More Ways to Fix a Sluggish Windows XP Startup

1) Boot into Safe Mode by pressing F8 at startup and selecting "Safe Mode". Run and anti-viral program to check for viruses that might be bogging the computer down. I remember on my parent's old computer we got what is called a "worm" virus. It completely ate of the hard drive space and made the computer extremely sluggish. It's easy to mistake a virus for a hardware or software program, so checking for viruses should be one the first things done.

2) In Safe Mode, use the Add or Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel to remove any unwanted Programs. If might have to end a process in the Task Manager before uninstalling the software associated with it, but starting in Safe Mode should already prevent anything but the necessities from loading.

3) Check for unwanted tasks through C:\Windows\Tasks folder. This folder lists all of the scheduled tasks that are set to run at startup. Some software have automatic updates that run every time you startup the computer. An antivirus program is a good example of this.

4) Check startup folders for services that you don't want to load when your OS boots. This has been one of my main issues whenever my computer has had a sluggish startup. If Windows has to load ten services along with everything else it needs to load, this can greatly slow the computer down.

5) Check for too many installed fonts in the C:\Windows\Fonts folder. All fonts are loaded at startup, so it's a good idea to not have any fonts installed that you don't even use.

6) Another way to check for unwanted or unneeded startup services is through the Services console. Some services can be temporarily disable if you are unsure if it is necessary or not. This is a good option if you are unsure. It's best not to risk deleted a service that your system needs.

7) Using the Recovery Console, which is accessed the Windows XP setup CD, the master boot program can be repaired.

8) Using the Recover Console, system files can be restored. Notes should be taken from error messages an research on these messages so that you know which files need to be restored.

9) Run Chkdsk to see if RAM is defective. If this is the case, the RAM might need to be replaced or upgraded.

10) If none of these options work, you might have to completely reinstall Windows XP or utilize the System Recovery CD that came with your OS. Be sure to backup your files first!