Ultra Slow Computer Boot!

[miguel]

Im not sure if this is posted in the right forum, but i dont know where else to post it.

Whenever i turn on my computer, all that happens is my coolers, turning on. It takes my computer about 15 minutes to startup the system check (the thingy thing, where you can see details about your computer, and where you can enter bios setup ect. ect. ect.).
But when my computer finally starts up, it run like it have always done. And if i restart my computer, it startsup right away to. Its only if i leave my computer off for a while, i get the problem.
I've tried to reset my motherboard, reformatting my computer and i've also tried to clean my hardware inside out. Nothing seems to help.

Im thinking that it might be that my CPU is a little old, and i might need to replace it with a new one. I got a Intel Celeron (i know celeron sucks) 2.4 MhZ.

If anyone know what might be causing the problem, i'd be happy to hear from you.

Thanks.

 

[jaguarskx]

could you porvide you whole system spec. also when was the last time you defragged and done a disk check as well as virus/ad-aware scan.

In addition to the above, did you recently update any driver or install any new programs?

I had a similar situation where after installing an update for ATI's Multi-Media Center software that came with my All-In-Wonder card. Afterwards it took about 3 minutes instead of 40 second to boot into Windows. I un-install the update and the MMC software, and then I re-installed the MMC with the same update and my PC has been fine ever since.

 

[miguel]

Processor: Intel Celeron 2.4
Memory: 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM
Graphicard: GeForce FX5500
Motherboard: Some VIA thing...

I've both reformatted my computer and i reset my motherboard, so i dont think it has anything to do with me installing any new driver on the computer.

 

[jaguarskx]

I've both reformatted my computer and i reset my motherboard, so i dont think it has anything to do with me installing any new driver on the computer.

So your saying this happens even on a fresh install?

I don't maybe there's a problem with the motherboard. Try updating the BIOS.

Weird.

 

[TurricaN_BEL_]

Had the same situation with my wife's PC
(Athlon XP 2800 Barton , 1 GB ram , GF3 Ti 500)
Wouldnt get past post when cold started , hung on post (showing only CPU speed but didnt start ramcheck)
Solution?
Cmos battery was nearly empty I guess , but when I replaced it it posted directly and booted normally
I hope this one helps...

 

[baladorr]

oops double post ><

 

[baladorr]

I've been wrong before but I will try to help out.

Before you try anything, try this: Go into your BIOS settings and look for something that looks like "Quick Boot" or "Quick Power On Self Test". Depending on the amount of RAM and how fast it is, it could take an extremely long time to boot the machine, because the computer must first test every single bit of RAM. I always set mine to boot quickly.

Without being able to view the problem directly, I suspect you could be having an IDE problem. Here are some tips that might help you fix the problem:

BIOS could be searching for a drive that isn't there, or is misconfigured. Depending on your IDE settings, the BIOS will try to autodetect all of your IDE devices (Typically Hard Disk and CDROM drives.) You could try to re-detect each IDE device from BIOS by going into the IDE's controller settings and selecting autodetect. On my motherboard you would choose: Standard CMOS Features > IDE Primary Master or IDE Primary Slave and so on.

It could also be a failing or failed drive. During the autodetection process, BIOS will query the drives it finds on each IDE channel. A failing or failed drive can send back corrupted data thereby prolonging the power on self test and subsequent boot process.

It could also be a CDROM trying to boot a CDROM disc that's in your CDROM drive. Eject the disk and reboot.

Another test would be to disconnect your IDE devices and try booting. If the machine boots quickly to "cannot find operating system", or something to this effect, then you can rightly suspect that you have a bad IDE device, a bad IDE cable, or something happened to the IDE connector or controller itself.

Lastly, you can record all your BIOS settings and then set to factory default. This has cured my problems many more times that I would like to admit.

Don't do all of these at once. Take it one step at a time. Try to find the most logical/simple things first. Don't over-think your problem.
Don't try to work inside your machine if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
*DO NOT* update your BIOS unless you are comfortable with this process, and you know exactly what you are doing. Screwing this up could completely disable your motherboard and render it useless. Certain motherboards have a dual BIOS that can save you from this pitfall, as well as BIOS altering virii. If you aren't familiar with it, then don't go there. This should only be used as a last resort, and I implore you to seek further advice before proceeding with a BIOS update. HOWEVER, if your BIOS has a very old version number, you may want to look into this just because.

DO back up your important data.

I am not responsible for any harm to your machine or data resulting from this free advice. :roll:

If you solve the problem please post it here and share the knowledge.

 

[YO_KID37]

I got a Intel Celeron (i know celeron sucks) 2.4 MhZ.

If anyone know what might be causing the problem, i'd be happy to hear from you.

