my advise is to create a system restore point before anything else (ease the mind a bit), then go
start menu/run then type: msconfig
follow the instructions below and this will give you the answers to what may be causing your slow
bootup sequence as it will only allow the most fundamental microsoft programs to load at bootup. if
the clean boot corrects the slow bootup, then i would slowly introduce your programs back into the
bootup sequence one at a time and note any differences- its a process of elimination...
good luck and enjoy!
Paul
here is a copy of the Microsoft KB article for a clean boot in winxp:
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 310353
How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
Applies To
This article was previously published under Q310353
INTRODUCTION
To help troubleshoot error messages or other issues when you cannot determine the cause
of the issue, disable common startup programs, settings, and drivers to eliminate possible software
conflicts when you start Microsoft Windows XP. This procedure is known as "clean booting." This
article describes how to perform a clean boot, how to start the Windows Installer service, and how
to restore your system from a clean boot state.
Note After you follow the instructions for a clean boot, you may temporarily lose some
functionality. If you restore the settings, you restore the functionality, but you may receive the
original error message or experience the problematic behavior.
MORE INFORMATION
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about your specific issue before you
follow these steps. This information is not intended to troubleshoot specific issues. If you are
receiving a specific error message or behavior, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base by using the
text of the error message and a description of the issue or behavior. To search the Microsoft
Knowledge Base, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/
How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
Note You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group
to follow these steps. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also
prevent you from follow these steps.
1.. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
2.. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then clear the Process System.ini
File, Process WIn.ini File, and Load Startup Items check boxes. You cannot clear the Use Original
Boot.ini check box.
3.. On the Services tab, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then
click Disable All.
4.. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.
5.. After Windows starts, determine whether the symptoms still occur.
Note Look closely at the General tab to make sure that the check boxes that you
cleared are still cleared. Continue to step 6 if none of the check boxes are selected. If the Load
System Services check box is the only disabled check box, your computer is not clean-booted. If
additional check boxes are disabled and the issue is not resolved, you may require help from the
manufacturer of the program that places a check mark back in Msconfig.
If none of the check boxes are selected, and the issue is not resolved, you may have
to repeat steps 1 through 5, but you may also have to clear the Load System Services check box on
the General tab. This temporarily disables Microsoft services (such as, Networking, Plug and Play,
Event Logging, and Error Reporting) and permanently deletes all restore points for the System
Restore utility. Do not do this if you want to retain your restore points for System Restore or if
you must use a Microsoft service to test the issue.
6.. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
7.. On the General tab, select the Process System.ini File check box, click OK, and
then click Restart to restart the computer. If the issue continues, the issue is with an entry in
your System.ini file. If the issue does not continue, repeat this step for the Process Win.ini File,
Load Startup Items, and Load System Services check boxes until the issue occurs. After the issue
occurs, the last item that you selected is the item where the issue is occurring.
Note Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not use System Configuration Utility to
modify the Boot.ini file on your computer without the direction of a Microsoft support engineer.
Doing so may make your computer unusable.
How to start the Windows Installer service
Note The Windows Installer service does not start if you disable Load System Services.
To use Windows Installer in this case, you must start the service manually:
1.. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
2.. In the left pane, click Services and Applications, and then click Services.
3.. In the right pane, right-click Windows Installer, and then click Start.
If you run a Setup program without manually starting the Windows Installer, you may
receive the following error message:
The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to
verify that the windows Installer service is properly registered.
How to return from a clean boot state
1.. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
2.. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.
3.. Click OK, and then click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer.
REFERENCES
For additional information about troubleshooting startup issues in Windows XP, click the
following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
308041 Resources for troubleshooting startup issues in Windows XP
The information in this article applies to:
a.. Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
b.. Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
c.. Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Last Reviewed: 5/20/2004 (2.0)
Keywords: kbtshoot kbfix kbenv kbFAQ kbhowto kbProd2Web KB310353
When I retstart my computer it is very slow, when its loading it will go to
my desktop and just sit there at my desktop screen for like 10 minutes. Its a
brand new computer and i have tried everything, scanned for viruses, spam,
adware all of that, did a disk clean up, check, i defraged, and nothing seems
to be working.. can anyone help... PLEASE
