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I have Windows XP SP3, and after I login, I receive a blank screen for about 6-7 minutes. Nothing much appears in Task Manager during this time, then suddenly a new batch of processes appear, then the desktop appears.
I have avast! antivirus, Zone Alarm firewall, and I regularly scan with stinger. The PC is a standalone laptop.
Can you tell how to go about troubleshooting this, or the causes?
Steve
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 2 473
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Enable boot time logging, then look at the data it collects
http://www.msigeek.com/6231/how-to-enable-system-boot-time-logging-using-process-monitor-tool
Have you run a chkdsk /f on the drive, might be a good idea.
Moab
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 54 203
Process Monitor is taking a long time to convert the boot log. See <img src="http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n180/SRD001/screenshots/convert.jpg"> – Steve – 2010-12-26T15:03:51.757
No image at that link. – Moab – 2010-12-26T16:00:54.670
Sorry, try http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n180/SRD001/screenshots/convert.jpg
– Steve – 2011-01-17T08:57:40.850I would make a post on the ProcMon forum...http://forum.sysinternals.com/forum19.html
– Moab – 2011-01-17T16:19:58.3301
An excellent freeware program specially made to reduce boot-up time is Soluto. It analyses the start up of your computer, tells you exactly which item takes how long to start, presents them all in a graph, categorizes the items as essential - doubtful - no-brainer, and lets you disable them one by one. http://lifehacker.com/5561303/soluto-is-an-awesome-tool-to-speed-up-your-system-boot-fix-system-slowdowns
Cerberus
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 593
This has been an interesting program, but may of only shaved off 4-5 seconds tops. – Steve – 2011-01-23T13:07:59.930
@Steve: Okay, that is too bad. Looks like some bug on your PC then, good luck... P.S. Soluto took about 30 secs off my boot time. – Cerberus – 2011-01-23T16:12:31.117
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Try disabling the antivirus and firewall and see if this helps.
If it does, maybe one of them is set to quick-scan the computer on boot.
harrymc
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 306 093
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Open My Computer and delete any unused network shares. (You may be surprised what you find there.)
Also, download Autoruns and get rid of unwanted stuff from the Logon category.
martona
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 737
I have zero connections in My Network Places. – Steve – 2010-12-26T13:43:34.540
I have zero connections in My Network Places. The programs in the Logon category are all necessary, and can't really be removed. – Steve – 2010-12-26T13:44:06.257
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I second the autoruns idea and add open services.svc and disable everything you don't use, in case of doubt read the description its usually enough, or try googling windows xp services optimization, tons of answers, pick the one thats easier to follow for you.
Guillermo Siliceo Trueba
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 846
Good idea, but be careful about disabling services. I once disabled a bunch that I didn't need; then a year later I bought my first Bluetooth device, and it took me a month to realize why I couldn't get it to work. Besides, I have heard it said several times that disabling services looks nice but will usually not give you noticeable results, except perhaps the indexing service. – Cerberus – 2010-12-21T12:39:21.813
I have already disabled non-essential services thanks. – Steve – 2010-12-26T13:47:15.117
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If the startup is getting delayed and your general performance is also slow, you can try reducing programs loading at boot and also uninstalling unwanted programs and deleting unnecessary files (cleanup). Check if your drive is fragmented - system files included. If so run a complete defrag which will help improve boot and data access.
lmn
Posted 2010-12-19T16:38:35.200
Reputation: 26
My HDD is very fragmented. It is having trouble defragging as there is not alot of free space (although it should it should be enough, at 20%). Is there a boot defragger you recommend? – Steve – 2010-12-26T13:46:04.290
I notice if I turn the computer on, and ignore the computer for 30 minutes, when I come back to login, it logs in very quickly, so perhaps this indicates fragmentation is the problem. – Steve – 2010-12-26T13:46:50.827
It does seem a bit long to wait ;). – ChrisF – 2010-12-19T16:41:22.550
http://www.windowsreference.com/general/how-to-create-a-bootlog-in-windows-2000xp-and-later/ – Aki – 2010-12-19T16:48:46.443
I think there are already questions about this: http://superuser.com/questions/13585/windows-xp-startup-profiling http://superuser.com/questions/49487/how-to-reduce-windows-xp-computer-boot-time
– Suma – 2010-12-21T14:00:05.177