Windows 7 What happens during Welcome page?

[mattisdada]

You know the page when you boot up Windows (vista or Win7) and it has "Welcome".

What exactly is happening then? Is it loading services, drivers, certain startup process's? What?

 

[Radenight]

I'm not sure what all goes on during the welcome screen but by default I'm pretty sure prefetching and indexing happen then... (at least for the first few boots.. ) I think there's more too but I'm not certain... Sorry...

 

[cmn]

You know the page when you boot up Windows (vista or Win7) and it has "Welcome".

What exactly is happening then? Is it loading services, drivers, certain startup process's? What?

Usually the last item on your list, namely, Startup items. If you have any buggy applications to be loaded or an Adware has found its way thru' registry key you can see that screen to be waiting there for ever. If your problem is a long delay at this time I suggest the following

1. Boot into Safe Mode by pressing F8 during reboot soon after POST
2. Login as Administrator into Safe Mode
3. Click Start> Search programs and files and type MSCONFIG in that box.
4. MSCONFIG will popup at the top of this under Programs(1) [ top of usual start menu]
5. Right click MSCONFIG> Run as Administrator
6. Click Startup tab
7. Look for any offending item and uncheck> Appply>OK
8. Restart
9. See if boot delay at Windows Welcome screen goes away
10. If you find any malware use appropriate Malware eradicator of your choice.

 

[mattisdada]

Thanks for indepth response cmn. But alas that was not the case needed

I just notice that WLM adds about 3-5 more seconds to the Welcome screen (when normally for me its instantaneous)

Running build 7068, Q6600 at 3.58ghz. Im a performance enthusiast who doesn't like to wait .

Oh and the WLM installer is buggy in build 704x+ puts in a bunch of Reg keys that screw things up (deleting them and having WLM rebuild it (not the installer) makes it all work good and proper). (For example, it disabled the toolbar (not a GUI setable option, but apparantly you can set it in the reg under PerPassportSettings, and also did a key Webcam which made me unable to view ANYONE's webcams. Just deleted it and it hasn't rebuilt it.... webcaming now works fine )

So im thinking that doing some regfixing should help that boot time (i also checked out the procmon analysis of WLM, it gets several reg errors and is heavily using reg at all times.....)

Thanks guys

 

[cmn]

Thanks for indepth response cmn. But alas that was not the case needed

I just notice that WLM adds about 3-5 more seconds to the Welcome screen (when normally for me its instantaneous)

Running build 7068, Q6600 at 3.58ghz. Im a performance enthusiast who doesn't like to wait .

Oh and the WLM installer is buggy in build 704x+ puts in a bunch of Reg keys that screw things up (deleting them and having WLM rebuild it (not the installer) makes it all work good and proper). (For example, it disabled the toolbar (not a GUI setable option, but apparantly you can set it in the reg under PerPassportSettings, and also did a key Webcam which made me unable to view ANYONE's webcams. Just deleted it and it hasn't rebuilt it.... webcaming now works fine )

So im thinking that doing some regfixing should help that boot time (i also checked out the procmon analysis of WLM, it gets several reg errors and is heavily using reg at all times.....)

Thanks guys

Thank you very much for your response Mattisdada. With your interest in Windows Registry Tweaking you certainly can tailor the OS to suit your needs. May be you could post some tips and tricks in the Forum someday,after the RC gets into the hands of a lot more

By the way did you try Safe Mode followed by Clean Boot troubleshoot to cull and eliminate the offending **No-MS Service or Startup Applications by Selective Load of Services and Disabling Startup Items in System Configuration Utility by launching MSCONFIG run as Administartor? Since it takes a lot of time and patience, many wouldn't like to go through that exercise and would use the "most common cause for the Start up Delay or Failure approach" from their own experience or discussed in Forums and Newsgroups.
I guess the Windows 7 Beta Testing discussion would soon be replaced by analysis on the RC in the coming weeks and months. I look forward to your postings here
** Assumption is that MS Service is unlikely to be the cause for the problem in 98% of cases!

 

[davehc]

Usually the last item on your list, namely, Startup items. If you have any buggy applications to be loaded or an Adware has found its way thru' registry key you can see that screen to be waiting there for ever. If your problem is a long delay at this time I suggest the following

1. Boot into Safe Mode by pressing F8 during reboot soon after POST

I,m curious?? Why would you feel it neccessary to boot into safe mode to perform this simple operation?

