Driver hanging on startup and shutdown

[Jack B. Pollack]

I have a Win XP SP3 computer that is taking a long time to startup and
shutdown.

I have disabled all startup items and non MS services.
I am pretty sure that the problem is a driver that is not starting or
closing correctly.
Noting of interest is logged in the system or app event logs
All devices in Device Manager are working
This problem started several months ago "on its own" (did not change any
drivers or install any software)
The problem does not happen in safe mode

Ideas on how to troubleshoot this and track down the problem driver are
appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Kelly]

Hi,

Process Explorer is a comprehensive process information viewer that shows
you detailed information about which handles and DLLs processes have open,
process memory and CPU usage, environment variables, Win32 services, and
version information.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down
DLL-version problems or handle leaks and provide insight into the way
Windows and applications work.
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/utilities.shtml


--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

 

[R. McCarty]

Download AutoRuns, start the app and it should open the
Everything (TAB). Scroll down thru the list checking the "Path"
column. Any entries that show "File not Found" are calls where
no file of that name/path exist. Either disable those entries ( for
safety ) or delete them.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

 

[Jack B. Pollack]

Thanks for your reply. I have used PE in the past. Not sure how it will help
me find a driver that is hanging.

 

[Jose]

Thanks for your reply. I have used PE in the past. Not sure how it will help
me find a driver that is hanging.

Me either, since the event may be be history.

Safe Mode may run fine since less things are loaded, so we can figure
out what is NOT loaded in Safe Mode and pick on them for a while.

Can you better describe the issue, why do you think something is
hanging, what do you see that you don't think you should see, what do
you not see that you think you should, etc.

I know a "long time" is subjective and varies from system to system,
but what does it mean in your situation? Long time for desktop to
appear, I see the desktop but long time to icons,etc.

More symptoms may help find the right method to troubleshoot.

Did you use MSCONFIG or another method to disable these startup and
non Microsoft items?

What anti virus applications do you have installed (Norton, McAfee,
etc.) and are they disabled?

Run your mouse over the icons in the Notification Area (to the left of
the System Time) and report what information there is that can be used
to identify these running programs. Don't forget any "hidden" icons.

Please start with the following to reduce the possibility of common
malware issues:

Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware
detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

These can be uninstalled later if desired.

 

[Jack B. Pollack]

Can you better describe the issue, why do you think something is
hanging, what do you see that you don't think you should see, what do
you not see that you think you should, etc.

I> know a "long time" is subjective and varies from system to system,

but what does it mean in your situation? Long time for desktop to
appear, I see the desktop but long time to icons,etc.

The computer is set to auto logon. I get the "welcome" message on the
welcome screen for about 1.5 minutes, then the desktop & icons appear.
Everything looks and works fine after this "long" startup (from the welcome
screen to icons used to take 20 seconds). On shutdown the icons disappear
and I have just the wallpaper. It takes about 1.5 minutes to shut off (used
to take 20 seconds CTRL ALT DEL wont even bring up task manager at this
point)

More symptoms may help find the right method to troubleshoot.

Did you use MSCONFIG or another method to disable these startup and
non Microsoft items?
MSCONFIG

What anti virus applications do you have installed (Norton, McAfee,
etc.) and are they disabled?

Was using Norton, now using Avast. This issue was present with Norton
installed, when ALL AV software was removed and after install of Avast

Run your mouse over the icons in the Notification Area (to the left of
the System Time) and report what information there is that can be used
to identify these running programs. Don't forget any "hidden" icons.

At the moment ALL startup programs are disabled and all non MS services are
disabled

Please start with the following to reduce the possibility of common
malware issues: