Question Windows10 takes ~2 min to boot-up and only loads if Windows Boot Manager is #1 boot option

[hellzer]

Windows 10 Pro, 21H2 updated

I am having this small issue where the Windows OS takes about 2 minutes to boot up, previously half that and even less. I don't know exactly when or why this started happening.
I have 2 SSD's and 1 HDD. Checked the disks and their health, everything is OK. I don't have any other issues once the windows loads up. Main drivers are updated. Everything works fine.
I checked boot order in BIOS:

Now I never used to have boot manager as an option on the list. And here it was even at the top of the priority list. So I tried switching my OS SSD back from #2 to #1 order. And as soon as I did that, my Windows 10 stopped completely from loading up.

I get the black screen with white letters on Windows Boot Manager and all I can do is press reset. I switched back to how it was before and back again on 2 min boot up times.

I also tried inserting windows installation and doing automatic repair. That failed.
Tried using bootrec /fixmbr via cmd propmt and it said "access denied."
Also tried rebuilding BCD file and it did find windows installation but it showed the disk (D when my USB contains windows installation files and the windows itself was always installed on disk (C... And it also failed:

Ultimately I could reinstall windows and probably get everything up and running perfectly but I don't want to lose all my installations, etc.

 

[USAFRet]

1. Please show us a screencap of your Disk Management window.
2. Disconnect the HDD, and see if the boot time changes.

 

[USAFRet]

Was it always like this?
If not, what was the last thing you changed?

 

[hellzer]

Well I definitely did not mess with BIOS or any hardware for sure. Like everybody else I kept my drivers up to date, installed and deleted a few apps here and there. The usual stuff.
I really don't know what could have caused this. Most likely, a virus? You get those once a while...

But I am wondering, when I make my OS SSD #1 boot option. The windows boot manager gives me an error and says: The boot selection failed because a required device is not accessible. How can that be when Windows loads up anyways if I just make Windows boot manager (OS SDD) back to #1.

 

[USAFRet]

But I am wondering, when I make my OS SSD #1 boot option. The windows boot manager gives me an error and says: The boot selection failed because a required device is not accessible. How can that be when Windows loads up anyways if I just make Windows boot manager (OS SDD) back to #1.

Showing the rest of us your Disk Management window would help here.

 

[hellzer]

Sure. I was updating the OP with new screenshots. And here is the disk management window:

 

[hellzer]

So I used Windows option to reset my PC, download Windows via Cloud and reinstall them. Did not solve the issue.

So what can be the reason? Cables?

 

[Bob.B]

So I used Windows option to reset my PC, download Windows via Cloud and reinstall them. Did not solve the issue.

So what can be the reason? Cables?

Unplug all disk except the OS disk.
Any diff?

 

[hellzer]

Yeah I just did that and even switched SATA cables between two SSDs to check if it's specific cable issue or not. Once again if the #1 boot option is Windows Boot manager, the windows will load up but in ~2 minutes. If I set just the Windows SSD as my #1 boot option and manager as #2, now I get this error:

Pressing a key just prompts the same message...


Question: Maybe Windows boot manager actually should be #1 boot option and otherwise it shouldn't load? That however wouldn't explain why it takes a bit longer for windows to load. Even after reinstall.

 

[Bob.B]

Yeah I just did that and even switched SATA cables between two SSDs to check if it's specific cable issue or not. Once again if the #1 boot option is Windows Boot manager, the windows will load up but in ~2 minutes. If I set just the Windows SSD as my #1 boot option and manager as #2, now I get this error:

Pressing a key just prompts the same message...


Question: Maybe Windows boot manager actually should be #1 boot option and otherwise it shouldn't load? That however wouldn't explain why it takes a bit longer for windows to load. Even after reinstall.

Work on the boot time first.
Only connect the OS disk.

Post a screenshot from crystal disk info.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Question: Maybe Windows boot manager actually should be #1 boot option and otherwise it shouldn't load?

Yes exactly.

Windows boot manager is UEFI botloader on Disk 1 (EFI system partition).
That's the correct one to use.
You should remove other boot options. They just cause confusion.

It's possible, you may have another bootloader (legacy bootloader - 100MB System Reserved E: partition) on Disk 2.
I'd suggest - you delete it

 

[hellzer]

I already reconnected the other two now. But I did try only running OS SSD... It didn't change anything except me gave me a new black screen that I posted few hours ago.

 

[Bob.B]

I already reconnected the other two now. But I did try only running OS SSD... It didn't change anything except me gave me a new black screen that I posted few hours ago.

Post a screenshot for the hdd.

 

[hellzer]

I don't see how that is relevant to the topic when disconnected HDD didn't solve the problem. But here you go:

 

[USAFRet]

I don't see how that is relevant to the topic when disconnected HDD didn't solve the problem. But here you go:

A failing drive, or partially failing drive, can have major impacts on boot up performance.

With the HDD disconnected and you get a "black screen" saying 'Reboot and select...' means that the boot partition lives on the HDD.

May we assume the HDD is Disk 2?

 

[hellzer]

That was also with second SSD disconnected. Which is Disk D. And during an attempt to rebuild BCD via cmd, the prompt said the windows are on D disk. I really doubt there is anything on HDD tho. The things just keeps passive files and never had anything to do with Windows.