XP Startup Issue

J

JoeBloggs

New Member
When my computer starts up and i get to thedesktop screen, windows doesnt respond for a min or two. All the icons appear and everything seems normal. I can click on the icons and some of the programs will run, however i cant click on the start button or right click on the desktop. After about two-threee mins, if i have clicked on the start button, the start menu will appear or if i press ctrl + alt + delete that window will apear. i have no anti virus or spyware software running on startup but i do check the computer from time to time for viruses etc. The computer is amd 3200+ 1gig ram, 250 hdd, windows xp professional. There is also no other programs out of the ordinary running. Anyone any ideas?
 
Download the AVG Free Edition anti virus software and run that first of all. Unless you're willing to pay then get NOD32, just so you can run another AV scan to be on the safe side. What software are you using to spyware and virus scan? Just out of curiosity, when you press ctrl + alt + delete, can you get the processor usage graph up? Is that being eaten or is it average? (eaten = 100%, average = 2% when Idle). Do you notice any applications draining your CPU usage? i.e. using 100%
 
xp

thats what i do use. that and adaware. I cant get any screen up when i press ctrl + alt + delete it doesnt appear until the windows becomes "active"
 
xp

will do later but ive 2x 12cm fans at front and back and 9cm at side. All going from startup so cant see why the pc would get hot for just a few mins after startup and then cool again
 
It happens. I had a faulty PCI-e graphics card that caused my machine to do exactly what yours is. At first I thought it was a tempurature issue because a probe application I ran on my desktop always read the CPU at a temp of 45C until the computer grinded to a halt like yours. After plenty of hardware tests in other machines I found out that it had nothing to do with my processor heat and that it was in fact the graphics card. Symptoms where the processor read at 100% usage, tempurature could go no higher than 45C until crashing etc. I'm just trying to see if there is any similarity in the patterns I had to the issues you are.

Do you have another machine similar to your spec in which you can test components of your hardware within? Maybe a different hard drive that you can install Windows on and see if the same problems occur with a different install and HDD?

With problems like these you need to do the elimination project. Test, run and do everything, one thing at a time, and see if any make a difference. Trust me, if it's something as, well, unidentifyable as the problem I had, it can take ages.
 
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i have another base station but im not sure if its pci-e. will look this afternoon and get back to you on it. thanks. hope i still have the receipt.
 
The first thing I recommend you try is a different hard disk drive. That's the first step that I took. This eliminates whether or not it's operating system or software based (plus it helps identify if the hard disk drive is at fault). So thats the first task that I suggest. Try a different hard disk within the machine at fault, and try the main hard disk from the machine at fault within a different machine. If your computer functions fine with a different hard disk in it that renders every other component within your workstation fine proving it's the hard disk.

Let me know how it goes ;).

:: Edit ::

Preferably another hard drive with a fresh windows install.
 
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xp issue

ive been looking into this issue a bit more and it appears to happen as soon as my broadband connects. startup temperatures were something like 25c and 30c
 
Them tempuratures are just perfect so it doesn't seem to be an overheating issue. When it freezes up next, quickly restart and check your tempuratures then (as they will still be near to the temp they were at during the point of crash depending on how fast you get to the bios readings). Have you tried pulling out your broadband altogether and seeing if the computer does it with that pulled out?
 
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havent got to extensively test it but other family use it and they say everything seems fine when they dont connect to broadband as soon as they log onto xp. will check out temps 2nite.
 
Hmm doesnt sound tempurature related then. Have you tried re-installing your broadband drivers / services? Re-install your drivers your ethernet / network card? Are you using a modem through USB or ethernet?
 
modem

modem is a speedtouch 350 usb. thinking of switching to a bt one with a wireless modem shortly. will try a reinstall 2nite.thanks
 
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