Solved Startup drivers/services/programs not always loaded

[TheoStudioC]

I'm using win7 pro. Three screens for video editing and a professional audiocard for 16 channel optical audio input/output. It's a standalone machine without internet. Everything has the latest updates and drivers installed. There should be 12 sytemtray icons visible after startup. Each time windows starts I have a different amount of systemtray icons with a different order. I just continue restart (do nothing just goto menu start and choose retart) until all icons are visible. Sometimes it takes about 15 restarts. It's not sure that the programs that have no icon vivible are also not loaded, sometimes they are sometimes not. While restarting I somtimes get the message "error reading TrayIcon1" or "MMDriver not working" or both. It also happens that all over sudden without any reason my screen order is changed after a restart. All the desktop icons are moved to an other screen.
Reinstalling windows, hard- and software (tried twice) didn't help. I also tried an other harddrive without result. I think there's a timing problem on loading drivers and programs during startup.
The startup folder is empty, everyting is loaded by ini, init or the registry.
Is there an option to let windows load the second driver after finnishing the firrst?
The machine is working perfect when everyting is loaded, so no complaints about that.
It only take a verry long time to start, I can live with it but it's very annoying.

Suggestions are welcome.

 

[Megahertz07]

Welcome to the forum

- If you don't have or use internet, change win update to manual on services and on Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Update\Change settings and set it to Never check.
- run msconfig and on startup tab, disable all.
Reboot
If it boots normally, find witch start up is messing your boot.

 

[MeOnMine]

Hi, Win 7 normally should not be installed UEFI.
BIOS settings.
CSM/Boot Device Control/Legacy Oprom Only.
Secure Boot/OS Type/Other OS.
Fast Boot/Off or Post Report leave around 6 seconds (what ever it is called in your BIOS.
In Windows run msconfig as administrator/General tab and select "Normal Start up"...re-boot.
Your system specs show you are running one Nvidia and one AMD graphics card! I am not sure but I don't see that as a great idea.

 

[torchwood]

And a really stupid comment.
Dont shutdown
Use hibernate or sleep options.

Roy

 

[TheoStudioC]

Tried several options. Doesn't realy matter which of the 12 programs I disable on startup. The startup sequence, that's making the problem, is NEVER the same !! I have to disable a minimum af 4 programs (can be any 4 out of the 12) to get a stable startup. I think loading drivers/programs interfere with eachother. Is there an option to start loading after finnishing an other?
And this is about another (a standalone machine) as i'm using now to write these posts.

 

[Layback Bear]

I'm not really understanding why one would have 12 programs start at boot.
Starting 12 programs at boot with only 4 gig of ram is asking a bit much.

I agree with MeOnMine.
Two completely different Video card will also cause problems.

Maybe if some of the programs were set to Delay Start things would be better.
The best way I know of to test if some programs are causing problems would be using this Tutorial by Brink.

Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup

Jack

 

[TheoStudioC]

Windows 7 itself has over a 100 programs/processes running, so why can't I have extra 12?
Read the first post! They are used for 3 video screens, 3 video cards, 2 video capture cards, 2x 8 channel optical light pipe and a 48 channel analog mixing console automation. And again ... it's not the machine i'm using to write these posts. When everything is loaded and running (after several restarts) it's all working perfect! No complaints. Only the startup sequence is never the same. Windows 7 is not consequent in handling the startup procedure. Is there anyone with an educated suggestion?

 

[Layback Bear]

Start up processes and start up programs are two completely different things.

Have a nice day.

Jack

 

[johnhoh]

Your root issue might be programs, or might be hardware drivers. I'd start by assuming its drivers cuz you have so many devices. You might have incompatible drivers, or bad drivers, or even a bad bios. Here's the steps I would take to get things cleaned up and starting fresh ....

First completely uninstall either the amd or nvidia card, and drivers. Running these two brands simultaneously is not the cleanest way to start off troubleshooting, so best to eliminate one of them. I suggest just one monitor for now as well.

Then update your motherboard bios. If its not properly handing off its environment to windows, you are hosed before you start. A bios update will allow you to be confident that your bios is not the issue. A bad bios can manifest itself in intermittent windows driver errors, so lets check that off the list with a fresh update.

