Abnormally longer boot up time since updating to Windows 8.1

[jnewegger23]

Hell Anandtech Community,

I'm copying and pasting a topic I brought up on Tom's but only received a couple of responses. I'm hoping some of you here could help share some of your experience with regard to this issue:

"Has anyone else been experiencing this? It says now 9.3 seconds instead 0f 7.4; that I can live with. However, both closing and opening windows in real time is taking way longer than before.

Before: I click restart and would have to wait a few seconds then the computer would power down and immediately would run through opening to the splash screen with the windows icon and the dotted wheel churns about 4 times and I'm back up onto my desktop.

After: I click restart and wait from over 10 seconds to a couple of minutes (sometimes longer) and the computer finally powers down and slowly runs through opening to the splash screen (sometime also a couple of minutes instead of seconds) now with the windows icon and the dotted wheel churns about 30 times and finally I'm back up onto my desktop.

This has changed my real world time startup / boot up from about 30 seconds to a few minutes. In most day to day applications this doesn't matter much but it is somewhat disturbing.

Here's my setup btw:

OS Windows 8.1 (Originally Windows 8 OEM 64bit)
on 120GB SanDisk SSd
with 4TB HGST File Drive
plus 2TB internal backup
plus 2TB external backup
using Acronis true image for scheduled incremental backups
(setup is exactly the same as before the update)

More details on my setup you can find in my signature below. (I haven't figured out how to put in a signature on these forums yet so here's more of my pc details:

Justin S http://pcpartpicker.com/b/E5l i7 3770K 4.4GHz H80i P8Z77-V LE Plus 600t SanDisk 120gb SSD HGST 4TB 7.2k rpm 64mb cache HDD 6gb/s Toshiba 2TB 7.2k rpm 64mb cache HDD 6gb/s AX1200 )

I'd really like to hear from others with an SSD setup with the OS on it and a separate file drive and having updated to Windows 8.1 like myself and restart and really pay attention to see if you notice or remember a significant drop off in start up / boot up time like I'm seeing / experiencing. Better yet, any recommended fixes? I double checked for updates and don't see any. I can't recall doing anything new to my cpu since the update either. Any and all feedback is much appreciated! I thank you for your help in advance!"

Justin S.

 

[denis280]

Welcome to the forums jnewegger23.
Just to make sure.did you make all update on 8 before upgrading to 8.1

 

[Berryracer]

that happens with upgrades, and happens also with the latest nVIDIA Buggy drivers
revert to an older version and your problem is gone

 

[jnewegger23]

@denis280

Thanks for the welcome! I did have all drivers up to date on 8 before updating to 8.1. I actually did this a week after release. I've just been living with the slower boot up since then and haven't had time to research what may be causing it. This will make for much more tedious overclocking and benchmarking with all the restarts if I can't fix this.

@Maximus666

It's good to hear that it sounds like a normal occurrence. Do you mean I can revert to say a saved image of windows 8.1 from something like Windows restore? Or do you mean I'd have to revert to 8.0 all together? I don't see why the first solution would work as it has been slow (30-40 wheel churns vs 4 from before the update etc) as it would just restore to the same circumstances. I see why reverting to 8 all together would work but I don't really want to do that for lack of support, compatibility issues, or what not down the road. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding all together what you're recommending. If I've got one of the two right or both could you please explain why it might work in theory? I'm one of those who likes to know why something works if possible but perhaps it just fn works and that's cool too! Either way your continued feedback is much appreciated!

thx,

Justin S.

 

[Berryracer]

@Maximus666

It's good to hear that it sounds like a normal occurrence. Do you mean I can revert to say a saved image of windows 8.1 from something like Windows restore? Or do you mean I'd have to revert to 8.0 all together? I don't see why the first solution would work as it has been slow (30-40 wheel churns vs 4 from before the update etc) as it would just restore to the same circumstances. I see why reverting to 8 all together would work but I don't really want to do that for lack of support, compatibility issues, or what not down the road. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding all together what you're recommending. If I've got one of the two right or both could you please explain why it might work in theory? I'm one of those who likes to know why something works if possible but perhaps it just fn works and that's cool too! Either way your continued feedback is much appreciated!

thx,

Justin S.

well let me share my experience

I have a GeForce GTX 770M in my laptop.

