Troubleshooting WinXP long boot time (bootvis done in 592 seconds)

[Susan Sifton]

My Winxp boot takes 592 seconds (according to MS bootvis.exe).

Do my Microsoft bootvis.exe results (see URL below) show what
is taking inappropriately long for Windows XP to boot up?
<http://img222.echo.cx/img222/4336/traceboot1secondtry1oz.gif>

I'm amazed I can dress my kids for the bus in less time than it
takes my computer boot so I can check their school lunch menu.

Susan Shifton

 

[Kelly]

Start with logically checking your boot up programs, Susan.

Windows XP Startup Programs Tracker
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_u.htm#xp_util

Check for an option to not having the icon load in the System Tray via the
program(s) in question.

Other options for removal:

Go to Start/Run and type in: msconfig. Go to the Startup Tab and uncheck
accordingly. Then run this script to remove the disabled items from the
registry.

Clear Disabled Items from Msconfig Startup and Selective Startup (Line 148)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Or...remove the runkeys from here: Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Troubleshooting, Removing and/or Cleaning Add or Remove Programs
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_a.htm#addremove

Troubleshooting the Notification Area
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_n.htm#na

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Christian Kirsch]

its not really a solution for your problem but i can tell you how to go
around that problem:

go to control panel -> energy options and activate the sleep mode option on
the sleep mode tap (i hope it's the correct expression, i've only got the
german version of winxp).
Now you have to go in sleep mode and the booting won't take so long.

If the option 'sleep mode' doesn't appear when the shutdown panel appears,
hold down the shift key and the stand-by button changes to 'sleep mode'

Chris

 

[Galen]

In Christian Kirsch <[email protected]> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

its not really a solution for your problem but i can tell you how to
go around that problem:

go to control panel -> energy options and activate the sleep mode
option on the sleep mode tap (i hope it's the correct expression,
i've only got the german version of winxp).
Now you have to go in sleep mode and the booting won't take so long.

If the option 'sleep mode' doesn't appear when the shutdown panel
appears, hold down the shift key and the stand-by button changes to
'sleep mode'
Chris

In English that's "Hibernation" or "Hibernate" just so you know. It's also a
rather nice feature to use. I like it at any rate.

Galen

 

[tz]

Run a diagnostic msconfig. When that fails. repair Windows xp.

Susan,
How long has your Windows XP operating system been in use?
If it's been more than about a year, it's time to reformat.

Historically it's been quite normal for Windows boot to grow in time.
So, don't worry. You're not the only one. Everyone has this problem.

Some people go six months before having to wipe out their system.
Others go up to a year in Windows XP before reformatting & beginning
over.

After you try all the good suggestions above, save yourself some time.
Back up to DVD (you do keep data separate from programs right?)

Once you've backed up your data, then reformat & reinstall WinXP.
You'll get about another year out of Windows XP before it corrupts
itself.

One common problem is when you receive a PC from major manufacturers.
Many don't come with Windows XP installation disks.

I have no idea how you get Windows XP replacements from these folks.
But, there must be a way (maybe someone here knows how).

TZ

 

[David Gorick]

XP Pro has been running on 3 of my computers since it was first released and
with the exception of one that had a self-inflicted problem and required a
complete reformat and reinstall the other 2 have not given me any problems
that I couldn't correct. I've never heard "If it's been more than about a
year, it's time to reformat" from any of the MVP's here. I'm sure that some
of them will weigh in on this.

David

 

[Susan Sifton]

Run a diagnostic msconfig if that fails then repair windows.
http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/

I should have noted, long ago I picked up StartupCop plus other
programs which kill those annoying startup items such as AIM, Yahoo
Messenger, PGP Tray, etc. The Microsoft AntiSpyware program also
manages the startup items. So, I *think* I'm pretty clean in that
arena.

For example, from msconfig, the only startup items appear to be:
1. smc C:\added\virus\Sygate\SPF\smc.exe -startgui
2. SHSTAT C:\added\virus\Network Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE
/STANDALONE
3. dumprep 0 -k %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -k
4. gcasServ C:\added\virus\Microsoft AntiSpyware\gcasServ.exe
5. dumprep 0 -u %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -u
6. TeaTimer C:\added\virus\Spybot\TeaTimer.exe
7. cftmon c:\original\winxp\system32\cftmon.exe

I don't recognize the "dumprep" and CFT loader items.
Do you have any idea what these are doing?
(Are they normal)?

