Prevent Really Slow Windows 7 Startups
Here's a quick tip to shave as much as 30 seconds off your Windows 7 startup. This won't help everyone, but if you find yourself staring at the Welcome screen for 30 seconds or more at each startup, then you might be afflicted by this easy-to-fix bug.
It turns out that if you have selected a solid color desktop background, there's a bug in Windows 7 that can cause the Welcome screen to hang for 30 seconds. That's a long time, especially when you consider that for the most part, Windows 7 boots faster than older versions of Windows.
The fix? It's like the old doctor joke -- don't do that. Choose a desktop background that isn't a solid color. You can use any digital photo on your PC or pick one of the desktop backgrounds or themes that come with Windows 7. It doesn't really matter which, as long as it's not a solid color.
Really want a solid color for your desktop? Here's my own workaround: Just open a photo editing program and make your own PG image that's a solid color (use the fill tool). You'll get a plain desktop without the delay.
