WindowsXP loads with delay

[Wuhtzu]

Hey

I am having a problem where ZoneAlarm Pro causes my WindowsXP to load with some sort of delay. Normally you see the Windows XP logo and text with a little loading bar, then your desktop background is shown for 1-2 seconds, the startup sound is played and your desktop (icons, processline ect.) is loaded. In my case i experience a 20-25seconds delay from the point where my desktop background is showned to the startup sound is played and icons are loaded ect.

I have used MS Bootvis to analyze the startup/boot sequence with ZA installed and not installed, it confirms the delay:

ZA not installed: http://www.wuhtzu.dk/random/bootvis_no_za.jpg (all apps load simultaneously around 21-22sec after startup)

ZA installed: http://www.wuhtzu.dk/random/bootvis_za.jpg (explorer.exe and spoolsv.exe loads at 24sec and the rest after a 25sec delay)

I using ZoneAlarm PRO 65.722.000 and WindowsXP Pro SP2. It is a completly new Windows installation I am testing and experiencing this on. The only thing installed before ZA is my nVidia chipset driver and nVidia GFX driver. I have uninstalled and installed ZA over and over again and the problem keeps occuring. I have olso tried some older versions of ZA, same problem and the reason why i choose to format and installed windows again was this problem starting to occure after running perfectly for months.

Windows XP also tells me that zlclient.exe is not responding and needs to be ended when I am restarting or shutting down.

Any ideas how to solve this problem?

Best regards

Wuhtzu

[nitroshift]

Use Agnitum Outpost Firewall...

[Takeshi]

Looking at the graphs, zlclient.exe is the 13th exe to start, way after all the nv stuff.

The delay occurs between the 2nd and 3rd exe, the latter being nv svc32.exe.

This says nv svc32.exe is not strictly needed and it tries to access the internet.

So I'm just wondering, if ZA is primarily to blame, as the exe starts so late (perhaps the ZA services start earlier?), and if ZA is trying to block the nv svc32.exe.

TBH, if it's only 20-25s delay, I'll put up with it. Or stop this exe and see.

[Andromeda43]

I quit using ZA the same day I updated my system to SP2.

Version 6 has caused all sorts of problems for many users.

It's even crashed systems when doing the upgrade from ver 5 to ver 6.

It's system loading is horrendous. It's not even needed when you've got SP2 and some decent AV and AS software running and updated.

Personally, I'd dump ZA and turn on the Windows Firewall and forget it.

Cheers!

Andromeda43

[Wuhtzu]

Takeshi -> I like your argumentation and it sounds reasonable. I'll give it a shot and disable the svc32.exe to see if it helps. Thanks for the thinking

[ringfinger]

I too would trash ZA and just use the Windows default. With that enabled you're pretty much fine, especially if you have a private NAT'd addy behind some kind of router/switch.