Re: Windows XP SP2 very slow to boot



"Daave" wrote:

"Randy457" <Randy457@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:57CBDC70-71EF-4966-804D-4DCEA0AA2A11@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wow, a wealth of information!

Responding somewhat to the last two posts, here's where I am. I will
be
proceeding with some of the suggestions that have come in.

1. A. Malware infestation: I downloaded and run the free PCTools
Spyware
Doctor. It identified Spyware.Bonzi.buddy and
Spyware.known_bad_sites. I
have not removed them as yet, because both were listed as "Low"
threads, and
you'd have to pay Spyware Doctor for registration for it to remove
them. Not
done there, yet. What are the chances that either of these would
cause what
I'm seeing?

1.B. Someone suggested some kind of Trojan Horse might be screwing
with DNS
at startup (and, in fact, sometimes shortly after startup I have
network
connectivity issues, which I have ascribed to my provider, but ???).
The
suggestion was, start the computer with the network cable unplugged.
Did
that, no change.

2. Clean boot trials: Yes, I got MS article 310353 and followed it.
No
change.

3. Safe Mode: I can start in Safe Mode with or without Networking -
the
computer comes right up, no problem.

Additional information:
I am set up for dual boot of either XP or Win2K, and they're on
separate
HDDs. EITHER ONE has the problem. So, it's not OS-specific. What
does that
leave? Something that's common to both. To my thinking that's the
boot
sector, which resides on one of the two disks; or hardware/firmware.

To Anna - you are correct in your inferences. Until a few weeks ago,
the
computer had worked quite normally following my upgrade to XP. This
seemed
to come out of the blue. I don't think I had changed anything,
although I've
done enough support work myself to be highly skeptical of such claims,
even
when I make them.

I see I have several more things to try - I'll be back.

Thanks,
Randy457


I'm still working on the last couple of posters' suggestions. What I have
so far is:
1. Scans by a couple of different tools have not found any operating malware.
2. sfc /scannow apparently found no problems - I say apparently because it
finished when I was out of the room and went away. Is there a log somewhere?
3. chkdsk also reported no problems - also 'apparently' for the same reason.

Moving on to the newest input...

What do you mean by your "upgrade to XP"? What was your setup before
this upgrade? You currently have a dual boot with XP on one hard drive
and 2000 on the other, correct? Did the drive that currently has XP on
it have Windows 98 or ME on it? When you upgraded, was it an in-place
upgrade?

I'm not sure how much history to bore you with. Short version - originally
single HDD with Win2K. Added 2nd HDD from identical computer, just for space
and backup. Upgraded 2nd (D: drive) to XP, made it the primary device but
kept the dual boot. I couldn't swear to it, but I suspect the MBR is on the
C: drive because of how all this came about.

How long did your XP installation work normally for you?

It worked fine for about a year.

Jog your memory
as best as you can to try to remember what you may have done a few weeks
ago that might have caused this problem. Perhaps it was something as
simple as an update from Windows Update.

Could be. I get windows update notification all the time. I eventually let
them install, although I don't fully trust MS, and I never know what changes
the updates are going to make. I also get automatic updates from Mozilla,
Java, and some other apps. I don't consciously associate any of those with
the beginning of this issue, but I wouldn't swear to anything.

Is your XP at SP3 yet? If so,
when did the upgrade occur?

Yes, it's at SP3. I don't remember when that happened. It's been a while.

Did you use Windows Update for hardware
drivers? If so, that's a no-no! Go the manufacturer's Web site and
download the correct drivers an install them.

No, I try to use manufacturer's drivers whenever possible.

What puzzles me is you have the same issues with your other OS on your
other hard drive. That's weird!

Maybe it's weird. I'm more inclined to see it as a clue. The problem is
something the two OSes have in common. I think that narrows the list of
possibilities quite a bit - MBR and hardware. Did I miss anything?

Disconnect all peripheral devices. Just
have the mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected to the PC. Remove mapped
drives.

Did that earlier - no effect.

Also have a look at this page for info on repairing the master boot
record:

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/483/xp_repair_fix_master_boot_record_recovery_console/

I looked at this. I admit, it makes me nervous, although the MBR is in the
list of suspects.

Just for yucks, you may even want to physically remove the hard drive
with XP and get rid of the dual boot option (if nothing else works).

Yes, that might be something to try.

Thanks for all the thoughts,
Randy457
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Windows XP SP2 very slow to boot
    ... this upgrade? ... You currently have a dual boot with XP on one hard ... but I suspect the MBR is ... drives. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: 98 Upgrade
    ... Definitely run the Upgrade Advisor, ... Plan on uninstall all CD/DVD writing software, then installing an XP ... Download XP-compatible drivers for all hardware. ... peripherals, such as printers, scanners, cameras, pen drives, USB drives, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: Windows XP SP2 very slow to boot
    ... this upgrade? ... You currently have a dual boot with XP on one hard ... but I suspect the MBR is ... drives. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: NOT RECOGNISING THE PORTABLE HARD DRIVE
    ... After you did the inplace upgrade of XP did you reinstall the motherboard ... While it doesn't always happen that the MB drivers get dumped or ... USB Root Hub ... Any other drives try to change the drive letter. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: E/not accessible incorrect function
    ... downloaded upgrade and now it is working..... ... actually said dvd rom:O anyway I also did the update and the fixes.... ... Device Manager, open DVD/CD-ROM drives, right click one of your optical ... there should be just 4 MS signed drivers ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
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