Slow Start Up

[Guest]

Friend is running XP Home. Very slow getting to desktop. I've
gone into System Config Utility via msconfig. Under Startup, there are many
programs but only one checked. Even tho unchecked, will the programs listed
affect
start up time?

Is this the best place to start to look for a solution?

Thanks

 

[R. McCarty]

What is "Very Slow" - ? Startup time with XP has a basic load time
of ~45 seconds. This varies greatly depending on what applications
and hardware is installed. Before you look to 3rd-Party applications
as the cause you need to verify that Windows itself isn't experiencing
the issue. There are 30 or so Windows services that start each time
the machine is booted. Services have dependency groups. One service
needs another to run. XP by default waits 30-seconds for services to
start before it logs an error and proceeds. Before dealing with startups
and watchdogs you need to check the System Event log and make
sure that Windows is not struggling to start error free. The best tool
to do this is Event Viewer.

Click Start, Run (Type) EventVwr.Msc [Enter]

Expand the System Log and check the Right pane for Red Icons that
denote errors. Clicking each one will open the details box and give you
an Event ID# and a brief description.

Once you verify that your boot is error free then proceed to checking
the Startup items.

 

[R. McCarty]

One other thing - if the System volume is marked "Dirty" this can
cause Boot up and other basic operations to be slower than you'd
expect. From a Cmd prompt type Chkdsk C:\
Chkdsk will do a Read-Only run (3 Phases) if it detects problems
it will recommend a more comprehensive Chkdsk using qualifiers
\F or \R. This type of Chkdsk cannot be done while Windows is
running. You have to queue up the Chkdsk to run at the next boot.

*Chkdsk with Repair or Fix can cause data loss, so don't run a
5-phase Chkdsk unless your data is backed up.

What is "Very Slow" - ? Startup time with XP has a basic load time
of ~45 seconds. This varies greatly depending on what applications
and hardware is installed. Before you look to 3rd-Party applications
as the cause you need to verify that Windows itself isn't experiencing
the issue. There are 30 or so Windows services that start each time
the machine is booted. Services have dependency groups. One service
needs another to run. XP by default waits 30-seconds for services to
start before it logs an error and proceeds. Before dealing with startups
and watchdogs you need to check the System Event log and make
sure that Windows is not struggling to start error free. The best tool
to do this is Event Viewer.

Click Start, Run (Type) EventVwr.Msc [Enter]

Expand the System Log and check the Right pane for Red Icons that
denote errors. Clicking each one will open the details box and give you
an Event ID# and a brief description.

Once you verify that your boot is error free then proceed to checking
the Startup items.

Friend is running XP Home. Very slow getting to desktop. I've
gone into System Config Utility via msconfig. Under Startup, there are
many
programs but only one checked. Even tho unchecked, will the programs
listed
affect
start up time?

Is this the best place to start to look for a solution?

Thanks

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Friend is running XP Home. Very slow getting to desktop.

How slow is "very slow"?

I've
gone into System Config Utility via msconfig. Under Startup, there are many
programs but only one checked. Even tho unchecked, will the programs listed
affect start up time?

No, not at all. What is the one that's checked?

My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
otherwise satisfactory, it may not be worth worrying about. Most
people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.

On the other hand, if performance is generally poor, not just at
startup, a common reason for that these days is malware infestation.
Before doing anything else, you should make sure you are free of
malware. I recommend that you go to Malke's malware removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and
follow the instructions there.