Then boot straight into bios and disable any integrated peripherals you do not use, such as onboard graphics, onboard LAN, onboard audio. This reduces the driver environment burden for windows.

Then re-install your motherboard drivers from your motherboard's website.

Then reboot and see if things run cleanly. If so, add back in the video card you took out.

You have a great deal of hardware devices running on a 4GB machine. Yes windows is supposed to be able to handle it, but its worth pointing out because it makes your environment unique. Your motherboard voltage regulators are stressed, your power supply is stressed. If you lose a couple bits every startup it can manifest itself in driver errors. If you take your car to the mechanic becuse it makes funny noise when you put 14 kids in the back seat, the first thing he'll ask is does it make the noise when there are no kids in the car. That's the troubleshooting principle I'm advising for you here.

Check your hard disk for errors.

Keep checking in device manager to make sure your drivers are loading correctly. Actually you might check that first.

 

[MeOnMine]

That's why I tried to slow down the boot process.
Fast boot is sometimes too fast.

 

[TheoStudioC]

Yes I know. It's all done before I wrote the first post. Oke I don't think it has anything to do with it but here it is.
The machine has an Intel core i7 5960 processor, 32 GB internal memorie, 500 GB SSD HD, Matrox P690 LP PCIE x1, Matrox P690 Plus LP PCIE x16, 7TB Raid Array HD for realtime 4K video editing, MADI HDSPe AIO audiocard with MADI HDSPe FX OPTO-X expansion and a software USB interface to communicate with a Allen & Heath 48 channel mixing console with fader automation. When something is defect, bad or incompatible it should never run well or run well for a long time. It does run well when everting is loaded even for days. I said before I can live with it. It's only so annoying.

 

[johnhoh]

The reason your icons don't always appear in the same order is that they appear only once they are "ready" and they are ready at a different moment each boot because your hard drive changes (e.g. pagefile.sys gets changed) with each boot. I would try disabling your paging file, and/or moving it to a different drive.

How to Disable or Move the Windows Page File

If your boot drive is pretty fragmented that can also cause slight changes to the order at which programs/drivers are accessed and loaded. Try defraggler.

Defraggler - Builds

If that does not work for you, check into Startup Delayer and Winpatrol, both of which give you better startup control

Startup Delayer - Freeware download and reviews from SnapFiles

WinPatrol (Free Edition) - Freeware download and reviews from SnapFiles

 

[TheoStudioC]

Okay. Installed a 80GB HD (was lying in a drawbar, somewhere) only used for the pagefile. No difference.
Switched of the pagefile also no difference.
MeOnMine is talking about slowing down the boot process. I can't find any option for that.

 

[Callender]

You can possibly delay loading of some third party software startup entries that you have added.

​

RE: System tray icons.

Reset them using this tutorial which also clears out old items.

Notification Area Icons - Reset

You would need to select order of icons to be displayed after running the script and rebooting.

Order depends upon whether you choose to "always display all icons" after making your choices.

Would also suggest running a full disk check when you have finished using your computer. A reboot is needed,

Run this command:

​

You will find a lot of discussion in this forum on services management. Personally I disable services that I don't need. Some other services are set to manual start instead of automatic.

Anyway take a look at:

Start> Run then type msconfig and press enter.

On the services tab hide all microsoft services and see what's left. Work out if you can safely disable any or set to delayed start or if not required to be running on boot set to manual start.

 

[TheoStudioC]

I figured it out. It has to do with the order of installing the hardware.
Start with a basic machine, no additional hardware installed.
Install windows 7.
Switch off.
Put in first piece off hardware.
Start up.
Install the software of the new hardware.
Switch off.
Install second piece of hardware.
Start up.
Install software of the new hardware.
Switch off.
Repeat until all hard- and software is installed.

Order of insallation:
1) Matrox P690 Plus
2) Matrox P690 LP
3) MADI HDSPe AIO
4) MADI HDSPe FX Opto
5) Install Fader Automation software
6) Set Up RaidArray

When I change someting in the installation order things go wrong right away or after a while.
If so I have to strip the machine and start all over again.
But ..... when it's running its running.