AfterDawn: News

Windows 7 boots slower with iolo software installed

Last night, iolo Technologies, vendors of the System Mechanic "PC-tuning" software, released a report that stated Windows 7 booted slower than its predecessor Vista and many, including our very own AfterDawn regulars felt the move was nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Today, ChannelWeb decided to experiment, and installed the System Mechanic 9 software on their test computer (32-bit Win 7, Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz CPU, 4GB RAM) and was met with some ironic results.



Without System Mechanic installed, boot-up time (from Power button to "executing a command") was 53 seconds, including typing in a password to login. After running a "Deep" optimization of Windows Startup using the software, boot up time increased to 54 seconds, slower than before the optimization but still extremely faster than iolo's reported startup time of 1:43 posted yesterday.

Overall, iolo's posted times are alot slower then most reported times and begs the question of what type of computer they tested on, and with what software already installed on the machine.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Oct 2009 14:44

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• 26 comments

• Morreale

  
  
  
  Indeed.

  12.10.2009 15:20 #1

• DXR88

  IOLO
  
  
  

  12.10.2009 15:32 #2

• tatsh

  Who really cares?!

  12.10.2009 17:34 #3

• bobiroc

  I guess when you add extra (and probably unneccessary) software to an already pretty well optimised system then you will see slower times. I have never even heard of this company. You want some simple rules for keeping a well optimised system.
  
  Rule 1: Avoid Crapware like toolbars, plugins like Google Desktop and 3rd party theme changing software.
  
  Rule 2: Protect your PC with AntiVirus/Spyware protection and a good firewall and stay the heck off of questionable sites. You know like don't go to that Porn Site that promises hi def porn for free as long as you install their little video player or download a bunch of free ad-driven games.
  
  Rule 3: Treat your computer like it is supposed to be. Don't eat, drink, smoke around it and refrain from kicking, banging, or punching the computer. Use a good power source like a Battery Backup and make sure it is kept dust free.
  
  There ya go, 3 simple rules and you should find that BSOD's crashes, lockups, and other problems people like to say are common with Windows PCs are no longer a problem.

  12.10.2009 17:49 #4

• DXR88

  System mechanic was widely used to optimize PC when your boot up time and registry was foobar. W7 may vary well use its own registry cleaner and optimizer so there may be a conflict. W7 May optimize it one way and System Mechanic another. W7 may try to undo what was done with system mechanic Thus slowing your boot time down substantially.

  12.10.2009 18:34 #5

• atomicxl

  Meh, my Vista has been going fine with no problems for over a year now. I've never really understood all the hate for Vista.

  12.10.2009 18:36 #6

• bobiroc

  Originally posted by DXR88: System mechanic was widely used to optimize PC when your boot up time and registry was foobar. W7 may vary well use its own registry cleaner and optimizer so there may be a conflict. W7 May optimize it one way and System Mechanic another. W7 may try to undo what was done with system mechanic Thus slowing your boot time down substantially.I am sure I have seen it maybe but never paid attention to it. I do understand cleaning up the registry a bit if you install and uninstall programs frequently. I just use CCCleaner for that maybe once or twice a year. But if you avoid installing crapware then you don't need to worry so much. I have a Virtual Machine for my testing of unknown apps.

  12.10.2009 18:46 #7

• DXR88

  Originally posted by atomicxl: Meh, my Vista has been going fine with no problems for over a year now. I've never really understood all the hate for Vista.For every day internet surfing there is nothing wrong with vista. When performance and OC are added to the equation everything is wrong with it.
  
  Vista is like a catholic nun, its has a very strict margin of error, thus it will expect a perfect bit all the time. PC's especially those with an CISC based processor will never have perfect Bits. if windose vista could run on G5 macs it would never fail.

  12.10.2009 18:50 #8

• DXR88

  Quote:Originally posted by DXR88: System mechanic was widely used to optimize PC when your boot up time and registry was foobar. W7 may vary well use its own registry cleaner and optimizer so there may be a conflict. W7 May optimize it one way and System Mechanic another. W7 may try to undo what was done with system mechanic Thus slowing your boot time down substantially.I am sure I have seen it maybe but never paid attention to it. I do understand cleaning up the registry a bit if you install and uninstall programs frequently. I just use CCCleaner for that maybe once or twice a year. But if you avoid installing crapware then you don't need to worry so much. I have a Virtual Machine for my testing of unknown apps.i meant it reorganizes the registry in a way to boot things faster. W7 may have that built in now. the Registry is probably the most neglected thing in windose. it changes with every version some small others big.
  
  vista didn't take to kindly with the registry being messed with.

  12.10.2009 18:58 #9

• bobiroc

  Quote:Originally posted by atomicxl: Meh, my Vista has been going fine with no problems for over a year now. I've never really understood all the hate for Vista.For every day internet surfing there is nothing wrong with vista. When performance and OC are added to the equation everything is wrong with it.
  
