Lenovo Tweaking Windows 7 Boot Time Speed

Many of us here leave our computers on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do it because we simply need to have some tasks always running (and we have the compulsive need to know whenever a new email comes in). But for those users who are energy efficient and shut off their computers when they're done using them, the issue of boot times is somewhat important.

No one wants to hit the power button on their computer and have to wait minutes before he or she can click on anything.

Lenovo knows that, and boasts that its ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops will boot Windows 7 up to 56 percent faster compared to running Windows XP or Vista, and shuts down in as little as five seconds.

The Idea line of Lenovo computers will also see a performance boost, though not to the same degree as the Think line. Idea PCs will boot up to 33 percent faster and shutdown 50 percent faster than identical configuration, non-optimized PCs even while still initializing things such as anti-virus software.

Lenovo calls its tweaks the "Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience," which are composed of optimized system files, processes and hardware settings and achieve quicker boot and shutdown compared with non-optimized PCs.

“To achieve Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience certification, Lenovo’s technical team and developers have worked with Microsoft during the making of Windows 7 to create an exceptionally-engineered hardware and software experience,” said Fran O’Sullivan, senior vice president, Think Product Group, Lenovo.  “Advances in PC technology are giving users even better tools to increase their personal productivity at work, and this Enhanced Experience certification lets customers know that our Think PCs are optimized for business.”   

Last week, Phoenix Technologies, makers of the popular BIOS, demonstrated a new fast-boot BIOS that goes through the POST phase in around one second. The shorter boot time allowed Windows to load almost immediately, shaving down the time to desktop considerably. The Phoenix BIOS was demonstrated on a ThinkPad T400s, so perhaps that technology is making it into the Windows 7-equipped new PCs from Lenovo.