Long boot up time for no reason

Hi. So my laptop has never had long startup times till now. It used to go from the lenovo screen right to my lock screen but now it shows the lenovo screen and then a black screen for like a solid minute before it goes to the lock screen. No idea why it's taking so long now. I don't have a lot of startup programs. I really haven't done anything different. I've tried the usual fixes that a google search came up with. Thank you. It's a lenovo ideapad 1 with windows 11.

oshea1987 said:

Hi. So my laptop has never had long startup times till now. It used to go from the lenovo screen right to my lock screen but now it shows the lenovo screen and then a black screen for like a solid minute before it goes to the lock screen. No idea why it's taking so long now. I don't have a lot of startup programs. I really haven't done anything different. I've tried the usual fixes that a google search came up with. Thank you. It's a lenovo ideapad 1 with windows 11.

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I'd start by clearing out Event Log, rebooting and seeing what Event Log reports after the restart.

Do you get the same wait on a fresh start and a reboot?

Have you carried out a full virus scan?

I'd then check the health of my hard drive in case there is a problem with that.

Have you run sfc /scannow from an elevated Command Prompt?

If there is no reason for the slow boot, we can't help you!

Check Task Manager, Startup section. Probably some application updated and enabled itself loading at startup. Disable all but the important ones like antivirus and TeamViewer or AnyDesk to speedup startup.

You need to run some programs to record what happens at boot, e.g.
Process Monitor (http://download.sysinternals.com/files/ProcessMonitor.zip)

Instructions should be available on the Internet.

You can look at programs from autoloading or see what tasks are running and possibly disable something.
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object user,command,Location

Or simply disable them all (excluding antivirus or anything else you want to run at startup). You don't need Edge or Chrome or Skype for example running at startup. You can load them manually any time you need them and it won't make any noticeable difference in load time.

My boot time tanked earlier this year for no apparent reason. I improved it somewhat by using the balanced power plan and resetting that plan back to default. But what really got everything back to normal was when I had to do a clean install to get 24h2. Everything went back to as when it was new. That made me consider the problem had been software so as I reinstalled everything, I tested as I went along to see if what I installed was the culprit. I ended up with everything as it was and the problem hasn't come back.

kelper said:

If there is no reason for the slow boot, we can't help you!

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I find it rather strange how many people state that something is happening with no reason; that is perhaps related to the claim that "I have tried everything."

Not Myself said:

I find it rather strange how many people state that something is happening with no reason;

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There ALWAYS a reason. We are not always able to easily get to the bottom of that reason, though. If a problem happens in a virgin install of a known good version of windows, it's a good indication the issue lies in the hardware, drivers or even UEFI bios. Sometimes, getting to the nitty gritty is the only way to prove which way to jump.

glasskuter said:

My boot time tanked earlier this year for no apparent reason. I improved it somewhat by using the balanced power plan and resetting that plan back to default. But what really got everything back to normal was when I had to do a clean install to get 24h2. Everything went back to as when it was new. That made me consider the problem had been software so as I reinstalled everything, I tested as I went along to see if what I installed was the culprit. I ended up with everything as it was and the problem hasn't come back.

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Most likely a driver issue. In the clean installation you had different drivers or installed with different order. Any detail makes a difference.

I had the same situation happen to mine. Went from 5.6 seconds to 14.8. I performed a clean install, which I do once a year, and it was still taking longer than it "should" so I thought. Mine ended up being the Absolute Persistence. It's a type of Lo Jack for my laptop.

See which applications or non-Microsoft services load at startup. You can safely disable everything is not a driver or antivirus. Press WIN+R to open a Run box and execute msconfig. Then go at the Services section and check the box to hide all Microsoft Services. Examine carefully the rest and uncheck the box to disable them. Go at Startup section, it will suggest to visit Task Manager. Click to go there and uncheck the box to any one you want to disable. Restart to take effect. Also update your graphics drivers directly from manufacturer. It can make a huge difference in performance, an official driver vs a generic driver from Windows Update.

i did the hide all microsoft services and disabled everything else but then i lost passwords and custom settings. so it actually is fast when i turn it on from being off, but when i restart thats when it takes ages. I'm not too computer savvy so i dont know how to clear event log even after looking it up.

how do i do a clean install without losing any settings or info on my laptop? and i appreciate if someone has anyy solution but when explaining it please remember i am not super computer savvy. thanks everyone.

