Re: sys.ini problems

Bill,

I would update your AV daily. I use AVG 7 and they have at least 5 or 6
updates a week. I am sure that Norton Anti-Virus is similar. Are you sure
that you do not have it set to automatically update?

FYI, the Win.ini and System.ini are not required by XP, they are both
included for backwards compatibility with old MS-DOS 16 bit programs. The
System.ini file is used to start and store information for drivers and
services; the Win.ini file plays a similar role for applications. Both of
these files were used for different settings before there was such a thing
as a registry.

To check on the Print Spooler and Themes services,
open Services...
Start | Run | Type: services.msc | Click OK |
Scroll down to and double click Print Spooler | On the General tab, set the
Startup type to Automatic | Click Apply | Click the Start button | When the
service starts, click OK

Scroll down to and double click Themes | On the General tab, set the Startup
type to Automatic | Click Apply | Click the Start button | When the service
starts, click OK

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:13BA04E2-4F02-4464-821D-45BE51A72C3D@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Bill <Bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

You have apparently disabled *some* services also, i.e. the Themes
service probably.

Never, ever use msconfig to disable services, use services.msc.

You need to re-enable the things that you disabled using msconfig.

Msconfig Stuck in Selective Startup.

Msconfig.exe is the System Configuration Utility.

The Normal startup option reverts to Selective startup if you select any
of the options selected under other tabs in Msconfig.

Open msconfig...
Start | Run | Type: msconfig | Click OK

Click the System.ini tab.
If the Enable All button is available (not grayed out) click on it, that
means that you have something Disabled.
If you have to click the Enable All button then click on the Apply button
also.

Click the Win.ini tab.
If the Enable All button is available (not grayed out) click on it, that
means that you have something Disabled.
If you have to click the Enable All button then click on the Apply button
also.

Click the Boot.ini tab.
If /SAFEBOOT is checked, uncheck it.
If you had to do that then click on the Apply button also.

Click the Services tab.
If the Enable All button is available (not grayed out) click on it, that
means that you have something Disabled.
If you have to click the Enable All button then click on the Apply button
also.

Click the Startup tab.
If the Enable All button is available (not grayed out) click on it, that
means that you have something Disabled.
If you have to click the Enable All button then click on the Apply button
also.

Click on the General tab and select Normal Startup, if it's not already
selected.
Click on the Apply button.
And reboot.

The System Configuration Utility starts when you start your computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312393

Now, the first thing to do when your computer slows down...

UPDATE your antivirus software and run a full system scan.

UPDATE whatever anti-spyware applications that you have and run a full
system scan with each one.

You might want to start in Safe Mode to run your antivirus and
anti-spyware software.

Running a full system antivirus scan or anti-spyware scan in Safe Mode
can be a good idea. Some viruses and other malware like to conceal
themselves in areas Windows protects while using them. Safe mode will
prevent those applications access and therefore unprotect the viruses or
other malware allowing for easier removal.

How to start Windows in Safe Mode Windows XP
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=61#winxo

Also see...

Why is my computer running so slow, it used to be much faster?
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:E997CB62-9CE9-4AF0-9B89-758BB8E8BA5D@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Bill <Bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Hello:
My Dell I8200 was starting to run less efficiently than normal, so I
tried a diagnostic recommended by a Website columnist. It said to run
msconfig and then disable one by one the items on the sys.ini tab. This
is where I ran into trouble. This was last night (4 Dec) and since then
the machine has been running in a different mode than normal, e.g. the
task bar is now white instead of default blue. The print spooler service
is not active, and I don't know how to reactivate. The items in the
sys.ini list are all enabled. System restore doesn't work past the point
where the initial crash last night occurred. Can anyone help me, in
English?
Thanks!
Bill

Hello Wes:
Thanks for your timely response to my problem, however, it didn't work.
All the Enable buttons were grayed out, leaving only the Disable buttons
available. I DID notice under the Services tab, some of the services
listed had "stopped" as a status, while others were "running." I presume
that the ones "stopped" are the ones preventing my system from running
properly? So, the question is: how do I get them running again. Before I
posted to this Discussion Group, I had read somewhere of a "process of
elimination" to solve problems like this -- does that sound familiar to
you? Is there some way I can take those "stopped" services one by one and
re-start them?

For the record: I have Norton Anti-Virus, and run full system scans
weekly, and update the virus protection monthly, renewing my subscription
annually. What you said about viruses hiding in protected areas sounds
right to me, because the full system scans report only about 200+K files
examined, when I have almost 16GB of my hard drive filled, which suggests
to me that there are viruses hiding somewhere Norton couldn't detect.
Correct? Once I get this problem solved, I'll run the scans in Safe Mode,
as per your suggestion. Meanwhile, back to the main problem. Any other
ideas?
Many thanks, so far.
Bill

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