Oh boy now my win xp pro sp3 computer boots as slow as my Vista computer! At the mainboard screen at boot or reboot, there is now a two minute pause...freeze up before win xp loads and comes online. This started happening several months ago, I even bought another hard drive and installed it and rebuilt my computer from scratch, at first the two minute freeze up was gone, but after loading more programs and installing updates it went back to the two minute freeze ups. I'm starting to wonder if Microsoft didn't slip me an update that causes this slow down just so It won't be faster then Vista and Win 7 ???? I hope not !!!! Please help

I certainly hope you are kidding about that last bit or I'll have to send you to a tinfoil hat maker. Obviously something you are installing is causing the issue. Below is general information about troubleshooting slow startups/shutdowns. That should get you started. If you need more help, please post back with results. Some reasons for computer slowness: 1. Computer hasn't been maintained - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Maintenance 2. Computer is infected with malware - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware 3. Hard drive is too full. Remove unnecessary stuff, uninstall unused programs. Don't forget to back up! http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Backing_Up 4. Flaky third-party software. Toolbars and add-ons are particular culprits in this area. Uninstall toolbars (Google, Yahoo, ISP-branded, etc.) and look carefully at what add-ons are in use in your browser(s). 5. Computer has too many unnecessary programs/processes running in the background. Manage your Startup: For XP - How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP - http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560 The free Autoruns program is very useful for managing your Startup - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx For Vista/Windows7 - Start Orb>Search box>type: msconfig and when it appears in the Results box above, right-click and choose "Run as Administrator". Autoruns is also very useful. 6. User is running a bloated/invasive antivirus program such as ones from Norton and McAfee. Replace with a better program. I recommend either NOD32 (commercial) or Avast (free). Avira is also good but the free version has an unpleasant nag screen (Google for instructions as to how to disable this). User may also be running more than one real-time antivirus/firewall/security program. 7. User has installed new programs that are processor and/or memory-intensive (Photoshop, AutoCAD, Mathmatica or the like) and doesn't have the necessary hardware power. 8. Hard drive is failing and is in PIO Mode. This is very dramatically slow (like being back in 1985). See Hans-Georg Michna's information here - http://winhlp.com/?q=node/10 In addition to the above, also see http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html Note: If computer has always been slow, in addition to items above user may have purchased a machine with a less powerful processor and not enough RAM (memory). For normal computer use, 512MB-1GB is usually sufficient for XP; Vista should have a minimum of 2GB; Windows 7 is less demanding than Vista but the minimum of 2GB should also be used. Shutdown issues Shutdown issues are generally caused by a program and/or process that is refusing to exit gracefully. The program and/or process can be from malware or can be legitimate (such as an invasive antivirus like Norton or McAfee). If you are using a Norton or McAfee product, uninstall it and replace with a better program such as NOD32, Kasperksy, or Avast (free). The Windows Firewall is adequate for most people. Shutdown issues can also be caused by old/poorly written drivers so make sure all drivers are updated, particularly on Windows Vista and Windows 7. A.The first step is always to make sure your computer is virus/malware free. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware B. If the computer is virus/malware-free, drivers are current, and no Norton or McAfee programs are installed, then do clean-boot troubleshooting to see which program/process is the culprit: How to perform a clean boot in Vista and XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331796 How to perform a clean boot in Windows Vista or Windows 7 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135 C. If you need more information, here is an excellent shutdown troubleshooter - http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

OK y'all are failing to see just when this two minute pause takes place, for no better name at the initial start when the motherboard logo appears and you can allow the OS to go ahead and load OR hit the del key or F1 to go to BIOS settings screens..........ALSO if del key is hit it also goes into two minute pause before it loads the bios setting screen. ALL THIS OCCURS BEFORE THE HARD DRIVE READS AND BEGINS TO LOAD THE OS IN THIS CASE WIN XP PRO SP3

Then this isn't a Windows issue. Check your boot priority in the BIOS. Perhaps you have it set to look for a network boot (PXE server) first and it is timing out. Refer to your motherboard manual or post on a hardware forum for your motherboard.MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

I did notice on most computers with a manufacturer BIOS logo, you can press ESC to see what's going on "behind the scenes" because it's possible it's either doing a memory test or trying to boot off a non-existent network. Hope this information helps ;)