Computer Slow on Startup

[Guest]

My Windows XP Home Edition SP2 (on Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo) starts ok up to
showing the list of users: one with administrator privileges and two with
only user privileges.

After this the computer slows down tremendously. When I click on any user it
takes more than half an hour to load the desktop, any programs take ages to
load and run. Even when I try to shut down the computer before I click on a
user it takes a long time to do so.

This happened right after I installed Internet Explorer 7 beta version. The
next time I started the computer it took a long while doing something like
"updating the personal records" (I don't remember the exact wording).

Other clues: When shutting down it once gave a message that SysFad is not
responding and will be terminated, and another time its message was that "It
recovered from a serious error..." The Processes tab does not show anything
peculiar. Safe mode works fine - it's not slow. I've got an updated
spydetector (F-Secure).

The only help I got from the Microsoft XP Support threads was about possible
malware slowing the cache; I followed its instructions but did not find the
suspected malware and I don't think it's the same problem.

Thanks for any help

Slowed Out

 

[Rich Barry]

I dumped IE7 Beta almost immediately. Uninstall it and hope for the
best.

 

[Guest]

I restored the computer in safe mode to the point just before I installed
IE7, but it didn't help. Then I uninstalled IE7, still super-slow. Reading
other threads, I suspect the problem might have been caused because I had the
Google toolbar in IE6.

Anything else I can do? Should I try to repair, upgrade or clean install XP
at this point??

Slowed out

 

[Guest]

I've had an error message thay may throw some light: it says "Cannot load
user profile because it is being used by another process". This happens after
I click on a user at login.

So I used msconfig to untick all the startup programs but nothing has
changed. So I figure the problem must be caused by a Windows process. How
can I find out which?

 

[Rich Barry]

If you have Broadband and can afford to lose the data you have on your
system, I would do a clean install.
You could try a Repair Install first. Check at Michaels site
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

If you need to recover data off your hard drive you can use Knoppix
Live CD. Hope you are protecting yourself
with a good Antivirus and Firewall. You should also be doing a check
of malware. You can use these recommended
sites.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

http://www.softpile.com/authors/Kephyr.html

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.webroot.com/

 

[news]

There is a reason microsoft no longer supports home edition of xp. I have
seen this many times and I would suggest you do a clean install of xp
Proffesional and make sure you use the ntfs file structure

Steve

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

What are you talking about? MS certainly does support WinXP Home. And
plans to do so for quite some time. Suggest you do a little research
instead of pulling such nonsense out of your b*tt.

 

[DL]

WTF?

There is a reason microsoft no longer supports home edition of xp. I have
seen this many times and I would suggest you do a clean install of xp
Proffesional and make sure you use the ntfs file structure

Steve