Crazy Loading Times just to open the Windows Sign in/Account Settings?

This is a new Lunar Lake Surface laptop 7 with a 268V ultra 7, 32gb ram. 2 months old. W11 Pro.

Everytime I try to open sign in settings or account settings, there's an enormous loading time just to open account settings or sign in settings. Like several minutes. Is this normal?

Video #1 (just typing "Sign in settings"):
Then once it finally opens, its another several minutes to load the next page with a mouse loading bar that does not let me click anything....
video #2:
Any idea what is going on?
I tried Brinks's tutorial to reset this app, no luck.


Edition Windows 11 Pro

Version 24H2

Installed on ‎4/‎2/‎2025

OS build 26100.4652

Serial number 0F37VJM25133P7

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.128.0

Patiently sit through Settings, and create a new Local Account (which is also assigned to be an Administrator). Now sign out, and logon as that new user. Does the problem repeat itself with this new profile, or it's only slow for your account?

garlin said:

Patiently sit through Settings, and create a new Local Account (which is also assigned to be an Administrator). Now sign out, and logon as that new user. Does the problem repeat itself with this new profile, or it's only slow for your account?

Click to expand...

Yes, just made a test account, made it admin, local only. Same thing, Sign-in options does not lever load. If I try opening Settings - Accounts --> Click Sign-in options, the whole window freezes and cant do anything for about 30-60 seconds

You got some strange Windows corruption going on.

Maybe you can try the simple steps before resorting to a repair install:

garlin said:

You got some strange Windows corruption going on.

Maybe you can try the simple steps before resorting to a repair install:

Code:

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
sfc /scannow

Click to expand...

Will run that. Just before I do, I noticed going to control panel (the regular old style control panel) loads just fine to access accounts, or make new accounts, etc...

Also, this is the list of mods I made to windows to date, possible any of these are causing the issue?
----------

bypass microsft account requirement when starting up windows 1st time, shift+f10, enter: start ms-cxh:localonly

add power buttons and lid to advanced power settings via cmd registtry command
REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\4f971e89-eebd-4455-a8de-9e59040e7347\99ff10e7-23b1-4c07-a9d1-5c3206d741b4 /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
disable power on when lid opened in advanced power settings

add Network connectivity in Standby to advanced power settings via cmd registry
REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
disable network conectivty in standby in advacned power settings


turn off webs search in start menu
type "Settings” in the Start menu. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Search Permissions.
turn off cloud content search


Remove Copilot and Web Icons in Windows search
download either registry batch file, run it

show announcements on taskbar, turn off

open widgets board on hover, turn off

Remove widgets from lock screen

remove onedrive icon (theres 2 steps, watch until end to "quite"



remove recommended items rom start menu


disable swipe from edge:


unsintall apps like xbox:

disable advertising ids:


add hibernate after to power menu


turn off diagnostic data to Microsoft


turn off cleartype

disable font smoothing



alt tab behavior for windows only, not tabs

stop edge from opening search links on bing in new tabs, for Bing settings AND edge settings, do both:


remap copilot:

change battery sleep budget on windows 11


remove spam ads on lockscreen,windows spotlight:

I believe slow load to sign in page, then slow load into your account are result of multiple issues which you would need to use process of elimination to find the cause of both. It can be an OS issue, a software issue, or a driver or hardware issue. You need to be measuring and recording these times using a clock each time, not just assuming the time "seems" to be excessive.
First unplug any and all external peripherals.

Along with what you've already tried, try these suggestions, testing boot times after each one.

I would start with using a clean boot to eliminate software issues. If boot time gets better in clean boot, you have some software conflicting with Windows. Brink's procedure will help you weed out which one. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

Test to see if issues remain while in safe mode? Boot to Safe Mode in Windows 11 Tutorial

Disable fast startup Turn On or Off Fast Startup in Windows 11

Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
When complete restart. Then open command prompt as admin again and run sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair

Update your bios to latest version and update graphics driver from the manufacturer.

pacificSurf said:

Will run that. Just before I do, I noticed going to control panel (the regular old style control panel) loads just fine to access accounts, or make new accounts, etc...

Also, this is the list of mods I made to windows to date, possible any of these are causing the issue?

Click to expand...

System Settings is an UWP app, whereas the old Control Panel is written as Win32. They're completely different programming models.
The clue is the delay in signing out, because that part of the desktop is also managed by UWP-based code.

When this corruption occurs it's not very to easy to remove. That's why hopefully DISM/SFC might fix it without going deeper.

For the record, none of your tweaks impacts Settings or the Desktop (Client.CBS).

glasskuter said:

I believe slow load to sign in page, then slow load into your account are result of multiple issues which you would need to use process of elimination to find the cause of both. It can be an OS issue, a software issue, or a driver or hardware issue. You need to be measuring and recording these times using a clock each time, not just assuming the time "seems" to be excessive.
First unplug any and all external peripherals.

