If you read the post he's rebuilt XP on a another hard disk and the problem remains. So NOT software of any kind.

The HP-installed software (remember I said "old") would keep the Windows XP and 7 loading systems completely hamstrung for many minutes.

With the printer connected and on the system would be up and ready to roll within a few minutes. Off/disconnected and it was always 30-35 minutes. Connecting and switching on the printer once the wait had started had no effect.

On my current machine, Win 8 >> 8.1 this effect is absent. Booting is always fairly quick - with the identical printer drivers installed.

Amusingly, the printer involved, an HP PSC 1610 All-in-One died on me last week. Over the weekend I completely removed the 1610 from each of those three systems before setting up the new one. (Printers screen/Uninstall all drivers and related programs/thorough cleanup of directories).

The XP and Win 7 machines now magically boot in 2-3 minutes independent of the printer.

Installed the drivers for the replacement HP Envy 4500 and it made no difference to the boot times.

One happy bunny.

In reply to a post by rogerfp:

If you read the post he's rebuilt XP on a another hard disk and the problem remains. So NOT software of any kind.

I agree. Assuming it was done right, then this is not a software problem.

Two HDDs showing identical behaviour? Sounds like software to me, or very unlucky hardware.

It might be the BIOS settings are not set properly and are slowing the IDE / AHCI (safemode wouldn't put so much demand on the drive).

No, no, no. On what planet can it be software after a rebuild on a second hard disk.
BIOS settings - no way.

Edited by deleted (Tue 24-Feb-15 22:58:03)

Ok...two hard drives with the same problem?

What's causing it?

That effectively rules out the harddrives.

Don't you read all the earlier comments before posting yours? If you read my original post, it's a hardware fault, probably a faulty graphics card.

Your nippiness isn't required to solve the problem. Happy to be wrong if the OP gets a solution.

Hope you are right on the gfx. It would be a shame if it was the motherboard or some other piece of hardware. Yes I read the posts. I'm the type that likes to kick ideas around to come to the most likely solution, rather than the type that insists my idea can only be the correct one. I did miss the 2nd HDD setup on the OP, so that threw me.

It could be power to gfx...so the obvious step is to test the card elsewhere, or a new card in the system.

There is no graphics card, using the M/B built in graphics.

Thanks for all your replies so far. The confusion here is a little light relief to this stupid fault.

A problem shared .....etc.

I have used C Cleaner and stopped all the programs in startup.

Next I will attempt to re install the S3 graphic driver.

No HP printer involved, just a LEXMARK all in one.