Slow startup, hibernate/sleep fails
So I have a fairly complex issue.
My laptop is an ASUS S550CM, bought in mid 2013. Performed fine for about a year until it regularly started having periods of hanging/screen stalling, where the screen would be stuck for up to a minute long (moving the mouse and pressing the keyboard wouldn't register) after which everything continued like normal. I wasn't able to identify what was causing the issue, Task Manager wasn't able to provide anything obvious.
Then around Sep 2014 I received this error (this was a while ago so I can't remember specific details):
I had some BSODs during this frantic period of backing up in safe mode (unfortunately I didn't have the foresight at the time to take a photo). I had many issues starting the computer up, having to reset the process a number of times and also with hibernating and sleeping resulting in BSODs also.
It then turned out that the failing hard disk wasn't my 750GB HDD, but instead the 24GB hybrid SSD which wasn't used for storage. I went to Device Manager to look and clicked Disable on it to see if anything would happen. I don't recall fixing it immediately but the system did appear to run smoother and fewer BSODs. I left it on Disabled.
A few days later the computer the SDD disappeared completely from Device Manager, and the periods of stalling from 2013 seemed to have stopped. Once I was able to get the system started, the computer seemed to have run fine, with the only remaining issue being issues with startup, hibernating and sleeping.
At this point I went on a long overseas vacation which I had planned so I wasn't able to continue investigating. When I returned, obviously it still wasn't resolved but I have managed to make some working use of my computer through this workaround:
1) Press power button to turn on
2) Loading screen, but the spinning dotted circle icon does not appear if I didn't do anything at this point it would continue on this screen indefinitely
3) Hold power button to turn system off
4) Press power button again
5) Loading screen, but this time the spinning dotted circle icon does appear
6) After five minutes (on average), it eventually gets to the log-in screen
So the first start up attempt fails and I have to manually turn it off then on again to get this computer working. Previously it would take up to 20 minutes to get to the log-in screen, but now it pretty much always takes five. I've not had any other problems with start up, and the second start up attempt always works. Also, if I do a restart from within Windows (e.g. for installing an application), it is able to start without me having to interfere, though with the long wait also.
So what I've managed to surmise is this:
- my hybrid SSD drive has failed, but my system can run fine without it using the regular HDD
- I think in the startup process Windows is still trying to communicate with my failed SSD drive, and maybe after 5 minutes it gives up and uses my HDD?
- when I try to hibernate or sleep, Windows tries to dump memory into the failed SSD which obviously won't work. Whenever I restart it starts up as if my computer had shut down, without any BSODs.
Also, I have Trend Micro installed, and it manages to detect that it takes over 300 seconds to start (which is slower than 100% of all similar computers, it tells me), so it seems things are happening/working during the slow start up period.
So, my question is, how can I get Windows to forget there ever was an SSD in the computer and to operate with just the one HDD drive. I'm sure this would be fine as once I get Windows running, the system runs perfectly.
For the record, I have performed a full system reinstall/reset to 8.0, etc., with none of these things resolving the issue.
Hopefully somebody on here can help me resolve this as I'd like to upgrade to 10 and don't want to have this issue complicating this.
Cheers
So I have a fairly complex issue.
My laptop is an ASUS S550CM, bought in mid 2013. Performed fine for about a year until it regularly started having periods of hanging/screen stalling, where the screen would be stuck for up to a minute long (moving the mouse and pressing the keyboard wouldn't register) after which everything continued like normal. I wasn't able to identify what was causing the issue, Task Manager wasn't able to provide anything obvious.
Then around Sep 2014 I received this error (this was a while ago so I can't remember specific details):
I had some BSODs during this frantic period of backing up in safe mode (unfortunately I didn't have the foresight at the time to take a photo). I had many issues starting the computer up, having to reset the process a number of times and also with hibernating and sleeping resulting in BSODs also.
It then turned out that the failing hard disk wasn't my 750GB HDD, but instead the 24GB hybrid SSD which wasn't used for storage. I went to Device Manager to look and clicked Disable on it to see if anything would happen. I don't recall fixing it immediately but the system did appear to run smoother and fewer BSODs. I left it on Disabled.
A few days later the computer the SDD disappeared completely from Device Manager, and the periods of stalling from 2013 seemed to have stopped. Once I was able to get the system started, the computer seemed to have run fine, with the only remaining issue being issues with startup, hibernating and sleeping.
At this point I went on a long overseas vacation which I had planned so I wasn't able to continue investigating. When I returned, obviously it still wasn't resolved but I have managed to make some working use of my computer through this workaround:
1) Press power button to turn on
2) Loading screen, but the spinning dotted circle icon does not appear if I didn't do anything at this point it would continue on this screen indefinitely
3) Hold power button to turn system off
4) Press power button again
5) Loading screen, but this time the spinning dotted circle icon does appear
6) After five minutes (on average), it eventually gets to the log-in screen
So the first start up attempt fails and I have to manually turn it off then on again to get this computer working. Previously it would take up to 20 minutes to get to the log-in screen, but now it pretty much always takes five. I've not had any other problems with start up, and the second start up attempt always works. Also, if I do a restart from within Windows (e.g. for installing an application), it is able to start without me having to interfere, though with the long wait also.
So what I've managed to surmise is this:
- my hybrid SSD drive has failed, but my system can run fine without it using the regular HDD
- I think in the startup process Windows is still trying to communicate with my failed SSD drive, and maybe after 5 minutes it gives up and uses my HDD?
- when I try to hibernate or sleep, Windows tries to dump memory into the failed SSD which obviously won't work. Whenever I restart it starts up as if my computer had shut down, without any BSODs.
Also, I have Trend Micro installed, and it manages to detect that it takes over 300 seconds to start (which is slower than 100% of all similar computers, it tells me), so it seems things are happening/working during the slow start up period.
So, my question is, how can I get Windows to forget there ever was an SSD in the computer and to operate with just the one HDD drive. I'm sure this would be fine as once I get Windows running, the system runs perfectly.
For the record, I have performed a full system reinstall/reset to 8.0, etc., with none of these things resolving the issue.
Hopefully somebody on here can help me resolve this as I'd like to upgrade to 10 and don't want to have this issue complicating this.
Cheers
Last edited:
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- 8.1