Strange pause while booting

[lti]

I have two Toshiba laptops with a pause during the boot process. One is running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, and the other is running XP Professional 32-bit. Both computers load most startup items along with Windows, but the antivirus software and some startup items do not load. Windows appears to have fully booted at this point and there is no CPU or hard drive activity at all. After about two minutes, the antivirus software and the remaining startup items load. The computer running XP has done this from the factory, and the other computer did not have this problem until Windows was reinstalled while it was being repaired by Toshiba's own repair center. I am running the same programs and antivirus software that I was using before this computer was repaired, and I can not reinstall Windows on this computer due to Microsoft's stupid activation limit on Windows and Office. What causes this?

[Mad_Professor]

Re: Strange pause while booting

I had something similar to this awhile back. But it turned out it was waiting for the network to link up. Updated the driver, problem went away.

I also had another computer that had something similar to what you had but I can't remember what the cause of it was.

[smason]

Re: Strange pause while booting

The event log (system log probably) will almost always tell you what's going on.

We did an upgrade of our corporate patch management software last week, and all of the desktops started taking an extra 45 seconds to boot. Notebooks were fine.

Event log showed one of the services hanging on startup. Changed them to autostart (delayed) and problem solved.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Strange pause while booting

I can not reinstall Windows on this computer due to Microsoft's stupid activation limit on Windows and Office. What causes this?

There's no stupid activation limit to worry about with the OEM copy that came with the laptop, AFAIK.
It should be activated already after reinstalling, even with HDD wiped!

Major laptop OEMs are known to have special product keys and hardware ids to pre-activate Windows and it's done without going online.

That's only true with retail "OEM" copies.

[lti]

Re: Strange pause while booting

The copy of Office that came with this computer could only be activated twice. I had to call Microsoft to activate Office after Toshiba reinstalled Windows.

These events are logged every time Windows loads:

Log Name: Application
Source: Toshiba App Place
Date: 6/29/2012 8:53:30 AM
Event ID: 0
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Lee-PC
Description:
The description for Event ID 0 from source Toshiba App Place cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Number must be either non-negative and less than or equal to Int32.MaxValue or -1.
Parameter name: dueTime
Stack Trace:
at System.Threading.Timer..ctor(TimerCallback callback, Object state, Int32 dueTime, Int32 period)
at System.Timers.Timer.set_Enabled(Boolean value)
at SnappCloud.ActivationReminder.AraClient.PostInit()
at SnappCloud.ActivationReminder.Program.Main(String[] args)

the message resource is present but the message is not found in the string/message table

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-WMI
Date: 6/29/2012 8:54:55 AM
Event ID: 10
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Lee-PC
Description:
Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.

There are also some strange services starting with Windows:
Service1
SignInAssistant

Why does Event Viewer take so long to load in Windows 7?

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Strange pause while booting

Log Name: Application
Source: Microsoft-Windows-WMI
Date: 6/29/2012 8:54:55 AM
Event ID: 10
Task Category: None
Level: Error
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: Lee-PC
Description:
Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.

This error message or similar, is a Windows 7 bug and it's a Windows 7 service pack 1 regression.

[lti]

Re: Strange pause while booting

I fixed that error.

In services.msc, there are many services that have a startup type of "Automatic (Delayed Start)." These are the same startup items that load after the boot pause. I can change all of them except Norton Internet Security to Automatic. Why are these delayed, and why am I unable to change the startup type for Norton? I might have the same problem with any antivirus software.

[goontron]

Re: Strange pause while booting

it's startup bugs and apps i see this with 2k to win-8 and
i see this on my win-vm's all the time just remove some apps from the startup list and good to go.

at-least in vm's!

[lti]

Re: Strange pause while booting

I can change the startup type on every service except Norton Internet Security. The Startup Type menu bar is grayed out, and the startup type can not even be changed from the command prompt in Safe Mode.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Strange pause while booting

just remove some apps from the startup list and good to go.

Like with some HPs.

[lti]

Re: Strange pause while booting

Like with some HPs.

Toshiba laptops come with even more crap than HPs, and most of it is required.

I want to know what is preventing Norton from starting without the delay. It might affect all antivirus software.

[lti]

Re: Strange pause while booting

I decided to look at the older computer today. I don't see any way of delaying the start of certain startup items. This computer thinks that it has a constant 10Mbps network connection, even though it has no network adapter. It used to have Norton Systemworks 2003 installed on it. The delay still exists after I uninstalled Norton.

The newer computer is going nuts again, just like it did when the RAM failed a few months ago.