Since Windows 11 24H2 update everything runs slow and takes longer to load

Hi BenTech,

Thanks for your reply.

I think for casual users who don't have a lot of apps and custom settings involved, reset and recovery are viable options.

In my case, this is my work PC with over 40 programs installed that I use for my daily job 7 days a week, several with a lot of settings that would also need to be redone after reinstalling all of the applications that the reset would remove. That would be a painstaking 4-day long operation, and would put me incredibly behind on work.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I'm aware there isn't a way to reset without having to re-install all of my programs and re-do my settings for each.

Looks like I'll just have to wait for a potential bug fix from MS.

1. Windows update issues or background processes
2. Driver Issues
3. Antivirus and security software conflicts
4. System file corruption
5. Storage optimization

Brand new Dell towers, decent CPU's (Intel), 32GB ram, and 512 SSD, SSD does not have cache, but windows naturally caches in ram, can cause some slowdown in games, but not day to day.

We are using these in production all day long, and we have been noticing some significant slowdowns, and inconsistent operation of Windows/Services.

One example is that Explorer windows do not open in consistent timelines. We've tried multiple different tools, and noticed that NitroPDF may be partially to blame, however that does not explain how, even with a blank preview window, explorer loads very slowly (20-30 seconds), or instantly at different times.
Start it 10 times, and 2 of those will be very slow.

Programs do seem to overall run better generally, but startup for some can be oddly slow for no reason.

Loading a file from the Explorer process seems to take longer in PDF's for example vs a DWF file, while the DWF requires rendering time, and generally more CPU (Drawing files for AutoDesk), they generally load significantly faster than the PDF's which are 10 times smaller.

To address the suggestions:
I tried checking updates, no issues with loading updates, or running them. No background processes seem to be stuck.

Checked drivers from Dell specifically using their driver manager tool. Seemed to work quite well, and grabbed the latest, and stable releases of the drivers.

Sophos works great on all of the PC's that we're using, and some of those are the literal Pentium's mentioned elsewhere. While the Pentium's are slow, they are not inconsistent in loading software. Even with windows 10, and 4GB ram... (Yes, we do have some old hardware, no I don't care, we're working on it.)

No system files have been reported with the SFC->DISM(All 4 main checks)-> SFC scan again -> CHK disk.
None of the checks showed any issues whatsoever.

No Storage optimization at all to my knowledge would be required on and SSD. Fragmentation generally only matters in sequential reads of large files, and on an SSD where the files benefit from being on multiple chips should be irrelevant.

That being said about SSD's, the example that I bring is that all of the new machines are running cache-less 512GB single chip 2230 drives.
It is ever so slightly possible, but I don't think windows even lets you defrag an SSD.

I do not see any reasonable reason that Windows 11 24H2 should be running slow, and that Microsoft should have even released it in this state.

They needed to do a LOT more testing before making this the new default for installation, let-alone public.

Do you have other suggestions for the issues with the slow 24H2 Update/Default install.
We could reformat these machines to 23H2, but I feel that is not going to fix the issues.

The specs of our machines.

Model: Dell OptiPlex SFF Plus 7020
CPU: 20-Core 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5-14500

BIOS: 1.11.1
RAM: DDR5, 5600Mhz, 32GB single channel stick.

Hello, Alien Tribe

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Hello, Thank you for your feedback here on your issue, it looks like the system is running slow and taking longer to load after the Windows 11 24H2 update.

First of all, thank you for sharing this information, I have done some searching and researching for you and indeed some users have reported slowdowns after the update, this may be due to the fact that there are some O365 apps that need to be re-installed which may cause lagging, however, we can't rule out the possibility of an anomaly at the time of the update causing an anomaly in the system, I will provide you with a few suggestions on how to check this for you:

1. Windows update issues or background processes

After a major Windows update like 24H2, some background processes may take longer to complete. These may include:

Windows updates stuck in the background: Sometimes updates may still be running in the background, such as indexing files or app updates, and this can take some time. You can check for unfinished installations or background tasks in Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update.

Search indexing: After the update, the search indexing service may also be the cause of delays. You can try to rebuild the index by going to Control Panel > Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild.

2. Driver Issues

After the update, some drivers may not work properly or may be outdated, especially for graphics cards, storage devices or chipsets, which may affect performance.

Update drivers: Make sure all drivers are up to date, especially GPU, chipset and storage (SSD) controllers. You can check for updates through Device Manager or visit the manufacturer's website for the latest drivers.

3. Antivirus and security software conflicts

You mentioned that Microsoft automatically enables Defender and disables Malwarebytes, which may cause conflicts or take up additional system resources.

Disable Microsoft Defender: If you wish to keep Malwarebytes, you can temporarily turn off Defender. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection Settings and turn off Real-Time Protection. You may need to manually re-enable Defender once the debugging is complete.

Running two security programs (Defender and Malwarebytes) at the same time may cause your system to slow down.

4. System file corruption

Corrupted system files can cause various performance issues, especially after a major update. You can use SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Service and Management Tool) to scan and repair these files:

Open a command prompt (administrator) and run:

sfc /scannow

When finished, run the DISM utility:

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

This will check if any system files are corrupted and attempt to repair them.

5. Storage optimization

Even if you have a fast SSD, Windows 11 may have problems with file storage and fragmentation in some cases, especially after large updates. You can try optimizing the drive:

Defragment and Optimize Drive: Go to Settings > System > Storage > Optimize Drive and manually run the optimization task.

Also check the fast startup feature, if it's on turn it off for testing, if it's off turn it on for testing:

Press Win + R, type control and press Enter.

In the Control Panel, find and click on Power Options.

In the left-hand menu, click Select Power Button Functions

Click Change currently unavailable settings at the top of the page

Scroll down and in the Shutdown settings section, find Enable fast startup

Uncheck the Enable fast startup option.

Click Save Changes.

Restart the computer.

You may also want to consider rolling back updates. Go to Settings > Update and Security > Recovery > Rollback to previous version. If this option is still available, it can help restore your system to a previous state. Alternatively, you can refer to the thread below to uninstall the update:

How to Roll Back an Update via Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) - Microsoft Community

Disclaimer: Running Microsoft Safety Scanner can help you check if the system is disturbed or malicious software exists. To avoid any trouble for you, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.  

Disclaimer: Temporarily turn off real-time Microsoft Defender antivirus protection in Windows Security. However, keep in mind that if you do so, your device may be vulnerable to threats. So please turn it on immediately once issue fixed. 

Best regards

Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi,

Thanks for the information. I had this problem with my laptop, and then I tried to restore it but the rollback option did not work, the machine turned off and turned on continuously. Then I use an installation disk to open windows in safe mode but you can not reinstall windows from the safe mode using the media creation tool. Finally, I had to make a clean installation. I suggest that Microsoft must create a way to reinstall Windows (in-place upgrade) from safe mode, most of the time when you have problems use safe mode to fix it, how can we reinstall Windows if we can not run it? It is frustrating.