Windows update slows XP boot

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Windows update slows XP boot

it now takes 15 minutes to start

Rugles

7:57 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

So I have 2 XP machines, less than a year old, they have Symantec anti-virus corporate installed. We get the update notice from M$. I do the update which includes IE 7.0 and the malicious software removal tool.

Now, when we start the machine, the malicious software tool conflicts with the Symantec anti-virus which results in the slowest boot know to man.

There is a red cross thru the Symantec icon in the tray during the long boot so I am sure that is the hang up.

Anyways, I spend nearly 2 hours on the phone with M$, they have no solution and in fact made it worse. After I hung up I reversed everything they did to get back to the slow boot being the only issue.

My only solution is to leave these machines on 24 hours a day.

Anyone else experience this issue? If so did you find a fix?

jdMorgan

9:18 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

The malicious software removal tool should be a "run once" thing. The installer normally creates an entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce key (or maybe it's the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce key), which is deleted after the removal tool runs. You might want to check to be sure that Symantec is not preventing that entry from being deleted from the registry when the tool completes.

Jim

Rugles

9:38 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

Wow, quick answer, thanks,

Have you had this problem too?

Rugles

9:42 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

Can I just manually delete that key?

I am looking through the Symantec console for help on this issue or where to find what you are suggesting.

jdMorgan

10:07 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

No, I haven't had the problem, just noticed the MSMSRT entry in the RunOnce key at some point in the past. Also, I had to dump Norton/Symantec when the bloat factor got too high for my older machines.

So the above is just a 'general' suggestion to look into -- it might not be useful at all.

[added] I wouldn't delete that key, just delete any entry in it that indicates MSMSRT should be run. [/added]

Jim

[edited by: jdMorgan at 10:08 pm (utc) on Nov. 8, 2007]

Rugles

10:11 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

No, I dont have MSMSRT entry in the RunOnce key.

It is a newer machine, maybe a year old with lots of speed and ram. However it is an older version of Symantec Corporate. Both machines are similar.

I am coming to the conlusion that I might need to invest in a newer version of antivirus.

You have helped, thanks,

zafile

11:57 pm on Nov 8, 2007 (gmt 0)

Why use Symantec anti-virus corporate? I stopped using Symantec products a long time ago.

Do a Windows XP reinstall and get a better antivirus product.

My machines have processors in between 800 MHz to 1.2 GHz with 256 MB of RAM and Windows XP runs beautifully without Symantec.

plumsauce

1:05 am on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

What Microsoft Support is not allowed to tell you:

Norton is a piece of doo-doo, ditto for MacAfee

Rugles

1:56 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

Ya, I know Symantec/Norton are no longer state of the art. I don't even use it at home anymore.

However, I have not had a virus wreck a computer on our network for at least 3 years, so it seems to be working for us.

These 2 computers were working just fine before the Windows Update. So M$ is the really the problem here. IMHO

jdMorgan

2:15 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

What was in the MS update? -- That might help with figuring this out.

Jim

Rugles

2:17 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

Oh,

IE7 with the Malicious Software Tool

Rugles

2:19 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

This is what it says in my update history for that day:

Windows XP Security Update for Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP (KB938127) Thursday, November 08, 2007 Automatic Updates

Windows XP Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Wednesday, November 07, 2007 Automatic Updates

jbinbpt

3:00 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

Do you want to try a restore point?

Rugles

3:37 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

I did try a restore and for some reason it made things worse. So I reveresed it.

jbinbpt

4:42 pm on Nov 9, 2007 (gmt 0)

I don't know if Nortons is part of the problem, but I am mirgating away from it on all my machines. AVG runs with lot less overhead and is cheaper.

Norton provides a tool for completely removing Norton products from a computer [service1.symantec.com]. You need to completely remove Norton.