diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index aa0097a5..55f2e6d1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -51,7 +51,9 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 - Snap
     - full support refactored to use the Snapd socket instead of the Ubuntu's old Snap API (which was recently disabled). Now the 'read' operations are faster, a only the icon is cached to the disk.
 
-- minor UI improvements
+- UI
+    - faster initialization dialog: improved the way it checks for finished tasks
+    - minor improvements
 
 ### Fixes
 - AppImage
diff --git a/bauh/view/qt/prepare.py b/bauh/view/qt/prepare.py
index e8d8d0c3..f662f81b 100644
--- a/bauh/view/qt/prepare.py
+++ b/bauh/view/qt/prepare.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class Prepare(QThread, TaskManager):
     signal_register = pyqtSignal(str, str, object)
     signal_update = pyqtSignal(str, float, str)
     signal_finished = pyqtSignal(str)
-    signal_started = pyqtSignal()
+    signal_started = pyqtSignal(int)
     signal_ask_password = pyqtSignal()
     signal_output = pyqtSignal(str, str)
 
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class Prepare(QThread, TaskManager):
         self.context = context
         self.waiting_password = False
         self.password_response = None
+        self._registered = 0
 
     def ask_password(self) -> Tuple[str, bool]:
         self.waiting_password = True
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ class Prepare(QThread, TaskManager):
                 QCoreApplication.exit(1)
 
         self.manager.prepare(self, root_pwd, None)
-        self.signal_started.emit()
+        self.signal_started.emit(self._registered)
 
     def update_progress(self, task_id: str, progress: float, substatus: str):
         self.signal_update.emit(task_id, progress, substatus)
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@ class Prepare(QThread, TaskManager):
         self.signal_output.emit(task_id, output)
 
     def register_task(self, id_: str, label: str, icon_path: str):
+        self._registered += 1
         self.signal_register.emit(id_, label, icon_path)
 
     def finish_task(self, task_id: str):
@@ -78,23 +80,19 @@ class CheckFinished(QThread):
 
     def __init__(self):
         super(CheckFinished, self).__init__()
-        self.total = None
-        self.finished = None
+        self.total = 0
+        self.finished = 0
 
     def run(self):
-        self.sleep(3)
         while True:
             if self.total == self.finished:
                 break
 
-            self.msleep(10)
+            self.msleep(5)
 
         self.signal_finished.emit()
 
-    def update(self, total: int, finished: int):
-        if total is not None:
-            self.total = total
-
+    def update(self, finished: int):
         if finished is not None:
             self.finished = finished
 
@@ -116,7 +114,7 @@ class EnableSkip(QThread):
 
 class PreparePanel(QWidget, TaskManager):
 
-    signal_status = pyqtSignal(object, object)
+    signal_status = pyqtSignal(int)
     signal_password_response = pyqtSignal(str, bool)
 
     def __init__(self, context: ApplicationContext, manager: SoftwareManager, screen_size: QSize,  i18n: I18n, manage_window: QWidget):
@@ -133,7 +131,7 @@ class PreparePanel(QWidget, TaskManager):
         self.manager = manager
         self.tasks = {}
         self.output = {}
-        self.ntasks = 0
+        self.added_tasks = 0
         self.ftasks = 0
         self.self_close = False
 
@@ -259,23 +257,24 @@ class PreparePanel(QWidget, TaskManager):
         self.prepare_thread.start()
         centralize(self)
 
-    def start(self):
-        self.ref_bt_close.setVisible(True)
+    def start(self, tasks: int):
+        self.check_thread.total = tasks
         self.check_thread.start()
         self.skip_thread.start()
 
-        self.ref_progress_bar.setVisible(True)
         self.progress_thread.start()
 
+        self.ref_bt_close.setVisible(True)
+        self.ref_progress_bar.setVisible(True)
+
     def closeEvent(self, QCloseEvent):
         if not self.self_close:
             QCoreApplication.exit()
 
     def register_task(self, id_: str, label: str, icon_path: str):
-        self.ntasks += 1
-        self.table.setRowCount(self.ntasks)
-
-        task_row = self.ntasks - 1
+        self.added_tasks += 1
+        self.table.setRowCount(self.added_tasks)
+        task_row = self.added_tasks - 1
 
         icon_widget = QWidget()
         icon_widget.setLayout(QHBoxLayout())
@@ -342,8 +341,6 @@ class PreparePanel(QWidget, TaskManager):
                            'lb_sub': lb_sub,
                            'finished': False}
 
-        self.signal_status.emit(self.ntasks, self.ftasks)
-
     def update_progress(self, task_id: str, progress: float, substatus: str):
         task = self.tasks[task_id]
 
@@ -385,9 +382,9 @@ class PreparePanel(QWidget, TaskManager):
         self._resize_columns()
 
         self.ftasks += 1
-        self.signal_status.emit(self.ntasks, self.ftasks)
+        self.signal_status.emit(self.ftasks)
 
-        if self.ntasks == self.ftasks:
+        if self.table.rowCount() == self.ftasks:
             self.label_top.setText(self.i18n['ready'].capitalize())
 
     def finish(self):