Windows 7: Windows 7 Ultimate x64 hangs on Start Up

I'm getting very frustrated at the computer that I have built as a HTPC. I have installed Windows 7 Ultimate on it - the OS is installed on a 64GB Kingston SSD drive. When I boot up the PC it sits at the "Starting Windows..." screen it will stay that way for probably 2 minute then you'll see the colored orbs come in and then Windows loads no problem.

Putting the OS on a SSD i figured it should be incredibly fast - I mean I have Ultimate put on several other computers with HDD's and it loads faster.



I'm using an ATI Radeon HD 5460 (i think thats the model) with drivers that have been fully updated. That is the only expansion slot being used.

Does anyone have any ideas of what could be going on?

do you have an external hard drive by any chance? if so, try disconnecting it before booting the computer.
if that isnt the cause, try doing a clean boot to pinpoint the problem.

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

Hi, welcome to the forums

If you start the computer in safe mode (press F8 to enter Boot Option mode) it will display a list of the files it loads. If 1 of them is displayed for a long time then it could be that particular file that's causing the hang.


OS

Okay thanks! I'll try those when I'm able and reply back with what I find out.

Thanks again for the quick responses!