WinBootInfo 1.0

Overview

Computers typically have many reasons to boot faster or slower, as they depend on the applications and registry settings that run on Windows startup. But it's not so easy to examine the processes that run at system boot, in which case it’s difficult to decide whether they’re necessary or can be completely disabled. WinBootInfo will give you a detailed overview of all applications and drivers that are executed during system boot, along with several statistics (boot timers, CPU activity during boot, etc.) in order to uncover everything that happens at that crucial time.

Installation

The installation procedure is extremely easy and consists of only a small number of steps. The wizard will guide you through until the main installation process takes place; worry not, as there are no advanced settings included in any of the steps.

No viruses, trojans or any other kinds of malware were detected in this program. The same goes for additional 3^rd-party advertised software.

Supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 (32/64-bit). Note that you have to download different versions of the program, depending on your system (whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit).

Interface

If you run the program for the first time you will have to read and accept the License Agreement, before you can continue using it. Then, continue by clicking the “I want to continue trial evaluation” button (unless you have or want to purchase a license key); the next step is to select whether you want to allow WinBootInfo analyze your system during the next Windows boot, which kind of reasonable since it can’t examine your system otherwise. Afterwards you will be brought to the program’s main window.

WInBootInfo’s interface has a semi-modern style, coming from the Windows Vista/7 era. There are a few buttons at the title bar (File, Open and Quick Print), and below is a ribbon toolbar with several categories (Commands, Historical Data, Clipboard, View).

The main area is divided into three panes: Boot Process Tree, Detailed Boot Load History (Drivers and Applications) and CPU and Disk Utilization History During Boot. All of the information that is gathered during bot by the program is displayed in these 3 panes, in an organized manner.

Pros

WinBootInfo monitors your system during boot to record all activities that happen during that time, and is very efficient when doing so. Obviously, it is very lightweight since in order to produce accurate results it needs to have zero impact to the system’s resources, as if it’s not even there.

The program scans everything that runs on startup, including applications, drivers and DLLs (Dynamic-Link Libraries). Everything is recorded precisely at the time it happens, and displayed in the program afterwards, along with any linked information (e.g. directories from where the processes were run). It also logs different Windows boot times for reference (boot to Login Prompt, Explorer and Session Manager), which is very useful for users to which even seconds matter. CPU utilization of each CPU core is logged as well, along with any kind of Input-Output activity that takes place.

Cons

The program is no longer updated. In addition, no documentation is provided along with it.

Alternatives

Windows XP users can use BootLogXP (paid) as an alternative, which is very thorough and easy to use. Users with more modern systems can use Xbootmgr (free), Soluto (paid) and BootRacer (paid).

Conclusion

Very good program, highly recommended for an in-depth analysis of what happens during your system’s startup.