Improving Boot Times
A common topic of discussion in the Windows world - in fact, in any operating system - is boot performance. Many systems take a long time to reach a usable desktop from the moment the power switch is pressed, and this can be quite annoying if it takes too long. In a post on the Engineering 7 blog, Michael Fortin, lead engineer of Microsoft's Fundamentals/Core Operating System Group, explains what Microsoft is doing to make Windows 7 boot faster.
The goal of Windows 7 is to make most systems have a cold boot time of 15 seconds or less. Data from the Customer Experience Improvement Program shows that 35% of Windows Vista SP1 systems boots in under 30 seconds, and that 75% boots in under 50 seconds. These results are confirmed by external analysis. In these metrics, a boot is completed once the system has logged on and a usable desktop is presented to the user. "It is not a perfect metric," Fortin admits, "but one that does capture the vast majority of issues."