Thanks.

OmG No wonder It takes 2 Years for it to Start up. You got a computer slower than my Casio Scientific Calculator

 

[baladorr]

I got a Intel Celeron (i know celeron sucks) 2.4 MhZ.

If anyone know what might be causing the problem, i'd be happy to hear from you.

Thanks.

OmG No wonder It takes 2 Years for it to Start up. You got a computer slower than my Casio Scientific Calculator

WTF dude? This guy comes here looking for help and you're trying to put him down?

If you can't add anything to the discussion then stay out of it. 2.4ghz Celeron is probably just fine for what this person needs. My wife still uses a 1533 Athlon XP and her computer works quite well for the programs she runs.

Making fun of, and putting down other people's gear makes *YOU* look bad.

Next time try being a part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

 

[YO_KID37]

whow. calm down. Just point out an obvious and probbaly known mistake.

He most likely just has to change the Operating system check from 30-50 seconds down to 20 or what ever that limit is. it brand my crappy systems start-up time from about 6 minutes down to 4~ish. just by lowering the Operating systems check up

 

[TurricaN_BEL_]

Guys , calm down
but if you listen to what he had to say you would have noticed that he doesnt get past the POST properly , it doesnt have a thing to do with win booting.
As Baladorr says , it could be a drive not booting properly, but since he doesnt mention any drive malfunction , I think it has to be bios/mobo related.
If possible, try swapping the cmos, as i said before .
I really hope his PC get fixed.
At YO_KID37 :!:
Some people arent so rich to be able to buy the latest and greatest.
You know , some people got a family, a life , and they just come here for help , not to be put down by someone.
I can laugh at you too you know , maybe i'm not so L337 like you , but when the time comes when you need help , we'll be the ones to laugh.
And if you find my english amusing , i do speak dutch, french, german and english.....
How many languages do you speak?
(talking out of your ass not including)

 

[Jackalope73]

Does your boot priority have the Windows drive set to #1 also try disable network boot. Can you give us any mobo specs?

 

[YO_KID37]

Im not sure if this is posted in the right forum, but i dont know where else to post it.

Whenever i turn on my computer, all that happens is my coolers, turning on. It takes my computer about 15 minutes to startup the system check (the thingy thing, where you can see details about your computer, and where you can enter bios setup ect. ect. ect.).
But when my computer finally starts up, it run like it have always done. And if i restart my computer, it startsup right away to. Its only if i leave my computer off for a while, i get the problem.
I've tried to reset my motherboard, reformatting my computer and i've also tried to clean my hardware inside out. Nothing seems to help.

Im thinking that it might be that my CPU is a little old, and i might need to replace it with a new one. I got a Intel Celeron (i know celeron sucks) 2.4 MhZ.

If anyone know what might be causing the problem, i'd be happy to hear from you.

Thanks.

Omg, Was just a light joke, did'nt think anyone would get that offended. OMG. if you still think i was being an ass with that Mhz*error then

Screw you Guys !... I'm going Home

 

[zarooch]

well.. i think the problem could be with your hardware detection, ur bIOS is checking for a device which is not properly configured... or as someone already has mentioned it may be that the bios is checking the ram... that takes a lot of time... so first check the ram testing option... then hdd and then something else!

 

[Levium]

The dells that we get into work that have this problem, usually leave with a new motherboard. Check the mainboard for any raised capacitors. If all else fails you might be looking at a new mobo.

 

[Jackalope73]

I have actually come across the exact same problem and it turned out it was because the machine was setup attached to the internet via a LAN and when any of the machines were disconnected from the LAN it seems as though the Windows screen takes forever to be displayed. The worst instance is IBM thinkpads with a add in network cards running Win98 however 2000pro is similar and Xp is much quicker does the same thing. Are you connected to a LAN or the internet via sharing or similar configuration? Just a shot in the dark but these are the same simptoms and once connected poof! They boot windows without the delay between BIOS post and Windows.

 

[baladorr]

The dells that we get into work that have this problem, usually leave with a new motherboard. Check the mainboard for any raised capacitors. If all else fails you might be looking at a new mobo.

I've replaced countless Dell motherboards as well at my old job due to the "thermal event" issue related directly to raised and leaking capacitors on Foxconn motherboards.

 

[miguel]

Hi, and thanks for all the great tips and suggestions. I tried a lot of them, but sadly nothing seemed to work.

Then, my friend got this crazy idea, that i should try unplugging my Graphiccard, and see if i could boot the computer normally with my screen plugged into the OnBoard graphic.

