Very long time waiting during Windows boot-Stuck (and doing nothing) during circling dots

Question

as the title suggests, the Windows is stuck in the "Windows Logo" with the circling dots screen. During this wait time (about 25minutes) the PC does nothing. The specs are the following

Dell Optiplex 5050
Intel Core i7 7700
4x16GB (64GB total) DDR4 RAM
Intel nvme ssd 512GB SSDPEKKF512G8 NVMe INTEL 512GB
HDD 2TB TOSHIBA DT01ACA200
Integrated intel graphics, audio
No other external or internal devices connected
Windows 10 22H2

I've tried the following Removed HDD, removed GPU and AUDIO devices from device manager and reinstall it, windows updated, tracing with boot trace, removed AVAST antivirus, updated all the drivers to the latest one. Deactivated both secureboot and fastboot. These steps have been performed one at a time to eliminate possible culprits. Nothing worked, the exact same behaviour. It seems that for some reason, there is a "waittime" or "timeout"/"sleep" time after windows starts to boot. But I can't find anything in msconfig in order to adjust it. Also the BIOS doesn't have such an option.

Any ideas kindly appreciated!

SSD SMART HDD SMART

Additional info: Using chkdsk, no errors have been found. Also checks to the windows integrity (using DSM tool), return no errors. The following "Not loaded" info is provided in bootlog (multiple times each)

BOOTLOG_NOT_LOADED \SystemRoot\System32\drivers\dxgkrnl.sys
BOOTLOG_NOT_LOADED \SystemRoot\system32\drivers\aswMonFlt.sys
BOOTLOG_NOT_LOADED \SystemRoot\System32\DRIVERS\NDProxy.sys

Have you ensured that the SSD is still working correctly? A failing bootdrive can slow down the startup process. You can run CrystalDiskInfo and read the SMART status — LPChip, Oct 10 '23 at 09:43
Please copy the SMART attributes section to your post. You could also run chkdsk and test Windows integrity by running the commands Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and then sfc /scannow. — harrymc, Oct 10 '23 at 09:50
Enable boot logging using msconfig, reboot then check the log. — spikey_richie, Oct 10 '23 at 10:01
I have run chkdsk on both drives...no errors found. I have also tested Windows integrity...no errors found... I will update the initial post with the requested info. — dimpep, Oct 10 '23 at 10:22
Did your problems start after installing Avast? Also https://superuser.com/questions/1409345/windows-10-very-long-startup — spikey_richie, Oct 10 '23 at 11:14
No, I've completely uninstalled avast and the same behavior exists. — dimpep, Oct 10 '23 at 11:21
If you reinstalled Windows; and if your drive is OK; then consider a motherboard error. — John, Oct 10 '23 at 12:19
Although the drive does not log errors, it does show a lot of wear. The drive might still be failing. You could consider benchmarking it. — LPChip, Oct 10 '23 at 12:37
This is not the SMART data we need - we need something like that. (Add to your comment @harrymc for me to be notified.) — harrymc, Oct 10 '23 at 13:35
@harrymc https://imgur.com/JdpPQUR and https://imgur.com/paB7DU9 — dimpep, Oct 10 '23 at 13:46
@LPChip How to benchmark? CrystalDiskMark shows the following https://imgur.com/xFoY4N0 — dimpep, Oct 10 '23 at 13:55
Your disks are in good shape, the problem is elsewhere. Try a Repair Install. — harrymc, Oct 10 '23 at 14:00
Unfortunately nothing worked. Hereunder is the bootlog (if helps) https://filebin.net/qhfvz4gwzz8a7vu4
I uninstalled avast and bought bitdefender in its place. However, even during Safe mode startup, the problem persists. It seems that windows try to load a driver but fails, and then waits after each retry — dimpep, Oct 12 '23 at 08:33

Very long time waiting during Windows boot-Stuck (and doing nothing) during circling dots

0 Answers0