[jrebman]

So, being fairly new to the inner workings of OSX, I'm wondering what setup options and such can be modified to improve boot times.  I have an MBP 2.4 ghz with 4 gb memory (with an 8 gb kit on the way), and an OWC 120 gb mercury extreme sSSD, and the machine still takes almost 50 seconds to boot before VoiceOver comes up talking.

I'm sure some of this is VO, but I know from some experiments I've done that VO will start in a few seconds on a freshly booted machine, when loaded manually.

Does having a lot of things on the dock effect boot time?  Other things to look into?  I have no idea where to look for programs that run on boot up -- which would also be helpful to know when it comes time to start puremmusic on my mini when I switch over to a fully headless setup with touch as remote.

Any help appreciated,

Jim
o idea where

[low.pfile]

Jim,

I'm sure the mac guru's will chime in with the hardcore answers.

but 50 seconds doesn't seem that bad. I think my i5 iMac with SSD is about 40 sec. My first guess would be font loading. Not sure how many fonts you have but that has slowed the boot time of my systems in the past. but I need them for work.

Also, I wonder if you should time the startup using Safe Boot mode? that would give a baseline startup time for your hardware setup.

apple info: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564

[jrebman]

Thanks, I'll take a look at the KB article.  Yes, I probably have a lot more fonts than I need.  As for the alternative boot, I'll have to figure out if that will load VO or not, because without the VO spoken prompt, I have no other indication that the boot cycle is complete.  This computer is too quiet .  No, not complaining.

-- Jim

[skunark]

The amount of RAM, number of USB, FW devices attached and if you have more than one bootable HDD will all influence how long a cold boot will take.    On the software side, again the number of USB and FW devices attached might take longer to load each driver, more RAM will help in this case though.     

I would suggest reviewing what devices you have attached and what programs you have installed..  Things like MSN/Yahoo/AOL Instant Messengers are horrible to boot times.  It's doubtful you have a virus scanner (as it's not needed for macs yet) but that will also eat into the boot time.  Oracle Java, Adobe and other software provides like to include software update services that will impact boot times.   

[jrebman]

Hi Skunark,

I have only the one sysstem drive, one usb keyboard, no FW devices and don't use chat software.  My 8 gb upgrade arrived last night so I'll install it and see what that gets me.

Thanks much for the additional advice,

Jim

[jrebman]

So, I just finished installing the 8gb memory upgrade and the boot time is...

Exactly the same!

I'm guessing that VoiceOver is what the real bottleeneck is here.

The memory installed without a hitch, but was somewhat more involved than on the 2010 mini.  Man those screws on the MBP are tiny!  I don't often have to use the precision swedish screwdriver set, but today I was very glad to have it.

For those contemplating doing this yourselves, the important thing is to take your time and keep track of which screws go in which holes and at which angles.  The angles you can do by feel if you're careful, and to keep track of what screws go in what holes, I just use some blue painters tape to tape each screw to the back next to where it goes.  Worked beautifully.

-- Jim

[skunark]

You might also check to see if you have the encrypted file system, ram, pagefile settings enabled in the security section.    That could also impact boot time.   I rarely ever reboot my MBP, but I will try to time it tonight and see.

[jrebman]

Thanks again!  I'll check those out too.

-- Jim

[Crimson]

Sounds about right. Increasing RAM from 4 to 8 GB won't decrease boot time. Using an SSD, decluttering your desktop and dock, minimizing your font loads, and reducing boot processes/apps will.

[jrebman]

Well, the only thing on the desktop is MacHD, and the SSD is already in place, but the dock is chock full of crap that came with the machine -- like all the iWork and iLife stuff and plenty of other things that don't need to be there.  That I can deal with, but where does one find all the autoloaded apps?  I'n not sure there are any, but that's because I don't know where to look and haven't stumbled across it yet.

That's the one thing about using a screen reader -- if you don't go looking for it, it won't typically jump out and make itself known to you.

-- Jim

[skunark]

I timed my MBP...

With all applications closed.  It took about 6 seconds to power off.    To boot back up, 38 seconds from off to log on screen, and another four seconds to login.     About 20 seconds of the boot appeared to be just the hardware self-tests, but the screen is blank unlike a traditional PC so you never know.   

It's probably the first time I've purposely rebooted it on purpose other than updates that require it.