A way to delay desktop appearing after boot up ?

[Guest]

Hello anyone who knows,

Is there a way to configure XP so that the desktop only appears on boot up
once all startup services and programs have loaded and are running?

This is something I've wondered for some time, because on both my and my
dad's XP pcs it is apparent that some functionality is not available as soon
as the desktop appears.
The point being, particularly with network related tasks, it often happens
that the user may try to promptly run a program, only to find that there is
then an unexpected hiatus before it appears, or it may run and fail (for
example) to secure an internet connection.

I've already looked into minimising the amount of startup programs and have
changed many Services to manual rather than automatic. This latter effort was
something of trial and error, after trying to read up on and interpret what
various services actually do.

Thanks for any advice then, on forcing a delay to hold the 'welcome' screen
for longer.

Lee
England

 

[Ted Zieglar]

"...on both my and my dad's XP pcs it is apparent that some
functionality is not available as soon as the desktop appears."

The appearance of the desktop has nothing to do with the programs that
start with Windows.

 

[Guest]

in part:

"...on both my and my dad's XP pcs it is apparent that some
functionality is not available as soon as the desktop appears."
Ted replied :-
The appearance of the desktop has nothing to do with the programs that
start with Windows.

hello ted or anyone else,

So what does determine how long it takes for a usable desktop to appear? How
can I impove the boot speed or force a delay on the welcome screen?

Apparently there is a tool called Bootvis which can log and show what is
happening during boot, but I've read it is not recommended for understanding
by non-experts like me.

I've also read, although i don't really understand it, that changing some
Services to manual rather than automatic can actually lengthen the boot
process.

So at this stage I'd be grateful for some specific tips or advice.

By the way, I regualrly run Disk Cleanup and the Disk Defragmenter.
Spyware / virus protection and scanning are also all in order and clean.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[Ted Zieglar]

First, here's how /not/ to increase the boot speed:

Don't play with Bootvis. Microsoft removed it from its website because
it was widely misunderstood and misused. Bootvis doesn't do anything
your computer doesn't already do on its own.

Don't play around with your system services. You won't make any
difference to your boot speed - except inside your head - and you may
damage your system now in the future.

Don't fall for hype and hack your system. You'll pay for it.

There are only three practical ways to improve your boot speed:

1 - Remove malware.
2 - Have fewer program loading at startup.
3 - Buy faster hardware.

The appearance of the desktop has zero effect on startuo, since the
desktop loads concurrently with - not instead of - the rest of ypir
software.

 

[Guest]

ok, thanks again Ted.

Just to clarify though what I meant about the desktop appearing;
Regardless of whether I can or cannot speed up my boot time at the moment,
is there a way I can only present the desktop to the user once all boot
processes and startup programs have started?
That's what I meant by wanting to somehow delay or hang onto the Welcome
screen for a bit longer until the system is totally up to speed.

In case it's relevant, the pcs I am talking about have a single windows user
account with no password, where the boot goes automatically from the Windows
XP screen to the Welcome screen then the desktop.

Thanks again,
Lee

 

[Ted Zieglar]

"...is there a way I can only present the desktop to the user once all
boot processes and startup programs have started?"

No. In the first place, there's no standard for determining when all
boot processes and startup programs are 'ready'. Secondly, many of the
programs and processes that run in the background can become active at
any time, so even if you could determine an 'all ready' standard, your
processor could start working on something at the very next second.
Finally, you don't want to interfere with the operating system's normal
operations.

I agree that it can be frustrating to see a desktop but not be able to
click on any icons. But that's just the way operating systems are.
That's one reason why many users just leave their computers on all the
time, or put them into standby when not being used. But mostly, you
can't sit on 'shpilkes' (in Yiddish: pins and needles) while your
computer starts. Instead, enjoy a glass of red wine, and by the time
you're done your computer will be ready for business. It's even good for
your health.

 

[Guest]

ok, thanks Ted.

Lee

"...is there a way I can only present the desktop to the user once all
boot processes and startup programs have started?"

No. In the first place, there's no standard for determining when all
boot processes and startup programs are 'ready'. Secondly, many of the
programs and processes that run in the background can become active at
any time, so even if you could determine an 'all ready' standard, your
processor could start working on something at the very next second.
Finally, you don't want to interfere with the operating system's normal
operations.

I agree that it can be frustrating to see a desktop but not be able to
click on any icons. But that's just the way operating systems are.
That's one reason why many users just leave their computers on all the
time, or put them into standby when not being used. But mostly, you
can't sit on 'shpilkes' (in Yiddish: pins and needles) while your
computer starts. Instead, enjoy a glass of red wine, and by the time
you're done your computer will be ready for business. It's even good for
your health.