The Windows boot process takes longer than expected.
The Windows boot process takes longer than expected.
Usually, after booting or restarting, a slight delay appears while the loading screen appears, followed by entering your password. Since your PC runs quickly and you don’t see any viruses, the issue might be related to a startup program. The recent update of MSI Mystic Light could also be causing interference.
In fact, using an SSD boot drive with a quick PC makes it faster when you turn off fast startup. This approach ensures a clean boot every time. Fast startup was created to improve performance on HDDs where random access is slow.
You seem to be mixing up different startup optimization techniques. SuperFetch (now SysMain) automatically loads apps ahead of time for quicker access. PreFetch does similar work by pre-loading program libraries and system files during startup. Fast Startup reduces boot time by partially putting the system into hibernation, so it doesn’t need to check hardware or load drivers when you power on from a shutdown. Turning off hibernate also turns off Fast Startup, which can significantly speed up initial boot.
Delay Start introduces a short pause before background programs begin loading, useful for older storage types like HDDs or slow SSDs, as well as systems with many startup files. This gives the OS time to prepare before launching additional tasks. All these methods help improve performance, especially on slower hardware.
However, some features can be disabled if they’re not needed—like feature flags for certain drives—but only if you understand the trade-offs. Modern SSDs are fast, but even the best ones can struggle with small files or frequent updates. The real challenge remains balancing speed and compatibility across different devices.