Do you have a network card that is not connected to a network?
i have a desktop with 2.6G CPU, 256 RAM, 32Mb shared video, onboard sound and i am running XP home. After i have typed my password, the desktop loads up, but it takes about 5-7 minutes until the actual desktop has loaded completely, you can tell when it has loaded completely when you can hear the intro tune. But during most of the 5-7 minutes, the hard drive is doing nothing. i have tried disabling the startup apps through msconfig. This slow boot is very annoying...although it does give me enough time to make a coffee...

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