I have a choice to download dirivers for it from ASUS or from nVIDIA directly

The ASUS ones are more stable and are tested to work 100% the nIVDIA ones haven't been tested by the ASUS quality team

So...

When I installed Windows 8.1 (clean install)

I installed the Intel Chipset Drivers, IRST, MEI, then the latest nVIDIA Drivers, after that, my system would either take forever or would simply not reboot!


I had to revert back to an image I created before installing the drivers.

This time, I installed the nVIDIa Drivers that were provided on the ASUS website for my speficic laptop model and i had no problems

I have seen numerous reports of thbis on the ASUS ROG forums and other forums

the latest nVIDIA Drivers are a hit or miss with Windows 8.1 but work fine on Windows 7

I recommend you switch back to an older driver, something like:

311.93

Desktop version

Mobile version (for laptops)

when installing it, make sure you click on the clean install option

 

[Ketchup]

We have also seen several people post that a fresh install of 8.1 runs better than an upgrade from 8. Not all, but several.

As far as drivers go, I do agree with MaXimus666. Use the drivers from Windows update if you can. At this stage (being that 8.1 is pretty new) I would only go to the manufacturer if other drivers gave you issues.

 

[corkyg]

Interesting. I happen to be able to directly make such a comparison. This machine has multiple drives - and I have a Win 7 drive that is directly adjacent to a Win 8.1 drive. I can compare because the 8.1 drive is a direct upgrade from the Win 7 drive. Therefore it has all the same programs and customizations.

So, what do I observe? Basically not much difference at all. Each one takes about 12 seconds to boot, then Windows starts loading. The Win 7 machine takes 1 minute and 18 seconds to fully load. The Win 8.1 drive takes about 1 minute and 20 seconds to fully load. The difference was averaged for three runs each, and is really not significant at all.

 

[jnewegger23]

@MaXimus666

I appreciate the detailed response. I will look into updating the nvidia driver to an older one; however, your link is for the mobile version when I click desktop and the mobile version has an error. I'll find it but I appreciate the info nonetheless.

@ketchup79

Yeah, I've heard or read (can't remember anymore) that a fresh install is usually faster. Someone I believe on Tom's said that sometimes updates just cause this. I've never had an update slow my boot up time THIS MUCH though ever! I'm not sure what to do.

@corkyg

I'm glad for you that you don't see any significant difference at all. Mine was noticeable from the start. It's just a little disappointing to have spent so much money on building a gaming rig and having it perform like this. I'll live but this sucks! It's only my 2nd build (first was a little budget project for my girlfriend) and I am overall very happy with it but I can't seem to troubleshoot my way out of this issue quite yet. Ugh!!!

To all of you, your responses are intelligent and to the point. I appreciate not having to reiterate the details of my situation repeatedly unlike some other experiences. I'm still trying to figure things out. I'm hesitant to add another variable and change to an older driver atm because I don't seem to be having issues there yet but we'll see. I'd like to apply a strategy that makes theoretical sense but at this point I'm becoming more open to whatever just will work but again I hesitate to make shotgun attempts when everything else is working fine and I already have my stable 247 OC; it's just that I remember how many restarts I had to do back then and if I were to do this now for some reason it would take ridiculously longer than before. I like to prevent problems where I can without causing more of them if you get my frustration. Nonetheless, again thanks! Any other ideas are very much welcome! I'm sure I'm not the only one going through this.

 

[jnewegger23]

For reasons too long to list I reverted to windows 8 and my system reboots much faster! 10x's approximately. Just like it was before! So the slow down in boot up time is definitely related to the 8.1 update. My real time restart is down to about 30seconds now from about 2-4min. The wheel on the splash screens rotates maybe 4 times compared to 40 when it was 8.1! I'm so happy! I'm going to wait as long as possible before updating again! Please MS get your act straightened out!

