New HDD, Boot up time so slow now??..help please???

[bishop04]

I recently upgraded the HDD of my Compaq 5WV251 from a 5400rpm 20gb HDD to a 7200 120gb HDD. The 20gb drive had a partition(D with the Windows ME OS on it and a C: drive with everything else. The new drive does not have a partition.

Ever since the upgrade, the boot up process is very slow, almost to the point that you get the impression that on Startup or shutdown you may think the pc has freezed up. While It has never freezed up, you can be sitting there looking at a black screen with a white cursor for a fair while on startup, and then on shutdown it kind of hangs there on the windows blue background.
Any Advice?(I'm not worried about the actual boot process once the windows is active, as I know how to change the startup process through MSCONFIG to stop certain programs from loading. It's gettign to the Windows screen that takes so long)

Another question, upon my fresh install of Windows Me, I must have accidently set up a password, so every time I startup I have to hit 'cancel' for the startup process to continue, can this be removed without re-installing Windows?

THanks

 

[Zelmo3]

The password may be for Windows Networking. In the control panel, open the Networking icon and see if Client for Microsoft Networks is in the list of what's installed (should be the first or second thing listed). If it's there, it's probably also selected in the drop-down box for Primary Network Logon. Using that client requires a password when Windows loads up (or when making a network connection if you skip the password at startup), but don't get rid of it. It supposedly solves a lot of networking problems, including dial-up connections. Instead, use an option in TweakUI to "Log on automatically," which will save you from having to type in your password.

 

[TD77077]

I wonder if the jumper setting on the new HD is either set to CS when maybe it sould be set differently for a single drive. Check the drive manufacturer's website to see what they say.

Good luck.

 

[bishop04]

Microsoft Networks isn't there and Jumper settings should be fine, i have the single drive set on master. ??

 

[mikecel79]

Another question, upon my fresh install of Windows Me, I must have accidently set up a password, so every time I startup I have to hit 'cancel' for the startup process to continue, can this be removed without re-installing Windows?

For Windows ME do a search for *.pwl files on the machine and delete any of them you find. Then reboot. On your next bootup it will prompt you for a username and password. Just put in a blank password. It won't prompt you anymore after that.