Slow Startup

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheWizard
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TheWizard

I have a Dell Latitude D820, 2yrs old. It has performed flawlessly up until
the last two weeks. Since then I've experienced problems with startup.
Everything comes up fine to the login screen. Once I login it could take
anywhere from normal boot up time, time prior to problem, to 10 minutes.
Sometimes my desktop will show all icons but the system tray items take
forever. Sometimes only the wallpaper displays with no icons and then after
a while everything pops up. And then again sometimes normal startup. I
haven't downloaded anything from the net as of the last 2 or so months and
all my updates are current with the exception of service pack 3. I'm still
using service pack 2 as some of my work programs don't like it. My
virus/spyware software is up to date and I run checks which reveal no issues.
I have also run defrag and disk cleanup to no avail. It will however boot
up fine in safe mode. I notice sometimes if I shutdown I get programs not
responding/end programs on explorer.exe.
 
I have the exact same problem or symptom. Just within the last week. After
the Windows splash screen it could take a minute or more to get to the
Welcome screen, then wait again. I keep my computer in good working order.
I'm here looking for the same help or advice. BillK
 
What are your anti-virus and anti-soyware arrangements?

What is the CPU and how much RAM does your computer have? Right click on
the My Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get this
information.

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

Have a look in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for
Errors and Warnings and post copies here. Don't post any more than 48
hours ago.

You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
are important.

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
TheWizard said:
I have a Dell Latitude D820, 2yrs old. It has performed flawlessly up until
the last two weeks. Since then I've experienced problems with startup.
Everything comes up fine to the login screen. Once I login it could take
anywhere from normal boot up time, time prior to problem, to 10 minutes.
Sometimes my desktop will show all icons but the system tray items take
forever. Sometimes only the wallpaper displays with no icons and then after
a while everything pops up. And then again sometimes normal startup. I
haven't downloaded anything from the net as of the last 2 or so months and
all my updates are current with the exception of service pack 3. I'm still
using service pack 2 as some of my work programs don't like it. My
virus/spyware software is up to date and I run checks which reveal no issues.
I have also run defrag and disk cleanup to no avail. It will however boot
up fine in safe mode. I notice sometimes if I shutdown I get programs not
responding/end programs on explorer.exe.
Click to expand...

Did you installed/Mapped a printer recently to this Laptop?
How much RAM/ Disk space you got now?
Does everything work after a while?
does the Laptop heat up?
Try to test the RAM by using MS Ram test tool or the one supplied by the
DELL under Hardware Diagnostic tools and see if it is the HDD or RAM going
bad.
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Have a look in the event viewer and see if there is any error. Also try to
start in Clean Boot Mode by using the Stat up.
Process Explorer v11.31
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx
How to configure Windows XP to start in a "clean boot" state
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

Run a thorough scan by doing the following steps:
1... First, try to clean up your caches, Internet files and delete cookies
by doing this:
Click Start >> Control Panel >> Double click Network and Internet
Connections >> Double click Internet Options.
On the IE properties windows you will see these Tabs:
General | Security | Privacy | Content | Connections | Programs |
Advanced
Under General Tab clear your History, Internet Files and Cookies.
Then click on Advanced tab and scroll down to under the Browsing Option:
[&] Browsing
[ ] Enable Third-Party browser extensions (Req Rest) uncheck this box.
Then click on Programs Tab and click Manage Add-Ons and Disable all non
Verified Add-Ons (You should Renable them later one-by-one and see the
culprit and update it or remove it.
How to manage Add-Ons:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883256
Scan for malware from here:
Download and Update SuperAntispyware and run a complete scan - Free
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html
http://www.malwarebytes.org/rr-update/rr-free-setup.exe
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-gb/default.htm?s_cid=sah

Run a scan from here on-line:
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Download Avast Cleaner (offline scanner) from here:
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html
Comodo BOClean : Anti-Malware Version 4.27
http://www.comodo.com/boclean/boclean.html

If you wish to send me your Hijackthis log I will be happy to help you
further or send to one of many forums on the internet!
Download Hijackthis and send me the log.
(http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/threat_analytics/hijackthis.php)
my address is : to_you_ross(at remove this and repalce with the
obvious)yahoo.co.uk ( _ is underscore)

Run disk clean up on your Drive.
You can download this tool o run clean up:
http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds/downloading-slim
Run Disk Clean Up on your Drive.
HTH,
nass
 
You may very well have a problem with your HDD. At a certain point during
the startup process, the hdd may be encountering a hard to read area of the
disk and almost endlessly trying to read it sector by sector, which is a
long process. Put your ear to a place near the hard disk and try to hear the
rhythmic clicking sound which indicates that the heads are trying to
reposition due to a servo or a read error.

In any case, backup all your valuables ASAP, and try reloading your system,
selecting the format option during the process. Or better, get expert
(usually for a fee) advice and evaluation. I suggest not to take any chances
with an HDD, and replace it.

Good luck,
Engin Tarhan
 
All is well now. I have a 5 port USB 2.0 PCI card that I installed over a
year ago that comes with drivers. Every once in a while something messes with
the drivers. The way I can tell is: if I plug something into the purt I get a
message that the device will work faster if I plut it into a USB 2.0 port.
I re-installed the drivers from the disc and all is well.
Sometimes it is simple.
I have experienced what "Engin Tarhan" is referring to though in the past.
Perish the thought. Thanks for the replies, BillK
 
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