Suddenly Very Slow Boot Up - Windows 10 Running Ff

Yesterday my system would cold boot in 52 seconds. Today, it takes over 3 minutes. I have NOT loaded any new software.

After the fact, I installed MalwareBytes but it reported my computer as clean and a full scan with Malware Hunter was also clean.

Any ideas or suggestions?

TIA

Corporal Punishment

 

I'm assuming you're using Windows 10 Home Edition? Hard to determine a direction to take with such little to go on... but...

Perhaps check msconfig, enable boot logging? Are your boot settings set to selective, or normal?
Can you take a look at your system properties? Is your Virtual Memory set as 'system managed' ?
Have you enabled/disabled hibernation or changed any power management settings?
​

Right off, I can only think of checking boot settings in msconfig, and... a couple shots in the dark... maybe your system is clearing the pagefile on shutdown/restart? The 'hibernate' system file can cause a similar slow-down to clearing the pagefile.

Generating a boot time log file would be the very next step I'd take, personally. It may provide details that could possibly identify the specific cause for your increased loading time. Windows may be attempting to load a driver or something and failing to do so, causing a hang in startup while the system initiates corrective actions.

 

Do you have your o/s set to download windows updates automatically? If so perhaps something was downloaded and is now messing everything up.

Check in add remove for anything new

Good Luck

 

Perhaps I have have isolated the problem but I have no idea as far as a solution.

I ran a diagnostic on my WIFI connections and received a warning message something like this:

"Your computer is vulnerable to attack from ransom ware and has been blocked by Avast AV."

When I clicked on repair instructions "More Help" the link was dead.

This seems like it explains my problem but I don't know what to do to fix it.

Thanks in advance.

 

More information:

My computer continues to decline regarding boot speed. I'm also seeing a noticeable delay following any key-press or button click.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

I did not receive the Windows disks with my Dell desktop so I would appreciate help in doing a total reinstall of Windows 10 if all else fails.

 

I have a 1TB Drive reporting 450 GB free.

It is taking a 4 full minutes before the Dell logo appears then 4 more minutes before the buffering spinner stops and the first screen appear.

It seems to be loading Windows 10 twice - first with the large splash screen, then with the the small screen.

I ran a boot time scan with Avast Free ( it took 4 hours) and it reported many ZIP files were corrupted but zero files infected.

As much as I hate the thought, I fear that a complete reinstall of Windows 10 may be my best and only hope.

 

If you have to, first look at this DON.
https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/how_to_reinstall_windows_10_without_losing_your_files.html

 

Have you tried running sfc /scannow as an elevated Command prompt. It checks out the system files but it does take 10 minutes to run.
s.

 

On my crippled system it may take all night but I will try it.

 

File not found!

I went to RUN/SFC/SCANNOW and nothing happened. I am administrator. What am I doing wrong? Is my syntax correct?

 

Here's a batch file that'll run the System File Checker.
Upload the log file that's saved to the Desktop.
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/sfc_utility.html

 

Eldon's batch file in #12 will work.

I usually search for Command Prompt and then Right click Best match and Run as administrator.
This will open the Command Prompt box-elevated.
Type sfc /scannow followed by enter and then it should start...
s.

 

Eldon,

I started running Steven's fix but gave up after 6 hours of watching the spinner. I needed the computer for household business. I'll run it again through the night tomorrow. My sluggish system becomes totally crippling when running such demanding files. How long should I expect it to run? After 6 hours I worried that it was hung!

 

DON GAYNOR,
Have you tried the batch file?
If there are no problems, it should take no more than 15 minutes.

 

Here is the sfclogs.txt file. I hope it means more to you blokes and blokeesses than it does to this badly bent old Irishman.

Don

 

The only corruption refers to Microsoft's OneDrive.
I would uninstall OneDrive, restart and run the SFC Utility again.

 

Here is the second pass after uninstalling MS OneDrive. Boot time and restart are noticeably improved but still slow. I can time the cold boot time if that would be helpful. I may have too many things in my startup but I don't know what is safe to remove.

 

No joy! Reboot is taking 9:20 (I timed it). The Dell logo appears promptly but the spinner doesn't appear until 4 minutes later and the Windows desktop doesn't appear until 9:20.

I hesitate to start with a new Windows 10 install because I don't know what I am doing and don't want to lose programs.

 

The log still shows the corrupt OneDrive files.

Download and run Tweaking.com - Windows Repair.

This is the portable version you can run from a flash drive:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweaking_com_windows_repair_portable.html

Take your time and follow the instructions carefully.
It's recommended to run the program in "Safe Mode With Networking". Restart and run the program a second time.

 

Getting file missing error when trying to run Tweaking.com - Windows Repair

Too frustrated to continue tonight!

 

Still getting corrupt One Drive files error but I no longer see it in the uninstall drop-down menu. It seems to have become a hidden file so third party uninstallers can't find it either. (Insert humongous grimace here)

 

Another 4 hours without joy!

I loaded a third party uninstaller (Smarty Uninstaller) which found a lot of Microsoft One Drive leftovers and completely removed them. I then ran Eldon's batch file and Tweaking... which yielded approximately the same log as yesterday.

Color me frustrated (but please stay within the lines).

 

Frustrated!

 

Watch the video in this link.
https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/how_to_reinstall_windows_10_without_losing_your_files.html

 

Eldon, my dyslexia has continued to worsen so I am having great difficulty even reading the instructions. Add the fact that I am disabled and paralyzed and you will understand my plight.

Thanks to all who threw me a lifeline. I greatly appreciate it.

 

I am so sorry to hear this Don.
Are there any staff in the nursing home who might be able to help?

