XP SP1, 256Mb RAM


Most times it boots up without a problem. However, occasionally and
without any obvious reason the boot up appears to be slightly corrupt in
that when I go to open the Start menu it might take a couple of seconds to
display, and when I open Cicero, a speech synthesis program that links to
the scanner, Cicero will stall ("not responding"). I am sure that
Cicero or the scanner is not the problem; I uninstalled it - manually
deleted entries - and reinstalled it several times. I've checked the
scanner entry in Device Manager and had it redetect the driver, which is the
most up to date version. Mostly, a reboot (or perhaps two) cures the
snag and Cicero performs perfectly.

I have stopped all programs starting up except Hal - a speech synthesis
program for people with sight impairment. I have done clean-up
maintenance but nothing seems to cure it. Normal clean-boot
troubleshooting is not convenient because of the intermittent nature of the
problem. The computer has a history of going through quite
temperamental phases. (I have had a go at interrogating the Event
Viewer and then doing a Google search but I haven't had much success.)

I feel that the problem is that something is occasionally not going entirely
smoothly in the boot up, and I'd be really grateful for any advice, as the
owner has reached the stage of thinking the computer is fit for the scrap
heap.

Martin wrote:

> XP SP1, 256Mb RAM
>
>
> Most times it boots up without a problem. However, occasionally and
> without any obvious reason the boot up appears to be slightly corrupt
> in that when I go to open the Start menu it might take a couple of
> seconds to display, and when I open Cicero, a speech synthesis program
> that links to
> the scanner, Cicero will stall ("not responding"). I am sure
> that Cicero or the scanner is not the problem; I uninstalled it -
> manually
> deleted entries - and reinstalled it several times. I've checked
> the scanner entry in Device Manager and had it redetect the driver,
> which is the
> most up to date version. Mostly, a reboot (or perhaps two) cures
> the snag and Cicero performs perfectly.
>
> I have stopped all programs starting up except Hal - a speech
> synthesis
> program for people with sight impairment. I have done clean-up
> maintenance but nothing seems to cure it. Normal clean-boot
> troubleshooting is not convenient because of the intermittent nature
> of the
> problem. The computer has a history of going through quite
> temperamental phases. (I have had a go at interrogating the Event
> Viewer and then doing a Google search but I haven't had much success.)
>
> I feel that the problem is that something is occasionally not going
> entirely smoothly in the boot up, and I'd be really grateful for any
> advice, as the owner has reached the stage of thinking the computer is
> fit for the scrap heap.

I would swap out the power supply for a known-good one and see if that
solves the issue.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Many thanks - I would never have thought of that - it could account for the
computer being temperamental over its life. With it not being my
computer, swapping the power supply is not something I fancy. However,
your advice will, I am sure, make the owner even more determined to replace
the computer, if not have it upgraded, but at least I will ensure that if
she goes down that route, that the power supply must be changed at the same
time. (I didn't mention that I even uninstalled the anti-virus program
(AVG) to check if that was the culprit.)

Nevertheless, I think I'll just check the connections and re-seat them to be
going on with.

Thanks very much for your help.








"Malke" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Martin wrote:
>
> > XP SP1, 256Mb RAM
> >
> >
> > Most times it boots up without a problem. However, occasionally and
> > without any obvious reason the boot up appears to be slightly corrupt
> > in that when I go to open the Start menu it might take a couple of
> > seconds to display, and when I open Cicero, a speech synthesis program
> > that links to
> > the scanner, Cicero will stall ("not responding"). I am sure
> > that Cicero or the scanner is not the problem; I uninstalled it -
> > manually
> > deleted entries - and reinstalled it several times. I've checked
> > the scanner entry in Device Manager and had it redetect the driver,
> > which is the
> > most up to date version. Mostly, a reboot (or perhaps two) cures
> > the snag and Cicero performs perfectly.
> >
> > I have stopped all programs starting up except Hal - a speech
> > synthesis
> > program for people with sight impairment. I have done clean-up
> > maintenance but nothing seems to cure it. Normal clean-boot
> > troubleshooting is not convenient because of the intermittent nature
> > of the
> > problem. The computer has a history of going through quite
> > temperamental phases. (I have had a go at interrogating the Event
> > Viewer and then doing a Google search but I haven't had much success.)
> >
> > I feel that the problem is that something is occasionally not going
> > entirely smoothly in the boot up, and I'd be really grateful for any
> > advice, as the owner has reached the stage of thinking the computer is
> > fit for the scrap heap.
>
> I would swap out the power supply for a known-good one and see if that
> solves the issue.
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Martin wrote:

> Many thanks - I would never have thought of that - it could account for the
> computer being temperamental over its life. With it not being my
> computer, swapping the power supply is not something I fancy. However,
> your advice will, I am sure, make the owner even more determined to replace
> the computer, if not have it upgraded, but at least I will ensure that if
> she goes down that route, that the power supply must be changed at the same
> time. (I didn't mention that I even uninstalled the anti-virus program
> (AVG) to check if that was the culprit.)
>
> Nevertheless, I think I'll just check the connections and re-seat them to be
> going on with.
>
> Thanks very much for your help.
>
>
>

You could also try updating the drivers for the PCs components - video,
sound, scanner, printer, modem, NIC, whatever. Intermittent problems are
extremely difficult to isolate and troubleshoot, but I wouldn't blame
the PC - bad drivers and software are often the cause of problems.

It's quite possible that the problem is with Cicero - you might check
their web site for updates.


--
The reader should exercise normal caution and backup the Registry and
data files regularly, and especially before making any changes to their
PC, as well as performing regular virus and spyware scans. I am not
liable for problems or mishaps that occur from the reader using advice
posted here. No warranty, express or implied, is given with the posting
of this message.