To increase the speed at which a computer starts up involves a few odd things. One of which is deleting unused fonts. Go to the directory C:\Windows\fonts or type into Vista's Start Search "fonts".

A folder will open up that contains all of the fonts that you computer has on it. Select all of the fonts that you will not be using any time soon and back them up into another folder. Now delete those font files that are in the fonts folder that are not being used. The computer will boot faster because it does not need to load as many fonts in memory during startup.

Follow up:

If you have any folders or files that are being shared on the desktop, that will slow down your boot so unshare them or move them somewhere else.

The next time the computer boots it will load much faster. There are other ways of increasing the computer's boot time but are somewhat risky if you do not know what to do because in involves changing registry values. I do not recommend it. Deleting unused fonts is a sure way to increase boot time.

If the computer starts up slow because of several programs that do not need to start up then go to Windows Vista Start Search. (See the image below.)

Now type in msconfig and a windows utility will open up. Click on the Startup tab. Uncheck any programs on the list that do not need to be start during windows startup.

These two tips alone should give you a significant boost in boot time. The time should be cut down.