Boot time suddenly takes longer

doit686868

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Location
New Hampshire
This morning I booted up my laptop and had a noticeable slow down in boot time. My usual BIOS time is 4.0 and total start time is around 70 seconds. Today my BIOS time is 23 secs and total start time is 109 seconds. I havent changed, tweaked, or messed with any settings that could result in this slow down. I downloaded and ran systernals autoruns and one thing stood out (see attacthed) could that explain the dramatic increase in bios time? I'm at a loss...any help, suggestions, guidance?

autorunserrors.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Media Center Edition
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 750
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD HD 7750
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama ProLite B2481HS-B1
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1x 120 GB SSD Samsung 830;
    1x 1.5 TB HDD Seagate;
    1x 2 TB HDD Western Digital;
    1x 3 TB HDD Seagate
    1x 80 GB SSD Vertex 2
    PSU
    Corsair CX 600
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 300R with Side Window
    Cooling
    Intel RTS2011 LC
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    I also own the following Microsoft devices:
    * Surface Pro 2 128 GB
    * Windows Phone HTC 8X
No worries. Glad I can give you advice.

Let us now if this solved your problem.

Greetz,

Rover
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Media Center Edition
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 750
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD HD 7750
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama ProLite B2481HS-B1
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1x 120 GB SSD Samsung 830;
    1x 1.5 TB HDD Seagate;
    1x 2 TB HDD Western Digital;
    1x 3 TB HDD Seagate
    1x 80 GB SSD Vertex 2
    PSU
    Corsair CX 600
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 300R with Side Window
    Cooling
    Intel RTS2011 LC
    Keyboard
    DasKeyboard (blue switches)
    Mouse
    Wacom Baboo Tablet Pen & Touch
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbit FullDuplex Fiberglass
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    I also own the following Microsoft devices:
    * Surface Pro 2 128 GB
    * Windows Phone HTC 8X
that came back clean. i did a quick yahoo search of "known dlls" and couldnt come up with anything solid or helpful....any other thoughts? i'm stuck on how to trouble shoot this....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
Might be worth taking a boot trace and uploading the resulting.etl file (zipped) to a share and linking the share here.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
morning. thank you for the help....here is the boottrace log
 

Attachments

  • BootCKCL.zip
    2 MB · Views: 134

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
You've got rouge/fake anti-virus software called "AV Software". You've got to get any and all malware out of the way before you start analyzing boot issues. Give this guide a try, or better seek professional malware removal help, for instance, here.

Code:
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]Line #[/TD]
[TD]Lifetime[/TD]
[TD]Process[/TD]
[TD]Duration (s)[/TD]
[TD]Hosted Services[/TD]
[TD]Command Line[/TD]
[TD]Start Time (s)[/TD]
[TD]End Time (s)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]Permanent[/TD]
[TD]utsvc.exe (1880)[/TD]
[TD]125.199477400[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\utsvc.exe"[/TD]
[TD]0.000000000[/TD]
[TD]125.199477400[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]Transient[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]78.513532095[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]46.892209759[/TD]
[TD]125.199477400[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (2224)[/TD]
[TD]1.748854891[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]46.892209759[/TD]
[TD]48.641064650[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]UnThreat.exe (3124)[/TD]
[TD]75.289407749[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\UnThreat.exe" -silent[/TD]
[TD]49.910069651[/TD]
[TD]125.199477400[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (3400)[/TD]
[TD]0.717906318[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]51.813880522[/TD]
[TD]52.531786840[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]UnThreat.exe (3588)[/TD]
[TD]0.234163631[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\UnThreat.exe"[/TD]
[TD]56.636562096[/TD]
[TD]56.870725727[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (3828)[/TD]
[TD]0.219650168[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]62.098629974[/TD]
[TD]62.318280142[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (4048)[/TD]
[TD]0.061231241[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]77.148149020[/TD]
[TD]77.209380261[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (3268)[/TD]
[TD]0.060612427[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]92.180928076[/TD]
[TD]92.241540503[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]utwsc.exe (3588)[/TD]
[TD]0.075334175[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]"C:\Program Files (x86)\UnThreat AntiVirus\drv\utwsc.exe" /check[/TD]
[TD]107.214781757[/TD]
[TD]107.290115932[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
which one is the rouge file? all of the UT* files are legit. unthreat is my antivirus.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
Ok, perhaps I jumped the gun :) Although there's a rouge AV with that process name. Just FYI, Unthreat is the most CPU-hungry process in your boot sequence, although this is typical for anti-virus software.

