Startup issues with my Aspire 5 15 laptop, takes too long to get to the startup lock screen.

My Acer 15.6" Aspire 5 15 Laptop, purchased in February, started slowing down on startup a week or so ago. It seemed to take too long to get to the startup lock screen. Once I logged in, everything seemed OK - until today.

Today it took almost 5 minutes to get to the lock screen, then a minute or two more to get to be able to enter my ID. Then another 5 minutes until it booted up - except the bottom bar never appeared and I could not click on anything. I tried to reboot (Ctrl-Alt-Del that also took a really long time), and the same thing happened.

Does anyone have any ideas on what may be happening and how to trouble shoot it? It is still under warranty but if I can fix it myself, I'd rather do that. Thank you.

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

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Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/710818/startup-issues

Your boot time from the moment you press the power button to the lock screen should not be more than 30 seconds. Start uninstalling all pre-installed programs, bloatware, freebees and 3rd-part browser-antivirus programs. Check your available RAM and check what background apps are running in Task Manager Processes that should not exceed 65. Update Windows11 23H2 to version 22631.3958 and go online and run (paste) these 2 commands as Administrator: Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth that can take long, then run SFC /scannow in the command prompt. That should end with "….did not find any integrity violations" repeat the SFC command till you see that. If after all this your boot time is still very slow, I recommend bringing the laptop to Acer Services in your country and not opening the back, there may be a bad drive or RAM issue.

MarcySB

Puraw, thanks for the detailed answer. However, since I can’t boot all the way up, I have no way of implementing any of this. Also, there is very little on this computer. Since I posted this, I also had a desktop exhibit the same issues. I was able to boot that up and it is working. Now I’m beginning to wonder if it is something else, not the laptop. I have no idea how to troubleshoot this. Thanks again.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1291644#Comment_1291644

Just some additional advice for you, can you tell us what the exact model and specs is of your Aspire 5 laptop. As increase ram and an upgrade of the M.2 SSD boot drive to a faster drive (as Acer fits a mid-range speed drive especially to the Aspire budget laptops for cost reasons) could be the issue and will help speed up boot times. Otherwise, there could be a hardware problem with your laptop, and you should consult Acer and send your laptop to Acer tech support so that they can fix your Aspire 5.

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1291644#Comment_1291644

You can boot to WindowsRE with the blue Troubleshoot menu and in Advanced click on Restart with F4-Safe Boot and do these things I mention above or before Advanced in the troubleshoot menu click on "Reset this PC" and the option Without losing my files. You can boot to WindowsRE by rebooting and as soon as you see the Acer logo press Alt + F10. If that does not work with the USB Windows Recovery disk, you can make a Windows Recovery disk on another PC with the same Windows version.

MarcySB

Thank you both for your help. I'm still not sure what happened but 2 days later, everything booted up fine on the laptop, like there was never an issue. Yesterday, I rebooted the desktop (not an Acer) and it was fine again as well. I'm wondering if there was some glitch with our internet provider. About a week ago, right before the laptop issues, our Chromecast to our TV started giving us issues, then a few days ago that went away as well. I will definitely keep all of the information from you in case I need it again. Thanks again.

Axxo

Start uninstalling all pre-installed programs, bloatware, freebees and 3rd-part browser-antivirus programs. Check your available RAM and check what background apps are running in Task Manager Processes that should not exceed 65.

Quick Fixes for a Faster Boot:-
Upgrading to an SSD.
Reducing the Number of Startup Programs.
Keeping Your PC Updated.
Enable Fast Startup.
Optimize Your BIOS/UEFI Settings.
Regularly Defragment Your Hard Drive (for HDD users)
Perform Regular Malware Scans.
Clean Out Old and Unnecessary Files.