It depends if the rebuild is only the OS and browser.

It would cost nothing to make sure the printer is connected wired and switched on before the computer. That's if the printer drivers have been installed on the new disc. My problem may not be restricted to HP printers.

If the printer drivers haven't been installed then of course it isn't those!

A similar but less noticeable iffiness arises with USB Linksys wireless dongles, the one with a metre or so of cable from the USP plug to the kit itself. Both on my machine at the time and a neighbour's I gave it to that added a few minutes to the startup time. But I think it was only the wireless availability that was the issue, not the whole Windows loading.

Edit - the fact that Safe Mode is quick points to drivers of something that aren't loaded for it. What happens with Safe Mode with Networking?

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 25-Feb-15 00:36:02)

Bit confused, are you saying that the new build on another hard disk still has the problem the first time Windows starts up once the installation is complete? If so I assume that the new build is a "clean, vanilla" installation (not an image of the 1st hard disk) with just XP and no other 3rd party software, drivers, AntiVirus or even an internet connection and nothing is plugged in other than monitor, mouse and keyboard. If it is the same does XP install its own driver for the graphics card?, if so have you tried setting it at the lowest possible resolution available and turned off Hardware Acceleration for the video card in the display settings?
Don't understand why you need to run CCleaner on this as there should be nothing running or installed other than Windows services.
Just because the graphics is on the motherboard still doesn't rule it out. It's still a graphics card. If you plug in another graphics card into PC, the new one will take precedence over the onboard. If that fixes it then you can go back to the original hard disk and save yourself a lot of time installing everything else back.

Edited by deleted (Wed 25-Feb-15 18:17:59)

The new build on another H/D is a clean install ...no drivers or other software installed.

I have re installed the graphic drivers on original H/D no improvement.

I will dig out another graphic card and try it.

Thanks for your input.

" If you plug in another graphics card into PC, the new one will take precedence over the onboard."

Not with my system. I have to go into the BIOS and disable the onboard.

Modern Motherboards have a option of detecting a Video card before activating the on-board VGA, if so you can just put in the video card into the right slot on the motherboard and it'll auto-detect it without activating on-board video. I'm guessing it's an older generation motherboard or another reason is that you are using the same brand of video card that came pre-installed. This is a common reason why the on-board video card may not be disabled automatically.

Edited by deleted (Wed 25-Feb-15 14:30:06)

Sorry Roberto, but what on earth is this post to do with the problem we are trying to fix? No mention has been made of an HP printer or a Linksys USB wireless dongle. Are you posting this in the correct forum? The 1st rule of IT troubleshooting is to look at the facts, not make up solutions based on guesswork.

The 2nd rule is not to think you are the only one with any knowledge or experience. The fact you haven't had personal experience of other things that can cause very long Windows XP startup times does not invalid what other people have come across.

I agree it has now been possible to rule out printers. Until that question was dealt with, it wasn't.

That's two of us you've had a go at. I've just looked at this thread as well, where you display the same unnecessary confrontational attitude, and made a complete ass of yourself.

I'm glad to see you haven't recommended buying a Lenova from EBuyer instead . That was another case of being a little out-spoken.

Your OneDrive solution that I saw at the weekend was useful .

Have fun.

In reply to a post by rogerfp:

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.

I agree, sounds like a video card problem.

Depending on age, it may be a AGP card, easy to get cheap second hand ones on Ebay. But knowing HP it is built in, could still be able to add one.

1. I have never said that I am the only one with knowledge or experience. No one in IT can ever say they are right all the time as its impossible to do so. I've come across PC issues, the cause of which just defy logic.
2. I have had plenty of experience of long Windows XP startup times having dealt with some 10's of thousands of IT support issues with everything from Dos 3x to Windows 8.1 over the years for major international IT companies. I can see you are far more knowledgable that me regarding Broadband issues and on that subject I would defer to your opinions.
Your points regarding Windows slow startup issues with printers is perfectly valid and I've even seen PC's that won't even POST with a USB printers plugged in, but on this occasion are irelevant to the facts provided by Brunel.
3. In the thread you refer to, I was pointing out that in the IT world ageing of hardware and software is at a rate possible as mich as 4/5 times almost everything else on this Planet, so a 5 year old printer is probably equivalent to a 20/25 year old car or TV. This is not confrontational, just a fact.
4. Lastly, I don't understand what on earth is buying a Lenovo from eBuyer to do with me?

Edited by deleted (Thu 26-Feb-15 14:17:20)