I don't see anomalies in the provided log, but one thing stands out.

wpt1.png

You've got a 15 second period that starts at around 18th second during which the CPU activity is present, but disk activity isn't. The process that consumes CPU is System (4), and its child process is smss.exe. I can't say what exactly goes on, but I assume it's either PreSMSS or SMSSInit boot phase during which drivers are loaded.

Perhaps, you've got a bad driver update, and I'd especially look at videocard drivers that frequently cause delays during these two phases. Another indicator of hardware/driver issue is your your statement:
Today my BIOS time is 23 secs
Taken at the face value, it means BIOS is having troubles with initializing hardware.

If this just happened today, System Restore to the earlier point is a good start. The next step would be to explore driver versions, especially video.

If you're still not happy with boot time, use the clean boot technique to disable the third party software and services and see if it improves the situation. If so, restore third party stuff one by one or in small groups until you're back to the issue. That's how you'll know what the culprit is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
I did look through my boot diagnostics in event viewer. It did show smssinint degradation (see attached) I uninstalled unthreat and my bios time was still 23 seconds and total boot 98 seconds. Trying the clean boot next...thank you again for your guidance
 

Attachments

  • diag-perfreport.txt
    3.1 KB · Views: 173

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
I did a restore last night to a point I know was working normally. That made no change. I have just done a clean boot and bios time is 24 seconds. At this point, I'm thinking of just doing a refresh? My concern is that if I refresh and I still have the issue, will I lose the ability to trace this back to it's original source? will my log files be erased?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
What exactly do you mean by BIOS time?

Yes, smssinit is what I was talking about. It takes 8 seconds to initialize per the event viewer log, but the gap is wider in ETL. It's still something related to drivers or hardware, but refresh may fix it, of course.

If you refresh, you get clean Windows folder, so all logs will be gone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
I did a refresh and everything is back to normal. I really wanted to troubleshoot the problem so I dont run into it again, but I got frustrated and took the easy way out lol here are some screenshots of my "bios time"

Thank you very much for your time and help. People like you make this a great place to come to for assistance.
 

Attachments

  • biostime.png
    biostime.png
    4.6 KB · Views: 627
  • biostime2.png
    biostime2.png
    4 KB · Views: 139

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 enterprise x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell I 15 3520
    CPU
    1.7 dual core
    Memory
    4gb
Note that bootckcl is *very* lightweight and unless the problem is severely obvious, it's not sufficient, especially for seeing what's happening during SMSS init. I still recommend a *full* trace any time there are boot perf issues.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
I know, full traces are golden. But the auto log is good for a quick look and it's easier on the person asking the question. When you checked out my link, you could notice that even this had been too much for the TS :)

Even the lightweight log gives you the process timeline, and you can learn a lot from it. Wouldn't you agree?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
As someone who looks at these for a living, no, but they do have data in them yes ;). Just not much.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
Well, that explains it. Meanwhile, I think MSFT has introduced these auto logs specifically for the purpose of quick troubleshooting of the most common issues. And that's how I use it :)

P.S. Too bad the OS is already reinstalled. I wouldn't mind seeing your analysis of the full log, but I hope I'll have another chance ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
I did a refresh and everything is back to normal. I really wanted to troubleshoot the problem so I dont run into it again, but I got frustrated and took the easy way out lol here are some screenshots of my "bios time"

Thank you very much for your time and help. People like you make this a great place to come to for assistance.

You're welcome! I'm glad you've got your problem solved.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Media Center Edition
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Made
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 750
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD HD 7750
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Iiyama ProLite B2481HS-B1
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1x 120 GB SSD Samsung 830;
    1x 1.5 TB HDD Seagate;
    1x 2 TB HDD Western Digital;
    1x 3 TB HDD Seagate
    1x 80 GB SSD Vertex 2
    PSU
    Corsair CX 600
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 300R with Side Window
    Cooling
    Intel RTS2011 LC
    Keyboard
    DasKeyboard (blue switches)
    Mouse
    Wacom Baboo Tablet Pen & Touch
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbit FullDuplex Fiberglass
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    I also own the following Microsoft devices:
    * Surface Pro 2 128 GB
    * Windows Phone HTC 8X
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