Problems at startup...

[StickEGreenleaf]

My girlfriend's notebook pc is having some problems and she wants you, the PCmech guru's, to help her out. She owns a HP Pavilion ze4300.

Here is her situation. Not to long ago she started complaining that the startup took longer than normal. In order to reach the Log In screen it took several minutes. She is unsure as to why, but she said that the last major thing she did (that she can remember) before this problem was removed a lot of adware she found on her pc. She stated that she went through the Add/Remove Hardware and found a lot of adware so removed all that she saw that didn't belong. Though she is still unsure if this is what caused the long start up.

Her next problem came after she attempted to d/l SP2. I don't believe it ever got installed for whatever reason. But when she starts the PC it begins to run the Check Disk. She says this usually happens on start up but not on occasions it doesn't do it. Sometimes it will delete files and sometimes it will recover files.

I'm not to sure what the problem is exactly. I was thinking of doing system restore before the Windows Update and the removal of the Adware. I just wanted to ask you guys first.

As always, thanks in advance

[nubbler]

Sp2 can have conflits with spyware, if it is on the computer while installing SP2. I t is recommended that you do a spy-bot or ad-aware or both scan and delete any spyware on the system.

More info on that here

[StickEGreenleaf]

Thanks for the help but I don't think it is Adware or Spyware. I ran search and destroy and got rid of everything it found.

It hasn't done the CHKDSK thing to me but I am having problems with the long startup. After you see the Windows XP logo, it goes black for a quite a while with only the mouse on the screen. I'm not sure what it could be doing.

Anyone else got some advice?

[StickEGreenleaf]

mmmkay...Anyone else able to help me out here?

[rjfvillarosa]

Have you tried booting into safe mode and doing a spyware check from there? also try the usual and switch off system restore and then an antivirus scan in safe mode.
Manufacturers diagnostics on the hard drive is always worth a try as well.

[StickEGreenleaf]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa Have you tried booting into safe mode and doing a spyware check from there? also try the usual and switch off system restore and then an antivirus scan in safe mode. Manufacturers diagnostics on the hard drive is always worth a try as well.

Why switch off system restore? I thought it only does a system restore when the user commands it too.

[glc]

If there are viruses and spyware in the system restore, you have to turn it off to flush it, nothing else can remove them.

If that thing is running chkdsk on startup, there's a good chance the hard drive is starting to go. Time to run proper hard drive diags as RJF indicated.