Initializing kernel connections...->0.469
    Initializing cell styles...->0.641
    Initializing fonts...->0.922
    Initializing menus...->0.922
    Initializing defaults notebook...->1.094
    Initializing defaults clipboards...->1.406
    Initializing internal preferences...->1.422
    Initializing kernels...->1.656
    Opening Welcome Screen...->4.844
    Initializing toolbars...->4.844
    Preloading Favorites...->5.188
    Handling CommandLineOptions...->5.188
    Opening Files...->5.188
    Do Startup Action...->5.188
    Closing Splash Screen...->5.906
    Finished->5.906

In an similar case, after update to vs 13., many issues got straight after deleting all Mathematica folders in C:\Users\me\AppData and C:\ProgramData that held data from older installations. If deleted, they will be created from scratch at start.

Another timing issue is a device, that generates read errors and try re-reads until success. But I think, floppy read times are over, generally, but net connections still work with this kind of protocol.

Especially in Linux it is essential that the MathLink protocol between GUI kernel and the working kernels is not delayed by security checks, since it goes via IP adresses as far as I understand it.

Roland Franzius

With Linux, I suppose, you have a user directory somewhere over the net?

In this case I install a second identical drive, install Linux , without touching the first drive, best by disabling it in the bios, otherwise not installing a common grub but sticking with boot selection by F12.

Then install Mathematica, in most cases this worked without a new activation. But even without activation any hardware or software configuration induced problem in the timing of the startup sequence will exhibit .

For me, mostly net and security settings in Linux in effect forced a new installation because erroneous settings often are not repairable without finally to make the start sequence to hang forever.

Especially the network security and mode setting in Ubuntu are a puzzle I have not solved until 22.04 when the net problems sudenly disappeared.