Desktop doesn't always appear on a cold boot suddenly

[Irv Spalten]

VERY RANDOMLY and SPORADIC, when I start my system the DESKTOP doesn't
appear? It has happened maybe 3 times in the last 2 weeks? That is out
of about 25 boots from the cold state, not reboots (never has
happened on these) after it is running.

What happens it the normal Windows loading screen, the one
with the message 'loading user preferences' displays and
never changes. I hear the STARTUP sound play and that is all
I hear. Normally, that would play and within a minute or so,
the desktop appears and programs start to populate my system
tray and desktop. Eventually it fills and I get sound from my e-mail
checker announcing new e-mail available.

When the desktop doesn't appear, and I've waited up to 10
minuted to see if it does appear, the disk light stops
within one or two minutes and there is no further activity,
so I'm sure nothing is happening. Almost like an interrupt
was lost?

If I hold in my power button for a short period of time, the
system shust off and when restarted it has always worked OK?

I've also seen a slight delay in starting programs, but I
assume this is CounterSpy checking the executable? I think this all
started when I installed CounterSpy V2 on my system but can't be sure?

Suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else?

Thanks,
Irv Spalten

 

[Irv Spalten]

Irv Spalten said the following On 3/15/2007 2:02 PM:

VERY RANDOMLY and SPORADIC, when I start my system the DESKTOP doesn't
appear? It has happened maybe 3 times in the last 2 weeks? That is out
of about 25 boots from the cold state, not reboots (never has
happened on these) after it is running.

What happens it the normal Windows loading screen, the one
with the message 'loading user preferences' displays and
never changes. I hear the STARTUP sound play and that is all
I hear. Normally, that would play and within a minute or so,
the desktop appears and programs start to populate my system
tray and desktop. Eventually it fills and I get sound from my e-mail
checker announcing new e-mail available.

When the desktop doesn't appear, and I've waited up to 10
minuted to see if it does appear, the disk light stops
within one or two minutes and there is no further activity,
so I'm sure nothing is happening. Almost like an interrupt
was lost?

If I hold in my power button for a short period of time, the
system shust off and when restarted it has always worked OK?

I've also seen a slight delay in starting programs, but I
assume this is CounterSpy checking the executable? I think this all
started when I installed CounterSpy V2 on my system but can't be sure?

Suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else?

Thanks,
Irv Spalten

It appears that CounterSpy 2.0 was the culprit. Tech Support told me to
get the latest version and since this has been installed the problem has
not reappeared.