Windows 8 Windows 8.1 Restart function takes forever

Yohannas

New Member
Hello,

I've Googled this problem extensively but I can't seem to find anyone else who is experiencing the exact problem that I am experiencing.

I built a very high-spec gaming PC last August and installed Windows 8. I upgraded to 8.1 later and did not experience any problems until I needed to reinstall Windows 8.1 in February in order for USB devices to function properly (restoring or refreshing Windows 8.1 wasn't an option because that function is currently broken (sort it out Microsoft!!))

Since then, a unique problem seems to have developed. My CPU is an Intel-4770k, so when I first boot up the PC from shut down, or when I press the hard restart button on my computer case, the computer boots up very quickly and with no problems. However, when I click 'Restart' from Windows, the interface shuts down, and my PC remains active, but nothing else happens for a good 2 or 3 minutes. After that time, I see two red LEDs on my motherboard flash (I guess that is the PC posting) and the computer starts up.

I am clueless as to why the Restart function has such a massive delay. I followed the steps on one thread which told me to go into msconfig and disable all start-up applications and to do the same in task manager, but after doing so and restarting my PC, the problem persisted. (The thread where I found that advice is here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...en-after/8eafb629-f157-4d53-8187-f499c6e30cfa )

I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me on this, and if I haven't clarified or explained something properly, please ask me to elaborate!

Thanks in advance.
 
Hey wanted to bump this up because I am having the same exact issue, after the last update to 8.1 restart takes for ever, system just hangs forever. If I power down it restarts like a bandit, but I do not want to power down every time. XPS 8500 8Gigs of ram. Ati radeo 7570.
 
I had one install that did pretty much the same thing. It would sit at least a minute before restarting. A reset would always get it booting again.

The install I am currently running is not doing that, so not sure what is happening. I suppose you might try restarting from Safe Mode to see if the problem happens. Check the Event Viewer for any messages. Turn off any fast boot options and the Windows 8 fast startup.

If you have any readouts on your motherboard that might indicate some number while the system hangs, let us know. I will be updating to 8.1 when the option show up, but currently I am in the process of trying to understand why some systems will not reset to 8.0 using a Recovery Image meant for that purpose.

Asus Z87-Expert and i7 4771
 
Hmm, I'd never heard of the event viewer. I just opened it to find several critical instances, one in the last day. The same critical event has occurred 74 times since March 14th; these are its details:

Log Name: System
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
Date: 2/5/2014 5:22:20 PM
Event ID: 41
Task Category: (63)
Level: Critical
Keywords: (2)
User: SYSTEM
Computer: Gaming-PC
Description:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" Guid="{331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}" />
<EventID>41</EventID>
<Version>3</Version>
<Level>1</Level>
<Task>63</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x8000000000000002</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2014-05-02T16:22:20.520435400Z" />
<EventRecordID>14714</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="4" ThreadID="8" />
<Channel>System</Channel>
<Computer>Gaming-PC</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data Name="BugcheckCode">0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter1">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter2">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter3">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="BugcheckParameter4">0x0</Data>
<Data Name="SleepInProgress">6</Data>
<Data Name="PowerButtonTimestamp">0</Data>
<Data Name="BootAppStatus">3221225684</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>


None of that makes any sense to me but it certainly sounds like it's related to the problem. I haven't noticed any unusual q-code readout on my motherboard as the system hangs, but I'll reboot and check it again now.

There are also lots of entries under the 'Error' category in the Event Viewer; 80 instances in the last 7 days. I don't know if this is normal but it doesn't sound it!

EDIT: I reset the system again and kept an eye on the q-code, but it seemed normal. As it was hanging, it remained in the 'AO' (normal) q-code state. I also timed it: from the moment the display turned off to the moment the motherboard began responding again, 2 minutes and 5 seconds passed (which feels like a lot longer when you're waiting for it!)

EDIT2: I googled the problem and found advice on this link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2028504

The advice was to uncheck 'Automatic Restart' in advanced system settings, which I did. It didn't solve the problem, as the computer still hangs for roughly the same length of time.
 
