[SOLVED] PC boot time has increased substantially ?

[Synlias]

Hello

Since two days my PC is having problems booting (takes 6-10 min instead of 30 seconds) and is also experiencing issues trying to open up my HDD in file explorer (dont know the correct english term here). It also doesnt want to shutdown (takes 6-10 minutes till it does and takes ages forcing me to turn it off manually with the powerbutton).

I have tried enabling and disabling fast startup, updating graphics drivers, updated windows, tried SFC and DISM (SFC did find a problem but repaired it). Doing a full system scan right now aswell and already scanned for malware. I tried unplugging and replugging the SSD (that has windows) and the HDD. Ive also checked my boot priority (here there is a weird issue that the only SSD showing is the one without windows, I cannot select the correct SSD with windows there for some reason).

Specs:

ASUS maximus XI hero
Intel I5 9600K
Corsair RAM 32 gb (3200 mhz xmp is enabled)
GTX 1070 Ti
1TB WD HDD
Samsung 840 128gb SSD (with Windows)
Samsung nvme 970 SSD.

Is there anyone who has any idea of what to do here?

Any help is very much appreciated.

Synlias

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

What version(not edition) of Windows 10 are you working with? Make and model as well as age of your PSU? Did you make sure to install the NVMe drivers for your Samsung 970 drive? BISO version for your motherboard at the time of writing?

 

[Synlias]

Windows 10 version = 21H2, 19044.1415

PSU = Corsair HX650 (think its about 6 years),

I didnt do the installation of the parts myself but it worked fine for 1.5 years when I upgraded my pc with new mobo, cpu, ram and extra SSD (the NVME one). I assume they are installed yes.

Bios version = 1105 x64

it literally took 15 minutes to restart right now. Is the information provided what is needed?

 

[cdupont]

Hey Synlias,

Can you try to remove all drives except for the drive you need to boot into Windows. Does it behave the same way?

Can you boot into safe mode with command prompt? Does it behave the same way?

In command prompt type wmic and then diskdrive. What does it report?

 

[Synlias]

Hey Cdupont

it just reports all three drives with all their specs, I havent tried safe mode to see if its the same and can only remove the 1tb HDD because I have no clue how to remove de nvme SSD that doesnt have windows on it.

Shall I just try removing the HDD and boot in safe mode?

(im sorry im very unexperienced with both software and hardware (installation and troubleshooting))

 

[cdupont]

Hey Cdupont

it just reports all three drives with all their specs, I havent tried safe mode to see if its the same and can only remove the 1tb HDD because I have no clue how to remove de nvme SSD that doesnt have windows on it.

Shall I just try removing the HDD and boot in safe mode?

(im sorry im very unexperienced with both software and hardware (installation and troubleshooting))

1st step is to boot into safe mode to see if the issue persists.

No problem, you don't want to root around in there if you aren't experienced or ready to learn. It is relatively simple however, remove a screw on the NVMe and pull from the PCIe slot, but removing your HDD (and any other peripherals that aren't necessary to boot/run windows) is a good idea when trying to narrow down the issue.

 

[Synlias]

So I tried to boot in safe mode which just gave me a black screen, I understand that its better to remove the HDD and NVME SSD but the latter is quite a bit out of my comfort zone (ive had this PC upgraded by a specialised firm and alltho I picked the parts ive never handled much hardware).

Someone I know told me installing windows fresh might be the solution, unless the above info gives you another idea for a fix.

(one of the reasons I find this logical is because besides the boot time, I also dont see any programs in add/remove or if I open the file explorer I cannot acces my files without it locking up. I can still use task manager to end the task but thats it)

 

[cdupont]

So I tried to boot in safe mode which just gave me a black screen, I understand that its better to remove the HDD and NVME SSD but the latter is quite a bit out of my comfort zone (ive had this PC upgraded by a specialised firm and alltho I picked the parts ive never handled much hardware).

Someone I know told me installing windows fresh might be the solution, unless the above info gives you another idea for a fix.

(one of the reasons I find this logical is because besides the boot time, I also dont see any programs in add/remove or if I open the file explorer I cannot acces my files without it locking up. I can still use task manager to end the task but thats it)

Totally understandable.

My only caveat is that there may be an issue with the drive(s) or motherboard which I was trying to narrow down. You can definitely reinstall Windows which is a good option but if the drive(s) or motherboard is faulty you may not find yourself to be in any better of a position, especially if your BIOS is having issues identifying the drives.

You're not comfortable with poking around inside the PC so it really limits our options here, would you be able to contact the firm that did the work for you? Maybe they have a warranty or some insight to help you more directly.

EDIT: Alos making sure you have the proper drivers installed for each of your drives and your BIOS is updated is also another step before full windows reinstall.

 

[Synlias]

UPDATE:

while trying to not lose any of the info on my 1TB HDD I unplugged it before trying to do a clean install of windows. I figured id try to boot it one more time without the HDD plugged just to be sure and behold everything works as normal again.

obviously the stuff thats linked to the unplugged HDD doesnt but other then that my boot time is back to seconds, I can add/remove programs again and acces my two SSD's files through the file explorer (its fast and doesnt get stuck as it used to be). So the HDD either died or got a virus on it.

thank you for your help and time Cdupont

 

[cdupont]

UPDATE:

while trying to not lose any of the info on my 1TB HDD I unplugged it before trying to do a clean install of windows. I figured id try to boot it one more time without the HDD plugged just to be sure and behold everything works as normal again.

obviously the stuff thats linked to the unplugged HDD doesnt but other then that my boot time is back to seconds, I can add/remove programs again and acces my two SSD's files through the file explorer (its fast and doesnt get stuck as it used to be). So the HDD either died or got a virus on it.

thank you for your help and time Cdupont

I'm glad this has fixed your boot issue. First thing I would do is try to back up any data you can't stand lose from your external HDD.

Whats happening is that your PC is trying to initialize the file structure of your external HDD but there is something wrong. I would run a SMART test on the external to see if there are any issues like bad sectors, depending on the quality and age of the device you may just need to replace it.

I would check with the manufacturer to see if it's under warranty.