I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do
with a program I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when
I first bootup, it takes about 5 minutes. For the first 2
or 3 minutes I have a completely blank desktop with the
cursor, and the systray is simply blue with no icons. The
disk drive light is on and the machine is clearly working on
something. But what?

I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe
to take out any potentially unnecessary programs that are
loading at startup.

BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each
using two different programs, and the machine is "clean".

I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only
runs on command and it is not resident.

Any thoughts? Things I might try?

Thank you.

Louise

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a program
> I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup, it takes
> about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a completely blank
> desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply blue with no icons.
> The disk drive light is on and the machine is clearly working on
> something. But what?
>
> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take out
> any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>
> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>
> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
> command and it is not resident.
>
> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Louise

Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings your
PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point before the
program installation.

SC Tom

SC Tom wrote:
> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a program
>> I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup, it takes
>> about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a completely blank
>> desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply blue with no icons.
>> The disk drive light is on and the machine is clearly working on
>> something. But what?
>>
>> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take out
>> any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>>
>> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
>> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>>
>> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
>> command and it is not resident.
>>
>> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Louise
>
> Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings your
> PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point before the
> program installation.
>
> SC Tom
>
>
I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put
that in my original post. The "tweak" program had a "go
back/restore" function and I used it. I then uninstalled
it. I then used system restore trying two earlier restore
points. I'm still left with this "strange" behavior.

Any ideas of how I might trace it?

Thanks again

Louise

Louise

Two suggestions.

Try new User Profile.
HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783

How to Copy a User Profile
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com

Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for
Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any more than 48
hours ago.

You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
are important.

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> SC Tom wrote:
>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a
>>> program I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup, it
>>> takes about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a completely
>>> blank desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply blue with no
>>> icons. The disk drive light is on and the machine is clearly working on
>>> something. But what?
>>>
>>> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take out
>>> any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>>>
>>> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
>>> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>>>
>>> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
>>> command and it is not resident.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>>>
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>> Louise
>>
>> Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings
>> your PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point
>> before the program installation.
>>
>> SC Tom
>>
>>
> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in my
> original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore" function and I
> used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system restore trying two
> earlier restore points. I'm still left with this "strange" behavior.
>
> Any ideas of how I might trace it?
>
> Thanks again
>
> Louise

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in
> my original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore"
> function and I used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system
> restore trying two earlier restore points. I'm still left with this
> "strange" behavior.

Please identify this "tweak" program.

Also, how early were these restore points with regard to this program?

Daave wrote:
> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in
>> my original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore"
>> function and I used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system
>> restore trying two earlier restore points. I'm still left with this
>> "strange" behavior.
>
> Please identify this "tweak" program.
>
> Also, how early were these restore points with regard to this program?
>
>
I'm afraid I can't find the program. Firefox is supposed to
keep my history for 90 days but it only has history for 2
days - don't know why.

The restore point was one made by the system about 4 hours
before I ran this "tweak" program. Then I went back to the
day before and the day before that. Same problem.

Gerald Cornell wrote:
> Louise
>
> Two suggestions.
>
> Try new User Profile.
> HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783
>
> How to Copy a User Profile
> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm
>
> How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
> http://support.microsoft.com
>
> Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for
> Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any more than 48
> hours ago.
>
> You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
> Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
> of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
> are important.
>
> HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>
> A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
> click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
> button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
> Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
> the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
> Event Viewer.
>
> --
>
>
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> SC Tom wrote:
>>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a
>>>> program I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup, it
>>>> takes about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a completely
>>>> blank desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply blue with no
>>>> icons. The disk drive light is on and the machine is clearly working on
>>>> something. But what?
>>>>
>>>> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take out
>>>> any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>>>>
>>>> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
>>>> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>>>>
>>>> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
>>>> command and it is not resident.
>>>>
>>>> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>>>>
>>>> Thank you.
>>>>
>>>> Louise
>>> Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings
>>> your PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point
>>> before the program installation.
>>>
>>> SC Tom
>>>
>>>
>> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in my
>> original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore" function and I
>> used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system restore trying two
>> earlier restore points. I'm still left with this "strange" behavior.
>>
>> Any ideas of how I might trace it?
>>
>> Thanks again
>>
>> Louise
>
>

This is from Applications:
RPC error. Diskeeper failed to connect to the service.
Error code is 1.

I don't keep Diskeeper running and I doubt this is a serious
issue because I think it's been this way for a long time.

This is from System:

The UPSMONService service failed to start due to the
following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


The UPSMONService is cited several times over the last few
days. It is always listed three times in a row.

This is probably the more likely cause of the problem - how
do I find what file is specified?

