Well windows xp has this problem of slowing down..
Not at all mate. I'm using XP in my home PC and it just boots in less than 30 sec (blue bar goes for 4-5 times MAX). I formatted it 6 months ago. You just need to know how to keep your system alright.
@OP- From what experience I have, if OS becomes so slow as yours, it can't be brought back to the original fast condition whatever you do. But yeah, 3-4 mins is too much, and it can be brought down to 1 min or so if properly troubleshooted.
OS gets max-slow only by two methods. (I repeat MAX SLOW)
1) Virus infection.
2) Visual pack / Transformation pack / Some heavy 3rd party theme.
Rest factors such as too many start up programs, junk files, etc as mentioned by fellow members also slow down your system but not by 4 mins. But sometimes startup programs can also hamper your performance too much.
1) First check your system for virus infection with an UPDATED anti-virus. I saw you used Kaspersky, its one of the best, just make sure its updated. Make sure you restart your system after the scan as there are many viruses which demand restart for their cleanup.
2) Uninstall any visual/transformation packs if you've installed.
3) Check msconfig.
4) Run CCleaner (Cleaner & registry both)
5) Go to
%temp% and
prefetch,
Ctrl+
A,
Shift+
Del.
6) Delete any unnecessary fonts
if you've installed. Fonts also play a good role in slowing down the start up.
7) Deferagment all drives. Better to use
Diskeeper further.
If all these doesn't help you, do clean format. And keep proper check up of your OS at least weekly.
(I'm serious)
It didn't happened with me. I'm using SP3 from more than 2 years.