"Preparing Security Options" and freezing

Hello all!

Recently, my computer freezes, my cursor moves really slow, my RGB corsair keyboard and RGB mousepad light start to move oddly, I can't close out any windows, can't click the start button..... but when I manage to CTRL-ALT-DELETE. a "preparing security options" menu comes up. Once I restart, things seem normal for a while, and then the same thing happens.

Only when I revert to an image backup does the problem go away for a time.

My computer was not doing this for months after I had it built, but is a problem all of a sudden. I even terminate the RGB Corsair cue to see if it was that... but the light animations just stopped, yet the computer still performed horribly as above.

• I don't think it's a virus because this has happened before a few months ago and so I just decided to do a fresh install a windows---and here we are.
• Updating SSD drivers I cannot do---as the Samsung drivers that were just released for the new NVME----I have heard are causing the SSDs to become bricks. So, no thanks!

There seem to be a few threads on this... but never a legit fix. Or, it seems to be that everyone has a different variation of the issue. Like right now, if I ctrl-alt-delete, the preparing security options doesn't come up, but once this bad boy freezes up, the ctrl-alt-delete combination causes that option menu to show up.

EdTittel said:

Here's an interesting 10/4-7/17 thread on answers.microsoft.com that addresses this topic head-on. It speaks about a failing driver update that opens numerous Explorer windows, and bogs the machine down. It explicitly downplays the likelihood of a virus at fault, so I hope that reduces your level of concern. The thread suggests booting your PC in Safe Mode to see if the problems persist, and that's an excellent suggestion. Check out this Windows 10 tutorial: Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 Performance Maintenance Tutorials . Then follow its instructions and see if your problems persist. Let us know yes or no here and we can suggest additional things to do to help you solve your problem.
HTH,
--Ed--

So, how long are we looking into remaining in safe mode? The computer can work for weeks before the problem shows up. There really isn't anything I feel that I do out of the ordinary to cause the issue to stem up. And it's especially impossible to tell since updates occur in the background.

Use the computer for several days in safe mode( with networking or command prompt) and report into the thread whether there were or were not any problems while ins safe mode. Based on that information other detective work can be performed.

zbook said:

Use the computer for several days in safe mode( with networking or command prompt) and report into the thread whether there were or were not any problems while ins safe mode. Based on that information other detective work can be performed.

I will certainly make that the next thing I attempt; however, first, I deactivated internet explorer through Disk Cleanup since I personally don't use it anymore. Subsequent to deactivation, I used my ShadowProtect image software to snapshot a copy of windows with IE deactivated so that I can continue to update and revert the system back as necessary just in case I download something I'm not supposed to---and I shall continue to report back.

Would you say that since there is no more internet explorer, the rogue update wouldn't apply?

I know this seems a bit extreme; but those Microsoft reps on those threads seem very robotic and disconnected.

Does everyone have their own fix to the problem?

Two things additional; since according to that Microsoft thread, Windows update uses internet explorer--- does that mean me deactivating IE won't make a difference? Also, reading that thread more thoroughly, the one guy says his problem was solved---but it doesn't provide a fix. The representative just tells him exactly what's causing the slow down.

Layback Bear said:

Their is a possibility that
Antivirus Webroot Secure Anywhere is causing the problem. It may be causing this.
From post #1



Jack

Do you have more information on this? This wouldn't surprise me. But of course it always has to be the free software that I get from a bank that screws everything up.