Does Microsoft slow down Windows?

[Citizen Cook]

I’ve had Windows 10 installed on an SSD since it launched. For years my PC has booted incredibly fast. (About 30 seconds)

These days the boot takes about 1 and a half minutes to boot. Why has it slowed? Tpdoes it have something to do with the seemingly endless windows updates I’ve been forced to install?

[Raoul]

It's the updates happened to me as well. Make you download the latest version from the official ms site and then fresh install from that.

[_I_]

Crashed lähetti viestin:

_I_ lähetti viestin:

disable all startup items and reboot

OP did mention reinstalling Windows. That should blow away all the junk unless OP reinstalled some OEM bloatware.

reinstall just refreshes the os files needed when you dont do a clean install
all user files and installed things are still there, along with the startup junk

[Illusion of Progress]

I know back in the day, Windows XP used to get longer to start when it was fresh versus down the line when it was updated (plus a lot of programs loading at startup maybe). I haven't noticed an OS take longer to start when new versus years later since I moved to Windows 7 though (which was initially on an HDD but shortly after SSDs started becoming the thing) and that OS installation went from 2011 to 2020. My current Windows 7 HTPC and Windows 10 desktop don't grow in time needed to boot.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but for it go from ~30 seconds to thrice that, there's likely far more to in than just updates. Especially if you reinstalled and it still occurs.

Do you have another drive (SSD ideally, but either or) to try? Most people are privy to HDDs on Windows 10, and I'd agree, but the last PC I dealt with installing Windows 10 had 4 GB RAM and a 5,400 RPM HDD, and startup wasn't 1 minute and a half even on it (didn't time it, but I'd say somewhere between half a minute and a minute).

Does boot time drop a lot if you disconnect additional storage drives these usually add to BIOS boot time, especially HDDs (and I don't know if they add up or if it's determined by the slowest to spin up) but it's worth "minimizing" the environment to rule things out and try and isolate what's causing things.

That's another question, WHERE is the added start up time? BIOS? The Windows loading screen itself? The sign-in screen to desktop becoming responsive enough to use?

[Hugh J nuss]

This is why I have my OS on a dedicated nvme and nothing else, and also cloned that clean install SSD with my few select programs I keep on the OS drive so I can easily start over st any time by recloning it

[Pocahawtness]

Citizen Cook lähetti viestin:

I’ve had Windows 10 installed on an SSD since it launched. For years my PC has booted incredibly fast. (About 30 seconds)

These days the boot takes about 1 and a half minutes to boot. Why has it slowed? Tpdoes it have something to do with the seemingly endless windows updates I’ve been forced to install?

The one thing I would do is check to see if at some point your BIOS has installed a boot manager. They can really slow things down.

[Crashed]

🤪 Pocahawtness lähetti viestin:

Citizen Cook lähetti viestin:

I’ve had Windows 10 installed on an SSD since it launched. For years my PC has booted incredibly fast. (About 30 seconds)

These days the boot takes about 1 and a half minutes to boot. Why has it slowed? Tpdoes it have something to do with the seemingly endless windows updates I’ve been forced to install?

The one thing I would do is check to see if at some point your BIOS has installed a boot manager. They can really slow things down.

Or if you have any boot managers in your EFI System Partition other than the ones provided by Windows, for systems running UEFI.

[tonimark]

Citizen Cook lähetti viestin:

I’ve had Windows 10 installed on an SSD since it launched. For years my PC has booted incredibly fast. (About 30 seconds)

These days the boot takes about 1 and a half minutes to boot. Why has it slowed? Tpdoes it have something to do with the seemingly endless windows updates I’ve been forced to install?

absolutely!! its the reason why hdds are so bad while a proper linux computer will have 0 problems about performance when running on a single HDD

[Citizen Cook]

plat lähetti viestin:

What brand of ssd do you have? Maybe it's time to check its health status.

plat lähetti viestin:

What brand of ssd do you have? Maybe it's time to check its health status.

Kingston. 120GB. 27GB free.

[Hugh J nuss]

Oof, Kingston. That's why. Samsung is far more reliable, and faster too

[Citizen Cook]

Crashed lähetti viestin:

Citizen Cook lähetti viestin:

Completed anfresh install. Unfortunately i made mo difference to my boot time.

Had you added any devices, either expansion cards or USB peripherals, since you got your system?

Crashed lähetti viestin:

Citizen Cook lähetti viestin:

Completed anfresh install. Unfortunately i made mo difference to my boot time.

Had you added any devices, either expansion cards or USB peripherals, since you got your system?

A Xbox controller receiver, a USB hub, and a bluetooth receiver.

[Illusion of Progress]

Is there any way you could either clear a substantial-ish (double digit GB) amount of data from the drive, install Windows anew, or install it on another drive? This would rule out either the drive itself and/or the particular Windows install you're using.

It's not abnormal for a system to become less responsive over time for a number of reasons (due to more stuff starting and/or running, Windows and software getting heavier, less available resources to work with [27 GB free on a system drive with Windows 10 could be too low in your particular case]).

But Microsoft does not intentionally (try to, anyway) slow Windows down through updates, and it's definitely NOT par for the course to have that alone cause boot times to triple over the years. I've never had that happen on installations longer than the one you're using, and I've never even had a minute and a half boot time even on an HDD. The last Windows 10 system I set up had 4 GB RAM and a 5,400 RPM HDD. Even it didn't take that long to boot. It was delayed to become responsive in general and boot was far slower than an SSD of course, but your boot times are abnormally long. Finding what is causing it needs deductions. Unless you actually try and change things that will rule things out, all anyone can do is speculate.

TC SKATES lähetti viestin:

Oof, Kingston. That's why. Samsung is far more reliable, and faster too

That's not why, and generalizations about brands won't help. The system booted faster in the past so it's not down to brand nor lack of speed on the particular model OP has. That particular SSD could be going bad (a fresh install of Windows would rule this out), but that would still be a separate matter.

[Jamebonds1]

What is your system specs?

[plat]

120 GB with 27 GB free. And you had this since you first installed Windows 10 like 7 years ago, or...? I would strongly suggest again to check its health via Crystal Disk Info.

For best performance, they say to use up to 75% of the full capacity of the drive for best performance. It looks like you're on the borderline and if your drive also needs a TRIM, then no wonder it's slow.

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/

[Raoul]

Illusion of Progress lähetti viestin:

I know back in the day, Windows XP used to get longer to start when it was fresh versus down the line when it was updated (plus a lot of programs loading at startup maybe)

I remember it being the complete opposite actually, even had a friend that would reinstall xp every few days when I used to visit he'd always be on the installation screen lol

[Illusion of Progress]

Raoul lähetti viestin:

Illusion of Progress lähetti viestin:

I know back in the day, Windows XP used to get longer to start when it was fresh versus down the line when it was updated (plus a lot of programs loading at startup maybe)

I remember it being the complete opposite actually, even had a friend that would reinstall xp every few days when I used to visit he'd always be on the installation screen lol

Well, those aren't mutually exclusive things. I also remember that. That was one of the many common reasons people would give for installing the OS fresh back then.