Frequent "minute's silence" / XP Pro

[Markus]

Hello!

I just installed XP Pro a couple of days ago, on a machine that previously
ran allright under 2k, but now I'm having a problem that's really annoying
as can be:

Everytime I try to start a new program via Start > Programs > ... or through
the QuickLaunch bar, the icon or menu entry stays "marked" - but nothing
ever happens! It's only after what appears as a "minute's silence" of some
20-40 sec. that the program opens up as usual - no error messages, no event
mgr entries.

Interestingly, the program that I was working with when I tried to start
another one works continues to work alright during that period of time. I
can also access the "windows security" popup by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL during
that 20-40 sec., but when I try to start the Task Manager I get the exact
same problem. And - like I said: After this "break", all programs I clicked
on pop up and start running as if nothing ever happened.

The problem seems to occur less frequent when the machine has just been
rebooted a while ago, and it seems to become more frequent when the machine
has been running for quite some hours.

Any hint/help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance!!

cheers,
Markus Grein

 

[Malke]

Hello!

I just installed XP Pro a couple of days ago, on a machine that
previously ran allright under 2k, but now I'm having a problem that's
really annoying as can be:

Everytime I try to start a new program via Start > Programs > ... or
through the QuickLaunch bar, the icon or menu entry stays "marked" -
but nothing ever happens! It's only after what appears as a "minute's
silence" of some 20-40 sec. that the program opens up as usual - no
error messages, no event mgr entries.

Interestingly, the program that I was working with when I tried to
start another one works continues to work alright during that period
of time. I can also access the "windows security" popup by pressing
CTRL-ALT-DEL during that 20-40 sec., but when I try to start the Task
Manager I get the exact same problem. And - like I said: After this
"break", all programs I clicked on pop up and start running as if
nothing ever happened.

The problem seems to occur less frequent when the machine has just
been rebooted a while ago, and it seems to become more frequent when
the machine has been running for quite some hours.

How much RAM do you have in the machine? If less than 512MB, increase
the amount. It wouldn't hurt to test the RAM either because if you had
Win2k on this box, chances are it is elderly (in computer years). Also
check for overheating. Here are some general hardware troubleshooting
steps:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

On the software side, make sure your computer is virus/malware-free:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

If the machine is clean, then see:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm
http://aumha.org/a/health.htm - Take Out the Trash (section 4)

Malke