XP Pro startup delay?

When I logon to XP Pro I enter my pword and get all the desktop icons. But if I try to, for example, access Network Connections, it takes up to 2 minutes before the dialog appears. The system appears to be waiting for something before becoming fully operational. In Windows TAsk Manager I've noticed that under Users my username does not appear, until after the 2 minutes when the system comes to life. Can anyone advise?! Many thanks. .