Service Pack one has crippled my machine

  • Thread starter Thread starter Phil Ingram
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Phil Ingram

12 hours ago I wiped my machine and reinstalled win xp
pro from scratch. It ran like lightning. I installed all
the windows updates, critical, etc. and now, with no
other software installed it takes 5 minutes to boot
rather than seconds and when I leave it then break into
the screensaver it takes 5 minutes before I get to click
my name and get back in. The disk rotates constantly and
makes horrible noises (no there is not a fault with the
disk, I whipped it out and stuck it in a machine running
2000 and it worked beautifully) even when there are no
active progams and the only icon in the bottom right
corner is the volume icon.

I cannot even browse a web and listen to a CD or MP3 at
the same time as the music breaks up, distorts and slows
down.

Also, within minutes of installing SP1 I started getting
warnings that I was running out of virtual memory.

I have read something somewhere about page problems with
SP1 but am not quite sure what to do with it.

I have searched the web and see that it is no small
number of people whose systems crawl to a halt after SP1
but there are no small number of differing opinions on
how to halt this.

What can I do?

Machine: 2GHZ, 512MB ram, 2x 80GB HDs, only windows
software and updates installed with the exception of the
Intervideo power pack for MP3s for WMP.

Right now I am sitting here with only this message window
and the one web page open and the hard disk is in
constant rotation and the CD I am listening to sounds
like it is coming over short wave.

Before SP1 I was having a wonderful time surfing the web
which is about all this maching is used for.

What can I do?

I tried the Microsoft customer support pages and got Page
could not be displayed for an hour. I think someone was
trying to tell me something.
 
Save yourself a lot of time and aggravation, and start over, but DO NOT
install Service Pack 1. There has been a lot of problems with it slowing
down certain machines, and after installing it on one of my computers, I
quickly reverted back to the begining and install all updates, but SP1.
 
After SP1 installation the slowness usually goes away after a few
days.
Some basic preparation eliminates most issues related to installing a
Service Pack:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm

Your problems may be more indicative of the condition of your computer
rather than SP1.

Your suggestion not to install a Service Pack without an appropriate
alternative is extremely dangerous.
The security enhancements from Service Packs are essential for safe
computing.
 
Phil;
The reason there seem to be many solutions for what seems to be a
single cause is because the are actually many possible causes.

The hard drive may seem to work properly with another OS but if there
are strange noises, that is not Windows XP causing it.
Go to the website of the hard drive manufacturer and get their hard
drive diagnostics.

You may want to start over but this time skip SP1.
SP2 was RTM yesterday and may be available as early as Monday, but
possibly 2 -3 weeks.

Also see this link to help prepare for Service Pack installation:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm
That page will be updated when SP2 is released.
 
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