I do have a UPS and it does run with a program which is
supposed to neatly shut down all open programs and then
close down the system. The software is supposedly loading,
according to the system tray, but apparently something is
missing. I'm running an OPTIups.

How would you suggest proceeding from here? I could, I
guess, remove the software from add/remove programs and then
reinstall it - I still have a copy. Or, I could go to their
site and see if there is a newer version since my software
is from 2006.

It would, of course, be easier to just replace the missing
file that can't be found. I use Retrospect for backups but
I don't know what file and where it's from :-)

I would like to try fixing the UPS problem before going to
the bigger project of starting a new user etc. This is the
only error listed.

Thanks again.

Louise

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Gerald Cornell wrote:
>> Louise
>>
>> Two suggestions.
>>
>> Try new User Profile.
>> HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783
>>
>> How to Copy a User Profile
>> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm
>>
>> How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
>> http://support.microsoft.com
>>
>> Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for
>> Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any more than 48
>> hours ago.
>>
>> You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
>> Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
>> of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
>> are important.
>>
>> HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>>
>> A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
>> click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
>> button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
>> Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
>> the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
>> Event Viewer.
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Gerry
>> ~~~~
>> FCA
>> Stourport, England
>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> SC Tom wrote:
>>>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>>> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a
>>>>> program I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup,
>>>>> it takes about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a
>>>>> completely blank desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply
>>>>> blue with no icons. The disk drive light is on and the machine is
>>>>> clearly working on something. But what?
>>>>>
>>>>> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take
>>>>> out any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>>>>>
>>>>> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
>>>>> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>>>>>
>>>>> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
>>>>> command and it is not resident.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>
>>>>> Louise
>>>> Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings
>>>> your PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point
>>>> before the program installation.
>>>>
>>>> SC Tom
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in my
>>> original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore" function and
>>> I used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system restore trying
>>> two earlier restore points. I'm still left with this "strange"
>>> behavior.
>>>
>>> Any ideas of how I might trace it?
>>>
>>> Thanks again
>>>
>>> Louise
>>
>>
>
> This is from Applications:
> RPC error. Diskeeper failed to connect to the service. Error code is 1.
>
> I don't keep Diskeeper running and I doubt this is a serious issue because
> I think it's been this way for a long time.
>
> This is from System:
>
> The UPSMONService service failed to start due to the following error:
> The system cannot find the file specified.
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
>
>
> The UPSMONService is cited several times over the last few days. It is
> always listed three times in a row.
>
> This is probably the more likely cause of the problem - how do I find what
> file is specified?
>
> I do have a UPS and it does run with a program which is supposed to neatly
> shut down all open programs and then close down the system. The software
> is supposedly loading, according to the system tray, but apparently
> something is missing. I'm running an OPTIups.
>
> How would you suggest proceeding from here? I could, I guess, remove the
> software from add/remove programs and then reinstall it - I still have a
> copy. Or, I could go to their site and see if there is a newer version
> since my software is from 2006.
>
> It would, of course, be easier to just replace the missing file that can't
> be found. I use Retrospect for backups but I don't know what file and
> where it's from :-)
>
> I would like to try fixing the UPS problem before going to the bigger
> project of starting a new user etc. This is the only error listed.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Louise
>
>
>
Try disabling the UPS and DiskKeeper services and see if you're still
getting the errors.
In the long run, it would probably be easier to uninstall the UPS software
you're using and reinstall it (or an updated version) than to try and figure
out which file needs replacing. Even though the error message may point to a
particular file, it's not necessarily that file that is the culprit; it may
be another file that it needs to function correctly that's at fault.
If you have a backup from a day or two before all these problems started,
you might try do a restore. If there's anything really important like
documents and spreadsheets that have been done since then, copy them to a
USB pen or external hdd, whatever's available to you.

SC Tom

Louise

You are posting incomplete error reports. Plese post complete reports.

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.

Remove the UPS and see if it affects the boot. It is not an essential
hardware component. You need to isolate the cause of the problem.

What Norton software are you running?

