My computer was starting smoothly and quickly until recently (when I downloaded a game from I-Win; they installed an item on my startup taskbar). Recently, right before the last three items can completely load, my computer slows down and it takes an extra three to five minutes to complete the process.
When I start up the computer and log onto the system, as I said, it starts out just fine. Then when my Callwave online fax service, Microsoft Firewall and Internet attempt to load, everything slows. Sometimes I get the message that my Firewall isn't on and to fix the problem. (I check out my Firewall, but it is on). Then everything finally loads.
I've tried:
-removing unwanted programs
-running defrag and disk clean-up
-deleting temporary files
-running Adaware and Avast Anti-virus
-calling my cable/internet company. (They said I've done everything they could have suggested.)
-checking my Internet speed, which was higher than normal.
And finally, I tried removing unwanted items under msconfig, specifically I-Win and Kodak. When I did that, I got a message at start up saying that I was running at selected or diagnostic mode and to change everything back to "normal" under the "General" tab. I did that, thinking that I may have removed something I shouldn't have.
This time, the start up items that I had removed, along with a few others, appeared and my computer started updating Java and my HP scanner.
I went back to msconfig, removed I-Win, Kodak, Google updator, old Mcafee files (I no longer have McAfee)
I restarted the computer, only to find the same slowness/hanging at the end problem. The configuration message telling me to select "Normal" settings came on. This time, I just selected "do not show this message again," and restarted the computer....which loaded fine until the last three items (Internet, Callwave and Firewall.)
Now what? This just started happening a week or two a go when I-Win installed its message alert service in my taskbar.
I have:
-about 512 MB of RAM: 58.9 out of 74.4 GB available
Go into msconfig again and disable
everything not needed to run at startup. Maybe there is another I-Win entry in there
Start/Run and type in
msconfig
OK
Startup Tab
Keep the page open then go to one of the links below. They will tell you what all the entries are and whether you can disable them or not. They will also identify any malware. Disable everything which is not needed to run at start up
Dunedin, just in case you're interested, the problem of the last three items (Callwave, Internet, Fireall) not being able to load quickly still exists. I even tried an error check.
I do want to thank you, though, for telling me about those links -- I got rid of quite a few unnecessary start up items!
You said the problem was with Callwave, Internet and Firewall. I`d be inclined to make Callwave last but there is no reference to the firewall or internet
I still wonder if there is any connection to I-Win. Have a look in Add/Remove Programs to see if I-Win has sneaked something else in there
By the way, you do know that the XP firewall is not very good, don`t you?
Maybe you should get something like
I guess you are psychic. Your ID should read "Tuned-in" instead of "Dunedin"! Have any winning lottery numbers? (Just kidding.)
By the way, do you have any suggestions on how I should space the items out? There doesn't seem to be any references to Windows Firewall or the Internet, although the one for Callwave exists.
Thanks, Dunedin! I think I'll try that program. I think that you read my mind -- I was wondering if there was a way to space out the starting up start up items! :)
A workaround I use when some items slow down the startup is, instead of having them load at startup, I have desktop shortcuts to them, and start them after Windows has finished loading. Usually, the items will start quickly from their desktop shortcut, and interference between items set to load at startup is avoided. I find out which are the troblesome ones by a process of elimination.
Message Edited by JRosenfeld on 12-20-2007 11:27 PM
dunedin
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Posted December 19th, 2007 19:00
Start/Run and type in
msconfig
OK
Keep the page open then go to one of the links below. They will tell you what all the entries are and whether you can disable them or not. They will also identify any malware. Disable everything which is not needed to run at start up