XP PC very slow to start applications, help !!

[PompeyRodney]

Could anyone please help me to resolve the very slow boot of my PC. Spec as
follows, Athlon XP 1800, 512 mb ram, G Force 3 Ti 200 Graphics, running XP
Pro SP 1. For as while now the computer takes an age to start up or to open
an application. I have tried all the usual tweaks to try and speed it up. It
is regularly defragmented. Currently the system takes of the order of 8
minutes to fully load everything from boot. I would be grateful of any ideas
anyone may have. Thanks again.
Julian

 

[Bruce W. Roeser]

Julian,

Eight minutes? It sounds like you may very well have a virus on your
system - either that or your hardware is about to fail.

I'd strongly suggest that you get a copy of Norton AntiVirus (or whatever
brand suits your fancy) and scan your system. Boot from the CD to do the
"emergency" scan.

If that turns up nothing then you may be forced to re-install the O/S. Did
you, by any chance, install XP Pro as an upgrade to a previous O/S?

-bruce

 

[Frank]

Julian,


did the OS come configured to the system and its
hardware ? if not take it back to your dealer and have
install everything for you from scartch , save yourself
the headache

if you have too much booting up at once thats the
problem, typically more than 3 or 4 items that remain in
the bottom right corner after each boot up, si enough to
leave CPU resource in idle for later use.

if you dont have Norton System Works 2004, buy it its a
GREAT TOOL and helps you with virus detection and
anihalation , good for maintaining and fixing typical
resource failure issues ... framgmented space on your
hard drive is the culprit too.

try these steps ... all the best to you

 

[roger]

Hi,

Have you checked that you don't have malware installed using Ad-aware
and Spybot?

See the following articles:

308041 Resources for Troubleshooting Startup Problems in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308041

310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310353

316434 HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=316434

310560 How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

The msconfig utility is especially useful, as it lets you disable any
programs that run automatically at start up. You could try disabling
all non- windows programs here and testing the boot velocity, then
enable them one or two at a time to find out which causes the slow
boot.

Hope this helps.

 

[blah]

Could anyone please help me to resolve the very slow boot of my PC. Spec as
follows, Athlon XP 1800, 512 mb ram, G Force 3 Ti 200 Graphics, running XP
Pro SP 1. For as while now the computer takes an age to start up or to

open

You don't mention what types of drives you have connected or how they are
connected. Is it a 7200rpm drive? How much free space is there? Have you
tried disconnecting all the other IDE devices except the hard drive? Have
you run a test on the hard drive to find out what transfer rate you're
getting?

Rob

 

[Roger Hamlett]

Could anyone please help me to resolve the very slow boot of my PC. Spec as
follows, Athlon XP 1800, 512 mb ram, G Force 3 Ti 200 Graphics, running XP
Pro SP 1. For as while now the computer takes an age to start up or to open
an application. I have tried all the usual tweaks to try and speed it up. It
is regularly defragmented. Currently the system takes of the order of 8
minutes to fully load everything from boot. I would be grateful of any ideas
anyone may have. Thanks again.
Julian

One thought that leaps to mind, is that if a network card is set to use
DHCP, and is not connected, you can get a minute or two delay, ending
eventually with a 'timeout'. This can result in ludicrous boot delays, and
some delays when first opening explorer.
Does your drive support SMART?. If so, download a tool to interrogate the
SMART data, and see if the HD is reporting an error. You could have an
incipient HD failure, that is making the drive perform appallingly. The 'for
a while now', suggests it could be a problem of this sort...

Best Wishes

 

[PompeyRodney]

Hi Roger
Thanks for your reply I will do as you suggested and let you know how things
go, thanks again.
Regards
Julian