Along with what you've already tried, try these suggestions, testing boot times after each one.

I would start with using a clean boot to eliminate software issues. If boot time gets better in clean boot, you have some software conflicting with Windows. Brink's procedure will help you weed out which one. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

Test to see if issues remain while in safe mode? Boot to Safe Mode in Windows 11 Tutorial

Disable fast startup Turn On or Off Fast Startup in Windows 11

Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
When complete restart. Then open command prompt as admin again and run sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair

Update your bios to latest version and update graphics driver from the manufacturer.

Click to expand...

Thanks, just ran through all of those.

First i timed it, 3 times (opening sign in options), it was 1:09, 54 seconds, and 1:04.

1) Disabled all startup items
2) stopped all non Microsoft services
3) Disabled Fast startup
Restarted.

No difference. Over a minute to open sign in options.

4) tried safe mode. Video doesnt show it all, but it lasted over a minute to load also. Sorry the video is sideways: So no luck there.

EDITED:
Currently running dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth that you and Garlin suggested. Almost done, 90%

garlin said:

System Settings is an UWP app, whereas the old Control Panel is written as Win32. They're completely different programming models.
The clue is the delay in signing out, because that part of the desktop is also managed by UWP-based code.

When this corruption occurs it's not very to easy to remove. That's why hopefully DISM/SFC might fix it without going deeper.

For the record, none of your tweaks impacts Settings or the Desktop (Client.CBS).

Click to expand...

Oh okay. Good to know.

When you say the clue is signing out, I dont have any issues or delay in signing out of my account, I dont think. ITs just this when opening this one settings thing. "sign in options"

Maybe It doesnt matter much idk? Only because I dont imagine I will need to access this specific settings sectoin much ever, but its strange to be doing this in the first place, and what other problems may be occurring or occur down the road in my windows 11 that I dont know of yet.

Here are my repair results attached text file is this the right file?

I did not find any of the following that indicate unable to repair, with Control+F:

Important Entries: Look for entries containing:
"Cannot repair member file": This means SFC was unable to fix a specific file.
"Repaired file": This indicates a file that was successfully repaired.
"Error" or "Failed": These indicate errors encountered during the scan.


But no effect on opening "sign in options". I just timed it again, 1:00 minute exactly.

Do you remember turning off any Windows services?

garlin said:

Do you remember turning off any Windows services?

Click to expand...

I only think today when I did the clean boot test and had to disable all the services that were non-microsoft, i did then.
But I don't think any of those were windows services anyhow.

Maybe copilot stuff and advertising diagnostic data , if that's even a service

Interesting post about this issue:
windows_11_sign_in_options_loading_indefinitely/
and How do I fix Windows 10 sign in options hanging/freezing

I'm going to try some of that tomorrow.

Seems it could be related to Local\Microsoft\Ngc needing a reset/delete

Solution and cause found! It was 'Windows button' +"R" and Run "Services.msc".
Start the service named "Windows Biometric Service" (set it 'autostart' ). Restart.

Mine was disabled. I dont use biometrics or windows hello or any of that stuff. So maybe it was already disabled because I never set it up and did the Microsoft online account bypass thing when I first booted the PC.
But each time I disable it, then try to open sign in options, the long delay returns. Once I start the service again, sign in options opens instantly.


The tutorial also suggested the following but were not applicable for me:

1. Press 'Windows button' +"R" and Run "Services.msc"
2. Start the service named "Credential Manager" (and make it 'autostart' for later case)
3. Start the service named "Windows Biometric Service" (make it 'autostart' for later)
4. Start the service named "Web Account Manager" (make it 'autostart')

For "Web Account Manager" and "credential Manager" mine were already running, and wasn't the issue. Both are set to Manual on my pc.

If you're gonna tweak, always take good notes about what changes you've made, and when you did them. Other users aren't so lucky at remembering what they did in the past.

garlin said:

If you're gonna tweak, always take good notes about what changes you've made, and when you did them. Other users aren't so lucky at remembering what they did in the past.

Click to expand...

Im not sure I did disable it, as I kept a long notepad file of all the changes I made (Pasted up earlier above) and that item is not listed. Maybe it was just never setup/enabled because I bypassed the initial Microsoft account setup process on first boot, and did a local password based account.

Bypassing MS Account sign doesn't require disabling any services. You're just skipping screens in the OOBE's "Choose your own Adventure".

garlin said:

Bypassing MS Account sign doesn't require disabling any services. You're just skipping screens in the OOBE's "Choose your own Adventure".

Click to expand...

oh but my theory was the services was never started on its own, because I bypassed that step of setting up biometics or windows hello, etc.... So it just never got triggered, Not that anything disabled it necessarily, but I dont know..

Nothing changes the Windows Services start states, except for users and tweaking apps. Windows wants to keep all services running, just in case something needs to use it in the future.