Windows 10 boot times are pretty impressive, but sometimes, boot time increases a lot. If your computer takes a lot of time to startup, it is possible that it has been corrupted by some malware or has way too many startup programs. Luckily, there are several ways to fix the Windows 10 slow boot times, and I will show you how step-by-step.
Fix Windows 10 Slow Boot Times With These Methods
First thing’s first, restart your computer and ensure that your Windows 10 computer gets updated. Updates are critical, and no matter how annoying it is to wait for the computer to update, you should never delay it too much.
There are many ways that you can try to troubleshoot the slow boot times issue; I am going to show you the top methods used to fix the problem.
Slow Boot Times Solution - Disable Fast Startup
Step-1: Go to the Start menu and type Control Panel in the search bar. Click Open.
Step-2: Click on Hardware and Sound.
Step-3: Click on Power Options.
Step-4: Click Choose what the power buttons do option.
Step-5: Under Shutdown settings, there is a possibility that the buttons are greyed out, and you cannot click on anything. If this is the case with you, click on Change settings that are currently unavailable. This will allow you to adjust the shutdown settings.
Step-6: Now uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click Save changes.
This may sound strange, but disabling this option has solved slow boot times for many people.
Slow Boot Times Solution - Disable Startup Programs
Startup programs are the programs that start up as soon as your computer is turned on. This can include your Spotify web app, your VPN, uTorrent, etc. If you don’t need these programs to start as soon you switch on your computer; then you should disable them.
Step-1: Go to the Start Menu and type Task Manager in the search bar. Click Open. (Shortcut keys: Ctrl + shift + Esc)
Step-2: Click on the Startup tab. You will now see a list of startup apps.
Step-3: Any app you think you don’t need as soon as you switch on your computer can disable. Click on the app (I clicked on uTorrent). As soon as you click on the app, the Disable button at the bottom of the window will be ‘un-greyed.’ Click on it to disable the startup app.
[Just a little tip. If you don’t know what the app does, DO NOT disable it. There is a possibility that the app is an integral part of the operating system. Go online and read up on the app to ensure it isn't an essential system app]
Slow Boot Times Solution - Virtual Memory
The virtual memory feature on Windows 10 computers is designed to deal with any unexpected load on the computer. It essentially borrows memory from your hard disk and RAM to deal with these situations. By increasing the size of this virtual memory, the slow boot issue can be fixed.
Step-1: Go to the Start Menu and type advanced system settings in the search bar. Click Open.
Step-2: Under the Advanced tab, you will see different options. Under the Performance option, click Settings.
Step-3: As soon as you click settings, Performance settings options will open up. Click on Advanced Tab.
Step-4: In the Advanced tab, under the Virtual Memory option, Click on Change.
Step-5: Uncheck the ‘Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
Step-6: Once you uncheck the option, you will select the options that were ‘greyed’ before. Click on the drive where your system is installed (C:). Select the Custom size option.
Step-7: In the Initial Size box, type the Recommended file size. You can see the recommended file size under Total paging file size for all drives.
Step-8: In the Maximum size box, you should type the size that is 3 times the size of your RAM. I have 8GB RAM, so I entered 24 576 in the maximum size box.
[This is how I got to this number: 1GB = 1,024 MB. I multiplied 1024MB with my RAM storage size, which is 8. When I multiplied 1024 with 8, I get my RAM storage in MBs, which is 8,192. I then multiplied this figure by 3 to get 24,576]
Formula: 1,024 X YOUR RAM STORAGE IN GBs X 3 = Value to enter in maximum size box.
Step-9: Once you are done, click on Set. Then press OK.
Slow Boot Times Solution - Linux Terminal
You may not know this, but Windows 10 also offers a Linux Terminal. This terminal can slow down your computer, and disabling it can fix slow boot problems.
Step-1: Go to the Start Menu and type Run in the search box. Click Open. (Shortcut Keys: Win + R)
Step-2: Type optionalfeatures in the search bar (there should be no space between optional and features) in the Run box and hit Enter.
Step-3: Windows Features window will open up as soon as you click enter. Scroll down till you see ‘Windows Subsystem for Linux.’ Uncheck this box. Click OK.
Step-4: It may take some time for the feature to be disabled. After it is done, Restart your system.
DISPLAY DRIVER
If you have slow boot times and you also get a black screen, then there is a possibility that there is some issue with your display drivers. You can fix this by updating the drivers.
Step-1: Right-click on the Start Menu on your desktop to get the WinX Menu. (Shortcut Keys: Win + X)
Step-3: Select Device Manager.
Step-4: Click on Display adaptors, and it will expand and give you adaptor options. Right-click on the graphics card name and select Update Driver.
Step-5: Click on Search automatically for drivers and wait for the process to complete.
Slow Boot Times Solution - Virus Scan
Viruses and malware can slow down your computer significantly. To fix this, scan your computer with whatever antivirus you have installed. If you don’t have one, you can use the built-in Windows 10 antivirus; Windows Defender.
Step-1: Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings. (Shortcut Keys: Win + I)
Step-2: Select Update & Security.
Step-3: On the left side of your screen, you will see different options. Select Windows Security.
Step-4: Click on Virus & threat protection.
Step-5: If your Defender is enabled, click on the Quick scan button.
If, however, it is not enabled, you will have to enable it first. Click on the Microsoft Defender Antivirus options. It is an expandable option. Click on the Periodic scanning toggle switch to turn it On.
Once, you do a prompt will ask you, ‘Do you want this app to make changes to your device?’ Click Yes.
Step-6: Your Defender has been enabled. Under Current Threats is a Quick Scan button. Click on it to do a system scan.
Last Resort - Reset PC
Resetting your PC should be the last resort. If you have tried everything else to fix your boot times, then you can reset your PC.
Step-1: Go to the Start Menu and select Settings. (Shortcut Keys: Win + I)
Step-2: Select Update & Security.
Step-3: From the left side of your screen, select the Recovery option.
Step-4: Under Reset this PC, click on Get started.
Step-5: Select the Keep my Files option and continue.
After you try every method, Restart your computer, and hopefully, your Windows 10 slow boot times will be an issue of the past.
