Computer Starts Very Slowly Under Windows XP

Okay, so your computer, running Windows XP, suddenly takes a loooong time to start up.

Here's a quick fix that won't jigger up your computer but will get it up and running in a few minutes. You might want to print this post so you can refer to it as you restart your system.

1. Start your computer.
2. Hit the F8 key on the top of your keyboard repeatedly. Don't hold it down, hit it repeatedly.
3. If you get anything other than a black screen with white text, hit Esc (the "Esc" key top left) and continue to repeatedly hit the F8 key.
4. When you get the black screen with white text, use the up arrow key to go to "Start Windows In Safe Mode With Command Prompt".
5. Hit Enter.
6. Make sure the next screen highlights "Windows XP". If it doesn't, use the arrow keys to highlight "Windows XP".
7. Hit Enter.
8. You will see C:\>something\something (don't worry about that, just go to the next step).
9. Using your keyboard, type C:\ (just type c, then shift+;, then \) and hit Enter.
10. Type cd windows\prefetch
11. Your screen should show C:\WINDOWS\PREFETCH
12. Type del *.* and hit Enter.
13. Windows will ask if you're sure. Type Y and hit enter.
14. Type c:\windows\temp and hit enter.
15. Type del *.* and hit Enter.
16. Windows will ask if you're sure. Type Y and hit enter.
17. Restart your computer. It will start in under a minute.

Have fun!