Windows XP Hanging on Startup

[Guest]

For the past 3/4 months my Windows XP system occassionally hangs on startup
with the System process hogging 90% - 100% of the CPU. The startup processes
(in the System Tray) very sluggishly start but never all complete, until the
PC just freezes with System taking all of the CPU.

I then get fed up waiting and reboot, whereupon the system almost invariably
starts up normally with the System IDLE Process taking most of the CPU, as is
normal. The system is then fine. This problem only happens every few days or
even once a week.

I have stopped most startup processes and certainly all the 2 or 3 new ones
over the last few months, but this does not improve matters.

I can only wonder if a Windows Update has corrupted something. Any ideas?

 

[Malke]

For the past 3/4 months my Windows XP system occassionally hangs on
startup with the System process hogging 90% - 100% of the CPU. The
startup processes (in the System Tray) very sluggishly start but never
all complete, until the PC just freezes with System taking all of the
CPU.

I then get fed up waiting and reboot, whereupon the system almost
invariably starts up normally with the System IDLE Process taking most
of the CPU, as is normal. The system is then fine. This problem only
happens every few days or even once a week.

I have stopped most startup processes and certainly all the 2 or 3 new
ones over the last few months, but this does not improve matters.

I can only wonder if a Windows Update has corrupted something. Any
ideas?

Random issues like yours are usually caused by hardware failure, not
software. Try swapping out the power supply for a known-working one.
Here are other general hardware troubleshooting steps:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

If all the hardware is good you might try clean-boot troubleshooting,
but I'd start with the hardware.

Clean boot in Windows XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353
Clean-boot advanced troubleshooting in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434
and How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

Malke

 

[Kerry Brown]

For the past 3/4 months my Windows XP system occassionally hangs on
startup with the System process hogging 90% - 100% of the CPU. The
startup processes (in the System Tray) very sluggishly start but
never all complete, until the PC just freezes with System taking all
of the CPU.

I then get fed up waiting and reboot, whereupon the system almost
invariably starts up normally with the System IDLE Process taking
most of the CPU, as is normal. The system is then fine. This problem
only happens every few days or even once a week.

I have stopped most startup processes and certainly all the 2 or 3
new ones over the last few months, but this does not improve matters.

I can only wonder if a Windows Update has corrupted something. Any
ideas?

Check out this free utility:

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

Run it when the problem occurs. It will give you more detail than Task
Manager. It is likely a hardware problem. Some hardware or driver could be
generating a lot of interupts.

 

[Guest]

Check out this free utility:
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

Run it when the problem occurs. It will give you more detail than Task
Manager.

Thanks Kerry; I already have ProcessExplorer, but what am I looking for?

As far as I can see all it tells me is that the System process is hogging
94% + of the CPU, as I already know from Task Manager.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Thanks Kerry; I already have ProcessExplorer, but what am I looking
for?

As far as I can see all it tells me is that the System process is
hogging 94% + of the CPU, as I already know from Task Manager.

You should be able to expand the system process and see exactly what is
hogging the CPU. Also look to see if Interrupts are taking a lot of CPU
time. A bad driver or card an cause this and it sometimes shows up as the
System process in Task manager.

 

[Guest]

Forget Hardware!

Hardware faults either cause complete failure or random problems w.r.t. BOTH
time and (logical) location.

This problem, altho random as to when, ALWAYS occurs at the same logical
point in the start up procedure after logging in.

This is definately a software problem.

You'd be a fool to go to the trouble of opening up the case and start
swapping out bits of hardware in a "suck it and see" fashion in the vain hope
of solving such a logic problem.

It'll be like taking an elephant to find a mouse!