XP Very Slow to Load Desktop after HD Defrag

[Diamond]

After an HD defrag my desktop now loads very slowly. It
can take up to 1 minute to regain full functionality.
The system boots correctly but the desktop partially
loads and then appears to hold until the LAN and Norton
icons appear on the taksbar. I have diabled all start-up
items but it makes no difference. I can acces the "run"
command but if I selec anything else, the system will not
respond until twhatever is holding it up is finished.
There were some files which the system could not
defragment. I restored to an earlier point but with no
difference. Any thoughts?

 

[Quaoar]

After an HD defrag my desktop now loads very slowly. It
can take up to 1 minute to regain full functionality.
The system boots correctly but the desktop partially
loads and then appears to hold until the LAN and Norton
icons appear on the taksbar. I have diabled all start-up
items but it makes no difference. I can acces the "run"
command but if I selec anything else, the system will not
respond until twhatever is holding it up is finished.
There were some files which the system could not
defragment. I restored to an earlier point but with no
difference. Any thoughts?

The startup behavior on my three XPs changed to what you see after the
last Windows update. The boot process seems to want the networking to
be up and running before loading any of the desktop. OTOH, all of these
are much faster getting to the partially visible desktop.

Q