Slow Boot on SSD with Windows 11 | Starting Windows 11 from an SSD

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Tracy King 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

SSDs are now used as system drives to speed up the loading and booting of the Windows operating system, but sometimes they don't perform as expected, like taking minutes to boot Windows 11. The good news is that you're not the only one facing this issue. So, let's look at how to fix a slow SSD in Windows 11.

Main content:

How Long Does It Take to Boot Windows 11 from SSD?
Why Is SSD Slow in Windows 11?
What to Do If Windows 11 Boots Slowly from SSD? (7 Ways)

#1 How long does it take to boot Windows 11 from an SSD?

Normally, an SSD's boot time should be around 20 seconds, give or take, but this is not always the case. Many users complain that their Windows PC has become slow or sluggish. They wait for the SSD to boot and set it as the boot drive, but on Windows 11, the startup still takes ages.

Don't worry, as we've compiled a list of simple solutions that can help you fix the slow SSD boot issue. But before that, you need to figure out the reasons behind slow SSD booting in Windows 11.

Why is my SSD slow in Windows 11?

There can be several reasons why Windows 11 might boot slowly, including:

• Virus or malware issues
• Corrupted files
• You may have unnecessary notifications enabled.
• You might have extra visual effects turned on.
• Outdated graphics driver.
• Too many miscellaneous files from programs, games, and so on.

What to do if Windows 11 starts slowly on an SSD?

Windows 11 comes packed with features that boost user productivity and enhance the overall experience. However, every update can come with its fair share of issues, and you might encounter the 100% disk usage problem. To improve the slow SSD performance in Windows 11, consider the following solutions:

Solution 1: Perform a Full System Cleanup
Solution 2: Avoid Installing Disk-Space-Hungry Games and Apps on the SSD
Solution 3: Check Task Manager and Disable Unnecessary Services at Startup
Solution 4: Enable Fast Startup
Solution 5: Update the AHCI Driver in Windows 11 Device Manager
Solution 6: Increase System and Boot Drive Space
Solution 7: Align the SSD Partition

Solution 1: Perform a thorough system cleanup

The ideal way not to fill up your SSD is by avoiding storing large personal files on it, as they can affect the read and write speed of the SSD. The best solution to this problem is to run a system cleanup and get rid of junk files.

You can use tools like CleanGenius to help clean junk files from your system. This software is an excellent tool that can easily help speed up your SSD. To do this, you can:

Clear your browser's cache. Protect your system with encryption for important files. Remove large, unused files. Repair and optimize your system.

To use this software, simply follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Download and install Partition Master for free, then run it on your Windows computer.

On the assembly, hover the mouse over 'PC Cleaner' and click on the download icon to install and launch the CleanGenius tool.

Step 2: In CleanGenius, tap on “Clean” from the main screen and then tap on “Scan” to start scanning.

Step 3: After the scan, select the unnecessary large files and click "Clean" to delete them.

Step 4: Once CleanGenius has finished cleaning the files you selected, click “Finish” to end the process.

Solution 2: Avoid installing games and programs that take up a lot of disk space on the SSD

Avoid installing large games on your SSD, though. If you have large games or programs that you need to run from your SSD, consider moving them to an external hard drive instead.

Cleaning up such system files will help your SSD run faster and perform better.

Solution 3: Check Task Manager and disable unnecessary startup services

If your SSD is taking too long to boot, you can try disabling unnecessary services from the Task Manager.

To disable unnecessary services, follow these steps:

Step 1: In the Windows search bar, select "Task Manager."

Step 2: You can now select "Disabled" from the Startup tab.

Click "Start" and disable the app

These simple steps will help you speed up your SSD, and all unnecessary services will be disabled in the Task Manager.

Solution 4: Enable Fast Startup

The Fast Startup feature in Windows 11 is similar to hybrid sleep. By enabling it on your SSD, you can speed up your computer's startup time and save time.

To enable this, follow these steps:

Step 1: From the desktop, open the Start menu, go to Control Panel, and then choose 'Hardware and Sound.'

Step 2: Select Power Options.

Select the power option

Step 3: From the left menu, choose “Change what the power buttons do.”

Step 4: Now, choose “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”

Step 5. Select the option to Enable Fast Startup, then click Save Changes.

These three simple steps will get you up and running with a fast boot time and a smoothly operating SSD.

Solution 5: Update the AHCI Driver in Windows 11 Device Manager

AHCI drivers are essential for maintaining SSD performance. Disabling this mode can cause some crashes on your computer.

Step 1: Click to open Device Manager.

Step 3: Right-click on the drive and select "Update drivers."

Update the driver

Step 4: Click on Search automatically for updated driver software. It will check for updates. If there is one available, it will show it to you.

If the AHCI driver is listed, that means it's enabled. If you see ATA/IDE instead, that means AHCI is disabled on your computer.

Solution 6: Increase space on the system and boot drives

If you don't have an extra drive to install programs or games, you may need to increase the system space. We would like to recommend an excellent software – tools Partition Master. This is one of the best and feasible ways to extend system and boot drive space.

This software contains some of the best features that will always have you turning to it whenever your disk space starts getting slow or low:

• A simple interface that's easy for all levels of Windows users.
• More space with partition merging and better allocation.
• Disk cloning to a new disk.
• Reduced risk of data loss.

Partition Master tool enables you to partition an SSD by resizing or allocating partitions. It efficiently transfers data from one drive to another. Additionally, it can convert primary partitions to logical and change FAT32 to NTFS. This software wipes data from the hard disk, making it inaccessible to others.

The “Partition Manager” has a unique feature that lets you allocate space for Drive C. Select the partition to which you want to assign the space. It will extend the available disk space.

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Solution 7: Align the SSD partition

If you migrate Windows 11 to SSD via cloning, or resize SSD partitions frequently, the SSD partition might be misaligned, which affects system performance.

To align the SSD partition, we recommend using the above software – Partition Master. It allows you to properly align the SSD partition. The software offers the 4k alignment feature to align your SSD in 4k sectors. It also checks for errors in the partition and corrects them to enhance the SSD's performance.

Conclusions

The above are seven of the most convenient ways to fix slow SSD boot on Windows 11. Hopefully, these solutions work for you and you can see the SSD performance boost. You can also download the Partition Master tool for free from the official website. It makes the best use of your disk capacity and organizes it. Just download the software, manage partitions, and your slowdown issues will be resolved.