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The Kernel Power errors, Event ID 41 are more than likely the result of the hang and not the cause. It might be interesting if you let it continue and complete the restart process on its own, if you still show the errors. Hint . . keeping track of what time something happens can be beneficial in tracking error messages.

Do you have any open apps when this happens. You know in order to completely shut them down, you need to move (hold in 8.1) to the bottom of the screen. My 8.1 update seems to be available now, you are currently running 8.1 again?

If you get a chance, it might help if we had a picture of your Disk Management window you can attach, and use the command below to create a BCD store listing as a text file so you can attach. Maybe we will see something in one of those. Use an Administrative command prompt windows to run the command, and you can copy and paste.

bcdedit /enum all > %userprofile%\Desktop\bcdinfo.txt

A0 means IDE initialization has started... seems a strange time for that. I will watch mine the next time I restart...
 
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Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure what you mean by "hold to the bottom of the screen" to shut down apps. Is it not enough simply to click 'Restart'?

I entered that command into the command prompt and I've attached the .txt file it produced. I've also attached a screenshot of the disk management window.

Thanks for all your help here, I really appreciate the time you're taking.
 

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1. The restart on all errors (except keyboard) is not causing this issue but it IS an Important system guard against registry corruption and you really should put it back on.

2. A button restart is supposed to take longer than a shutdown because it is typically doing extra upkeep scans… not as long as it is now perhaps but that in itself does not indicate a problem.

a. The errors you are now getting in the event viewer are most likely because your computer is confused about you turning off all the restart functions… please turn them back on and then post a list or screenshot of them so we can see what they are and which ones you can safely switch off.

b. What is it you consider a " very high-spec gaming PC"… have you overclocked the cpu for instance or done something else which is non-standard?
 
I haven't overclocked anything, nope. I consider it high-spec because it runs an i7-4770k and two GTX 780s in SLI.

How exactly do I go about turning back on restart functions? I must have disabled them by going on what I read months ago, as I can't even remember doing it.

Thanks
 
Mmm my précis… um nice system.

Sorry but I was thinking this just happened… not that it has been on-going for months. That changes things and I recommend a re-install of Windows because ime that will be quicker than trying to track down all the possible issues.

Backups:

If the system had windows 8 pre-installed then there will be a msdn key in the mother board that a new iso install should detect without issue but you can use a free program called "pkeyui.exe" to make a copy of it… get the download from here. http://www.chip.de/downloads/Windows-8-Product-Key-Viewer_58663752.html

Assuming a normal windows install | upgrade you can use Belarc Advisor to get the windows key as well as other software such as office, adobe etc & list all the drivers | hardware… get the download from here. http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Don't forget other backups like emails and myob accounts.

The windows install:

is a matter of putting in an iso and booting from it then point it at the c: drive… in some cases without even asking about keys but most computer shops can do this without buggering it up if you don't feel confident to do it yourself.
The post windows install:

1. A gaming computer s only as good as the graphics drivers so press the [windows key] + [r] and type "dxdiag.exe" (without quotes) and post the report it saves for you on one of the gaming forums… gog.com has a special tool for this in their tech-help section but the point is that these guys actually play the games they brag about and will give you honest feedback as well as up to the minute advise on what driver is currently performing the best.

2. Back-up software really is worth investing time and effort into learning… I use and recommend Acronis (true-image) but there are other cheaper ones around which some of the guys and girls here would be happy to help you with if you open a separate post to ask about.

a. Any good back-up software should at least be able to boot from the back up image they make in case of total system collapse… Don't waste your time on one that doesn't!
 
Thanks for your reply but I've already reinstalled windows three times this year and I really don't want to go through that process again. The problem I'm having with the restart is exclusive to this install, but there must be some way to solve it without reinstalling the OS. It takes hours and hours to do and I just don't have the time at the minute.

Is there any way we can move forward here? Perhaps Saltgrass could have a look at the logs he requested and see what he can see?
 