 

I am considered "The computer geek" in my nursing home so, no, I have no one with a double-digit IQ to help me.

 

Before resorting to a total re-install of Windows 10, I have a suggestion for your consideration. In fact, this may be an option you've already considered. Nevertheless, I felt it should be mentioned, if only offered as an additional option, especially when the words "OS reinstall" are consequently being uttered. Are you aware of the 'Media Creation Tool' available on Microsoft's website? The download is specifically for the task of re-installing Windows 10, but without the removal of all the programs, documents, and other files on your system.

This alternative may or may not be the best course of action, as while preserving all the software which, in my personal case, would take hours to reinstall, it may also preserve the culprit that's causing the issue to begin with. However, seldom-mentioned as an alternative to a system 'reset', 'refresh', or just all out clean re-installation, it could save several hours of swapping disks in and out of your DVD drive, plugging in those flash drives scattered around desktops and drawers, or blasting your bandwidth at full throttle in the process of regaining all the files and software lost in the drive-wipe aftermath.

Hopefully, should you choose to take this route, the issue lies within system files... in which case, this type of re-installation should resolve the issue with no further persisting problems. From the details indicated in your previous posts, this may very well be the case (onedrive?). Regardless of which direction you decide to take next, good luck, and try not to let the frustration overwhelm you!

 

Way back in #6 plodr suggested checking whether the HDD is failing. Did you? Certainly sounds like a real possibility to me.

 

sfclogs.txt is still reporting a problem with Microsoft One Drive. I don't even use One Drive!

 

Commands entered on the RUN line will NOT execute and I am running as Administrator. I think that is another symptom of a corrupt OS.

 

Don't know how to run any of those options, Earthling.

 

Firstly back all your files - documents, music, pictures, videos and bookmarks.

Then run a Disk Check.

• Open Command prompt as Administrator.
• Copy and paste the following - chkdsk /r c: replacing c with the drive letter of your boot drive.
• Press Enter.

I agree with previous posts.
Either the HDD drive is failing or Windows is so badly corrupted the System File Checker can't repair it.

 

If it were corruption within the system files, I'd think dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth typed into an Administrative command prompt would give some indication of it... but, as I understand it from your last post, you seem to be having complications with the command line... even running as Administrator.

That certainly complicates things ... quite a bit, honestly... as my next thought in respect to talk of potential hard drive failure and file corruption... was to ask if chkdsk has already been suggested or has already been run on your system. Since this is apparently posing to be a challenge with the current state of your system, you may be able to regain control of the command prompt in Safe Mode. Obviously, I'd try the option "with Command Prompt", which I think is option 4.

I would almost bet some of the tools in Microsoft's SysInternals Suite would give a more conclusive idea of what's causing the problem, but I haven't worked with any that were able to record and log boot time behavior. BUT... have you sifted through the 'Administrative Events' in the Event Viewer to see if any clues may be waiting to be discovered?

On a side note... no real point or purpose... but Ima go with a hunch and say your system was an upgrade to Windows 10, not a pre-installed or formatted/clean installed. Yes? No?

[EDIT]: I also assume the hard drive we're suspecting of possible failure is mechanical, not Solid State... correct?

 

It says that I am logged in as Administrator but when I click run dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth, I only see a quick flash, then nothing! I believe it's confirmation of a corrupted OS.

 

Don you are omitting a necessary step before running commands such as chkdsk. You must first type cmd in Start/Search and a box will pop up with command prompt at the top. If you right click that you get the option to Run as Administrator. When you click on that a black command window opens up with a prompt something like c:\>. That is where you type chkdsk /r or dism or whatever other command you want to run. If you enter a command without first opening the command prompt you just get a flash, as you are seeing. It's nothing to do with a corrupted OS.

 

Feeling progressively stupid.

 

You've simply omitted to click on Run as Administrator

 

I see a blinking cursor at the C: prompt. How do I get to Administrator? I have never felt so stupid.

 

Follow the steps in #38 exactly

 

"If you right click on that..."

I've clicked on EVERYTHING!

I'm beginning to feel that I own a $1000 boat anchor!

 

This is what you should see when you right click on Command Prompt

 

I definitely am NOT seeing that!

I've right clicked everything on the screen many times.

Just so I don't continue feeling like an absolute idiot, here's a tune that I recently wrote.

 

Impressive! My own efforts to master the guitar ended in defeat 40 years ago.

The system is obviously misbehaving but without an admin command prompt I don't know what else to suggest. Hopefully someone else will.

 

Don, run this batch file - just like the SFC Utility.
Upload the log file.

 

Read majorgeeks page , and it might solve the command problem - using keys,
The easiest way to get to PowerShell is to press the Windows Key + X and click on Windows PowerShell (Admin). That's it!

Also, you can press the Windows key + S. This brings up the search and type in cmd for the command-prompt or Powershell. You should now see a "best match" with Command Prompt or Powershell as your choice.

https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/what_is_an_elevated_command_prompt_and_how_to_open_one.html

 

Greetings, If you Right click the Windows flag /bottom left you will see a list of options that Start with Apps and features. The list goes down from there Just before the first line I have Command Prompt (Admin) which is another way to sign into the Command prompt as Administrator.
If Command Prompt (Admin) is not on the list it should be replaced by the Powershell option. To bring back the Command Prompt (Admin) option try following this procedure.
1. Right click on space on your desktop and choose Personalize.
2. Left Click Taskbar on the left column. This will open an number of choices. Where it says 'Replace Command prompt with Windows PowerShell when I Right click the start button...' Click the box to 'Off'.

Now if you Right click Start button/Windows flag you should see Command Prompt (Admin).
Open it and follow the instructions given earlier.

Hope that helps,
s.