9300 slow start up

my 9300 is really bad about starting slow. after i log in to my user profile it goes into the windows desktop and then will load one program in the taskbar, then i'll click on the internet or messenger or some program that requires the internet and then it just freezes and after a couple of minutes it loads the rest of the programs and does the little windows sound. what is the deal, this comp is quick, but start ups are rediculusly slow. thanks for what ever input you have to offer

 

If you're using the computer as it came from Dell, with all it's junkware, I suggest you reload a clean copy of windows. Southerngirl has written an excellent tutorial, it can be found as a sticky at the top of the forum.
If the problem persists, read this...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=5787

 

Most likely there are a ton of programs running in the background. You can use task manager to see what is running by hitting ctrl+shift+esc. Take a look at the memory usage right after your computer starts and if it is above 100MB then I'd suggest disabling or uninstalling the programs that you don't use.

 

reformat and reinstall XP

 

Here here. Reformat and reinstall XP. I experienced almost exact problems as flynnstone_45. Make it a Sat morning project. It only took me a little over 1 hour from start to installing everything back plus Windows updates. My machine runs 200% smoother and no more slow starts.

 

had the same problem. when i first got the machine, i had removed the junkware and installed xp pro on my own. and i've had slow start ups since. too lazy to backup all my stuff and reinstall it; so i basically leave the comp on for many days (is that bad?). is there another fix to the slow startup? i've tried working with the msconfig thing but it doesn't help.

 

you reinstalled a fresh copy of the OS and it's slower than before ?

 

Im thinking the same thing Drumfu. Did you do the reformatt correctly? You might have created another drive and kept the C:\ Try reformating again.

 

First, if you haven't, try doing a clean install. That will help your system. If you have done a clean install, then check and see what programs are running at the start up. Software like Norton Systemworks takes time to load up. I would recommend downloading bootvis ( http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=664 ) and it will trace your programs on boot up. It tells you what is taking the most time.

SG

 

Having programs load into memory in a certain order can slow a system right down. Sometimes Norton can be a cause of this. I installed Internet security once, and because another program loaded before it, the boot up took an extra 2 minutes. Now that was shocking.