I posted this elsewhere but didn't get a lot of response and now I have a bit more information, so I am hoping someone can help me resolve this.
When I boot up my XP computer, it seems to lock up just before Avast loads. Windows appears to load normally, then just before the Avast blue ball icon should appear in the tray, the hourglass symbol appears on screen and the computer simply refuses to go any further. Even the system clock won't advance. Powering down and rebooting a second or third time usually resolves this problem.
It was suggested that I check out Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Events, specially 'Errors'
The error message that seems to co-incide with this event reads as follows:
The server {FFF2D28F-E4EE-44D9-8104-8E71556757F6} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout.
This means nothing to me...however someone on my ISP's forums suggested that I edit the registry so that DCOM did not run:
" DCOM is a MS program for networking and can be disabled -
http://www.updatexp.com/dcom-windows-xp.html"
This seems a little extreme to me....not being one to play in the registry. I can't believe that nobody else has had this problem. Currently I have NO other antivirus (Norton came pre-loaded but has never been activated) and I am using only the XP firewall just to simplify matters. I am also running Spybot Search & Destroy, and Spywareblaster.
This lock-up occurs on both reboots and cold boots.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.