne on 19 May 2010 14:29 In news:eSN1h3q9KHA.5716(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl, Billns <billns(a)nsverizon.net> typed: > On 5/12/2010 3:03 AM, Bill P wrote: >> Using win XP home sp3. >> Is there an app that will time how long it takes for a >> machine to boot up. Regards Bill >> >> > You've gotten some good suggestions here. > > I've been using PC's since 1983 and have never had the need > or desire to determine the exact boot time of my machine. > If I think it's getting slow I look at ways to speed it up, > such as removing unneeded startup programs. > > Bill Nothing wrong with that; I'd imagine most people are like you in fact. I repair computers though and a program like that is often the fastest way to see what's loading up when they boot. it can help a lot too when you have a perfectly running machine but an extremely long boot time; it'll expose who's taking all the time pretty quickly (or not) and eliminates a lot of things as possibilities right off the bat. HTH, Twayne`
From: SC Tom on 19 May 2010 21:26 "Twayne" <nobody(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message news:%23BdQiC49KHA.2248(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > In news:u%23BT9lq9KHA.1892(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, > SC Tom <sc(a)tom.net> typed: >> Jose wrote: >>> On May 14, 4:04 am, "Bill P" <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: >>>> Thanks Twayne. I tried Bootvis but it did nothing for my >>>> setup (XP SP3) >>>> >>>> Bill >>>> >>>> "Twayne" <nob...(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message >>>> >>>> news:eEGbt1s8KHA.4604(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> Innews:Oe1lfqb8KHA.3840(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl, >>>>> Bill P <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> typed: >>>>>> Using win XP home sp3. >>>>>> Is there an app that will time how long it takes for a >>>>>> machine to boot up. Regards Bill >>>> >>>>> I've never found anything to rival bootvis but I can >>>>> give you a head-up. Bootvis, at least in all the people >>>>> I know who tried it, including myself, have found it >>>>> won't work in SP3. Remember, it hasn't had any support >>>>> in a long, long time. >>> >>> Bootvis works fine in SP3 unless your system is afflicted >>> in some way that prevents it from working. >>> >>> If Bootvis doesn't work, you need to better define what >>> "doesn't work" means. I just ran Bootvis on my XP Pro SP3 >>> and it works fine. Another popular and revealing tool is Bootlog XP from >>> Greatis: http://www.greatis.com/ >>> >>> If you want to do a good job of figuring out timings and if >>> adjustments you make have some influence (in any >>> direction), you need to come up with something a little >>> more scientific that looking at the icons and deciding >>> when you think Windows thinks it is "ready". Remove >>> subjective opinions and unmeasurable things from your >>> analysis completely. There should be no guessing about >>> anything ever. You need to know with 100% certainty when >>> the boot cycle is complete with tenth of a second >>> granularity to be able to see if your adjustments are >>> helping or hurting things. If you are getting paid or laid to fix some >>> system that is >>> slow to boot, you need to be able to say: Before I >>> started, it took exactly this long to boot and now when I >>> am done, it takes exactly this long and here is what I >>> did. You can see here after my repeatable tests and >>> mesurements that things have improved by this amount of >>> time (down to the tenth of a second). Then it is easy to justify your $1 >>> a second fee for >>> speeding up somebody's configuration issues because you >>> can measure it exactly, give a printed report, etc. Not >>> bad for a usually 30 second system analysis and "fix" of >>> the slow boot phenomenon. You could follow the "try a clean boot state >>> and see if >>> your system boot faster" advice. Well, of course it will >>> boot faster, but what do you do next? You could also try >>> to "check msconfig for things, culprits and suspicious >>> items and disabling them" or "try fiddling with some >>> things". If you want to get smart about what happens when your >>> system boots, read this article: >>> >>> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457123.aspx >>> >>> Stop guessing and just trying things that might work maybe >>> and start measuring and you will have better results. >> >> Bootvis gave me a BSOD with a 0x0000007E error on XP Home >> SP3. It also set sfsync02 and sfsync03 errors in the event >> log. AFAIK, my system is not "afflicted" in any way. I had >> to boot into safe mode, then delete Bootvis from the >> Startup folder. I then booted normally and uninstalled it. >> But then when I cold booted the next day, I got the same >> BSOD. After doing a system restore to the time right before >> the initial installation, all is well. I have no Starforce protected >> games on my system, and made >> a point over the years of never installing one that >> required it after reading about all the bad things that may >> happen with it. Obviously, from what I've read, it doesn't >> play well with Windows all the time. I have used Bootvis in the past, but >> never with SP3. I >> don't have a problem with my boot time, but was curious as >> to what it would show after following this thread. Guess I >> found out, ha ha! > > Yeah, I found out the hard way too but it was easier on me than you - that > sucked! I think the problem is that since it hasn't been updated in so > many years SP3 was just the final straw for it working. > Some have claimed since SP3 came out that it's an "unclean" machine > that's the cause of it, but I tend to dispute that and no one has ever > described the mechanism that causes it. I've run it on virgin installs and > old installs with the same results each time. I do agree it might have to > do with hardware or installed programs though; you never know. This > particular machine I have is a win 7 machine downgraded to XP by the mfr > for me. > I do admit that this is the first time I've heard of it causing damage > though. A BSod is damage IMO. > > Thanks for confirming; always interested in such things. > > HTH, > > Twayne` > > I was more surprised at the BSOD than anything else; I hadn't had or seen one in at least two years. Since I image my drive regularly, I was too worried about it. I figured the worst that could happen would be I'd loose four or five days stuff (none of which is all that important) if the system restore didn't work. Since SR did work, I only lost about 20 minutes of up time. I still think it was a good experiment, even if the outcome wasn't what I wanted :-) -- SC Tom
