Boot to windows: 10 mins, IE startup: 5 mins... help!

[Jazar]

System specs:

Windows 98SE
Asus 440BX
P3 800 Mhz
512 MB Ram
Creative GF2
SoundBlaster Live 5.1
USB ADSL Modem

This setup has been working fine for the past couple years but suddenly when booting to windows, as soon as it loads up the desktop background it just sits there for a good 5-10 mins. I can move the mouse around but that's about it. Once it loads up other applications take a good amount of time to start up like Internet Explorer, MIRC, media player. Some load up quickly though like Opera.

Anyone know what could cause the problem?

Here is the last bootlog of my pc in case it might help:

http://www.loyno.edu/~jazar/BOOTLOG.TXT

The only thing I've done recently was installed a Graivs Eliminator Aftershock gamepad (USB) but I've removed the controller and uninstalled the software with no help.

Thanks in advance.

This is a software issue and not General Hardware related.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[Bucksnort]

I assume you have scanned for viruses.

 

[gennro]

What i normally do when this happens and i figure out its software causing it. I Back-up everything important and do a format and reinstall windows.

 

[Siddhartha]

When was the last time you defrag your hard drive? I have found that sometimes a clean windows installation will fix these kind of problems.

 

[Jazar]

Bucksnort, I've been scanning it since I found out. It's a 60 Gig HD almost full so it'll take a while. Clean so far.

gennro, Reinstalling windows is definitely an option, but I'd prefer to keep it as a final resort. I'm not quite there yet.

Dr. Smooth, I don't think it's a defrag issue. There is no HD accessing from what I can tell during bootup, it just... sits there. waiting for a network connection timeout almost? except not because that wouldn't happen when trying to run mediaplayer.