This is not going to help one bit but each day I switch on this A4000D behind me and it takes around the same time as yours to boot the floppy. I just leave it for ages and eventually I hear the floppy kick in. And the reason its no help is cus this has a busted hard drive and its on an eternal spin. I have left it over a day and it still doesn't validate the drive... its had it. I just have a Parnet waiting here and an A1200 just in the hope she will boot one last time. But the time taken is weird cus the 4000 is obviously waiting for the hard drive and it takes so long for it to decide there isn't one coming and then boots the floppy. If I wait 20 minutes I will get the CD drive power light flick on.
I haven't read all the thread but I assume after the time period it boots into something. I just get the feeling the computer may be seeking something but can't find it. I have had so many issues with long boot processes. One machine I have to softboot three times in succession and she boots each and every time. I also have one machine that hangs on the SCSI which someone suggested with the dreaded phase shift. I set the computer with the echo so I can see the startup process and I get a stall on the SCSI.
No help sadly. My solution will be to finally accept the hard drive isn't going to validate and change the thing. You don't have an old 3.5" hard you can connect up. Sorry if you already do that. I just read something about a CF. I don't use them myself so I can't comment. To quote U2 I fear your computer is looking ' But it still hasn't found what it's looking for '... and then boots something else.