 

[mikeymikec]

User has an issue upgrading to 8.1, has a problem, doesn't research why they're having the problem but instead blames MS. Good plan. After all, it was MS who designed your computer and told you all the bits to use with it, wasn't it?

This is a help thread. Behave better
-ViRGE

 

[Mem]

Have a look in Event Viewer and Reliability History and see what issues they have listed,should point you towards the problem,yes drivers can cause things like these .

 

[jnewegger23]

User has an issue upgrading to 8.1, has a problem, doesn't research why they're having the problem but instead blames MS. Good plan. After all, it was MS who designed your computer and told you all the bits to use with it, wasn't it?

I simply update my enthusiasm for regaining lost performance and my frustration for the inconvenience it's caused me. If I were a computer specialist and I did work for microsoft, I'd definitely take ownership for a loss in performance with the update. I'd look into what caused it and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. I am not claiming to be the most brilliant man on the planet but I do have a degree in Neuroscience from UCLA; this is only my second computer built and I consider myself an above average user but I don't have a background in computer science okay. Simply put, without 8.1 my system boots up faster. Afterwards it slowed down a lot, I did as much research as I have time for and everything I've tried to this point did not work. If after the update with 0 changes my system worked fine do you think I would have anything to remark on? If you're so smart, then what do you propose I do? Yeah, I'm shocked with all the helpful people on here that you'd take time to be negative on one line of frustration. Your free to do as you please but don't think I won't say anything. Maybe that's what you get out of this. Go outside and try seeing what it's like being nice to people! I'm disappointed that I took time to respond this much and allow your asinine remark to bother me that much but it's done. What mighty help your remark brings. Don't you think if someone of my apptitude is having difficulty that maybe others who aren't even as tech savvy as me may have an even bigger problem? I would be glad to employ a different strategy and update already but without having learned anything new to this point that would fix the problem, why recreate it and just go for it because smart a$$es like you say I should? I should just stay quiet and keep following the heard right? No! I'm voicing my experience, asking for help and don't appreciate having to sift through even one comment like yours. There's no point to it other than to insinuate that I'm too stupid or lazy and incomptent to fix my problem so I just like to blame others in this case Microsoft; what crazy bin did you fall out of? In pyschology they call this projection. Please give me something to work with and I'll try to apply it. I didn't get my degree by sitting on my butt, crying about the world and doing nothing. This thread didn't get started by itself. My computer didn't get built by itself. But yes, when I see a problem, I go after it and do something about it. If I don't have the time for the solution I make the best of it. So, you can A) respond predictably like a jerk AGAIN B) Actually try to be helpful instead of filling some void acting like a smart a$$! Your choice son!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Uhm, OP, you're the one having the knee-jerk response that this is "all MS's fault". When the condition that you are describing is uncommon (otherwise we would be hearing about it all over, including the mainstream computing press - like the XP Auto-Update 100% CPU time bug), and thus is likely due to your specific configuration and drivers and hardware, and thus not a general "MS Bug".

 

[jnewegger23]

@VirtualLarry
Yeah, I was pissed. He didn't have to state things like that. He could have said the same thing you did. I can respect being critcized. Mikemikec's tone was negative, sarcastic and completely unnecessary. I reacted accordingly but yes I could have reacted with a much cooler head to say the least. I'll own that. If someone can help me conclude what is the probable issue I'd be glad to listen. I'm not here to be criticized or more so insulted by arrogant statements. Humility is much more appreciated. Perhaps you can read the symptoms and tell me what you'd do if your setup ran better on 8 instead of 8.1 and you didn't know why? Am I crazy for saying that I'll wait to update? I'm not an ignoramus. I just haven't figured it out yet. So you could imagine that a typical user or one like me who is at least capable of building, overclocking, and actually repairs friends computers at a hobby level would get frustrated with the update right? Well, what do you recommend please? My research has shown that some others have had this same problem and cannot pinpoint anything other than the update and others beyond that have said that updates can tend to do this with no solution provided. How is that "user error". I'm on here looking. The point here is to help. To say hey I think you shouldn't complain doesn't help. I'll say what I want. I'm not critcizing anyone but microsoft's update. If there's no issue when I haven't changed anything other than apply the update then how is that my fault? Why would I recreate the issue if my computer is working fine without the update? Of course I want to update but for me it's not worth it with the slower boot up time and trust me if I'm getting this upset it's because I've been trying everything! Does that make any sense? It's a plea for help not put downs. Plus I never said it's all MS's fault. In 36 years I've never had this issue so I'm a little irritated if that makes any sense. You seem more reasonable in how you approached this Larry so please tell me what plan of action would be better at this point when I'm happy with my system without the update?