  Vista is like a catholic nun, its has a very strict margin of error, thus it will expect a perfect bit all the time. PC's especially those with an CISC based processor will never have perfect Bits. if windose vista could run on G5 macs it would never fail.OK Vista was a little rough out of the gate as is with any OS Kernel change. Look at the transition from the win9x Kernel (windows 98) to the WinNT Kernel (Windows 2000). Of course Windows 2000 wasn't really intended as a direct replacement for Windows 98 but you get what I mean (I hope). I will say that Vista's so called problems were greatly exaggerated and most of the actual problems were remedied within 6 months of release. I find that Vista runs smoother than XP does in many scenerios and is less proned to end user modification screw ups. What I mean by that is ever since we started using Vista on a group of computers in my organization we have to image them less and they actually perform faster on a active directory network than XP does. And I work in education where students frequently try to do things they are not supposed to with the computers and some teachers think they know more than they actually do. I cannot wait to roll out Windows 7 on even a larger scale as it is better than Vista from the testing I have done.

  12.10.2009 19:00 #10

• Gplanet

  Running Windows 7 Ultimate on 3.4 GHZ Dell 1TB 4gig Ram and use Windows 7 Manager and running like road runner

  12.10.2009 19:02 #11

• gullzway

  I'm running a custom Windows XP Vienna Edition on an old HP zv6000 Laptop, and it's faster than all 3 of my other computers. 1 on Vista and the other 2 on Windows 7!

  12.10.2009 22:00 #12

• snookie11

  Plenty of sites have shown 7 to boot slower than Vista. Even the Microsoft boot lickers at CNET. It has also been shown to boot more slowly over time. Not surprising for a registry based OS. I'll stick with my Macs. A simpler interfaced with the same underpinning as Vista is not enticing. Yes I have run 7 extensively and i am quite familiar with Microsoft OS' as an IT Architect with many years experience.

  12.10.2009 22:17 #13

• snookie11

  Oh btw..Channel Web? Seriously? Or I should say not serious. They are nothing more than blatant shills for their advertisers.
  
  While I would rather use 7 over Vista or the archaic XP I know enough about Microsoft OS internals to not expect much but a slightly better interface.
  
  Here is what Jim Louderbeck who worked as the editor of PC Magazine for many years as its editor says about Windows 7.
  
  "Over the past two months, I’ve been testing the Win7 release candidate not on brand new hardware, nor on the free systems Microsoft has been providing to its favored reviewers. Instead, I’ve suffered through trying to upgrade a wide variety of systems that are a lot more like what you’re probably running – 1-3 year old notebooks and desktops. And what I’ve found is sharply different from the overweening bootlicking being spewed by most reviewers.
  
  I don’t fault them – well, not too much. They’ve been running Windows 7 in a best-case environment, and I’ve been running it in the worst. They have access to a near-limitless supply of new computers, new notebooks and new peripherals from vendors eager to ride the expected coattails of Microsoft’s triumphant release. I’ve been relegated to testing Windows 7 on the old systems that you and I are still running.
  
  They love it. I’m not so sure. I’ve installed windows 7 on 8 different machines – a mix of notebooks and desktops – and I’ve downgraded all but two of them. Why? Because despite the hype, it worked more slowly, crashed more often, and just flat out didn’t work right.
  
  So I’m here to tell you that Windows 7 is definitely a step forward – but not for many existing computers. You may not want to hear this, but Vista Service Pack 2 – the current upgraded version – is actually better, in many cases, than Windows 7."

  12.10.2009 22:23 #14

• snookie11

  Originally posted by DXR88: System mechanic was widely used to optimize PC when your boot up time and registry was foobar. W7 may vary well use its own registry cleaner and optimizer so there may be a conflict. W7 May optimize it one way and System Mechanic another. W7 may try to undo what was done with system mechanic Thus slowing your boot time down substantially.The only registry "cleaner" Microsoft ever had was meant to only be used by developers and hasn't worked in years. There certainly has never been anything built into the OS and there isn't now. Microsoft specifically warns against registry cleaners saying they do no good and can cause serious issues. Instead you let your registry build up garbage and slow down until the only solution is a compete OS reinstall. Not exactly modern OS design.
  
  http://majorgeeks.com/Microsoft_RegClean_d458.html

  12.10.2009 22:32 #15

• KillerBug

  I'm sure there are still a lot of people who will buy this software to install on fresh windows 7 machines. ChannelWeb should do the same test with Windows 7 x64...I wouldn't be suprised if this terrible software caused even worse problems with a modern OS.

  13.10.2009 04:21 #16

• NHS2008

  38 secs from power button to desktop.
  53 secs from power button to starting an application(Opera Web browser.)
  Less than a minute! too good!!
  Sys specs: AMD Phenom 2 x2 550 BE CLOCKED @ 3.1 GHZ.
  M4A175STDV-EVO Mobo, 2GB DDR 3 RAM.

