extremely slow reboot

Anonymous
2011-10-05T04:46:40+00:00

I use a dell laptop with windows xp and am having extremely slow reboots.

specs:

MS Windows XP Home SP3

Intel CPU T2060 @ 1.60 GHz

2.0GB RAM

ATI Mobility Radeon X1400

Dell Inspiron 9400

Using Windows task manager I click on shutdown then restart

Once it restarts the first thing I notice on the screen is

Dell

then Windows XP

then a full black screen

Welcome on a blue screen appears at 1 minute 45 seconds

It takes more than 3 minutes for the day of the week, time and date to appear in the right lower corner

It takes more than 5 minutes for the start button to become responsive to a click

It takes more then 7 minutes to open Mozilla Firefox

How do I troubleshoot and get a faster reboot?

Using msconfig  services, hide all microsoft services the only item are my lexmark printer and Microsoft Automated troubleshooting service

under the startup tab the only item to start with reboot is ctfmon

With most software off on reboot how come it is taking so long?  Also I use Mcafee antivirus plus and I had the Mcafee boxes unchecked with reboot.  That is no evident active antivirus system load with reboot

i have checked for malware using Malwarebytes full scan approximately 8 hours and no malware

I have checked for malware also using Kapersky free download and it too found no malware

I use Ccleaner, Privacy Mantra and Glary utilities regularly

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-10-05T15:26:25+00:00

    McAfee is a resource hog that often results in extremely sluggish performace. Are you willing to uninstall it and replace it with a superior product? If so, I recommend Avira AntiVir:

    http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus

    I also recommend using Add or Remove Programs followed by running their Removal Tool:

    http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-10-05T16:09:16+00:00

    How can you determine the source of the extremely slow reboot?

    Using msconfig I have almost all unchecked including McAfee agent on reboot.

    There is no McAfee icon in the right lower corner.

    If I uninstall McAfee and then everything improves then it is solved.

    If I uninstall McAfee and then it does not improve then what next?

    How do you troubleshoot an extremely slow reboot?

    I ran several Microsoft fix it programs and now Microsoft Automated troubleshooting service is checked.  I can uncheck this so it does not start with a reboot.  The only other item is my lexmark printer under the services tab.  And ctfmon is the only item checked under the startup tab.

    Regarding McAfee mcagent is unchecked and McAfee security scan plus is also unchecked.

    Is there a log somewhere that indicates what is happening on reboot that records the time and what is happening to see where the delays are and then troubleshoot?

    I use the registry portion of glary utilities.  The Ccleaner finds registry issues but I have not used this portion of the Ccleaner.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-10-05T16:41:29+00:00

    Registry "cleaner" use is extremely risky and has little or no benefit. Most people here recommend that people don't use them. I agree.

    Msconfig is a troubleshooting tool and is not completely thorough. Disabling certain components of a complex program like McAfee will not disable the entire program!

    It has been thoroughly documented that McAfee is problematic. Yes, there are other causes of slowdowns, which include the following:

    • the presence of malware
    • web browser add-ons like toolbars
    • a software conflict
    • a bad update. For instance, Windows Search 4.0 (KB940157) often hoses XP systems. It is an optional update. As a rule, I stay away from all optional updates.

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  5. Anonymous
    2011-10-05T17:10:54+00:00

    In a google search i found this webpage:

    http://www.delete-computer-history.com/slow-boot-up.html

    Is there anything here that you recommend?

    I am using mcafee simply because it was preinstalled on my laptop.  If other antivirus are free, and perform the same or better with less tax on the system then maybe I should switch.  How did you find the comparison of the Avira, AVG, Avast and make up your mind?  They are all available on www.downloads.com

    How do find out what tool bars are on the computer or set to work with each of the browsers.  How do you delete all of them and end up with perhaps just a google search?

    How do you check for software conflicts.  I had gone to control panel > add remove programs and then uninstalled many programs that I knew I could reinstall.  Then I reinstalled fresh downloads.    These were my most recent uninstall and reinstall:  safari, ccleaner, apple software update, quicktime, google earth, malwarebytes, microsoft fix it center.

    There is a microsoft center that has run diagnostic on my computer that has a list or all programs.

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