As @thecaretaker suggested have you checked the health of your system drive? You can use this
You do not say if you are running 23h2 or 24h2. Knowing that info is pertinent. Also, you do not list your complete system specs in your forum profile. It would be helpful if we knew what hardware you are working with.

oshea1987 said:

how do i do a clean install without losing any settings or info on my laptop?

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You can't with a clean install.

You have 4 options:

Option 1
Repair Install You do not lose anything with a repair install. But a repair install is not a complete clean install of windows since a lot of old stuff is carried over.. A repair install fixes most issues but IMO I have doubts that it would for you ,but you can try it. This can be done using an iso of the version of windows you now have or a later version if your hardware supports the later verion..
Repair install Windows 11 with an inplace upgrade Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

Option 2
Clean Install This can be done using an iso of the version of windows you now have or a later version if your hardware supports the later version..
When one is chasing his tail with an issue a clean install is preferable though a heck of a lot more work. A clean install wipes everything and starts clean. All settings are lost with a clean install. All your applications would have to be re-installed
You would first backup all your personal files. (Instructions below.)
When doing a clean install, make sure all secondary drives are disconnected before beginning. During the install process, also make sure all existing partitions on your system drive are deleted and windows is installed on the unallocated space.
Clean Install Windows 11 Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

Option 3
Custom Install An alternative clean install. This does do a completely new install but in a different way. This can also be done using an iso of the version of windows you now have or a later version if your hardware supports the later version..
When you perform a custom install of Windows 11, a clean install of Windows 11 is performed only on the same partition as the current installation of Windows to replace it. The previous installation is moved into the C:\Windows.old folder as a backup. Once the new custom install has finished, you will be able to copy any files you want back from the C:\Windows.old folder. After all the files are migrated into the new installation, run disk cleanup as administrator to remove the windows old folder to reclaim the disk space.
You will have to reinstall all applicatins and settings.

Option 4
A full system reset
You would first have to back up all your personal files. (See how below)
You would need to choose reset and remove everything All settings and applications will have to be reinstalled and peronal files migrated back in.. This will reset to and reinstall whatever version of windows you now have.

PLEASE NOTE: For all these scenarios. If you use a Microsoft account to sign into Windows and are syncing your files to Onedrive in your current installation, the files in the synced folders should still be there after a clean install. Likewise if your personal files are on a secondary drive, they will still be there.

HOW TO BACKUP YOUR PERSONAL FILES
For a clean install or reset and remove everything you would need use an external drive.
Option 1- use a third party backup application to create a full system image with any of the available imaging applications that will allow you to mount the image after a clean install so that you can copy your personal files from it. Not all imaging applications have this feature
Most of us here make regular images. Even with an upgrade or reset things CAN and Do sometimes go wrong. Imaging your system is the only thing that can save you sometimes.
OR
Option 2, Create folders on the external drive (desktop, documents, music, pictures, video, downloads) COPY your personal files and PASTE them into the folders you created on the eternal media. These files can the be copied from the external drive and pasted into your new install.

Anything else you need, just ask.

when i start with a clean install do i just do that through the reset options in settings or do i need to have windows 11 on a flash drive or something? because i just found another issue that my microsoft defender icon doesn't have a green checkmark next to it like it normally does

Every step is covered in the tutorials I listed. Don't skip any. Get familiar with the procedure before you start. Use whichever tutorial applies to which recovery option you choose to use.

There is always a reason.

@oshea1987 You did not answer the questions I asked in my post.

23h2 and its a 64bit and has intel celeron. if i do a reset through the settings menu it reinstalls it itself? so i dont need a copy of windows 11 home on a flashdrive? im not super computer savvy. Why is there no checkmark next to windows defender icon now?