Guest Bill's News Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 A friend has just dropped off his computer for me to either find his problem or reinstall xp. The situation is that, after power on the user selections (there are 4 users of this machine) appear in reasonable time. However, when selecting a user it takes about 7 minutes (no sweep second on my wall clock), during which time only an empty desktop shows, before the application icons appear on the desk top. If we press Ctrl-Alt-Del immediately, the Task manager appears about 20 seconds or so later with virtually no programs running (about 10 MS modules) none of which is consuming any CPU cycles. Only Sys-idle is counting cycles. Just about when the 7 minutes expires, Task Manager shows the rest of the apps, etc., loading and the desk top icons appear. Alternatively, if I start the system and let it sit at the user choice screen for 7 minutes, when I click on a user, that desktop appears almost immediately with all app icons in place. I've never seen this sort of behavior before. Although I've not connected the PC to my router as yet, my friend says this is the behavior whether or not he has internet access available. I'm going to spend up to 4 hours poking at this tomorrow morning and was wondering if any who might be here have encountered this before and have a clue I might pursue? Many thanks for your consideration.
Guest Curt Christianson Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 Re: Anomalous startup behavior I would start by doing a check for "malware". Here are some guidelines: Malware Removal http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware THE PARASITE FIGHT Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm Richard Harper's Guide to Cleaning Pests http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm -- HTH, Curt Windows Support Center http://www.aumha.org Practically Nerded,... http://dundats.mvps.org/Index.htm "Bill's News" <billsnews@pcmagic.net> wrote in message news:46ca43b3$0$24100$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... |A friend has just dropped off his computer for me to either find | his problem or reinstall xp. | | The situation is that, after power on the user selections (there | are 4 users of this machine) appear in reasonable time. | However, when selecting a user it takes about 7 minutes (no | sweep second on my wall clock), during which time only an empty | desktop shows, before the application icons appear on the desk | top. If we press Ctrl-Alt-Del immediately, the Task manager | appears about 20 seconds or so later with virtually no programs | running (about 10 MS modules) none of which is consuming any CPU | cycles. Only Sys-idle is counting cycles. Just about when the | 7 minutes expires, Task Manager shows the rest of the apps, | etc., loading and the desk top icons appear. | | Alternatively, if I start the system and let it sit at the user | choice screen for 7 minutes, when I click on a user, that | desktop appears almost immediately with all app icons in place. | | I've never seen this sort of behavior before. | | Although I've not connected the PC to my router as yet, my | friend says this is the behavior whether or not he has internet | access available. | | I'm going to spend up to 4 hours poking at this tomorrow morning | and was wondering if any who might be here have encountered this | before and have a clue I might pursue? | | Many thanks for your consideration. | |
Guest Bill's News Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 Re: Anomalous startup behavior "Curt Christianson" <curtchristnsn@NOSPAM.Yahoo.com> wrote in message news:%23ZGVml54HHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... >I would start by doing a check for "malware". Here are some >guidelines: > > Malware Removal > http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware > > THE PARASITE FIGHT > Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware > http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm > > Richard Harper's Guide to Cleaning Pests > http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm > > -- > HTH, > Curt > > Windows Support Center > http://www.aumha.org > Practically Nerded,... > http://dundats.mvps.org/Index.htm > > "Bill's News" <billsnews@pcmagic.net> wrote in message > news:46ca43b3$0$24100$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... > |A friend has just dropped off his computer for me to either > find > | his problem or reinstall xp. > | > | The situation is that, after power on the user selections > (there > | are 4 users of this machine) appear in reasonable time. > | However, when selecting a user it takes about 7 minutes (no > | sweep second on my wall clock), during which time only an > empty > | desktop shows, before the application icons appear on the > desk > | top. If we press Ctrl-Alt-Del immediately, the Task manager > | appears about 20 seconds or so later with virtually no > programs > | running (about 10 MS modules) none of which is consuming any > CPU > | cycles. Only Sys-idle is counting cycles. Just about when > the > | 7 minutes expires, Task Manager shows the rest of the apps, > | etc., loading and the desk top icons appear. > | > | Alternatively, if I start the system and let it sit at the > user > | choice screen for 7 minutes, when I click on a user, that > | desktop appears almost immediately with all app icons in > place. > | > | I've never seen this sort of behavior before. > | > | Although I've not connected the PC to my router as yet, my > | friend says this is the behavior whether or not he has > internet > | access available. > | > | I'm going to spend up to 4 hours poking at this tomorrow > morning > | and was wondering if any who might be here have encountered > this > | before and have a clue I might pursue? > | > | Many thanks for your consideration. > | > | > > Thanks Curt. What I did, this AM, before coming here was: using MSCONFIG disable all services. Boot then worked perfectly. I then enabled 10 MS ONLY services at a time until the boot misbehaved. I was convinced it was an MS service because Task Manager, when it appeared, listed nothing but a smattering of MS services during the timeout. Among the last ten, I then did 5 and subsequently one at a time until pinpointing "Shell Hardware detection" as the culprit. This leads me to conclude that a UPnP device, or its driver, is malfunctioning and that PnP services have an inordinate time out when this occurs. I tried booting with a boot log but I find no text file containing the word "boot" created in the past 20 minutes. So, if you happen to know where MS stores the boot log and how it's named, that would be immensely helpful. I suspect that it's a wireless device, which he did not bring along, as one is listed as being disconnected. I'll disable it or remove it, if necessary, to check that out. All that inhibiting "Shell Hardware detection" from the start up activity accomplishes is to the shift the 7 minute timeout from boot time to after the desktop appears - when some other service needs i/o validation. I'm immediately able to interact with MSConfig, because it launches automatically when used to reboot. But little else will respond for about 7 minutes after the icon filled desktop appears. I'll report back with more, and hopefully the final answer, in case any others encounter this.