 

[whoosh]

I,m curious?? Why would you feel it neccessary to boot into safe mode to perform this simple operation?

Good point . I did struggle with a silly thought take your mind of the problem ie : boot into safe mode = me very bad sorry

 

[cmn]

I,m curious?? Why would you feel it neccessary to boot into safe mode to perform this simple operation?

Scenario: This Computrer has an existing system with existing peripherals that are working in that system (an earlier Windows 7 Build). Windows Setup goes into its final automatic reboot and stops at Welcome screen. You waited longer than the anticipated normal delay but it is still hanging there . Possibilites considered by the original poster, rightly so in my opinion, a bad driver, lack of a driver or a Non-MS Sevice or a Startup Application.
How to differentiate all these? and My approach was combining the 2 steps in one initial step and then go further only if needed.

• Start in Safe Mode > Windows boots to windows desktop...>Most likely windows bypassed the offending driver, often display driver or a nework adapter driver.

• If you have the driver in a Flash drive you can install and boot back to Windows Desktop and then go to MSCONFIG as Admin > and do Clean Boot troubleshoot. But while you are already there in Safe Mode as Administrator, you can just as well look in System Configuration Utility and identify any additional problems before rebooting. Is that not OK?
• If you don't see anything in System Configuration Utility while in Safe Mode that looked suspicious under Services or Startup tabs, then you don't have to go through the really long Clean boot troubleshoot once you are back on Normal Windows Desktop.

I hope I have given the rationale for my approach

 

[whoosh]

Scenario: This Computrer has an existing system with existing peripherals that are working in that system (an earlier Windows 7 Build). Windows Setup goes into its final automatic reboot and stops at Welcome screen. You waited longer than the anticipated normal delay but it is still hanging there . Possibilites considered by the original poster, rightly so in my opinion, a bad driver, lack of a driver or a Non-MS Sevice or a Startup Application.
How to differentiate all these? and My approach was combining the 2 steps in one initial step and then go further only if needed.

• Start in Safe Mode > Windows boots to windows desktop...>Most likely windows bypassed the offending driver, often display driver or a nework adapter driver.

• If you have the driver in a Flash drive you can install and boot back to Windows Desktop and then go to MSCONFIG as Admin > and do Clean Boot troubleshoot. But while you are already there in Safe Mode as Administrator, you can just as well look in System Configuration Utility and identify any additional problems before rebooting. Is that not OK?
• If you don't see anything in System Configuration Utility while in Safe Mode that looked suspicious under Services or Startup tabs, then you don't have to go through the really long Clean boot troubleshoot once you are back on Normal Windows Desktop.

I hope I have given the rationale for my approach

You have . Good idea

 

[davehc]

Sorry, but I am not clear on what you are suggesting.The OP is not having any problems booting into the OS. He has a problem with WLM lagging. It did not "hang" on the welcome screen, just took 3 seconds longer. I think WLM could easily account for that. But, referring only to your first post, thete would be no difference in the msconfig startup tab, whether he evokes it before or after safe mode.


..But, for the OP, I seriously doubt that your welcome screen was ever instant. It is not really possible as it has to interpret and load your profile, including your desktop settings.

 

[mattisdada]

Sorry, but I havn't the slightest idea what you are talking about.The OP is not having any problems booting into the OS. He has a problem with WLM lagging. It did not "hang" on the welcome screen, just took 3 seconds longer. I think WLM could easily account for that.
But, for the OP, I seriously doubt that your welcome screen was ever instant. It is not really possible as it has to interpret and load your profile, including your desktop settings.

Well instant in the sense of, i saw it flash and then black screen fade into desktop. Pretty much instant. After install WLM is slows RIGHT down. And im wondering, is my system WAITING for it? What is it waiting for? Ill try out cmn's idea's after school tonight Thanks guys for your replies!

 

[davehc]

OK mattisdada, fair enough. You are lucky. I have never had a welcome screen, through Vista and 7, go that fast. Could you, if not too private, give a capture of the items on your start tab?
I don't use Messenger, so cannot examine it on my setup. But is there an option to check for messages or any such thing, on initial bootup?

