"start" is a feature of cmd.exe.

Therefore XP/NT/2000 run a cmd.exe session to handle the pathing and associating instead of handling it in kernel.

Your delay is caused by the startup of cmd.exe. If your load is small, so is your delay.

(Provided the scheduler doesn't decide to bump a service in ahead of starting your new process)

"All too often people confuse their being able to think with their actually having done so. A more pernicious mistake does not exist."

--Moraven Tollo in Michael A. Stackpole's A Secret Atlas

In reply to Re: system("start ...") has 30 secs delay by Madams
in thread system("start ...") has 30 secs delay by yike

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