Windows 7 - Boot times - how best to analyse?

Hi. I had a problem with my PC (Windows 7 x64) but even though this is now fixed (Windows 7 was booting from the C drive instead of the reserved partition) my PC takes longer to boot than before. When booting got as far as the 'Windows Starting' message and the 4-colour logo appeared, it used to take no more than 10 seconds to get to the desktop. Now it takes over a minute - still faster than many post about, I know, but it appears slow after what I am used to.

I tried disabling all startup items in System Configuration, but that made no difference whatsoever. I Googled how to analyse the boot process in Windows 7 and there are certainly lots of ways to do it - various tools to install. This for instance:

http://www.techmaish.com/winbootinfo...s-7-and-vista/

Or this:

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/06/03/ana...e-with-soluto/

But are these the best I could install? Is anyone able to recommend from experience a programme that is simple and will give clear (graphic?) information about what is happening during the whole boot process, so that I can see where the increased boot time might be coming from? I could enable boot logging, but not sure I would understand the data??

Any other tips welcome!

Thanks,

Martin

Start with Event viewer info on boot times:

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Diagnostics-Performance > Operational.

Event ID 100.

View the Friendly or XML view. Google some of those fields and you'll find a webpage that probably shows how to diagnose at least what CATEGORY is killing your boot time.

Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance
Date: 2/4/2012 2:19:23 PM
Event ID: 100
Task Category: Boot Performance Monitoring
Level: Error
Keywords: Event Log
User: LOCAL SERVICE
Computer: Jim-GLH
Description:
Windows has started up:
Boot Duration : 69176ms
IsDegradation : false
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎04T19:17:26.609200200Z
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance" Guid="{CFC18EC0-96B1-4EBA-961B-622CAEE05B0A}" />
<EventID>100</EventID>
<Version>2</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>4002</Task>
<Opcode>34</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000010000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-02-04T19:19:23.899887300Z" />
<EventRecordID>2203</EventRecordID>
<Correlation ActivityID="{00000000-8B28-0000-759C-6EA171E3CC01}" />
<Execution ProcessID="1644" ThreadID="2460" />
<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational</Channel>
<Computer>Jim-GLH</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-19" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BootTsVersion">2</Data>
<Data Name="BootStartTime">2012-02-04T19:17:26.609200200Z</Data>
<Data Name="BootEndTime">2012-02-04T19:19:21.247882700Z</Data>
<Data Name="SystemBootInstance">567</Data>
<Data Name="UserBootInstance">565</Data>
<Data Name="BootTime">69176</Data>
<Data Name="MainPathBootTime">21576</Data>
<Data Name="BootKernelInitTime">21</Data>
<Data Name="BootDriverInitTime">1310</Data>
<Data Name="BootDevicesInitTime">4993</Data>
<Data Name="BootPrefetchInitTime">43069</Data>
<Data Name="BootPrefetchBytes">342867968</Data>
<Data Name="BootAutoChkTime">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootSmssInitTime">4212</Data>
<Data Name="BootCriticalServicesInitTime">1040</Data>
<Data Name="BootUserProfileProcessingTime">2424</Data>
<Data Name="BootMachineProfileProcessingTime">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootExplorerInitTime">6019</Data>
<Data Name="BootNumStartupApps">8</Data>
<Data Name="BootPostBootTime">47600</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsRebootAfterInstall">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepImprovementBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualImprovementBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepDegradationBits">2097152</Data>
<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualDegradationBits">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsStepDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsGradualDegradation">false</Data>
<Data Name="BootImprovementDelta">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootDegradationDelta">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootIsRootCauseIdentified">true</Data>
<Data Name="OSLoaderDuration">1786</Data>
<Data Name="BootPNPInitStartTimeMS">21</Data>
<Data Name="BootPNPInitDuration">5012</Data>
<Data Name="OtherKernelInitDuration">1035</Data>
<Data Name="SystemPNPInitStartTimeMS">5956</Data>
<Data Name="SystemPNPInitDuration">1291</Data>
<Data Name="SessionInitStartTimeMS">7338</Data>
<Data Name="Session0InitDuration">1542</Data>
<Data Name="Session1InitDuration">302</Data>
<Data Name="SessionInitOtherDuration">2367</Data>
<Data Name="WinLogonStartTimeMS">11550</Data>
<Data Name="OtherLogonInitActivityDuration">1582</Data>
<Data Name="UserLogonWaitDuration">1622</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

try soluto

it used to just analyze boot times, but now it includes other functions - ignore them.

here's my boot, for example:



you can go into more detail too:

Well I went with Jim's suggestion first, via Event Manager (I didn't know of the performance logging tool). First there is an 'Error':

Windows has started up:
Boot Duration : 72844ms
IsDegradation : true
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎05T15:22:58.624800200Z

Then there is an event marked 'Critical'. It tells me that "Session manager initialization caused a slow down in the startup process":

Name : SMSSInit
Total Time : 37636ms
Degradation Time : 30956ms
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎05T15:22:58.624800200Z

The XML file gives this information:

- <Event xmlns="Error">
- <System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance" Guid="{CFC18EC0-96B1-4EBA-961B-622CAEE05B0A}" />

<EventID>110</EventID>

<Version>1</Version>

<Level>1</Level>

<Task>4002</Task>

<Opcode>33</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x8000000000010000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-02-05T15:25:30.449956100Z" />

<EventRecordID>1945</EventRecordID>

<Correlation ActivityID="{00000100-0000-0002-444B-AC0A1AE4CC01}" />

<Execution ProcessID="1312" ThreadID="1328" />

<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational</Channel>

<Computer>Martin-PC</Computer>

<Security UserID="S-1-5-19" />

</System>


- <EventData>
<Data Name="StartTime">2012-02-05T15:22:58.624800200Z</Data>

<Data Name="NameLength">9</Data>

<Data Name="Name">SMSSInit</Data>

<Data Name="TotalTime">37636</Data>

<Data Name="DegradationTime">30956</Data>

</EventData>


</Event>

I am not sure what all this means - I will start Googling, but it seems as if a cause for the slowup has been identified. If anyone knows what to do about it (and save me hours of browsing no doubt!) I'd be most grateful for any information.

