desktop won't load

i'm not sure if this is a hardware or software issue...when i turn on my computer, it takes an abnormally long time to boot...when the login screen appears after about 15 minutes (it is typically 15 seconds) and i log in, i can't get further than my wallpaper...after waiting for a half hour, the only thing that appeared was the wallpaper...i pressed ctrl-alt-del to see the running processes, and it seemed as if the computer was satisfyed by what had already loaded...it showed no evidence of trying to complete the operation...the system could boot in safe mode, but even that took a while...i don't know where to start...help

 

My boot up time has dramatically increased due to my video drivers. I have an old ATI-All in Wonder. i updated it with the drivers for the new AIW's which made it quit working, and slows down my boot up time. If you get it booted, either in safemode, try uninstalling some of your drivers in your audio and video cards. If it's not a virus, then this would be my guess.

 

the system won't even turn off...it stayed at the shut down screen for 45 minutes before i gave up...i'm typing this on another computer

 

i would say u would benifit from a fresh install,
when was the last time you reinstalled windows?

 

probably a year...the only problem is, i have valuable files on the computer and there is no way for me to retrieve them...if i could access and back the up, i would reinstall...however, i can't lose these files

 

have you tried using your hard drive in another computer as a slave drive?

 

IMO try and access them on another computer as a slave drive, take all the files you need and burn them onto cd/dvd then wipe the entire disk
that should get rid of your boot problem because it sounds like the OS is not workin correctly

 

also.. it has been a while since you fresh intalled, so alot of junk will be gathered onto your comp, a comp is just like a car, you must service it regularly in order for it to run at its best condition

 

does anyone know if there is a way to repair the OS?

alot of software comes with a repair function that doesn't require complete installation or uninstallation...is this available for windows?

 

there is an option when you boot your windows disk at start up, the option is automated system recovery *i think* allthough i have not used this feature i am guessing it is a repair tool or i think when u load the disk it has a repair option..

u must have your cd rom as boot drive number 1, you can change that in the bios, usually in advanced settings. try it out and let me know of the result

my settings are boot 1: cdrom
boot 2: HDD
boot 3: floppy

see how that goes

 

a system restore and waiting over an hour for a reboot did the trick...i just don't plan on shutting down this system anytime soon