xp boot up problem

Hi! I've noticed a long pause of about 30 sec black screen occur between boot screen and logon screen. I'm running Windows XP sp2 on a desktop with Intel Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz, 512 mb ram, using MSI 865PE Neo2 mainboard. I couldn't recall any significant changes on the system or any program installed before this problem occurs. Kindly advise me on this. Thanks helping Hew

That's generally a time when hardware drivers and security applications (such as firewalls and anti-virus programs) begin loading up as they set hooks deep in the kernel of the operating system. If you have any external USB devices, such as external drives, card readers, cameras, etc. attached, remove them and see how it goes. If you have any programs (other than security programs) that startup at boot that you really don't need running from the beginning, disable their "run at Windows start" options.

Did this long pause suddenly start? Or has it just been gradually getting longer and longer?

Does your system run fine after it is going?

Note that 512Mb of RAM is a little low for optimal results. 1Gb is generally considered the "sweetspot" for XP and a single core CPU. With less than 1Gb, Windows and your CPU are forced to frequently spool data out to the Page File on the slow (in comparison) hard drive.

Have you done a complete malware scan? That is usually the first thing I do when troubleshooting a PC so I know I have a clean platform to work from. Here's a link to my canned text on Cleaning Out Malware. Use it if you don't already have a complete security suite and disk cleaning utilities to rid your system of malware and clutter. You can also use it as a guide to build your own security suite, and to help you develop a "Practicing Safe Computing" self-discipline.