Faster boot: Set a static IP address

Khannie

I discovered this by accident (though it makes perfect sense): If you have broadband and use your router to set your IP address by DHCP then you can get a faster boot by setting a static IP address (the linksys routers in particular seem to take ages to assign an IP).

First off, open a command prompt (start->run->cmd<enter>)

type the following:

ipconfig /all

and press enter. Leave the window open.

Then: In your network connections, right click on the network controller->properties->Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)->properties.

Select "Use the following IP address" and "Use the following DNS server address". Fill in the information from the ifconfig output (in the first step). You may want to change the last digits of the IP slightly (e.g. to 192.168.1.110).

That's it.

Khannie

Lots of views. Anyone actually try this? It saves me about 4-5 seconds on a win2k boot. XP should be the same.

Mutant_Fruit

I would of thought assigning an IP adddress would have been done on a seperate thread so as to not freeze up your windows. I know that with my laptop there's no difference in boot time with wireless enabled/disabled (so long as i have the right drivers... when using the latest ones the laptop would freeze up for up to 2 minutes if it couldn't connect to the network properly). My wireless uses DHCP.

Orion

I changed mine to static IP some time ago and didn't notice any difference. The only reason I did it was that the other pc in the house took the IP I'd set up for port forwarding and I wanted it back - so I excluded my address from the DHCP pool and statically assigned it.

There's no reason why it would add that length of time to the boot. It's a lease that lasts for x days and 9/10 will take the same address again after it's expired. It's a very low overheard facility. I'd look for something else in your config that could be causing the long boot time.

zAbbo

leave it DHCP, but allow the lease to be 7 days

Orion

zabbo: I'd recommend setting a static IP regardless of speed issues if you play games or use apps like azureus that require port forwarding set up and if you've more that one pc on the router. Otherwise there's a risk that the other pc will take the address as happened to me.

bishopLEN

Macros42 wrote:

zabbo: I'd recommend setting a static IP regardless of speed issues if you play games or use apps like azureus that require port forwarding set up and if you've more that one pc on the router. Otherwise there's a risk that the other pc will take the address as happened to me.

The Netopia 3347NWG uses host name for me.

I have tested with and without static ip.

I find no differece both bootups took 37secs.

Mutant_Fruit

Macros42 wrote:

zabbo: I'd recommend setting a static IP regardless of speed issues if you play games or use apps like azureus that require port forwarding set up and if you've more that one pc on the router. Otherwise there's a risk that the other pc will take the address as happened to me.

I find the best solution is a static dynamic IP :cool:

All my PC's are on DHCP, but the router is set to reserve certain IP's for certain MAC addresses. Therefore giving me "static" ip's (making port forwarding easy) with all the benefits of DHCP (i.e. not having to change my config when i bring my laptop to different houses).

conzy

My home network runs like a dog with Dynamic Ips, I set Static Ips and its much better now....

axer

Is a couple of seconds extra boot time that important?
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fast-boot.mspx#EEH

irlrobins

My old PC which ran Win98 def booted quicker if it had a static ip address instead of a dynamic one. Current machine running XP originally had DHCP enabled but now has static ip and to be honest I never noticed any difference in boot up. So prehaps a quicker boot time is not apparant for every setup.

SouperComputer

98+DHCP+no link = extra 20secs on boot!

Drives me nuts!

Im on static here anyway, it makes thing hander for some of the software I use.

jozi

I find my laptop grinds to a halt just after login when i'm connected to the network at home (DHCP), it boots normal without being pluged in to the network.

Pressing a key also seems to make it snap out of not doing anything.

DemonOfTheFall

I've always used Static IPs at home just for the sake of knowing what machine was on what address, but I'd have to say any time I've used DHCP it hasn't taken any longer...