[Stephen]

Not just what starts when windows starts, but how much RAM does the machine have and what type of hard drive is in it? Is it SSD or mechanical or some sort of flash memory? Also are you talking about from when the laptop is powered up till when it gets to the desktop, or just how long till its usable after windows loads up?

Mechanical drives can be very slow to boot. Also if the machine has been in use for a long while a clean windows install may help with boot times.