Extra hardware profile can speed up Windows

Startup on Windows computers can often be quickened by adding an extra hardware profile. Such profiles establish which drivers are to be loaded up when the system is booted, explains the Munich-based magazine PC Professionell.

If certain drivers like a TV card are only used rarely, then the hardware profile can be used to start up the computer without that driver. The fewer drivers a computer must initialise, the quicker startup goes.

A new profile is created by copying the existing one. The process is started with a right mouse click on My Computer and then on Properties. On the Hardware tab, click the Hardware Profiles button. In the resulting Hardware Profiles dialog box, click Copy to copy existing profile. Provide a new name for the profile when prompted, such as “no TV”.

When the computer is next restarted, both the old and the new profile will then be shown, PC Professionell explains. By clicking on the newer profile, drivers can then be selected and deactivated as desired.