extra long bootup time

[garebo]

Really cant complain, I am retired and have been using this install of win98se for years now,when the P4 1.6 chip came out, about 6 hrs a day, 365 days a year!! Installed hundreds of progs!
Anyway, boot up time is quite long, always seems to take forever at the point either where it is processing or has processed the config sys files. I rem'd some stuff in config sys as i uninstalled the programs that related to them, but i notice that when i am booting there is a reference to diskeeper, which i uninstalled, it does show that it is rem'd.
I am wondering if there is anything i can do to speed up boot time? Also wondering if there is a way to delete the "rem" lines in my config sys, there are 4 of them at the end. Can they be simply deleted and how do i do that?
Does it matter that they are there, in other words, are they affecting the bootup time?
thanks

 

[Seegee]

you can safely remove the "REM" from config.sys. You can use notepad or edit (go to DOS mode and type edit config.sys then hit enter) You can just delete them or backspace over them. The "REM" statement is used to leave a comment about a certain function of a command. using "REM" keeps the comment or text from being displayed on the screen. "REM" should not have any effect on the boot time. after editing config.sys be sure to save the changes. Also it's a good idea to make a backup copy of config.sys to another location and rename it config.bak. After renaming it you can move it back to the original directory probablly C:\. Windows 98 doesn't have to have config.sys or autoexec.bat to boot, but they do load virtual device drivers into memory if they are needed by the applications or hardware you have installed.

If you want to really see what is really being loaded at boot time, go into 98 and click the start button, then choose run and type msconfigand hit ok. Next choose the "Startup tab" everything that has a check mark in it is what is being loaded at start up. If you want to keep something from loading just remove the check mark, and click apply. If you disable a item from starting up and later decide to have it load again, just go back into msconfig and replace the check mark.

hope this helps,
Cliff
A+

 

[garebo]

Thanks, i figured that having the rem there or not prolly wouldnt affect the bootup time but i had to ask.
As for startup, i have known about that for some time, and only have the minimum checked, have about 30 progs unchecked, so there is nothing left to uncheck as i need my antivirus, goback, and the other essentials. I consider goback essential, but anyway the startup file must be checked for it to work.
I am guessing, and forgot to mention this, that perhaps win98 is taking a long time to find or accept my nic card. Only reason i say this is because i have read that win98 can take a long time to find, accept or initialize a nic card, whatever the os needs to do about the nic card.
Any other ideas on this?
thanks

 

[Seegee]

I have have experienced slow downs after installing a NIC card in a windows 98 system. It does tend to take a while longer for it to boot with a NIC installed. The longest I've had to wait is about 2 minutes but this was right after installing it and getting is configured. then it went to about a 30 second delay.

cliff

 

[garebo]

its very possible i wont get any better than i have at the moment. I am fairly knowledgeable but there are plenty of people out there who know a ton more than i do so i thought i would see if i can get better bootup time.
I should have noted right off that i have done the usual things such as eliminate what i can from startup, delete temp files, temp inet files, run spybot, adaware.
Its possible it could be the nic card, i only mentioned about the "rem" thing in configsys because that is where the bootup hangs, but it could have already processed the config sys and could then be onto something else, like trying to configure the nic card. If i am correct, the sound card is configured even before config.sys so its not the sound card. Might be the nic or usb pci card, or one of the other cards i have installed, like the fireware pci card. Just thought i would try and get an answer to this. Maybe there isnt one!

 

[hotfusion]

Hi, Garebo.
Interesting that you say you have a 'nic' installed.
I have the same, and both (peer to peer) computers gained a good minute in boot-up duration.
The fix in my case was to go into Control Panel > Network,
and re-configure things so that:
1) My dial-up adapter was bound ONLY to the TCP/IP transport, and that transport was not bound to any services.
2)My network card was bound ONLY to the NETBEUI transport, and that transport allowed to be bound to all services such as File And Printer Sharing, Family Logon and so-on.
Boot times have no returned to normal.
A useful by-product of doing this is that it closes your service ports to passing Internet scanners, enhancing security.
It's a little bit more complicated than that, and I suggest you read up on the finer points as many pages will be returned with a 'netbeui' search, but a good starting page can be found here:

http://grc.com/su-bondage.htm

Good hunting!
Andy.

 

[Jontmke]

Ah, if you only have one computer, and no router than that last advice will not help. In fact on a stand alone PC I would do the opposite. Disable netbeui and only enable tcp\ip. Netbeui is even more susceptible than tcp\ip, only the kids (hacker kids that is) now a days don't know about it.

Jon

There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. (Bertrand Russell)

 

[ski]

Config.sys is a carryover from previous Windows versions, and it's not needed in Win 98SE, unless a system has some really old hardware for which Win 98SE has no drivers.