Note: I was beginning to appreciate this community. It's a huge disappointment and shock to be insulted like this (by Mike not Larry) when you are actively asking for help. So when the urge to display arrogance arises please think twice as there are those out there who aren't complaining like I am. I'm not afraid to. Should I make better choices in my reactions sometimes? Absolutely. However, perhaps you should put yourself back in a place where you didn't know something and think about how you liked to be treated. You don't know me or my circumstances. Remember, you never know how it is in someone else's home. A little kindness can go a long way. That's all, just some respect please. Maybe you think I don't deserve respect, whatever the reason let's be slower to justifying putting others down. All I can do is ask and hope that you will choose to be the bigger person. I didn't for a moment and I'm sorry for that. Can we get back on point now? There's someone else who may have the same issue and it's exchanges like these that keep them quiet. Let's choose to encourage rather than discourage please. Thanks!

 

[VirtualLarry]

The only thing I can suggest, is doing a clean, fresh install of 8.1 directly.

OS in-place upgrades rarely go completely smoothly, in my experience, and a fresh direct install is always the best way to go.

 

[BrightCandle]

I had the exact same problem with Windows 8.1 (not the only issue I had with the upgrade) and I have been on Windows 8 for quite a while because of it. I have never had good experiences upgrading Windows versions and for some reason I thought it would be different with W8.1 but it wasn't. I recommend clean install with the 8.1 image, it has a much better chance of success.

 

[mikeymikec]

Humility is much more appreciated.

Yes, it would be, on your part. Please point out where I insulted you. Or where I made arrogant comments.

You had a problem, you did little or no investigation as to why you had that problem, instead you blamed MS. Yes, humility is definitely missing here.

It would be a different story if the problem was found to be due to a bug that Microsoft inadvertently introduced either during the upgrade process or Win81 in general, but we don't know that. You made a judgement in this thread based on your belief that you know best. End of story.

Please note that you wouldn't have got my sarcastic response (or even any response at all) if you had instead said something like "I really wanted my computer working properly asap, so I just reverted to Win8 at least for the time being. Thanks for peoples' responses and attempts to help, perhaps I'll try upgrading again another time.". You got my sarcastic response because you made claims that were completely unsupported by the facts and attempted to lay blame elsewhere.

As an example for how to ask for help, I posted this thread recently:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2367268&highlight=

The computer in question was running XP with the GT 610 fine but didn't on Win8x 32. Please note my tone in the thread - while I didn't find a definitive conclusion to the problem, I didn't start going off on one how it's MS's fault that there seemingly isn't a working nvidia driver for this card on Win8x 32, or how it's obviously nvidia's fault (because I don't know that for a fact either, there could be a problem involving a combination of the cheapo SiS chipset, that card and the driver for example). I didn't cop an attitude, therefore no-one copped an attitude with me.

As for "what would I suggest?" for your problem, I would have made much the same suggestion that Mem did to begin with, but as I had already read that you had reverted to the previous configuration, so it would have been a moot point making a suggestion then.

Feel free to check my posting history to support your belief that I go around being unhelpful and making smart-ass comments to people who are honestly and nicely asking for help.

You're the one who is being arrogant, ignorant and insulting.

How about you both stop, and focus on getting the OP's issue fixed? This exchange is completely unnecessary and not the least bit productive. :|
-ViRGE

 

[jnewegger23]

Yes, it would be, on your part. Please point out where I insulted you. Or where I made arrogant comments.

