Long Windows Splash screen hang. While XP/Splash screen is halfway loaded 5mins+

Question

OK so I have been having a problem... I recently installed my Duel Core 4200 x2 939 and everything was good did a fresh install of Windows XP I installed the windows hotfix and then the AMD dual core optimizer and it seemed to slow me down a little so I re installed windows again and decided not to install the windows hotfix nor the AMD optimizer.....so the problem I am facing is when I power on the computer shows the Platinum start up Picture then goes to next screen but before it gets to the Windows XP splash/loading screen it it Pitch black for 4/5 minutes each time(timed it) .... what is causing this?  It did the same thing when I had the Dual Core optimizer and windows hot fix installed sooooo I donno..... Does the Dual core optimized and Windows Hot Fix really help ?

Answer 1

Point taken Richard
Anyway, as promised...
I never had any doubt that the enermax power supply wasn't working absolutely 110% perfectly.  Given the price of the thing new and the figures (in sig-hope I got it all ok, I followed instructions mostly!) it had to be alright right? Wrong.
I've just swapped out the PSU from my nix box.  Its only a 400w one so again scaled down this system, damn, works a treat.
Hope that helps you too gameboi or whatever you're crying ass name is.
I must thank aicjofs though for his post.  It gave a starting point to try and figure out what was happening and why.
With boot.ini edited to stop the windows splash screen showing I could see that a fraction of a second before XP starts to load the drivers, the last thing to be checked is nvram (as I understand it this could be both RAM and BIOS).  I just reckon that spinning 5 hdd's and 3 burners, my very power hungry RAM, with the graphics card is just about to come online and obviously the boards normal operation that the power drain at this point is incredibly high.  My PSU, unlike me, just hasn't improved with age! (This is all guessing though, but I really wanted to find some reasonable explaination as to why adding one hdd has slowed startup so much).  The reason the comp works ok after this is that the initial checks couples with the high power drain are done and dusted.  Again just guessing.
I would be genuinely interested on anyones views on that explaination-not here obviously otherwise they'll be handbags at dawn.
Laterz..I have a hot game of Spider Solitaire with my name on it.
Hope the above helps, sincerely.  Not my explaination or guess work, but just the fact that is was the age old problem of power.
Balders
PS  Where should I start a rant about the appalling layout of this board Disregarding the constant reboots (PSU I'm hoping) and BIOS crashes, the badly thought out heat pipe (that does a fantastic job of heating up the GFX card though), the complete lack of 'Other boot device' in BIOS - one ide slot which has to have hdds on otherwise I suffer the 'delayed write error' (nvidia drivers, bless) so I have to swap cables over to the dvd burners so I can install windows!  Not forgetting the great positioning of PCI-e 1 x16 making the first PCI-e x1 slot unusable.  Flag ship MSI board?  I think not.  Half arsed money making venture...works a treat.  Oh, I already did it!  Thanks, feel much better now!!   I've used MSI boards exclusively in my own and the few other peoples builds I have done.  I will really have to rethink that in 4 or 5 years when I can afford another one after this abortion.
Oh, and what about Dual Core Center?  Again disregarding the spelling mistake on the GUI, a sure fire way to get my comp to lock up is to leave it set on 'Silent' (the only way I found to use cool 'n' quiet - yeah right) for a few hours.