A. Alright let's start at the beginning with the events then… I assume you have no back up software and only windows.

B. Now press [windows key] + [pause] and select "Advanced system setting" (top left)… if the top tab is not set to "advanced" then go ahead and select it then click the third button marked "settings…" it is the one under "Start up and recovery". Are there ticks in both "write an event to system log" and "automatic restart" ? if not then tick them both and restart the system.

events.png


C. Make a new folder on the desktop called "back up events +{date}"… inside this folder make 4 folders called apps, security, setup and system.

1. Press [windows key] + [x] to bring up the command list and select 'Event Viewer" to open it.

2. Click 'event viewer (local)> Windows logs and right click each of the main four options to "save all events as…" and point them to the (same named) folder you just made on the desk top before clearing each log in turn.

3. Now that we have a back-up of the important event and a fresh mostly blank log we have a bench mark to work with… take note of the time and shut the system down normally. Give it a minute to settle then boot it back up again making another note of both the actual time and also a ruff count of how long it takes to fully boot up.

4. Go back into the event viewer and make note of any new errors… ignore any white or yellow ones for now and just count the red one. How many are there and what one of the four folders do they appear in?

5. I'm sure you can guess what comes next but restart the system this time (again note the time of day and overall length) and have a look at how many more red errors appear… mostly I want to know are there more than when you restart or when you shut down?

D. Now press [windows key] + [x] and select "device manager"… are there any yellow or red markers?
 
Ok, I've taken all of those steps, with interesting results. I'll write them down below:

Backed up all four events logs at 8:40pm.
System shutdown at 8:43pm.
System Startup at 8:45pm.
System boot time - 27 seconds.
New RED errors:
Apps = 1
Security = 0
Setup = 0
System = 3 errors, 1 critical
System restarted at 8:50pm.
Restart time - 2 minutes 25 seconds.
New RED errors:
Apps = 0
Security = 0
Setup = 0
System = 0
No errors in Device Manager.

There you go. So it looks like all the errors happen when I shut down. I'll copy the text from 'General' for each error, in case it's useful.

Application errors: 1

ERROR 1:
Faulting application name: nvvsvc.exe, version: 8.17.13.3523, time stamp: 0x5315ccd3
Faulting module name: nvvsvc.exe, version: 8.17.13.3523, time stamp: 0x5315ccd3
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000000118bd
Faulting process ID: 0x344
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf6708381c1625
Faulting application path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvvsvc.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvvsvc.exe
Report ID: 7c2a965b-d2fb-11e3-beeb-6c71d98d3003
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

System errors: 4

ERROR 1:
Windows failed fast startup with error status 0xC00000D4.

ERROR 2:
The previous system shutdown at 20:42:31 on ‎03/‎05/‎2014 was unexpected.

ERROR 3 (Critical):
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

ERROR 4:
The NVIDIA Display Driver Service service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 1 time(s).

There you go. I hope you can make sense of it! Thanks again for all your help!

EDIT: Just as an addition, there are several yellow triangle warnings appearing under 'System' with Kernel-PnP as their source.
 
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1. The main issue first… nvvsvc.exe is the name of the program that displays NVidia control panel. Possible causes of these errors include;

a. The Nvidia software was installed incorrectly, partially blocked by some kind of anti-virus firewall and | or it is out dated.

b. There is also a known virus that can infect this file as well as at least one that pretends to be it so that older anti-virus programs will not detect it.

In this order;

2. Turn off system restore for now.

3. If you are one of those people that still use Nortains then remove it… and the systematic extras.

4. Download at least two different antvirus programs… I personally use Avast (free) at home and AVG (I think they still offer a free trial) at work but there are lots of good antivirus programs out there and I'm sure others on this forum can suggest some.

To be clear, don't use any of the ones that offer to scan your computer from a website but only downloadable (stand-alone) programs.


5. Install one antivirus program… do a complete scan (fixing any issues) and then remove the anti-virus program and repeat the process with the next one.

6. I'd scan the system with a good spybot hunter like 'Spybot - Search & Destroy' to clean up any junk remaining… this is a different thing to an anti-virus program.

