Computer cannot start Windows XP. What is happening?

Windows XP Slow Restart

• I'm experiencing an extremely slow restart time with Windows XP Professional. After initiating the restart, the computer acknowledges it because I can no longer launch any programs, but the Shutting Down screen does not appear for about two minutes. Start-up time is fine. I reformatted to try to fix this problem. Reformatting worked as the issue did not begin happening until I downloaded the Windows Critical Fixes Updates. I tried to use a System Restore to go back to a point before downloading these, but it still took about two minutes to restart. I also tried booting up in safe mode to ensure that an open program was not causing this problem and that also did not work. I'm on a Dell 2.4GHz 512 MB SDRAM with GeForce Ti 4600 and Turtle Beach Santa Cruz cards. Please post suggestions in the clarification area so that I can test them. If they do work, I will notify you immediately so you can receive the payment. Thanks, chis-ga

• Answer:

  Hi chis!! Well, it is a good new to know that your problem is solved, and also to have provided to you useful help. As I told you in the clarification, there are a lot of possible causes. The most common is the policy to clear the paging file on shutdown, which can add up more than one minute to an XP shutdown. Check your system for this: Control Panel --> Admin Tools --> Local Security Policy --> Security Settings --> Local Policies --> Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile --> Right click --> Properties --> Disabled. Before do this task consult the help for this (same procedure but select help instead of Properties). Sometimes the Windows updates promote this behaviors: "Latest Windows XP patch can slow down PCs ": http://www.techynetwork.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=70 Finally if doesn´t work, may be a software and/or a hardware have compatibility troubles. To check the software that always start with windows run msconfig program and unchecking the startup programs at msconfig one by one you will find if one of them are causing the problem. You found that the keyboard software that controls the multimedia/extra buttons on your Logitech keyboard is the guilty one and there are several references about this problem in the internet searching in Google with the keywords: Logitech keyboard slow shutdown xp Logitech keyboard itouch slow shutdown xp For example at the Techspot Forums I found the following post: "ive been trying to figure out why my computer has been shutting down for some time now and the other day i was messing around and closed the itouch application for the keyboard that sets the keys and then tried to log off and it tood less than 10 sec rather than the 1 to 2 min log off time that i was experiensing. i havent found a fix for it but have narrowed the problem to that application. oh yah btw i am runniong winxp so it seems to be affecting several different os's." http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread/t-4047.html Unfortunately, Logitech apparently has decided that they will not be updating the driver for this keyboard. Best Regards. livioflores-ga