Registry fix for NO start up splash screens

that's just the BOOT.INI file which you can edit in notepad, and add the switch --  /noguiboot
after the windows XP boot command line.  So it can be done manually.

Let me be clear, I WILL NEVER use msconfig again, after the mess it made.
I have 4 other XP systems, and this only happened to this one BECAUSE I used msconfig.

None of them have the noguiboot switch, so it can be done.
I appreciate the idea, which I will try, but --  I REALLY WANT A REGISTRY FIX !!

If you are set to use the Welcome Screen, it should show the basic "Welcome" stuff, but not all the other Applying settings etc....

And of course, no password == straight to your desktop.....

Can you explain what other screens are still there now?

There is no password, and we are not talking the first windows loading progress bar.  This is when the desktop background first appears (and used to stay until finished loading).
 
But now, after a split second, the blue screen with a small windows XP logo in the middle overwrites the desktop background for a good 12 seconds or more while it finishes loading, then the desktop is restored.

 It is a severe in-the-way irritation, I hate it!  Can't get the exact wording, as it goes before the desktop is usable.  Think "loading personal settings' screen, but some kind of default replacement for it.

I guess I'll just gracefully bow out of this discussion. You're obviously adamant about this issue. I took the time on my own system to be sure I could eliminate all start screens using the "noguiboot" option. All works just as you wish it to be. However, that's my system, not yours, so I believe you simply have something other in your configuration that needs to be suppressed. A deeper analysis may be required.

Best of luck to you.

---GRIFF

After a tad more thought....... do you or did you have more than one user on that system. It may be that you're seeing your own "personal desktop" settings screen being loaded. If you have no other users on the system, you can always delete those old profiles, which would end that.

Once the desktop loads, there is no more applying settings/loading personal options etc... Thats the last part of the logon process, which can be seen by UserEnv debugging. The desktop appears once explorer.exe is launched, and then you see your icons, taskbar start menu etc.....

I think either a screenshot, or a digital pic of what you are seeing will help us out dramatically......

I'm still monitoring, because I'm always in a learning mode. I'll be very happy to see the ultimate outcome and learn something new.

Perhaps I am not explaining this clearly enough.  I can't snap it, the screen comes before windows loads.  Have you ever seen the screen, "windows is loading your personal settings" -- I'm sure you all have!!

The registry entry -- DisableStatusMessages = 1 -- at --
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
got rid of that, but now another screen saying only Microsoft Windows XP is in place of it.

If you watch your desktop closely (using auto login), the background comes up for 0.2 seconds, then one of those 2 screens mentioned overwrites it for say 20 seconds or more before the desktop background reappears.

I have 4 systems with identical setups-registries, and neither screen appears on the other 3 systems. Therefore it MUST BE A REGISTRY ENTRY that stupid MSCONFIG inserted on this one system.

I need to find it.  A file compare on the two registries would not work, as the *applications* are different on the various setups, but the windows setups all came from the one master setup.  

That's as clear as I can say it.  Look at an auto login boot and you will see "windows is loading your personal settings".  If you DON'T see that, run MSCONFIG, and it will surely foul up your system too.

Here's a theory:  If you have 4 systems that are identical in every way, why not export the registry from one of them and install it on your troubled box, (but only AFTER you backup that registry)?

That way, you can test your own suspicions. Of course, this would only work if, indeed, each of theses boxes is identical in just about every way.

Forget that, because of your "applications" issue. That is obviously NOT the answer.......... I quit!

Not to mention hardware discrepencies....

I truly appreciate your integrity on this matter. However, I do wish I could better have answered your query. I simply don't know, and with additional research, have found no solution. I will be most happy to see the final result. Best of Luck!

No prob., usually when I ask a Q I have already exhausted all the web links, so my Qs are usually tough.

Since you mention having used msconfig(and hated it). There is a tool called msconfig cleanup that may help if the screen you mention is being started as part of first boot.

Search for "MSConfig Cleanup" or here is a link http://majorgeeks.com/MSConfig_Cleanup_d4642.html