Your processor is slow.
Your memory is low.
You have too much loaded into memory for your machine
specifications. You have bad icons in the start menu and it is searching
for their
links. You just *think* this is happening.
You need to give a bit more information... Machine (hardware)
specs, OS (service pack level, last round of patches, hardware
drivers installed, etc.) and information like how fast things are
after the first opening of the start menu - is it the entire start
menu or just all programs? Are you in classic view or Windows XP
view? Does it do it for all users?