Windows 8 delays the launch of all desktop applications that are set to run at startup. An official explanation has not been provided by Microsoft yet, but we do know this affects Startup items, apps that use a Registry key to run at startup and desktop-related apps.
This delay cannot be completely removed, but it can be significantly reduced through a simple Registry tweak.
1. The first thing you need to do is fire up the Registry Editor. You can do that by typing regedit in the Search box and selecting it from there.
You can also do it using the Run box which can be launched using the shortcut Win+R (or in Windows 8.1 you can also select Run from the Start menu) and type regedit in the box.
2. Now go to the Serialize key, which can be found at the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize
The Serialize key might not be there (as in our case), so in this situation you need to create it (skip this step if you already have it). You can do that by right-clicking on Explorer and selecting New – Key from the pop-up menu. Name the key Serialize.
3. To continue, you need to create a new DWORD parameter under Serialize. Right-click in the blank area of the right pane or on Serialize and select New – DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it StartupDelayInMSec.
Double-click on it, type “0” (zero) in the Value Data field and click OK.
Now you can close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes.
Like I already said, you won’t get rid of the startup delay completely, but it will be significantly decreased. Now feel free to customize your Startup folder and add/remove desktop applications.
Note: To access the Startup folder, launch the Run box and type “shell:Startup” (without the quotes). This will bring up the list of Startup items for the current user. If you want the Startup list for all the users, type “shell:Common Startup” (again, without the quotes) in the Run box.