You had a problem, you did little or no investigation as to why you had that problem, instead you blamed MS. Yes, humility is definitely missing here.

It would be a different story if the problem was found to be due to a bug that Microsoft inadvertently introduced either during the upgrade process or Win81 in general, but we don't know that. You made a judgement in this thread based on your belief that you know best. End of story.

Please note that you wouldn't have got my sarcastic response (or even any response at all) if you had instead said something like "I really wanted my computer working properly asap, so I just reverted to Win8 at least for the time being. Thanks for peoples' responses and attempts to help, perhaps I'll try upgrading again another time.". You got my sarcastic response because you made claims that were completely unsupported by the facts and attempted to lay blame elsewhere.

As an example for how to ask for help, I posted this thread recently:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2367268&highlight=

The computer in question was running XP with the GT 610 fine but didn't on Win8x 32. Please note my tone in the thread - while I didn't find a definitive conclusion to the problem, I didn't start going off on one how it's MS's fault that there seemingly isn't a working nvidia driver for this card on Win8x 32, or how it's obviously nvidia's fault (because I don't know that for a fact either, there could be a problem involving a combination of the cheapo SiS chipset, that card and the driver for example). I didn't cop an attitude, therefore no-one copped an attitude with me.

As for "what would I suggest?" for your problem, I would have made much the same suggestion that Mem did to begin with, but as I had already read that you had reverted to the previous configuration, so it would have been a moot point making a suggestion then.

Feel free to check my posting history to support your belief that I go around being unhelpful and making smart-ass comments to people who are honestly and nicely asking for help.

You're the one who is being arrogant, ignorant and insulting.

How about you both stop, and focus on getting the OP's issue fixed? This exchange is completely unnecessary and not the least bit productive. :|
-ViRGE

I tried pm you instead of replying via the forum bc it's no longer really related to the original topic but as I do not have 25 posts yet I cannot.
Here’s my final word on all of this. I was having a bad day and I was escaping to anandtech and really have had a pleasant experience prior to your saracstic response. It really stung me most likely bc I was already in a sensitive state (girlfriend issues etc). I eventually took ownership and apologized.
With regard to my blaming ms, it was more of a silly "damn them!" with gusto for inconveniencing me but how were you supposed to get my tone? Humor doesn't shine across words as much as I would like sometimes.
Anyhow, I get what you’re saying though but I came off to you as more upset with ms than I really am and I got defensive. That all said I'm sure you're actually a very intelligent guy and are probably tired of seeing people complain when you feel like they haven’t put in the proper effort. I hate complaining too and I am sorry for being defensive on this forum for even a moment but now perhaps you can understand why I overreacted albeit not to ever excuse it.
In summary, man to man I apologize. I'll keep a cooler head and just focus on what I am getting out of things. Thanks for being the bigger person in the end. That helps me focus inward more easily and I very much appreciate it. Again, I'm sorry. I’d like to get back to appreciating the community and when we all man up like this it helps a lot!
I’m honest to a fault, what can I say?
Again, Thanks to all!

 

[Mem]

Funny enough I had a problem last week on my clean install of Win8.1,it was taking ages to shutdown and reboot(like 2 minutes) I dug around in Event viewer and Reliability History to see what the issue was,anyway to cut a long story short it turned out to be my Bluetooth driver,I updated a newer version from Atheros website and problem solved, it now shutdowns etc within five to ten seconds.


Might be worth checking system files for corruption too,http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/3047-sfc-scannow-command-run-windows-8-a.html



Also this http://m.kapilarya.com/fix-do-inbox-corruption-repair-using-dism-in-windows-8


Maybe memtest too,leave no stone unturned as they say.

Hope it helps.

 

[mikeymikec]

@ jnewegger23

No problems, no hard feelings here.

 

[jnewegger23]

@Mem
I'll see if I find anything. I appreciate the continued effort to help!

@mikemikec
Thanks! Same here