S-l-o--w--- boot

I've been using winxp for so long I don't know if there are remedies for the slow boot on my wife's computer, that don't require a complete re-install. I have couple of cleanup options on XP but do not know if they are available for 98.

If all else fails, I will have to put more memory, a larger drive into her HP and install XP. I have an update XP that I don't use because my new machine came with XP. She really doesnt need all of this for what she uses her machine, but I have them on the shelf and can do it if that is what is needed. Would prefer just to cleanup.

 

Hi tenbob,

The only thing I can suggest for a start is to open msconfig and under the startup tab look to see whats running at startup. Maybe you could do without some...? Instead of having programs load when Windows load you can load then manually, say when you need them.

 

First, how much RAM does it have now? I consider 128 to be minimum these days, even for Win98 since more and more programs are requiring more and more computing power.

How long has it been since the Win98 computer was wiped clean and everything reinstalled?

98, unlike 2000/XP, suffers from 'bit rot." Over time, a file gets corrupted here, a dll goes bad there until the cumulative effect has it crawling. This is generally the stage before error messages and crashes start happening with some frequency.

If the usual cleanup methods don't help - Spybot, AdAware, uninstalling unnecessary programs, cleaning out temp files, tweaking any resident AV program to scan only the essentials, full system virus scan, thorough scan disk and defrag and, as you have noted, shutting down unnecessary startups - then the only thing left is a reformat/reinstall to start with a fresh slate and, most important, a squeaky clean registry.

Registry cleaners can help tremendously but require some knowledge to use effectively. If you decide to try that route, be sure you understand how to do a registry restore before you start.

 

check in add/remove programs - clear out anything you really don't need. defrag should speed things up a bit too.