Updating Hardware Information Database -SLOW

I have not been able to solve this problem using all the methods I know of. It seems that the system works fine, but if I upgrade ANY driver, and it has to go thru that Updating Hardware Driver Information Database, it takes around 30-40 minutes for it to do that - once it does, everything else runs at normal speed again. I have all drivers updated for the motherboard (Abit KT7-RAID), all video, AGP, Via 4-in-1, sound, modem, etc - updated now. But if a new driver comes out for anything, I'm in for a long wait - any ideas what might be causing this or suggestions on what to look for? <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0">

Try deleting the wininit.ini file. Don't delete the wininit.exe, or the machine might not boot.

Would you happen to have Norton SystemWorks (or one of it's components) installed on your PC? I've run into this behavior on a half dozen WinME machines and Norton was the culprit every time (there seems to be an incompatibility even though Symantec insists that 2001 is compatible). Now here's the part you're going to love... assuming that is your problem uninstalling Norton won't fix it! A clean install of Windows is required to fully purge it from your PC and restore all your system files to their former glory. Hope this helps...

Is it looking for drivers from the windows update , that's an option when doing drivers in ME.
That could be what is causing the delay also.

Worth check into.