Windows 10 stuck on bootup for over 3 hours

sweetsuzannah · 12 Apr 2016

I was using my Asus F551M laptop 2.1 Ghz running Windows 10 one day and all of sudden it stalled. I restarted and then the problems started. Bootup took about 20 minutes and once back to desktop each keystroke took up to 5 mins to complete I quickly realized there was a problem and with each solution I tried it got progressively worse and worse. In no remembered order this is what I have tried. Ran CCleaner-only cookies found Ran MalwareBytes-same. With each restart the boot took longer and longer. Tried two different system restore points-both failed. Windows tried auto repair-failed. FINALLY booted to safemode and same issue present. Ran CCleaner again-nothing found. At first Task Manager would not even load but after lengthy waits it finally loaded but showed no running apps...NONE. After many many restarts and methods...Task Manager finally loaded after an interminable time and showed clocking at 100% CPU constantly. Unable to terminate ANY process. By this time the boot time was taking up to an hour and more. I have a recovery usb but by the time I got to the point of trying it I have never been able to boot successfully to the advanced settings to get to the BIOS to change boot mode. I have been trying for 4 hours now to get it to boot to desktop to get to Advanced Settings to try to do a reset but no go. HELP!!! I may not be able to answer your advanced questions but really would like any help possible to help this intermediate tech knowlegeable user get back online.

TechnoMage · 12 Apr 2016

Not being familiar with that Laptop, I looked it up on the web and found references to it having Windows 7 on it.
So is Windows 10 the native OS on your Asus F551M or, did you upgrade it to Windows 10?

I'm just curious about the total age of the PC. Because there is a hard drive failure mode called "Slow Mode". That's where the hard drive does everything in super slow motion. If I had that PC here, I'd boot it up in DOS and then access the hard drive to see how it would respond. If the problem is in the drive itself, that would be easy to detect and if it were in Windows, likewise easy to detect.

If the problem is the drive itself, I would just replace it. If it's in Windows, then reinstall Windows.
Every problem is fixable....it's just a question of What Is The Problem. ???
You might want to take that Laptop to an experienced Computer Tech, who would have the tools to troubleshoot the problem and the experience to be able to fix it.

Good Luck,
TechnoMage

speedlever · 12 Apr 2016

I'm having a similar problem with my daughter's Win 10 Lenovo laptop. She belatedly told me it was taking longer and longer to boot up. Now I just see a blue screen with spinning dots in a circle... for hours. I can get into BIOS, but other than change the boot order so I can boot off a CD, I can't really do anything. There is one restore point but it wouldn't restore. And I tried to boot from a repair CD but the system repair didn't work either.

I sure wish MS would have left the F8 safe mode option available. I can't boot up the desktop to set safe mode. That seems a pretty dumb option since it's been my experience that a misbehaving driver can be bypassed in safe mode. But if you can't boot up, you can't get into safe mode. SMH.

I don't know if my problem is the same as the OP's, but it sounds similar so I thought I'd join in here.

BTW, I believe her laptop started out as Win 8 x64 and was updated to Win10 x64 sometime last year.

My thoughts at this point are to remove the HD and save the data, then re-install the HD and re-install Win8x64 on it and do the Win 10 upgrade again.

sweetsuzannah · 12 Apr 2016

TechnoMage said:

Not being familiar with that Laptop, I looked it up on the web and found references to it having Windows 7 on it.
So is Windows 10 the native OS on your Asus F551M or, did you upgrade it to Windows 10?

I'm just curious about the total age of the PC. Because there is a hard drive failure mode called "Slow Mode". That's where the hard drive does everything in super slow motion. If I had that PC here, I'd boot it up in DOS and then access the hard drive to see how it would respond. If the problem is in the drive itself, that would be easy to detect and if it were in Windows, likewise easy to detect.

If the problem is the drive itself, I would just replace it. If it's in Windows, then reinstall Windows.
Every problem is fixable....it's just a question of What Is The Problem. ???
You might want to take that Laptop to an experienced Computer Tech, who would have the tools to troubleshoot the problem and the experience to be able to fix it.

Good Luck,
TechnoMage

I bought the laptop from my computer repair person approximately April 2015 with Windows 10 installed. I assume they availed themselves of the free upgrade at some point. To be honest I did not ask enough questions when I bought it as to manufacture date. When you say "boot into DOS mode? is that the same as safe mode? If so and I would be able to do that again how do you "access the hard drive to see how it would respond"? Do you mean simply going into This PC and choosing the hard drive? Only intermediately knowlegeable so thanks for any forbearance on possibly ignorant questions. The laptop is still in boot phase after 5 hours and continuing the boot process. Not quite to full laptop but still working on it. I am beginning to think that this problem is indeed beyond me and will need to return to computer repair but am using this as a learning experience to glean any knowledge possible.