How to Fix Slow Boot in Windows 10 and 11
Windows taking too long to start? Find out what's slowing your boot with Event Viewer and fix it: startup programs, services, fast startup, and driver issues.
A slow boot is almost always caused by one of three things: too many startup programs, a slow or failing drive, or a problematic driver. Here's how to find the culprit and fix it.
Measure Your Boot Time
First, get a baseline:
# Last boot time
(Get-Date) - (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime
For detailed boot analysis, open Event Viewer:
Win + R → eventvwr.msc → Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → Diagnostics-Performance → Operational
Filter for Event ID 100 — this shows total boot time in milliseconds and lists which processes delayed startup.
For which specific component caused the delay, filter Event ID 101 instead:
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
LogName = 'Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational'
Id = 101
} -MaxEvents 20 | Select-Object TimeCreated,
@{n='Component';e={$_.Properties[1].Value}},
@{n='Delay(ms)';e={$_.Properties[4].Value}} |
Sort-Object 'Delay(ms)' -Descending
The top entries show which service, driver, or app is slowing boot the most.
Step 1: Disable Startup Programs
The most common cause of slow boot.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Startup apps → sort by Startup impact → disable everything with High impact that you don't need immediately.
# See what's registered to start with Windows
Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object Name, Command, Location
Step 2: Enable Fast Startup
Fast Startup saves the kernel session to disk on shutdown, cutting boot time significantly.
Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Turn on fast startup (check the box)
Note: Fast Startup can occasionally cause issues with dual-boot setups or when applying BIOS updates. Disable it temporarily if you run into problems.
Step 3: Check Drive Speed
A slow HDD is often the bottleneck. SSDs boot Windows in under 10 seconds; HDDs take 30-60+.
winsat disk -drive c
If sequential read is below 100 MB/s on an HDD — the drive is degraded. Consider upgrading to SSD.
Also check for bad sectors:
chkdsk C: /f /r
Step 4: Find Slow Drivers
Problematic drivers delay boot without showing obvious errors.
In Event Viewer (Diagnostics-Performance → Operational), look for Event ID 101 — these show driver load times. Any driver taking over 1000ms is worth investigating.
# List all drivers with load order
Get-WmiObject Win32_SystemDriver | Where-Object {$_.State -eq "Running"} |
Select-Object Name, PathName | Sort-Object Name
Update or roll back drivers that appear in slow boot events.
Step 5: Delay Non-Essential Services
Some services start at boot but don't need to. Delaying them improves boot time without disabling them.
Win + R → services.msc → find services you don't need immediately → double-click → change Startup type from Automatic to Automatic (Delayed Start)
Good candidates for delayed start:
- Windows Search (WSearch)
- Print Spooler (if you rarely print)
- Windows Update (wuauserv)
- Bluetooth support (if not using Bluetooth)
# Delay a service via PowerShell
Set-Service -Name "WSearch" -StartupType AutomaticDelayedStart
Step 6: Check for Malware
Malware often installs itself as a startup item and slows boot considerably.
Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan
Also run a full scan if the quick scan finds nothing but boot is still slow.
Step 7: BIOS Settings
Some of the delay can happen before Windows even starts loading:
- POST delay / Boot delay — set to 0 or minimum
- Network/PXE boot — disable if not needed (adds 5–15 seconds)
- Boot order — set the SSD first, remove unused boot devices
- Fast Boot / Quick Boot — enable if available
Step 8: Clean Boot to Isolate the Problem
Test with third-party services and startup programs disabled:
Win + R → msconfig → Services tab → check Hide all Microsoft services → Disable all → Startup tab → Open Task Manager → disable all → Apply → restart.
If boot is fast in clean boot, re-enable items in batches to find the culprit.
Step 9: Check for Pending Windows Updates
Pending updates often process during startup and slow the boot down:
(New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.SystemInfo).RebootRequired
If True — restart and let the update finish. Boot should be faster afterward.
Monitor Boot Time Over Time
# Last 10 boot times — see if it's getting worse
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
LogName = 'Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational'
Id = 100
} -MaxEvents 10 | Select-Object TimeCreated,
@{n='Boot(sec)';e={[math]::Round($_.Properties[0].Value/1000,1)}} |
Sort-Object TimeCreated
A rising trend points to a growing problem — drive health, accumulating startup programs, or a software issue rather than a one-off.
Rebuild BCD (If Boot Is Very Slow Before Login)
If Windows is slow before the login screen appears, the Boot Configuration Data may be corrupted.
Boot from Windows installation USB → Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command Prompt:
bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Expected Boot Times
| Storage | Expected boot time |
|---|---|
| NVMe SSD | 5–10 seconds |
| SATA SSD | 10–20 seconds |
| HDD (7200rpm) | 30–60 seconds |
| HDD (5400rpm) | 45–90 seconds |
If your SSD boots slower than expected — check startup programs and drivers first.
🔍 Not sure what a Windows error code means?
If Windows shows a code like 0x80070005, 0x80070002 or 0xC000021A — use this free tool:
→ Windows Error Decoder — enter the code and instantly find out what it means and how to fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should Windows boot take?
On an SSD: 10-20 seconds from power button to desktop. On an HDD: 45-90 seconds is normal. Over 2 minutes on SSD or over 5 minutes on HDD indicates a problem.
Does reinstalling Windows fix slow boot?
Yes — a clean install is the nuclear option but works. Before doing that, try DISM + SFC and disabling startup programs. A clean install takes about 30 minutes but gives you a fresh start.
Why is Windows 11 slower to boot than Windows 10?
Windows 11 has more visual effects and background services enabled by default. Disabling startup programs and enabling Fast Startup usually closes the gap.
Summary
Check Event Viewer (Event ID 100) to see total boot time and what's slowing it. Fix in order: disable high-impact startup programs → enable Fast Startup → check drive health → delay non-essential services. If nothing helps, upgrade from HDD to SSD — it's the single biggest improvement possible.
For general day-to-day performance (not just boot), see How to Speed Up Windows 11 in 2026: Proven Methods.