The output from the Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta1 program is a bit
easier to read, e.g., Tools--> Advanced Tools --> System Explorers
reports in the "Startup Programs" output section.

REGISTRY LOCAL MACHINE RUN:
1. Sygate(r) Security Agent c:\added\virus\Sygate\SPF\smc.exe
2. VirusScan Enterprise c:\added\virus\Network
Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE
3. Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1) c:\added\virus\Microsoft
AntiSpyware\gcasServ.exe

REGISTRY CURRENT USER RUN:
4. Spybot - Search & Destroy c:\added\virus\Spybot\TeaTimer.exe
5. Microsoft CTF Loader c:\original\winxp\system32\ctfmon.exe

WINLOGON USERINIT:
6. Microsoft Userinit Logon Application
c:\original\winxp\system32\userinit.exe

WINLOGON SHELL:
7. Microsoft Windows Explorer c:\original\winxp\explorer.exe

This Microsoft program says ALL the startup programs listed are normal
(in that they are not spyware).

Do you think one of these startup programs is causing the problem?
Which of these startup programs would you kill?

Susan

 

[Christian Kirsch]

In English that's "Hibernation" or "Hibernate" just so you know. It's also
a
rather nice feature to use. I like it at any rate.

thanks for the little translation always good to know!

Chris

 

[Trevor L.]

Hibernation is also my friend.

I hardly ever turn my computer off. Occassionally I have to restart when I
instal some software but that's about the only time.

One of the problems this creates is the "kitten on the keys" syndrome, which
occurs when the cat jumps on the desk and walks over the keyboard. The PC
doesn't know that the keystroke wasn't intentional, so it dutifully restores
itself from sleep
<VBG>
--
Cheers,
Trevor L.
Website: http://tandcl.homemail.com.au

thanks for the little translation always good to know!

Chris

I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?
http://www.polesoft.com/refer.html

 

[Kelly]

Hi Susan,

Check your running processes via the Task Manager. Especially when it comes
to MSAS. Depending on the setting(s) you have chosen it often is locked
into place twice. That is not necessary nor the generalized combination
that you feel you have installed as well.

As per #7:

CTFMon is involved with the language/alternative input services in Office
XP. CTFMON.exe will continue to put itself back into MSConfig when you run
the Office XP apps as long as the Text Services and Speech applets in the
Control Panel are enabled. Not required if you don't need these features.

OFFXP: What Is CTFMON and What Does It Do?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q282599




--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[tz]

For example, from msconfig, the startup items appear to be:
1. smc C:\added\virus\Sygate\SPF\smc.exe -startgui
2. SHSTAT C:\added\virus\Network Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE
/STANDALONE
3. dumprep 0 -k %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -k
4. gcasServ C:\added\virus\Microsoft AntiSpyware\gcasServ.exe
5. dumprep 0 -u %systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 -u
6. TeaTimer C:\added\virus\Spybot\TeaTimer.exe
7. cftmon c:\original\winxp\system32\cftmon.exe

I don't think the dumprep or cftmon processes are normal.
I think you should kill them in the msconfig program.
My Windows XP PC boots just fine so take my startup programs from
msconfig as your basic example of a good working system below.

SHSTAT
"C"\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE" /STANDALONE

UpdaterUI
"C"\Program Files\Network Associates\Common Framework\UpdaterUI.exe"

sgtray
"C"\Program Files\Common Files\Sonic\Update Manager\sgtray.exe" /r
realsched

"C"\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
Acrobat Assistant

C:\Progra~1\Adobe\ACROBA~1.0\Distillr\acrotray.exe
Device Detector 2

C:\Progra~1\Olympus\DEVICE~1\DevDtct2.exe
HotSync Manager

C:\Program Files\PALMDE~1\Hotsync.exe
PGPtray

C:\Program Files\Pretty Good Privacy\Pgptray.exe
Hewlett-Packard Recorder

C:\Progra~1\HEWLET~1\AiO\HPOFFI~1\FRU\Remind32.exe
HotSync Manager

C:\Program Files\PALMDE~1\Hotsync.exe
Norton Disk Doctor

C:\Program Files\Norton Disk Utilities\SYSTEM~1\NORTON~4\NDD32.EXE /Q

 

[riddick]

I don't think the dumprep or cftmon processes are normal.
I think you should kill them in the msconfig program.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA You JANAtard.

