Booting Up Woes - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MahlerIsGod · 10-24-2004, 11:53 AM

Greetings Everyone,
This is a relatively recently problem and I am hoping that somone here might be able to help me diagnosis the problem. Sometimes, and without a pattern I can detect, when I start up my computer (XP SP2) and after I enter my password the start up process stalls on "Loading Your Personal Settings." I have to turn off my computer and try again (that usually works). What is this problem indicative of? A bad primary harddrive? Something else? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

JaySpencer · 10-24-2004, 01:18 PM

Should not be the HD, if you get to that far in the OS load. Your profile may be bad, try creating a new one and logging in with that one. If the profile was bad, use the new one, and perhaps delete the old one, but be ready that you may have to reinstall a bunch of software after.

Goaliexam · 10-24-2004, 03:00 PM

I have experienced this problem myself a few times, but it went away. I'm not entirely sure what caused it, but I have a feeling it was some of the Windows Powertoys that were causing the problem, because since I've uninstalled them I have yet to have that issue again.

Other possibilities could be a software/driver conflict or a bad hard drive. You should try booting in safe mode and seeing if you can get things working there.

JaySpencer · 10-24-2004, 04:22 PM

If it was the physical hard drive, the problems should manifest before bootup, unless it is a bad sector specifically in a sector that has a file of the profile.

Check the hard drive with a disk scanning utility may be a good thing to do.

DJMala · 10-24-2004, 09:02 PM

I have a laptop that does the same thing on occasion. The only time it ever happened consistently was when I booted it while it was connected to a hotel network port. As soon as I disconnected it from the network port, it booted without a problem. On my home network, the same thing happens but not at all consistently.

Maybe something's failing in the network subsystem (an XP bug, perhaps?) and bringing the whole machine down?

spindles · 10-25-2004, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJMala

I have a laptop that does the same thing on occasion. The only time it ever happened consistently was when I booted it while it was connected to a hotel network port. As soon as I disconnected it from the network port, it booted without a problem. On my home network, the same thing happens but not at all consistently.

Maybe something's failing in the network subsystem (an XP bug, perhaps?) and bringing the whole machine down?

Just a guess, but it may be searching for the dhcp server - trying for an ip address - this can take a seriously long time before it times out if the net connection is not up...

It is also possible that I am talking out of my arse

AxelF · 10-25-2004, 12:51 PM

Yes, if you are logging on to a server this can happen. Beats me why exactly, I struggled with it for months once, and then stopped having my users files and settings profile on the server.

Remember that if you download a huge file to your desktop it may have to be copied to the server and then to where you log in next. Some people may have tons of files in their Desktop;My documents;My Pictures;My Music that they change often and add and remove to. Those extensive changes will have to be mirrored on the server if you have your profile set up that way.

My rule: In any circumstance, keep the total size of your personal files under C:\Documents and settings\YourUserName... (and then /Desktop and /My Documents) as SMALL as possible. This can/will save you boot time for sure. Put them somewhere else.

Also non-working soundfiles that are set to play when you log in and out can mess it up. Take both those away.

Also DHCP or DNS problems I considered candidates for this. I eventually had to reinstall the server and network to make it go away. Still it can happen but very seldom.

Another hard to find problem that occurs, not when booting, but while handling your files: Movie files that are very large can have errors in them where frames are corrupt. This makes Windows XP get stuck on that file just because you touched it (not played it). This is because XP tries to do a quick analyze of it to give you info about it. And it gets stuck at using 50% of your CPU until you reboot. There is a registryhack to turn of this analyzing, but better is to fix the file with some of the free tools that are around for it (index in file needs to be rebuilt). Just thought I'd mention this one too.

Good Luck!

10-24-2004, 11:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
MahlerIsGod At The Globe Showing Will How Its Done Location: London/Elysium	Booting Up Woes Greetings Everyone, This is a relatively recently problem and I am hoping that somone here might be able to help me diagnosis the problem. Sometimes, and without a pattern I can detect, when I start up my computer (XP SP2) and after I enter my password the start up process stalls on "Loading Your Personal Settings." I have to turn off my computer and try again (that usually works). What is this problem indicative of? A bad primary harddrive? Something else? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks __________________ "But a work of art is a conscious human effort that has to do with communication. It is that or its nothing. When an accident is applauded as a work of art, when a cult grows up around the deliciousness of inadvertent beauty, we are in the presence of the greatest decadence the West has known in its history."

10-25-2004, 12:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
AxelF Crazy Location: Europe	Yes, if you are logging on to a server this can happen. Beats me why exactly, I struggled with it for months once, and then stopped having my users files and settings profile on the server. Remember that if you download a huge file to your desktop it may have to be copied to the server and then to where you log in next. Some people may have tons of files in their Desktop;My documents;My Pictures;My Music that they change often and add and remove to. Those extensive changes will have to be mirrored on the server if you have your profile set up that way. My rule: In any circumstance, keep the total size of your personal files under C:\Documents and settings\YourUserName... (and then /Desktop and /My Documents) as SMALL as possible. This can/will save you boot time for sure. Put them somewhere else. Also non-working soundfiles that are set to play when you log in and out can mess it up. Take both those away. Also DHCP or DNS problems I considered candidates for this. I eventually had to reinstall the server and network to make it go away. Still it can happen but very seldom. Another hard to find problem that occurs, not when booting, but while handling your files: Movie files that are very large can have errors in them where frames are corrupt. This makes Windows XP get stuck on that file just because you touched it (not played it). This is because XP tries to do a quick analyze of it to give you info about it. And it gets stuck at using 50% of your CPU until you reboot. There is a registryhack to turn of this analyzing, but better is to fix the file with some of the free tools that are around for it (index in file needs to be rebuilt). Just thought I'd mention this one too. Good Luck! __________________ Coffee

10-24-2004, 01:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
JaySpencer Tilted	Should not be the HD, if you get to that far in the OS load. Your profile may be bad, try creating a new one and logging in with that one. If the profile was bad, use the new one, and perhaps delete the old one, but be ready that you may have to reinstall a bunch of software after.

10-24-2004, 03:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
Goaliexam Upright	I have experienced this problem myself a few times, but it went away. I'm not entirely sure what caused it, but I have a feeling it was some of the Windows Powertoys that were causing the problem, because since I've uninstalled them I have yet to have that issue again. Other possibilities could be a software/driver conflict or a bad hard drive. You should try booting in safe mode and seeing if you can get things working there.

10-24-2004, 04:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
JaySpencer Tilted	If it was the physical hard drive, the problems should manifest before bootup, unless it is a bad sector specifically in a sector that has a file of the profile. Check the hard drive with a disk scanning utility may be a good thing to do.

10-24-2004, 09:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
DJMala Crazy Location: MA	I have a laptop that does the same thing on occasion. The only time it ever happened consistently was when I booted it while it was connected to a hotel network port. As soon as I disconnected it from the network port, it booted without a problem. On my home network, the same thing happens but not at all consistently. Maybe something's failing in the network subsystem (an XP bug, perhaps?) and bringing the whole machine down?