Odd delay before control panel, programs start in Windows 7

wombatpete · 25 Jul 2011

Hello,
Specifically:
There's a significant delay before the control panel displays as a menu when activated from the control panel.
It's as if the computer is waiting for a response from something, times out, and shows the menu.

Note: when I activate the control panel from a desktop shortcut, it opens IMMEDIATELY.
Programs seem to start with a similar delay; otherwise, the computer seems very fast.

Looking at the task manager as I try to open the control panel as a menu, I see only that explorer.exe shoots up to about 13% of memory usage, nothing else unusual.

I've set the menu open delay in the registry to 1. That hasn't helped, either.

I have a new IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad with i7-2720 & 8GB RAM & Windows 7 (fully updated).

A clean start does NOT solve this problem.

Could the issue be related to services started/disabled? I've played around with them, but it hasn't solved the issue.

I've run all the hardware diagnostics I can find - the memory, and everything else, passes with flying colors.

**cluberti** · 25 Jul 2011

If you're willing to install a tool and take a trace, we can probably figure out what's happening.

Install the Windows Performance Toolkit following the instructions here - note you don't need to take any traces, just follow the section called "Installing the tools"
Open up an elevated command prompt.
Type this command into that command prompt, and press ENTER to start the trace:
Code:
```
xperf -on DIAG+DISK_IO_INIT+DRIVERS+FILE_IO+FILE_IO_INIT+FILENAME+NETWORKTRACE+PRIORITY+PROFILE+REGISTRY+SPLIT_IO
```
Note you will not get any indication a trace is running, the command prompt will just return to a prompt when the trace has started
Reproduce the delay in opening the control panel
Type this command into the command prompt and press ENTER to stop the trace:
Code:
```
xperf -d C:\slow.etl
```

Once you've done the above, compress (using 7zip, winrar, etc.) the slow.etl file and upload it somewhere so we can download it and analyze it for you.

wombatpete · 26 Jul 2011

Thanks, I'll install it now and report.

**cluberti** · 26 Jul 2011

Fantastic :).

wombatpete · 26 Jul 2011

If you give me an e-mail (or temporary e-mail alias), I can send it via yousendit.com.
Would that work?

**cluberti** · 26 Jul 2011

Send me a PM and I will reply with specifics.

Dwarf · 26 Jul 2011

You should be able to attach the file to a reply.

**cluberti** · 26 Jul 2011

I would doubt it - even compressed it is going to be larger than the forum allows.

Dwarf · 26 Jul 2011

cluberti said:

I would doubt it - even compressed it is going to be larger than the forum allows.

What sort of size are we looking at?

wombatpete · 26 Jul 2011

Apparently I have insufficient privileges to send a PM (?!)
When I go to quicklinks & select "Send a PM", I'm told that I can't access the page.