 

[riddick]

<blink>


When that fails. repair Windows xp.

Susan,
How long has your Windows XP operating system been in use?
If it's been more than about a year, it's time to reformat.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Historically it's been quite normal for Windows boot to grow in time.
So, don't worry. You're not the only one. Everyone has this problem.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Some people go six months before having to wipe out their system.
Others go up to a year in Windows XP before reformatting & beginning
over.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

After you try all the good suggestions above, save yourself some time.
Back up to DVD (you do keep data separate from programs right?)

Once you've backed up your data, then reformat & reinstall WinXP.
You'll get about another year out of Windows XP before it corrupts
itself.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Susan Sifton]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm not at all sure what all the BWAHAH's are about, but, I'm REALLY
trying to solve a problem here and those ha-ha's don't seem to be
helping much.

In an attempt to turn off the text-to-speech module, I went to the
control panel but there is nothing there called "Text Services and
Speech". There was something called "Speech" which, when
double-clicked, brought up a primitive GUI.

The primitive GUI didn't give any button to turn the thing off!
It has a single tab called "Text to Speech".
It has a "Voice Selection", "Preview Voice", and "Voice Speed" section.
But, there was no button to turn it off.
Even if I right-clicked on the "Speech" applet in the control panel,
there was just "Open" and "Create Shortcut" in the popup menu.

If I just uncheck the "ctfmon" process in msconfig "startup", wouldn't
that work?

Maybe it's this ctfmon.exe which is slowing down my boot so horribly?

Susan

 

[Susan Sifton]

Check your running processes via the Task Manager.
Especially when it comes to MSAS.

I don't know what MSAS (Medical Saving Account is what Google came up
with), but I am confused as to what the task manager will tell me about
a slow boot.
Isn't the task manager too late?

 

[Christian Kirsch]

Hibernation is also my friend.

I hardly ever turn my computer off. Occassionally I have to restart when I
instal some software but that's about the only time.

One of the problems this creates is the "kitten on the keys" syndrome,
which occurs when the cat jumps on the desk and walks over the keyboard.
The PC doesn't know that the keystroke wasn't intentional, so it dutifully
restores itself from sleep
<VBG>

No, the machine is not in stand by mode, its really off. The onlything
different to 'shutdown' is that the memory at the time you hibernate is
written on the harddisk. Then the computer is turned off and wenn you start
it again, it restores the memory from the harddisk and windows and it's
running programs are at the same position than you left.

Chris

 

[Christian Kirsch]

Try something else:

in the windwos directory there is a folder called 'prefetch' with some files
in it. Delete all of them, that might gain some seconds..

Chris

 

[Bob I]

WinKey+U, then turn off "Narrator"

I'm not at all sure what all the BWAHAH's are about, but, I'm REALLY
trying to solve a problem here and those ha-ha's don't seem to be
helping much.

In an attempt to turn off the text-to-speech module, I went to the
control panel but there is nothing there called "Text Services and
Speech". There was something called "Speech" which, when
double-clicked, brought up a primitive GUI.

The primitive GUI didn't give any button to turn the thing off!
It has a single tab called "Text to Speech".
It has a "Voice Selection", "Preview Voice", and "Voice Speed" section.
But, there was no button to turn it off.
Even if I right-clicked on the "Speech" applet in the control panel,
there was just "Open" and "Create Shortcut" in the popup menu.

If I just uncheck the "ctfmon" process in msconfig "startup", wouldn't
that work?

Maybe it's this ctfmon.exe which is slowing down my boot so horribly?

Susan

 

[tz]

Delete all Windows prefetch files, that might gain some seconds..

Woweee. Does deleting hundreds of files like that really work?
It seems dangerous.

Won't Windows just recreate the prefetch files (whatever they are)?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Delete all Windows prefetch files, that might gain some seconds..

Woweee. Does deleting hundreds of files like that really work?
It seems dangerous.

Won't Windows just recreate the prefetch files (whatever they are)?

Use this to clean up your Prefetch:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2495