Startup Extremely Slow When External Hard Drive Attached

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  1. Posts : 107
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    Startup Extremely Slow When External Hard Drive Attached


    hi guys,
    i just bought an external HD drive and it's very good but ...
    When I attach my external hard drive start up becomes painfully slow , like at least 5 times slower !. I get past the BIOS load screen fine but once the computer gets to the Starting Windows screen it sits there for a good 30-60 seconds. Then when the screen goes black (as it's going from the "starting windows" screen with the little windows 7 icon to the login screen) it again sits for anywhere from 1-2minutes, if not longer.

    i have an old external HD and I've been using it for 2 years and never had this problem !
    another thing when i click on " safely remove the HD " before i reboot and without taking the usb off the computer just stats normally !
    so whats the problem because this is annoying me

    the new HD

    the old one

      My Computer


  2. Posts : 525
    windows 7 ultimate 64bit
       #2

    i have the same problem with mine. i havent found a fix yet, although i've tried several. for now, when i restart, i unplug the usb cable and plug it back in after windows starts.
      My Computer


  3. mjf
    Posts : 5,969
    Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
       #3

    My external HDDs always slow down startup. Even more so when they have multiple partitions. I assume partly due to the BIOS POST checking of peripherals and maybe OS checks.
    I never buy external HDD with software backup built in. I (personal view only) think the backup software/capability is rubbish and I think it may add more time to startup.
    I often connect my ext HDDs after startup.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 107
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #4

    ^^^
    i tried it on my brother's computer ( windows xp ) and it didn't slow down the startup ;\
    so i guess the only solution for now is to unplug before the startup
    and i'm just curious ... what are external HD's ? ( WD ) ?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 525
    windows 7 ultimate 64bit
       #5

    HD - Hard Drive
    WD - Western Digital
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 329
    WDS 7 Home Pre.x64
       #6

    kword88 said:
    i have the same problem with mine. i havent found a fix yet, although i've tried several. for now, when i restart, i unplug the usb cable and plug it back in after windows starts.
    +1 ....Same here ...
    Yours at least boots up ..slowly ...
    Mine keeps recycling booting ...
    This is a BIG bug with w.7 ..wonder why M$ hasn't come up with any fix ..
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 205
    Windows 8 Professional
       #7

    This is an issue that spans windows releases. I have had this exact issue with Win XP and Win 7 using external hard drives and usb printers. The issue is absolutely related to USB.

    I would turn off any USB Boot options in the BIOS and see if that helps. If not just unplug device prior to boot.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 329
    WDS 7 Home Pre.x64
       #8

    'I would turn off any USB Boot options in the BIOS and see if that helps. '

    That was the first thing i did ....won't help ...
    Definitely w.7 bug ...some where along the line ...Just hope M$ will fix it ..
      My Computer

  9.    #9

    Make sure in Disk Mgmt the external isn't marked Active.

    During bootup, this will cause it to look for boot files there.

    You can mark it Inactive using Diskpart or free Partition Wizard.

    I would try formatting it again as well.

    Make sure your chipset drivers are up to date.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 107
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #10

    i tried every thing anyone has said
    nothing helped lol
    thanks for the help ; )
      My Computer


 
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