Let’s talk about something called “Fast Startup” in Windows. Microsoft added this feature in Windows 8 to help computers start up quicker. But here’s the thing – it might not be as great as it sounds, especially on newer computers.
Where did Fast Startup come from?
Microsoft came up with Fast Startup when they were making Windows 8. Back then, most computers used old-school hard drives that were pretty slow. They wanted to help these computers boot up faster.
Fast Startup is like a cousin of hibernation. When you shut down your computer, instead of turning it off completely, it saves a picture of the critical parts of Windows to your hard drive. When you turn it on again, it loads this picture instead of starting from scratch.
Why did they do this?
Old hard drives were slow at handling lots of small files. By saving one big file instead, the computer could start up much faster. It was pretty clever!
Is it still useful?
Here’s the catch – newer computers often have much faster hard drives called SSDs. These don’t have the same problems as the old drives. So, Fast Startup isn’t as helpful as it used to be.
Disadvantages of Fast Startup
While Fast Startup has the advantage of improving boot speed, it also has a significant drawback: it reduces the operating system’s stability. The feature itself isn’t inherently problematic, but its long-term use can lead to a well-known issue in computing: memory corruption.
Continuously using Fast Startup is like leaving your computer on for days, as programs are never fully closed. Over time, this can cause Windows to become less stable for the user, leading to increased unexpected errors and more frequent restarts.
Fast Startup has become less essential on modern computers with SSDs that use the NVMe storage interface. Modern machines, such as the new Copilot+ PCs with ARM processors, do not have Fast Startup enabled by default, reflecting this shift in necessity.
How to disable fast boot in Windows
Once you understand what Fast Startup is, let’s turn it off. Here’s how:
1. Use the Windows search bar to find and open the Control Panel. It’s a bit hidden, so the search bar is the easiest way to access it.
2. In the Control Panel search bar, type “lid” to locate the “Change what closing the lid does” option. Click on it.
In the Lid Behavior settings, you’ll see some grayed-out options and a message indicating some settings are locked. Click on the message (highlighted with an arrow) to unlock these options. Depending on your User Account Control (UAC) settings, you might need to provide permissions or enter your password.
After unlocking the options, uncheck the box next to “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” and save the changes.
If you follow these steps correctly, your computer will no longer use Fast Startup when you turn it on. You might notice a slightly slower boot time. If you change your mind, you can always re-enable Fast Startup by following the same steps and rechecking the box.
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