Pavilion 8556C - Slow Boot with XP

[John_601]

I upgraded my Pavilion (PIII 450/640MB RAM)to XP Home with poor results. I then did a clean install and everything works well except it takes a full 4 minutes for a cold boot.
Please make any suggestions you feel might help.
Thanks, JJ

[Ramesh Pakkath]

Hi,

Windows XP with its various visual effects consumes a lot of system resources. Try these steps and let me us know the results.

I. To improve the core system performance in Windows XP, you need to make certain modifications to the registry entries.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause very serious, system-wide problems. Incorrect entries may cause installation problems or prevent the computer from starting. You may be required to reinstall the operating system.

You will not be warned of incorrect entries while you edit the Registry to change values. Therefore, please back up the registry files by following these steps:

1. Click Start, select Run, and type Regedit.
2. From File menu, click Export file.
3. Select "All" option to take a complete backup of the registry.
4. Enter "regback" as the file name and save it on the desktop.

If you make any incorrect entries, the backup file can be used to replace the corrupted registry entries.

After taking a backup of the registry, change the "DisablePagingExecutive" option to "1" by following these steps:

1. Click Start, select Run, and type regedit.
2. Click the plus (+) sign beside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
3. Click the plus (+) sign beside System.
4. Click the plus (+) sign beside CurrentControlSet.
5. Click the plus (+) sign beside Control.
6. Click the plus (+) sign beside Session Manager.
7. Click Memory Management.
8. Locate and right-click the "DisablePagingExecutive" option on the right pane.
9. Select Modify.
10. Change the value to "1".
11. From the Registry menu, click Exit.
12. Restart the system.

These steps will keep the core Windows system in memory and not paged to the disk. As a result, the core system performance will be improved.

II. Change the visual effects in the Display properties by following these steps:

1. Click Start, select Control Panel, and choose Appearance and Themes.
2. Select Display.
3. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
4. In the Effects dialog box, select the option for the items you require and deselect the rest.

Also, change the visual effects in System Properties by performing these steps:

1. Click Start, select Control Panel, and choose Performance and Maintenance.
2. Select System.
3. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4. On the Visual Effects tab, click Custom.
5. Deselect the options that are not required.

It is always recommended to use a single login at an instance, and hence logging off multiple users. For further enhancing the performance of the system, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, select Control Panel, and choose User Accounts.
2. Click Change the way users log on and off.
3. Deselect Use Faster User Switching option.
4. Click Apply Options.

All the best.

Ramesh Pakkath.