amd x64 6400+ 3.2ghz
earthwatts 650 psu
2x wd 80gb sata II hdd's
seagate 'cuda 500gb sata II
4 gb ram
2x 8800gt's
gigabyte ga-m57sli-s4 mobo

after pushing power button, it now takes 25 seconds just to show the first white text (graphics card).

this portion of boot sequence has been slowing progressively.

after that it proceeds to boot at normal speed.

a friend brought over a new atx 750 watt psu and hooked it up and got same results..

disconnected hard drives, 1 video card and dvd/cd drive...and still takes 25 secs to 1st text..

could it be a mobo virus of some kind?

Get a can of compressed air and blow the system out.
Be sure all connections are connected tight and inspect the capacators (little silver, blue or green cans with a X on top) on the motherboard for bulging.
slow POST is a fairly bad sign .

smeeze is on the right track but...

After cleaning, disconnect and re-connect ALL connections---except the cpu. This includes removing and re-installing the memory sticks.

Be sure to use static protection procedures.

What is a "mobo virus"?

Never heard of a mobo virus, but in theory they are possible at least for the BIOS.

now ? but what was it before ? did you do something in between ?

I would recommend that after you dust out the case and it doesn't work, you check the HDD using SMART and RAM using memtest86 just to make sure they are doing well.

I recommend this CD for diagnostics:
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

thanks for all replies.

got a new mobo and all is well now.