  13.10.2009 11:43 #17

• DXR88

  Quote:Originally posted by DXR88: System mechanic was widely used to optimize PC when your boot up time and registry was foobar. W7 may vary well use its own registry cleaner and optimizer so there may be a conflict. W7 May optimize it one way and System Mechanic another. W7 may try to undo what was done with system mechanic Thus slowing your boot time down substantially.The only registry "cleaner" Microsoft ever had was meant to only be used by developers and hasn't worked in years. There certainly has never been anything built into the OS and there isn't now. Microsoft specifically warns against registry cleaners saying they do no good and can cause serious issues. Instead you let your registry build up garbage and slow down until the only solution is a compete OS reinstall. Not exactly modern OS design.
  
  " target="_blank">http://majorgeeks.com/Microsoft_RegClean_d458.html
  
  
  just like when everyone found out that the WDDM, is screwed up by design. like i said the registry is the most neglected thing on a windose machine, perhaps they've made a solution perhaps they have not.

  13.10.2009 15:04 #18

• atomicxl

  Quote:Originally posted by atomicxl: Meh, my Vista has been going fine with no problems for over a year now. I've never really understood all the hate for Vista.For every day internet surfing there is nothing wrong with vista. When performance and OC are added to the equation everything is wrong with it.
  
  Vista is like a catholic nun, its has a very strict margin of error, thus it will expect a perfect bit all the time. PC's especially those with an CISC based processor will never have perfect Bits. if windose vista could run on G5 macs it would never fail.I use my PC for web surfing... audio production with loads of external gear and USB devices... and minor video editing. I'm not sure how much else I could honestly use a PC for. The games I have (Spore and Civ 4) run fine on it as well. I think the people who have major issues are people who are like, "whoa, this site is gonna give me two free iPod nanos!!!! hell yes i'll click this and ignore any warning messages" or the PC "pro" who brags about how often they format their computer... which makes as much sense as a mechanic bragging about how he breaks cars all the time.

  14.10.2009 09:54 #19

• logan1957

  I can believe it about System Mechanic making ANY computer run slower. I've got Windows XP Pro on my computer currently and one day I installed System Mechanic on it. The next morning to my surprise it did a reboot and a check disc, without having one scheduled. I went and checked to see if I had scheduled one with diskeeper only to find it wasn't set to run till the last Sunday of the month as it always is. I shut the computer down that evening and again the next morning it did another check disc, so I went and looked to try and stop it from doing this every time I rebooted the computer. After some searching I found www.annoyances.org, wherein I found my answer. Seems System Mechanic changed the default setting for the check disc by adding an "R" after the default setting so it was rebooting every morning. Now since I had no idea where the heck to look to correct this, I was lucky that someone else had the same problem and described in detail where to go in the registry and how to correct this pest. After doing so, I immediately removed System Mechanic, which was on a 30 day trial, and haven't looked at it since. It also took one heck of a long time to finish the disc check which normally only takes ten minutes, but was taking upwards of two hours so as I say I can believe Iolo software can slow a computer down.

  14.10.2009 10:36 #20

• DXR88

  Originally posted by NHS2008: 38 secs from power button to desktop.
  53 secs from power button to starting an application(Opera Web browser.)
  Less than a minute! too good!!
  Sys specs: AMD Phenom 2 x2 550 BE CLOCKED @ 3.1 GHZ.
  M4A175STDV-EVO Mobo, 2GB DDR 3 RAM.Not bad.
  34 seconds from coldboot to desktop
  28 seconds from system restart to desktop
  can access apps in 3 seconds upon reaching desktop.
  
  sys specs: AMD Athlon x2 7750 Kuma OCed to 3.2GHZ
  4GB of DDR2 1066MHz @ 533MHz effective on a Asrock AOD790GX/128M.

  14.10.2009 14:18 #21

• creaky

  40 seconds for me
  
  http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_jump.cfm/805996/4873405
  

  
  
  Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
  Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS/WPA ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 4node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G v3.1, WRT54G2 v1, WRT54G v5. *** Forum Rules ***

  14.10.2009 14:28 #22

• Screwit

  Get real WHO WANTS A MAC with NO PROGRAMS or games ... LOL ?
  
  what a joke they are .......

  15.10.2009 13:09 #23

• LM2008

  I hope the reports are in error because my free dvd upgrade is coming soon, i bought my laptop 3 weeks ago and Vista is not that bad, well, i'm very lucky because all the other computers i have been fixing Vista performance is really bad, even in new computers or laoptop. In my case, boot time is the annoying thing, hope windows 7 fix it.

  15.10.2009 13:33 #24

• gsebs

  Well it seems that you don't need system mechanic 9 installed with 7. and it does not matter what your system is as they will still be proportionate in start times. Lets stop mentioning V and pretend it never happened

  16.10.2009 01:00 #25

• DXR88

  Originally posted by gsebs: Well it seems that you don't need system mechanic 9 installed with 7. and it does not matter what your system is as they will still be proportionate in start times. Lets stop mentioning V and pretend it never happenedLike ME eh

  16.10.2009 01:10 #26