7. Remove and have a good look online for newer g-card drivers (I suggest posting on one of the specialist gaming forums for this) and install the new one or at least a new download of the old one.

8. You can put Nortain back on now if you really must and then turn your system restore back on.

To be clear again , you scan the computer then remove the program before installing the next one.

Warning: never have more than one anti-virus program installed at the same time on any windows system!

Ps. Imo The yellow events would be the system looking for updated registry listing and not being able to find them… in simple language, the Kernel-PnP is where Windows stores a backup set of drivers and that error suggests it was searched during the system boot which is both taking up more time and behaving as expected.
 
I use Kaspersky normally. I ran a full system scan this morning and it didn't find anything. I then downloaded Avast! and ran another full system scan, and it didn't find anything either. However, I did get the following error:

Some files could not be scanned.
C:\Users\[My name]\SkyDrive:ms-properties Error: File is offline - it is currently not available. (42006)

I'll uninstall Avast! now and install AVG, but in the mean time I thought I'd post that error to see if you might be able to identify the problem!

UPDATE: I've now run a virus scan with AVG, and it didn't find anything either. I also ran a scan with Spybot - Search and Destroy, and it found 52 threats, one of which was a high-level threat. I pressed 'fix selected' (all of them) and then reran the scan 3 times. The only problem which keeps showing up is related to Internet Explorer's cache, and I don't even use that browser.

UPDATE 2: I reinstalled all my Nvidia software, including my graphics driver, and disabled Kaspersky while I did it.

So I restarted my PC, and the problem isn't solved. It still hangs for as long as it did before!

What could the problem be?!
 
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snip...
Some files could not be scanned.

C:\Users\[My name]\SkyDrive:ms-properties Error: File is offline - it is currently not available. (42006)

That is an online storage area that doesn't allow scans… don't stress about it.

To be clear… does nvvsvc.exe still generate event errors during the boots or is that issue now fixed?
 
Your files look OK, although the BCD text had several unused entries and some even referring to archived Windows folder. But they do not appear to be active.

I have remembered the system I was having the problem with (this one, earlier install) I was using a small SSD to act as an acceleration cache for the larger hard drive. I had the Intel Rapid Response Technology driver installed and was using the Intel Smart Response Technology to handle the RAID which is set up for the operation to function.

I had broken down the RAID setup, but the install continued the 2 minute delays.

My Digital readout also stays on A0 until the restart happens, so your indication is probably fine.

Since I cannot duplicate the situation right now, we may end up using a piece of software that will log the shutdown and restart phase to see if it can capture the events.

I will set the acceleration configuration back up to see if I can reproduce the problem, but it might take a couple of days to know.

I never posted this entry, so I will edit it now. My system has not reverted to the problem. even after resetting the acceleration drive configuration. If it had, I was going to try to use Process Monitor to log the operation during the restart. Whether it would be able to log during the import time during the restart, I do not know. But if you want to try, go to the System Internals site and download the utility. It can be configured to log during a restart. When you are ready, if you decide to try this, let us know so we can discuss the process.
 
I’m still waiting to hear back on the Nvidia issue but I suggest that the next step for you is sorting out (i.e. turning off) what doesn’t need to be started during boot.

Press [windows key] + [x] and select Task manager, then pick the “startup” tab to see what is trying to load at the boot… anti-virus aside you can shave considerable time off the average 8 boot time from this screen without buggering your system.

p.s. Feel free to post a screen of the list if you don’t understand what any of the programs do.
 
Hello guys, thanks for all your efforts with this. I finally got sick of it yesterday and reinstalled Windows from scratch, and the problem has disappeared. Saltgrass, I realise now that last time I reinstalled Windows I also installed the Rapid Response Technology drivers from Asus even though I didn't need them and they had no functionality for me. Perhaps that contributed to the problem!

I think with every reinstall I'm learning slowly from my mistakes. I wonder what went wrong this time...! Only time will tell.

Thanks again guys, and have a great week.
 
I think it was simply a corrupt installation/update and the re-installation is the only solution. Good to know you resolved your issue.
 
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