Member Avatar for GricX

Hello everybody... I need help, I have asked my tech support and they doesn't seem to have a solution... :eek: I've bought a PC with an AMD 64 bits processor and a serial ATA hard disk, Windows XP SP1 installed. The problem is that most of the times it takes like a minute to start windows, and recently it has happened that sometimes it stays slow for a while, even for running other programs. I reset windows once or twice and just then ,while the start up is still slow, at least the rest of the programs run normal. I have heard it could be a problem with the motherboard, the serial ATA driver or the hard disk... but I don't know.

Already checked virus and spyware, it's clean. I've also unchecked the unnecesary programs with msconfig. It worked, but the next day I turned the PC on the problem was back... slow again... :(

So, is there a way to know if the hard disk has any problem or failure? Would it be a good idea to reinstall Windows XP (SP1)? I have re-installed Windows XP before on pentium and AMD, but I don't have experience with 64 bits or serial ATA drives (this would be my first). Please any help will be more than welcome! :!:

The PC is:
AMD Athlon 64 +3000 socket 754
Motherboard MSI K8T800 Neo-V
Memory: 2 Specteck 512Kb bus 400
Video GeForce MX4000 128Kb
HD Seagate 120Gb. 7200rpm serial ATA
LG DVD supermulti rewriter
D-Link 10/100 ethernet card
Windows XP Professional SP1

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Dani AI

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This thread describes an intermittent, long Windows XP startup on an AMD64 machine with a SATA disk. was right to suggest updating (SP2), and ’s warranty idea is worth keeping in mind — but there are a few focused checks to do first that will usually point to the real cause.

First, narrow where the delay happens: is the slowdown before the Windows logo (BIOS/boot device) or after the logo (OS/driver/services)? If it’s after the logo, enable boot logging (msconfig → Boot → Boot log) and inspect C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt, and open Event Viewer (eventvwr) to look for disk, ntfs or driver errors. Boot into Safe Mode — if startup is fast there, a third‑party driver or service (antivirus hooks like Norton) is probable.

Second, check the disk subsystem: in Device Manager open the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, view each channel’s Advanced Settings and confirm the Current Transfer Mode is DMA (not PIO). If Windows has fallen back to PIO, run chkdsk /r and consider reinstalling the IDE/SATA driver or uninstalling the channel and rebooting to force a clean re-detect. Run the drive vendor’s diagnostics (Seagate SeaTools for Seagate disks) to check SMART and long self-tests; replace the drive if tests show bad sectors or reallocated sector growth.

Third, update sensible components in order: install Windows XP SP2, update the motherboard chipset/SATA controller driver, and only update BIOS if the vendor notes a specific fix (follow the vendor procedure). Important caution: changing the SATA mode (IDE <-> AHCI) after XP is installed will often prevent booting unless the proper drivers were loaded during install (F6 or slipstreamed driver).

Start with the HDD test and the DMA check, then do a Safe Mode / clean‑boot test to isolate software. If the hardware tests pass but symptoms persist intermittently, use the warranty route. These steps typically identify whether the problem is the drive, drivers, or a third‑party service.

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Member Avatar for JANINE

why only sp1. why not sp2. service pack 2 will probably help as will maintenance issues like defragging the hard disk.

Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

I've bought a PC with an AMD 64 bits processor and a serial ATA hard disk, Windows XP SP1 installed.

Stop right there! Is this a brand new PC? Have you installed any additional software aside from the stuff supplied? If this PC is untouched and plodding along out of the box, then send the bugger back - it has a warranty doesn't it? ;)

(a request for SP2 to be installed is also a good idea)

Member Avatar for GricX

If this PC is untouched and plodding along out of the box, then send the bugger back - it has a warranty doesn't it?QUOTE]

Thanks guys... Yes it has a warranty, but I want to at least have an idea about what the problem may be, because it happened the first time they brought the PC, so I send it back, the tech support checked it, said it was something about the Norton antivirus and that now the problem was solved. And it was, for about a week. Then I called them again and they said it was "normal" for this kind of motherboard... I didn't think so, so I just keept observing for some days and called them again, but they don't seem to know what the problem may be... :rolleyes: So I don't trust those guys much now...

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