How long does it take for your system to boot up?

 

[garebo]

Good question, i will time it and get back to you on that.

 

[garebo]

I do know that it hangs either after processing or during processing of the config.sys.
I wonder if anyone could tell me the sequence of events that happen on bootup, that way maybe i could pinpoint the problem. As i said above, I am only guessing, but since the hang-time appears at the end of the config.sys, i am guessing that may be the point at which the nic card comes in. But this is only a guess, so thats why i put the question here, figured there are tons of people with more knowledge than me to answer this!

 

[ski]

Disable the NIC in Device Manager, restart the computer if prompted to do so, and see if that makes a difference.
If not, then uncheck your AV program and Goback in msconfig, and see if that shortens the boot up time.

My Win 98 system boots up in a little over 1 minute with an NIC installed, 'Quick Boot' enabled in BIOS, nothing in config.sys or autoexec.bat, and only Explorer, Systray, ScanRegistry, ZoneAlarm(firewall), and a popup stopper checked in msconfig.

BTW, how is the system's performance in Windows?

 

[mrfixall]

try this: go to --

http://pcugr.org/ShareWareSig/april.html--

download the small freeware program called BLA and follow the boot trail.With this you can view the entire boot sequence,just the failures or just the long delays till the final boot.

 

[garebo]

Ok, i timed it.
It takes a total of 85 seconds to boot into windows, then of course the first thing that comes up is the desktop and the network sign-on.

Of that 85 sec:
It takes 35 seconds to get to the point i mentioned in my thread, where config.sys seems to be done, and where i believe it to be hunting for the nic card.
From that point it takes a further 50 seconds where it seems to hang in dos and then windows desktop and the network log-on comes up and it is basically done booting.

0 to 35 sec - gets to end of config.sys
36 to 85 sec - from end of config.sys to windows desktop.

I will now have to do the things that have been mentioned here to see what the hangup is. I suspect my realtek (chipset #8139) nic card, but that is only a guess. I dont think its the creative live drive as that seems to be taken care of in the first 35 seconds, at least it says so when i read the bootup as it goes along. Plus i believe sound is always either first or one of the first.

Thanks for the help and info so far.

 

[ski]

I just timed mine from a cold boot, and it took 72 seconds.
So 85 seconds is not that slow considering that your antivirus program and Goback load during startup.

 

[garebo]

to Mrfixall

Thanks, i will try that prog.

 

[Keyboy]

Hello,

I have a note posted in this forum with a similar issue. I recentlt added a SMC card bus wireless adapter. It installed fine and works well, however, when I boot, the machine stops dead. I pull the card and boot resumes. Then I push in the card and am in business. The SMC techs say I have a resource issue. I have looked in the Device Manager and found no conflicts. SMC says I need to talk to someone else.

Any ideas from you all? I will build a boot log and report back. FYI before installing the card I was booting just over 1 minute. I have System Works installed so much of the same loads as noted.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[garebo]

To Mrfixall

The bootloader prog tells me that it took 36 seconds to load soundblaster init files so that is the delay. It didnt seem to be because of what was showing on the screen but i would imagine the prog dont lie. Also, it is common knowledge that audio can take a long time to initialize, same as nic cards.
So i guess i have found the culprit, now what can be done about it?

 

[ski]

Uninstall the sound card's software from Add/Remove Programs, remove the sound card from Device Manager, shut down the computer(do not restart at the prompt), remove the sound card from its slot, restart, and see if the boot time is faster by 36 seconds. If so, then BLA is accurate.
Reinsert the sound card, restart, let Windows recognize it, reinstall its drivers, and recheck the boot time.
If it's now back up to 85 seconds, then check Creative's site for updated drivers.
If they do not make a difference or there are none, then you may either have to live with an 85 sec. boot time, or install a different sound card.

 

[garebo]

I think i will call this one case closed. I will check for newer drivers, but, aside from that, its probably a safe bet that it simply takes all that time and thats that. The creative prog is huge, which prolly accounts for all the bootup time. I can check and see if there is part of it i can get away from installing, otherwise i will just have to live with it.
Thanks for all the help, info, advice. I really like this forum, wouldnt go anywhere else for tech help!

 

[Jontmke]

Gee, 85 seconds is a good time. I have an Athlon 2600 with 512MB of 3200 RAM and I'll bet mine is not any faster. And I am running XP! With Antivirus, Firewall, Cable Modem, and all the services starting up it's no wonder. I think yours is fine. You're just like me, trying to squeeze every bit out of it. To me, speed is not the only issue though. I also want 1280*720, 32bit color, 4 channel audio, cable modem, a pretty background, "show windows while dragging", transition menus, etc. While not all these effect the startup alot do.

Jon

There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. (Bertrand Russell)