Win XP "pauses" for minutes after comp is turned on

I've had this issue for ages and never found a solution. When I have a network card installed (no matter which PCI slot), I just can't do anything in Windows for about two minutes after the system is turned on and WinXP loads. The desktop appears but most applications are not loaded. For example, it is only after that 2-minute pause that my firewall is automatically loaded and IE can be started. Then the system runs flawlessly. If I have no network card installed, everything is loaded and ready in seconds. Does any of the gurus know what this is? Thanks.

have you tried giving your network card a static IP address?

Try uninstalling the device and reinstalling it. Not sure if that would help or not, but its worth a shot.