And the computer booted like it used to in the old days. Then we tried to plug my Graphiccard into my friend's computer, and the same happened to he's computer. VEEERY slow boot.
We found out, that it boots fine on restarts, when the computer is warmed up. But on cold boots, it takes forever, and it seems to take longer and longer, everytime we perform a cold boot.
We also tried to use my old graphiccard on my computer or a while, to see if it was something in my motherboard, that was causing the porblem. But after 3 days, it still booted instantly (on cold boots aswell as restarts).

then, we google'd it, and found tons of people who have had problems with the GeForce FX series cards, and they all seem to (after a while) make the computer boot very slowly.

This seemed to be caused, after installing the newest driver from Nvidia.
Does anyone know what to do?.

 

[miguel]

try posting some advices i can actually use.

"Get an ATI card" wont help me.

 

[Jackalope73]

You can try to use the device manager to rollback the driver if it is WinXp but I strongly recommend using an Nvidia driver removal tool. A clean video driver install is best.

 

[smelly_feet]

I dont know if this will help u or not but I had a similar situation:

PentiumD 805 asus P5LD2-VM. It also took a long time to boot at the system startup screen.


I upgraded the bios to the latest version and that did the trick for me. I figure that the bios version out of the box didnt fully support my cpu.

Cele 2.4Ghz is a fine cpu by the way - not to mention that they are dirt cheap.


cheers all

 

[pascaln]

I've been wrong before but I will try to help out.

Before you try anything, try this: Go into your BIOS settings and look for something that looks like "Quick Boot" or "Quick Power On Self Test". Depending on the amount of RAM and how fast it is, it could take an extremely long time to boot the machine, because the computer must first test every single bit of RAM. I always set mine to boot quickly.

Without being able to view the problem directly, I suspect you could be having an IDE problem. Here are some tips that might help you fix the problem:

BIOS could be searching for a drive that isn't there, or is misconfigured. Depending on your IDE settings, the BIOS will try to autodetect all of your IDE devices (Typically Hard Disk and CDROM drives.) You could try to re-detect each IDE device from BIOS by going into the IDE's controller settings and selecting autodetect. On my motherboard you would choose: Standard CMOS Features > IDE Primary Master or IDE Primary Slave and so on.

It could also be a failing or failed drive. During the autodetection process, BIOS will query the drives it finds on each IDE channel. A failing or failed drive can send back corrupted data thereby prolonging the power on self test and subsequent boot process.

It could also be a CDROM trying to boot a CDROM disc that's in your CDROM drive. Eject the disk and reboot.

Another test would be to disconnect your IDE devices and try booting. If the machine boots quickly to "cannot find operating system", or something to this effect, then you can rightly suspect that you have a bad IDE device, a bad IDE cable, or something happened to the IDE connector or controller itself.

Lastly, you can record all your BIOS settings and then set to factory default. This has cured my problems many more times that I would like to admit.

Don't do all of these at once. Take it one step at a time. Try to find the most logical/simple things first. Don't over-think your problem.
Don't try to work inside your machine if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
*DO NOT* update your BIOS unless you are comfortable with this process, and you know exactly what you are doing. Screwing this up could completely disable your motherboard and render it useless. Certain motherboards have a dual BIOS that can save you from this pitfall, as well as BIOS altering virii. If you aren't familiar with it, then don't go there. This should only be used as a last resort, and I implore you to seek further advice before proceeding with a BIOS update. HOWEVER, if your BIOS has a very old version number, you may want to look into this just because.

DO back up your important data.

I am not responsible for any harm to your machine or data resulting from this free advice. :roll:

If you solve the problem please post it here and share the knowledge.

You sir, are a god. 4 years after your post, you're still helping people.

Sometimes my computer would get stuck at the windows loading screen. It only happened occasionally, and 90% of the time it would boot right away, so I never really paid attention to it. Recently though it wouldn't get pass the loading screen at all.

Since this was an HP Pavilion (I got it for free from and old passed away relative, I wouldn't pay for any HP product anymore. Each HP product I own malfunctions or stops working after a while, seriously, WTF), I was fairly sure this was going to be a hardware problem and should have been easy to fix (since it would still show the windows loading screen and it used to boot before I figured it couldn't be the HD or RAM).

I've tried messing around in the BIOS, formatting, unplugging any USB device (using old an old PS2 mouse and keyboard, can't believe how much the new mouses and keyboards have improved), without succes. I've been reading every faq, message board and "computer aid blog" possible without finding the answer to my problem, untill...

I read your post. You seemed to know what you were talking about (one of the few among a LOT of people) so I worked my way down your list and the culprit was: a faulty CD-Rom drive! I can't believe it took me so long to figure out such a simple problem. Thank you for contributing your wisdom to the crowd and am hereby abiding your request to contribute my computer fixing quest to the rest of the world too.

One thousand internets for you!

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey