[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":248},["ShallowReactive",2],{"en-post-50":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":12,"extension":241,"meta":242,"navigation":243,"path":244,"seo":245,"stem":246,"__hash__":247},"content/post/50.md","50",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":223},"minimark",[9,13,26,35,38,43,46,50,53,57,65,69,72,76,79,83,86,90,106,110,113,117,120,124,127,131,142,146,149,153,161,165,217,220],[10,11,12],"p",{},"\"One to two minutes from the power button to the desktop\", \"restart hangs on the spinner for ages\", \"the desktop shows up but the cursor spins for ages before anything works\": these three kinds of slow have different causes, so treat the right one.",[14,15,16,20,23],"ul",{},[17,18,19],"li",{},"Slow from power on to desktop: look at startup items, the drive, and the BIOS.",[17,21,22],{},"Restart especially slow: look at updates, Fast Startup, and drivers.",[17,24,25],{},"Desktop appears but is unusable: look at startup programs, C drive, and memory.",[10,27,28,29,34],{},"For the general picture, read ",[30,31,33],"a",{"href":32},"/post/12/","Windows Computer Running Slow or Taking Long to Boot? A Complete Speed-Up Guide from Software to Hardware",". The steps below focus on boot and restart.",[10,36,37],{},"Boot and restart slowness is one of the most common Windows complaints, and in most cases it is not a hardware fault. It is startup software, a full drive, an old disk, or settings that pile up over time. Work the list in order and you will likely fix it without spending money.",[39,40,42],"h2",{"id":41},"_1-turn-off-extra-startup-items","1. Turn off extra startup items",[10,44,45],{},"This is the most common and most effective fix. Open Task Manager, go to the Startup apps tab, and disable everything \"Enabled\" that you do not need, keeping only the antivirus, input method, and sound-card tools. Some programs quietly add themselves to startup, so check after every install. The speed-up guide covers the hidden entries in more depth.",[39,47,49],{"id":48},"_2-do-not-let-c-fill-up","2. Do not let C fill up",[10,51,52],{},"When C is red, the system has nowhere to write temp files and boot stalls. Free space first, by uninstalling unused apps and moving large files off the desktop and downloads folder.",[39,54,56],{"id":55},"_3-still-on-an-hdd-an-ssd-is-the-real-cure","3. Still on an HDD? An SSD is the real cure",[10,58,59,60,64],{},"A mechanical drive is slow at random reads, and loading system files at boot is exactly that workload. Upgrading an old machine to a SATA or NVMe SSD often drops boot from one or two minutes to ten seconds, and daily app launches speed up too. For how to check health and tune it, see ",[30,61,63],{"href":62},"/post/49/","SSD Optimization and Hard Drive Health (SMART) Check on Windows",".",[39,66,68],{"id":67},"_4-fast-startup-turn-it-on-or-off-as-needed","4. Fast Startup, turn it on or off as needed",[10,70,71],{},"Settings, Power, Additional power settings, Choose what the power button does, Change settings that are currently unavailable, then enable Fast Startup. It turns shutdown into a deep hibernate so boot is faster. A few machines boot worse or will not wake with it on, so try turning it off to compare.",[39,73,75],{"id":74},"_5-too-little-memory","5. Too little memory",[10,77,78],{},"If the desktop is unusable for a while, startup programs often eat memory the moment you log in. In Task Manager watch memory usage, and if it sits above 80 percent, adding a stick is the direct fix. Do not put Windows 11 on 4 GB, the OS alone takes most of it.",[39,80,82],{"id":81},"_6-windows-update-churning-in-the-background","6. Windows Update churning in the background",[10,84,85],{},"During download or configuration, boot is very slow. In Settings, Windows Update, pause updates for a few days or set active hours to dodge it. A stuck update itself needs a separate fix.",[39,87,89],{"id":88},"_7-startup-services-and-scheduled-tasks","7. Startup services and scheduled tasks",[10,91,92,93,97,98,101,102,105],{},"Press ",[94,95,96],"code",{},"Win + R",", type ",[94,99,100],{},"msconfig",", on the Services tab tick \"Hide all Microsoft services\", then disable unknown non-essential services. Then use Task Scheduler (",[94,103,104],{},"taskschd.msc",") to turn off third-party tasks that run at logon. This is risky, so search any service you do not recognize before disabling it.",[39,107,109],{"id":108},"_8-slow-bios-or-uefi-self-test","8. Slow BIOS or UEFI self-test",[10,111,112],{},"In the BIOS enable Fast Boot. Turn off unused memory training, since some new platforms retrain memory on every boot and add ten-plus seconds. Disable unused controllers like the old parallel port or floppy.",[39,114,116],{"id":115},"_9-too-many-peripherals-slow-the-post","9. Too many peripherals slow the POST",[10,118,119],{},"Unplug extra USB drives, external disks, docks, and card readers before booting. Some motherboards enumerate devices one by one, and a pile of them adds ten-plus seconds or even hangs.",[39,121,123],{"id":122},"_10-virus-or-mining-malware","10. Virus or mining malware",[10,125,126],{},"A startup item that hogs CPU or disk on boot calls for a full Windows Security scan, and an offline scan if needed. For cleanup after infection, the crash guide has systematic steps.",[39,128,130],{"id":129},"_11-disable-the-boot-animation-and-gui-boot-advanced","11. Disable the boot animation and GUI boot (advanced)",[10,132,92,133,97,135,137,138,141],{},[94,134,96],{},[94,136,100],{},", Boot tab, Advanced options, tick \"No GUI boot\" to skip one animation. Advanced users can also run ",[94,139,140],{},"bcdedit /set {current} bootux disabled"," to hide the boot logo. The time saved is small, but it pleases the obsessive.",[39,143,145],{"id":144},"_12-power-plan-on-high-performance-or-balanced","12. Power plan on High performance or Balanced",[10,147,148],{},"In Control Panel, Power Options, pick High performance, most visible on a laptop on power. The power saver mode drops CPU frequency and slows boot loading.",[39,150,152],{"id":151},"if-all-else-fails-reset-or-reinstall","If all else fails, reset or reinstall",[10,154,155,156,160],{},"If you have tried everything and it is still slow, system files may be corrupted or too much junk is installed. See ",[30,157,159],{"href":158},"/post/27/","Reset This PC or System Restore in Windows 11: Keep Your Files and Start Clean",", and if that is not enough, do a clean install, which boots fastest of all.",[39,162,164],{"id":163},"symptom-quick-table","Symptom quick table",[166,167,168,181],"table",{},[169,170,171],"thead",{},[172,173,174,178],"tr",{},[175,176,177],"th",{},"Symptom",[175,179,180],{},"Check first",[182,183,184,193,201,209],"tbody",{},[172,185,186,190],{},[187,188,189],"td",{},"Power on to desktop over 1 minute",[187,191,192],{},"Startup items, drive, BIOS",[172,194,195,198],{},[187,196,197],{},"Restart hangs on spinner",[187,199,200],{},"Updates, Fast Startup, drivers",[172,202,203,206],{},[187,204,205],{},"Desktop appears but spins",[187,207,208],{},"Startup items, C drive, memory",[172,210,211,214],{},[187,212,213],{},"Fan roars and lags after boot",[187,215,216],{},"Malware, cooling",[10,218,219],{},"None of these steps put your data at risk, so work down the list in order. The first three fixes solve most cases, and only the final reset or reinstall touches your files, which is exactly why backup matters. Watch the drive light during boot, a light stuck on points straight at the storage.",[10,221,222],{},"The startup-items guide is worth a read, and so is the drive-health guide. A clean slate through reset or reinstall is the final lever, and back up first.",{"title":224,"searchDepth":225,"depth":225,"links":226},"",2,[227,228,229,230,231,232,233,234,235,236,237,238,239,240],{"id":41,"depth":225,"text":42},{"id":48,"depth":225,"text":49},{"id":55,"depth":225,"text":56},{"id":67,"depth":225,"text":68},{"id":74,"depth":225,"text":75},{"id":81,"depth":225,"text":82},{"id":88,"depth":225,"text":89},{"id":108,"depth":225,"text":109},{"id":115,"depth":225,"text":116},{"id":122,"depth":225,"text":123},{"id":129,"depth":225,"text":130},{"id":144,"depth":225,"text":145},{"id":151,"depth":225,"text":152},{"id":163,"depth":225,"text":164},"md",{},true,"/post/50",{"description":12},"post/50","5hPiBdI1kOsvSKHeXR9byEnOwNEN4gu33vAtLDGXzII",1794378304068]