Guest Bill's News Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 Re: Anomalous startup behavior "Bill's News" <billsnews@pcmagic.net> wrote in message news:46caf16d$0$24135$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... > > "Curt Christianson" <curtchristnsn@NOSPAM.Yahoo.com> wrote in > message news:%23ZGVml54HHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl... >>I would start by doing a check for "malware". Here are some >>guidelines: >> >> Malware Removal >> http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware >> >> THE PARASITE FIGHT >> Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware >> http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm >> >> Richard Harper's Guide to Cleaning Pests >> http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm >> >> -- >> HTH, >> Curt >> >> Windows Support Center >> http://www.aumha.org >> Practically Nerded,... >> http://dundats.mvps.org/Index.htm >> >> "Bill's News" <billsnews@pcmagic.net> wrote in message >> news:46ca43b3$0$24100$4c368faf@roadrunner.com... >> |A friend has just dropped off his computer for me to either >> find >> | his problem or reinstall xp. >> | >> | The situation is that, after power on the user selections >> (there >> | are 4 users of this machine) appear in reasonable time. >> | However, when selecting a user it takes about 7 minutes (no >> | sweep second on my wall clock), during which time only an >> empty >> | desktop shows, before the application icons appear on the >> desk >> | top. If we press Ctrl-Alt-Del immediately, the Task >> manager >> | appears about 20 seconds or so later with virtually no >> programs >> | running (about 10 MS modules) none of which is consuming >> any CPU >> | cycles. Only Sys-idle is counting cycles. Just about when >> the >> | 7 minutes expires, Task Manager shows the rest of the apps, >> | etc., loading and the desk top icons appear. >> | >> | Alternatively, if I start the system and let it sit at the >> user >> | choice screen for 7 minutes, when I click on a user, that >> | desktop appears almost immediately with all app icons in >> place. >> | >> | I've never seen this sort of behavior before. >> | >> | Although I've not connected the PC to my router as yet, my >> | friend says this is the behavior whether or not he has >> internet >> | access available. >> | >> | I'm going to spend up to 4 hours poking at this tomorrow >> morning >> | and was wondering if any who might be here have encountered >> this >> | before and have a clue I might pursue? >> | >> | Many thanks for your consideration. >> | >> | >> >> > > Thanks Curt. What I did, this AM, before coming here was: > > using MSCONFIG disable all services. > Boot then worked perfectly. > > I then enabled 10 MS ONLY services at a time until the boot > misbehaved. I was convinced it was an MS service because Task > Manager, when it appeared, listed nothing but a smattering of > MS services during the timeout. > > Among the last ten, I then did 5 and subsequently one at a > time until pinpointing > "Shell Hardware detection" as the culprit. > > This leads me to conclude that a UPnP device, or its driver, > is malfunctioning and that PnP services have an inordinate > time out when this occurs. I tried booting with a boot log > but I find no text file containing the word "boot" created in > the past 20 minutes. So, if you happen to know where MS > stores the boot log and how it's named, that would be > immensely helpful. > > I suspect that it's a wireless device, which he did not bring > along, as one is listed as being disconnected. I'll disable > it or remove it, if necessary, to check that out. > > All that inhibiting "Shell Hardware detection" from the start > up activity accomplishes is to the shift the 7 minute timeout > from boot time to after the desktop appears - when some other > service needs i/o validation. I'm immediately able to > interact with MSConfig, because it launches automatically when > used to reboot. But little else will respond for about 7 > minutes after the icon filled desktop appears. > > I'll report back with more, and hopefully the final answer, in > case any others encounter this. > > No idea how the problem arose but it was at-the-very-least the networking software (basic MS stuff, on-mobo gigabit NAC, and driver). Unable to obtain net address, after the delay mentioned earlier. Tried a DELL restore disc "repair" op first. What a hilarious adventure. After about 50 minutes of advertising - during which only a small portion of time was devoted to what seemed to be the restore op? - and a final reboot, the system quickly displayed the original 4 user's access icons. Selecting one brings up a message, paraphrasing here, that the OS needs to be activated before I can log on. No other indication nor ability to determine that the network adapter software was still not working. Safe mode suffered the same silliness. Doing a full install (repartitioned and reformatted the HDD) solved the problem forthwith. Interestingly, the same codes were entered for both restore and full install - why one needed activation and the other did not is only slightly more confounding than the cause of the problem which is now solved.
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