Martin

On next reboot I don't get anything 'critical' showing, but just an error:

Windows has started up:
Boot Duration : 74579ms
IsDegradation : false
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎05T15:57:10.593600100Z

I installed Soluto too. This shows that System is taking up most of the loading time. This is the screenshot.

Martin

Hi again,

I'd really appreciate more help here. Each time I boot now and go into Event Manager, I get this report:

Windows has started up:
Boot Duration : 71820ms
IsDegradation : false
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎06T04:13:06.609200200Z

(Why is this marked in yellow as 'Error'?).

There are no critical errors now (that seemed to be a one-off), but at boot Windows sits at the (four-colour) logo stage for so much longer than it used to. Soluto just showed this as 'System' startup, but no details as to which components are taking so long to load.

I even restored a Windows 7 image I made a week or so ago, when boot times were as they should be - I used the Windows 7 DVD and chose to format and repartition the relevant hard disc before restore, but still the PC sits at the Windows 7 logo for almost a minute before I get the desktop. How can that be when I restored a working image?

Thanks again,

Martin

Can you cut/paste the FULL "XML" listing of your event ID 100? That will have all the buckets so we can see which is too long by comparing our own, etc.

The SSinit shows it is expected 7 seconds but its taking 30 seconds longer than that. For starters...

Do you have an external drive plugged in PRIOR to booting (i.e. keep it connected all the time)?

Hi,

Thanks for the reply! No, I have no external drives connected at startup.

Here is the xml file,

Martin

-----------------------------------------

- <Event xmlns="Error">
- <System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance" Guid="{CFC18EC0-96B1-4EBA-961B-622CAEE05B0A}" />

<EventID>100</EventID>

<Version>2</Version>

<Level>3</Level>

<Task>4002</Task>

<Opcode>34</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x8000000000010000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-02-06T07:15:48.406741900Z" />

<EventRecordID>1942</EventRecordID>

<Correlation ActivityID="{00000100-0000-0004-820E-39CD9EE4CC01}" />

<Execution ProcessID="1308" ThreadID="1328" />

<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Diagnostics-Performance/Operational</Channel>

<Computer>Martin-PC</Computer>

<Security UserID="S-1-5-19" />

</System>


- <EventData>
<Data Name="BootTsVersion">2</Data>

<Data Name="BootStartTime">2012-02-06T07:13:18.593600100Z</Data>

<Data Name="BootEndTime">2012-02-06T07:15:47.969941200Z</Data>

<Data Name="SystemBootInstance">488</Data>

<Data Name="UserBootInstance">481</Data>

<Data Name="BootTime">72360</Data>

<Data Name="MainPathBootTime">59360</Data>

<Data Name="BootKernelInitTime">15</Data>

<Data Name="BootDriverInitTime">370</Data>

<Data Name="BootDevicesInitTime">20182</Data>

<Data Name="BootPrefetchInitTime">6018</Data>

<Data Name="BootPrefetchBytes">381825024</Data>

<Data Name="BootAutoChkTime">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootSmssInitTime">37241</Data>

<Data Name="BootCriticalServicesInitTime">107</Data>

<Data Name="BootUserProfileProcessingTime">170</Data>

<Data Name="BootMachineProfileProcessingTime">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootExplorerInitTime">399</Data>

<Data Name="BootNumStartupApps">29</Data>

<Data Name="BootPostBootTime">13000</Data>

<Data Name="BootIsRebootAfterInstall">false</Data>

<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepImprovementBits">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualImprovementBits">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootRootCauseStepDegradationBits">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootRootCauseGradualDegradationBits">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootIsDegradation">false</Data>

<Data Name="BootIsStepDegradation">false</Data>

<Data Name="BootIsGradualDegradation">false</Data>

<Data Name="BootImprovementDelta">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootDegradationDelta">0</Data>

<Data Name="BootIsRootCauseIdentified">false</Data>

<Data Name="OSLoaderDuration">814</Data>

<Data Name="BootPNPInitStartTimeMS">15</Data>

<Data Name="BootPNPInitDuration">20258</Data>

<Data Name="OtherKernelInitDuration">333</Data>

<Data Name="SystemPNPInitStartTimeMS">20507</Data>

<Data Name="SystemPNPInitDuration">294</Data>

<Data Name="SessionInitStartTimeMS">20886</Data>

<Data Name="Session0InitDuration">2770</Data>

<Data Name="Session1InitDuration">388</Data>

<Data Name="SessionInitOtherDuration">34082</Data>

<Data Name="WinLogonStartTimeMS">58127</Data>

<Data Name="OtherLogonInitActivityDuration">663</Data>

<Data Name="UserLogonWaitDuration">418</Data>

</EventData>


</Event>

Just for information, did a clean boot (no start-up items and all non-Microsoft services stopped). Still get a long delay. Event manager shows another Critical error:

Session manager initialization caused a slow down in the startup process:
Name : SMSSInit
Total Time : 36620ms
Degradation Time : 30815ms
Incident Time (UTC) : ‎2012‎-‎02‎-‎06T08:50:59.593600100Z

M.

Compare my boot (not the fastest but "consistent)" with yours. A few buckets are quite large for you. SMSSinit as mentioned. BootDevicesInitTime (20s for you, 5s for me).

Start searching and I think you can find the cause. I've yet to fully delve into the boot process to fully understand the Event ID 100.