Slow startup after installing SP2

[KeithM]

After installing SP2 on XP Pro, I get to the point in
system startup where my desktop wallpaper appears, then a
two to three minute delay until desktop icons and taskbar
appear. I have tried disabling all startup programs (via
MSCONFIG) and all non-Microsoft running services I could
identify. Still the same. No problems so far in regular
running. Any ideas?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Your video adapter drivers probably need to be reinstalled.
Visit the support web site of the manufacturer of your video
card adapter and download the latest drivers.

Before installing them, uninstall the old drivers. In your
Control Panel, open the Add or Remove Programs applet
and look for your video drivers to uninstall.

If you happen to have a notebook computer, visit the notebook
manufacturer's support website to download the correct video
adapter drivers for your specific notebook model.

After installing a fresh set of drivers, right-click on your
desktop and select Properties > Settings, change the Color
Quality to "Highest (32 bit), then adjust your Screen Resolution
to your liking, then click on Apply.

I would suggest performing the following maintenance after
installing SP2:

Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310312&Product=winxp

How to Perform Disk Error Checking in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315265&Product=winxp

HOW TO: Analyze and Defragment a Disk in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305781&Product=winxp

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

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"KeithM" wrote:

| After installing SP2 on XP Pro, I get to the point in
| system startup where my desktop wallpaper appears, then a
| two to three minute delay until desktop icons and taskbar
| appear. I have tried disabling all startup programs (via
| MSCONFIG) and all non-Microsoft running services I could
| identify. Still the same. No problems so far in regular
| running. Any ideas?

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Keith

You need to carry out routine housekeeping after making any major system
changes. What you do and how often you do it will depend on how you use
your computer. A suggested routine may include:
1. In Outlook Express empty your Deleted Items folder.
2. In Outlook Express run File, Folder, Compact All whilst OFFLINE.
3. Run Disk Cleanup. Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
Cleanup with
Temporary Internet Files, Offline Web Pages (optional), System Restore (
more Options tab )
and Recycle Bin selected for deletion. If you have more than one drive /
partition you may
need to do this operation for each drive / partition.
4. Remove Cookies. Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, General, Delete
Cookies.
5. Run Disk Defragmenter.

Slow performance resulting from insufficient memory, causing over reliance
on virtual memory,
may be especially noticed by those upgrading to Windows XP from an earlier
version of Windows.
Windows XP will run with 64 MB of RAM memory. However, a minimum of 256 MB
is
recommended and many users will recommend 512 MB. You may check on pagefile
(virtual
memory) usage with Page File Monitor for XP:
http://www.dougknox.com/

Check how much free space you have on the hard drive / partition where your
pagefile is located.
You need a minimum of 15% but 20% or more is better.

Check your setting for the Indexing Service. Start, Administrative Tools,
Services, Indexing
Service. The default setting is Manual. Check that it is not running. More
information here:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm#Indexing_Service

You can have too many programmes running in the background. Close
programmes/windows after
use. Check whether all the programmes loading when Windows is started are
really necessary.
http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm

Are there any error messages in Event Viewer? You can access Event Viewer by
selecting Start,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning of the
error, information
regarding Event ID: and Source Description is important.
HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308427&Product=winxp

~~~~~~


Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FCA

Stourport, Worcs, England
Enquire, plan and execute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~