I confess that I have an automatic login to Microsoft, but this is normally evoked after I use the browser or Live Mail. Other than that, this is all I load on my start tab. Have you by chance been pruning your services? Fwiw, except for improving your start time, this is no longer needed. One of the improvements with Windows 7 is that the services, although installed on boot up, are latent, and not using any resources (Except those, of course, which are essential) until needed.

One point. You appear to have some knowledge on the subject of customising and pruning (?). One thing you can do:
Open the "Windows" folder. Scroll down and, if it is there, delete a file called "Ntblog.txt"
Now open Msconfig and, under the "Boot" tab,
Restart your computer and you will find the Ntblog file has been rewritten. If you examine it, you will find that some system files have failed to load. There are often legitimate reasons for this. If you google for each, you will find good advice on the function of these files. The ones, if any, which fail to load are those which slow down the "Welcome" screen.

 

[mattisdada]

I did at one stage do allot of services pruning, but now i'm just trying to find the root of this problem. It also occurred to me in Vista, WLM, or a component along with it, slows down my boot's majorly.

But i was thinking today, why wait for boot items on the Welcome screen? Infact, why have the Welcome screen at all? This confuses me, as long as Windows has enough information to render the screen, it should, IMMEDIATELY. As Windows still starts up items while the screen is rendered. So this is why i was thinking, well maybe its a graphics driver? But seemingly, the problem only occurs AFTER installing messenger (or who knows, maybe i always do something when i install it and i dont really notice/remember it?). Maybe its the Error Reporting Service it installs and conflicts with the Windows 7 Error Reporting service.... Seems a bit redundant to have the two. As seemingly, theres no disk activity, so is it just in a bit of a loop?

And you know what? An option to boot with default windows settings would be great.... (only drivers + original MS start items and services). As theres more items getting booted then just within msconfig. if you use autoruns, you get a much more in depth of "whats booting"

Ok, going to try what CMN suggested, i will edit this post in 10mins (or however long i take) with results


(Just an FYI Quad core (Q6600 at 3.58ghz, 1066mhz 4-4-4-12 ram(OCZ Reaper), 1TB 7200.11 HDD (Seagate), 8800GT (oc'd to 700/1700/999 this is probably why i see fast Welcome screens normally)
Link Removed

EDIT:
I looked at the ntbtlog

Did not load driver \SystemRoot\System32\drivers\vga.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\usbhub.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\NDProxy.SYS
Did not load driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\NDProxy.SYS
Did not load driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\NDProxy.SYS
Did not load driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\NDProxy.SYS
Did not load driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\NDProxy.SYS

That chunk there is quite interesting......
(Still testing, just posting findings as i go) going to disable NDProxy and see what happens....
EDIT2: Well, it still boots after disabled... Great . Dont particularly want to delete it and the reg's that ask for it...... (Dont want to go to deep with a non plug and play driver)

EDIT3: Ran another procmon boot log, explorer.exe alone (which is what the Welcome screen WOULD wait for) takes a full 4.5 seconds for itself (6 seconds in Kernal time to apparently)
I have attached the procmon data, i only gave the "Processor statistics" not ALL the operations the system did during that boot. (Please note: Boots take quite a bit longer with procmon logging enabled, the (full) log is about 481MB so it slows things down a bit.....)

So what i have concluded so far:
Something in explorer is bogging things down, and as well all know, you can modify parts of exploer.exe to boot with it (shell for example, and right click menu's, etc)

 

[davehc]

No. Don't disable it! NDProxy.SYS is a network device driver ... You can go into Device Manager and see if you have two active network device drivers running. If you do, see which one is the 'default' driver, then disable the other one.

Otherwise it is a legit MS file and is not harming your setup.
I can see "did not load VGA driver" ? Have you not disabled that in the bios?

 

[mattisdada]

No. Don't disable it! NDProxy.SYS is a network device driver ... You can go into Device Manager and see if you have two active network device drivers running. If you do, see which one is the 'default' driver, then disable the other one.

Otherwise it is a legit MS file and is not harming your setup.
I can see "did not load VGA driver" ? Have you not disabled that in the bios?

I dont even have a VGA port on my computer (P5Q Premium mobo).

And you cant disable NDproxy anyway . Even when its disabled, it still boots.

According to my reading, NDproxy is only used if you have a proxy.