Apple Mac OS X tips and tweaks

Reduce startup times in OS X and boot your Mac faster

How quickly does your Mac start up these days? Is it still as fast as the day you bought it or does it seem to take longer to get to the desktop than it used to when you first bought it? Lengthening startup times are a common problem for all users and a Mac that was really quick when it was new can take twice as long to boot up after a year or two's heavy use. Why is this and what can be done about it? Here are a couple of tweaks that you can perform to speed up the boot process and restore the Mac's original performance.

The main cause of slow starting computers, whether they are Mac, Linux or Windows, is software that is automatically loaded whenever we switch on and log in. A brand new computer will have few, if any, programs that automatically load with the OS and this is why it is fast and responsive. As we add software to the computer, sometimes it installs startup items that are run every time you switch on. Each item must be found, loaded and executed and that takes time. Each item adds a few seconds to the boot process and it gets slower and slower.

The solution is to remove the startup items. Of course, some programs that load with the operating system are essential because they provide services that we rely on. For example, anti virus software should always be loaded automatically every time the computer is started. (Of course, many Mac users don't use anti virus software, but it's becoming more common). Growl, a notification tool, is another startup item that you might want to automatically load with the OS.

Not every startup item is essential though and sometimes you can live without them. Sometimes programs automatically check for updates every time you start up and this isn't necessary. You can always manually check for updates if you want to by visiting the software supplier's website or by using a Check For Updates menu option in the program. Removing startup items will speed up the boot process, so let's see how to do it.

Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and select System Preferences. Click Accounts in the System section, select your account and click the Login Items tab. All the programs listed here are automaticaly run every time you log in. Select any items you don't need and click the minus button below the list to delete them.

I don't know what's on your list or whether the items are useful to you. Everyone is different, so it's up to you what you decide to remove or keep. Sometimes you find entries for software you have uninstalled and these can definitely be removed. If you aren't sure whether you need something, then leave it alone and only remove items you definitely don't use.

The next task is to open a Finder window and navigate to your home folder, then Library/launchAgents. In here are files that are automatically run when you log on. Some items will be needed, such as MobileMe or Safari Bookmarks sync agents, but others are not. Delete any that you don't need (remember they can always be moved back from the Trash if you find you can't live without them).

Those are your personal launch agents and there are global ones that apply to everyone. Select the Mac's hard disk drive to go to the root of the disk and open /Library/launchAgents. As before, you can delete any items that you don't need.

You should now find that your Mac starts up a bit faster than it used to. Obviously though, it depends on how much crud you've removed. If your startup is fairly clean anyway then you won't see much improvement, but if you've pruned a long list down to the essentials then it could be significantly faster.

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