This could be a similar problem and I hope it helps. I have the high speed DSL broadband service which is always on when my PC boots up. When I boot Windows XP (Home), everything looks fine. I can run programs and I can access my hard drive, but in the taskbar or system tray, the icons finish loading in about three to five minutes. If I should try to access the web with Microsoft Internet Explorer during this time period, my web access is blocked until all the icons in the system tray have finished loading.
The problem seems to be in START>RUN>MSCONFIG>SERVICES. I have found a workaround to my problem by disabling all the Windows Services and enable only the ones I need for the internet. If I do this then I can get on the web right away after Windows XP boots up. I would like to know which service is causing this problem so I can disable it and enable all the other Windows Services. One thing I notice is that when the problem service is disabled, Norton Anti Virus icon does not appear in the taskbar and the Norton Anti Virus e-mail scan feature is disabled in Norton, even though all the Norton Services and Symantec Services are checked and enabled in MSCONFIG. Also, Microsoft Outlook does not retain my password, and I have to re-enter my password every time Outlook starts to check my e-mail.