Safe mode starts instantly, normal mode takes 5 minutes - why?

[steve m]

Anybody got any ideas why this huge slowdown has happened. I'm suspecting
Bluetooth, but I've uninstalled everything I possibly can and it still takes
5 minutes to start up. However if I start in safe mode (/SAFE on the command
line) it starts instantly. I have no com add-ins enabled, no 3rd party toolbars,
no nothing, but something is still slowing down the startup. It uses up all
available memory in the process of starting up as well. This is Outlook /
Office 2003 Pro, with all the latest updates. No matter what settings I choose
for Advanced memory management it still ends up saying "Short of virtual
memory". This is on a brand new Pentium D, 2.8 ghz with 1 gig of memory etc.
but it does have stuff transferred from my previous machine. I actually bought
this new machine to try and get rid of the slowness in Outlook, but it *%^&#!
travelled across to the new machine somehow in transferring data and settings.


hellllllpppp! pretty please....


steve

 

[Chuck Davis]

Steve,

Try removing malware. http://www.lavasoftusa.com and
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en

 

[steve m]

Thanks. I found the solution. I downloaded Defender (as you suggested) and
used the brilliant Software Explorer to try and find what was taking the
time. Unfortunately I can't explain now how I came to the theory that it
must be Small Business Contacts Manager that was creating the slowdown.

There were so many steps in the investigation that I can't remember, but...to
cut a long story short, I uninstalled Small Business Contacts Manager Update
for Office 2003 and Outlook now starts up instantly (HOORAY!) and the pulldown
menu is in its place on top of not underneath the toolbars and I am in not
quite seventh, let's say sixth heaven.

I tried Re-installing / repairing Small Business Contacts installation first
but it didn't make any difference. I had already created the Small Business
Contacts Database (in effort to solve the slowdown) but that hadn't made
any difference. In other words I followed the online troubleshooting guide
for Small Business Contacts update for Outlook, but nothing worked. The only
thing that worked -like a dream- was sticking CD2 in the drive and selecting
Un-Install. I heartily recommend it.

By the way Dell don't even provide the system CD's with Office or Windows
anymore and I had to talk repeatedly to people in an Indian call-centre to
get them to send me the CD's. Somebody should tell Dell that Office does
not work properly without the CD's and neither does Windows. You will always
hit points where it says, "Insert the CD", for example if you select Outlook
/ Help / Detect and Repair (for one). It's part of their "Media Reduction
Initiative" - well Dell, old chaps, this is part of my "Ensure You Get the
Thing You Bought Initiative".

Thanks once again, Chuck, though I think Defender just sort of helped in
a process of elimination, finding out what wasn't the problem, but still
I really like it.

SOLVED. Somebody at MS please note this solution: uninstall Small Business
Contacts Manager. (Obviously you may prefer to think of it as "make SBCM
stop causing Outlook to take 5 minutes to start.")

steve

 

[steve m]

I will correct what I said a little. After I posted this I remembered that
my old Compaq notebook still has the appalling Outlook slowdown, but it didn't
have Small Business Contact Manager. So I decided that since uninstalling
SBCM solved the slowdown on my new Dell desktop system, I would go to the
trouble to upgrade Office on the notebook, install SBCM and then uninstall
it again. (You have to realise, I've been trying for months to solve this
slowdown, so what's another day.) Well, would you believe, it worked! So
everybody who suffers with a sudden inexplicable slowdown of Outlook startup,
find a way to uninstall SBCM, because whatever the hell the uninstall does
also solves the Outlook slowdown. I'm now suspecting it's something to do
with MSDE. (Don't start me on that %$^*!.)

steve