From: Twayne on 20 May 2010 18:16
In news:6d0Jn.13555$h57.7325(a)newsfe22.iad, SC Tom <sc(a)tom.net> typed: > "Twayne" <nobody(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message > news:%23BdQiC49KHA.2248(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> In news:u%23BT9lq9KHA.1892(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, >> SC Tom <sc(a)tom.net> typed: >>> Jose wrote: >>>> On May 14, 4:04 am, "Bill P" <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> >>>> wrote: >>>>> Thanks Twayne. I tried Bootvis but it did nothing for my >>>>> setup (XP SP3) >>>>> >>>>> Bill >>>>> >>>>> "Twayne" <nob...(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message >>>>> >>>>> news:eEGbt1s8KHA.4604(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> Innews:Oe1lfqb8KHA.3840(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl, >>>>>> Bill P <Bi...(a)nospam.invalid> typed: >>>>>>> Using win XP home sp3. >>>>>>> Is there an app that will time how long it takes for a >>>>>>> machine to boot up. Regards Bill >>>>> >>>>>> I've never found anything to rival bootvis but I can >>>>>> give you a head-up. Bootvis, at least in all the people >>>>>> I know who tried it, including myself, have found it >>>>>> won't work in SP3. Remember, it hasn't had any support >>>>>> in a long, long time. >>>> >>>> Bootvis works fine in SP3 unless your system is afflicted >>>> in some way that prevents it from working. >>>> >>>> If Bootvis doesn't work, you need to better define what >>>> "doesn't work" means. I just ran Bootvis on my XP Pro >>>> SP3 and it works fine. Another popular and revealing tool is >>>> Bootlog XP from Greatis: http://www.greatis.com/ >>>> >>>> If you want to do a good job of figuring out timings and >>>> if adjustments you make have some influence (in any >>>> direction), you need to come up with something a little >>>> more scientific that looking at the icons and deciding >>>> when you think Windows thinks it is "ready". Remove >>>> subjective opinions and unmeasurable things from your >>>> analysis completely. There should be no guessing about >>>> anything ever. You need to know with 100% certainty when >>>> the boot cycle is complete with tenth of a second >>>> granularity to be able to see if your adjustments are >>>> helping or hurting things. If you are getting paid or >>>> laid to fix some system that is >>>> slow to boot, you need to be able to say: Before I >>>> started, it took exactly this long to boot and now when I >>>> am done, it takes exactly this long and here is what I >>>> did. You can see here after my repeatable tests and >>>> mesurements that things have improved by this amount of >>>> time (down to the tenth of a second). Then it is easy to >>>> justify your $1 a second fee for >>>> speeding up somebody's configuration issues because you >>>> can measure it exactly, give a printed report, etc. Not >>>> bad for a usually 30 second system analysis and "fix" of >>>> the slow boot phenomenon. You could follow the "try a >>>> clean boot state and see if >>>> your system boot faster" advice. Well, of course it will >>>> boot faster, but what do you do next? You could also try >>>> to "check msconfig for things, culprits and suspicious >>>> items and disabling them" or "try fiddling with some >>>> things". If you want to get smart about what happens >>>> when your system boots, read this article: >>>> >>>> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457123.aspx >>>> >>>> Stop guessing and just trying things that might work >>>> maybe and start measuring and you will have better results. >>> >>> Bootvis gave me a BSOD with a 0x0000007E error on XP Home >>> SP3. It also set sfsync02 and sfsync03 errors in the event >>> log. AFAIK, my system is not "afflicted" in any way. I had >>> to boot into safe mode, then delete Bootvis from the >>> Startup folder. I then booted normally and uninstalled it. >>> But then when I cold booted the next day, I got the same >>> BSOD. After doing a system restore to the time right >>> before the initial installation, all is well. I have no >>> Starforce protected games on my system, and made >>> a point over the years of never installing one that >>> required it after reading about all the bad things that >>> may happen with it. Obviously, from what I've read, it doesn't >>> play well with Windows all the time. I have used Bootvis >>> in the past, but never with SP3. I >>> don't have a problem with my boot time, but was curious as >>> to what it would show after following this thread. Guess I >>> found out, ha ha! >> >> Yeah, I found out the hard way too but it was easier on me >> than you - that sucked! I think the problem is that since >> it hasn't been updated in so many years SP3 was just the >> final straw for it working. Some have claimed since SP3 >> came out that it's an "unclean" machine that's the cause >> of it, but I tend to dispute that and no one has ever >> described the mechanism that causes it. I've run it on >> virgin installs and old installs with the same results >> each time. I do agree it might have to do with hardware or >> installed programs though; you never know. This particular >> machine I have is a win 7 machine downgraded to XP by >> the mfr for me. I do admit that this is the first time >> I've heard of it causing damage though. A BSod is damage >> IMO. Thanks for confirming; always interested in such things. >> >> HTH, >> >> Twayne` >> >> > I was more surprised at the BSOD than anything else; I > hadn't had or seen one in at least two years. Since I image > my drive regularly, I was too worried about it. I figured > the worst that could happen would be I'd loose four or five > days stuff (none of which is all that important) if the > system restore didn't work. Since SR did work, I only lost > about 20 minutes of up time. I still think it was a good > experiment, even if the outcome wasn't what I wanted :-) Hmm, good to know; thanks. BS was news to me until this thread. Thanks for confirming. HTH, Twayne` |