Creating a new user profile is actually a quite simple process. Create a new
profile for yourself. Restart your computer and see if you still get the
problem.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783



--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Gerald Cornell wrote:
>> Louise
>>
>> Two suggestions.
>>
>> Try new User Profile.
>> HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783
>>
>> How to Copy a User Profile
>> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm
>>
>> How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
>> http://support.microsoft.com
>>
>> Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for
>> Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any more than 48
>> hours ago.
>>
>> You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
>> Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
>> of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
>> are important.
>>
>> HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us
>>
>> A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
>> click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
>> button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
>> Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
>> the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
>> Event Viewer.
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Gerry
>> ~~~~
>> FCA
>> Stourport, England
>> Enquire, plan and execute
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> SC Tom wrote:
>>>> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>>> I'm not sure what happened, it may have had something to do with a
>>>>> program I used to "tweak" the computer, but now when I first bootup,
>>>>> it takes about 5 minutes. For the first 2 or 3 minutes I have a
>>>>> completely blank desktop with the cursor, and the systray is simply
>>>>> blue with no icons. The disk drive light is on and the machine is
>>>>> clearly working on something. But what?
>>>>>
>>>>> I've gone through with both process explorer and autorun.exe to take
>>>>> out any potentially unnecessary programs that are loading at startup.
>>>>>
>>>>> BTW, I did a thorough search for viruses and malware, each using two
>>>>> different programs, and the machine is "clean".
>>>>>
>>>>> I am running Mamutu and Nod 32. All spyware, malware, only runs on
>>>>> command and it is not resident.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any thoughts? Things I might try?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>
>>>>> Louise
>>>> Uninstall whatever "tweak" program you installed and see if that brings
>>>> your PC back to normal. Or use System Restore to go back to the point
>>>> before the program installation.
>>>>
>>>> SC Tom
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I'm afraid I already did both of those - and should have put that in my
>>> original post. The "tweak" program had a "go back/restore" function and
>>> I used it. I then uninstalled it. I then used system restore trying
>>> two earlier restore points. I'm still left with this "strange"
>>> behavior.
>>>
>>> Any ideas of how I might trace it?
>>>
>>> Thanks again
>>>
>>> Louise
>>
>>
>
> This is from Applications:
> RPC error. Diskeeper failed to connect to the service. Error code is 1.
>
> I don't keep Diskeeper running and I doubt this is a serious issue because
> I think it's been this way for a long time.
>
> This is from System:
>
> The UPSMONService service failed to start due to the following error:
> The system cannot find the file specified.
>
> For more information, see Help and Support Center at
> http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
>
>
> The UPSMONService is cited several times over the last few days. It is
> always listed three times in a row.
>
> This is probably the more likely cause of the problem - how do I find what
> file is specified?
>
> I do have a UPS and it does run with a program which is supposed to neatly
> shut down all open programs and then close down the system. The software
> is supposedly loading, according to the system tray, but apparently
> something is missing. I'm running an OPTIups.
>
> How would you suggest proceeding from here? I could, I guess, remove the
> software from add/remove programs and then reinstall it - I still have a
> copy. Or, I could go to their site and see if there is a newer version
> since my software is from 2006.
>
> It would, of course, be easier to just replace the missing file that can't
> be found. I use Retrospect for backups but I don't know what file and
> where it's from :-)
>
> I would like to try fixing the UPS problem before going to the bigger
> project of starting a new user etc. This is the only error listed.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Louise
>
>
>

Gerald Cornell wrote:
> Louise
>
> You are posting incomplete error reports. Plese post complete reports.
>
> A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
> click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
> button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
> Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
> the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
> Event Viewer.
>
> Remove the UPS and see if it affects the boot. It is not an essential
> hardware component. You need to isolate the cause of the problem.
>
> What Norton software are you running?
>
> Creating a new user profile is actually a quite simple process. Create a new
> profile for yourself. Restart your computer and see if you still get the
> problem.
> http://support.microsoft.com/?id=279783
>
>
>
I did remove the UPS, timed boot up, and then installed
updated UPS software and retimed boot up. It added about 15
seconds, if that much.

The desktop and icons are coming up much faster, although
they do go blank and recreate themselves two or three times.

The system tray which holds the clock, resident programs,
start, and quick launch stays blue for quite some time and I
can see that the hard drive is busy doing something but I
don't know what.

At this point I would say there has been an improvement.
Boot up (from when Windows starts to when everything is on
the screen and constant hard drive activity has stopped is
now running about 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. But this is still
longer than it used to take, at least by 1/3rd or perhaps 1/2.

I'm not "running", as in resident, any Norton software. I
do use an old version of Norton Ghost as a secondary backup
system (I use Retrospect nightly), but Ghost is only used
for complete images and is only running when I actually am
doing an image backup.

I am confused about the purpose of creating a new user
profile. Wouldn't it just confuse all the programs that are
loading and running in other profiles?

At this point, I am getting two errors and I'll try to post
them correctly below:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7000
Date: 2/28/2009
Time: 10:06:32 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SONATA
Description:
The mrtRate service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

And the second is:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7023
Date: 2/28/2009
Time: 10:06:32 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SONATA
Description:
The HID Input Service service terminated with the following
error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Thanks for all your help and I appreciate any more
suggestions you can offer.

Louise