Why does my computer take so long to start up sometimes?

Reinstalling your operating system might be the best first step. Sometimes a fresh start can clear up a slow boot issue.

There are generally two main reasons for this slow boot time: software issues and hardware problems. For software, outdated Windows, drivers, or even the BIOS can cause delays. You should try updating your BIOS, drivers, and Windows first. If that doesn't work, you might need to do a clean install using a USB drive. Here's a useful guide to help with that.

Just a quick question: after it finally boots up, is your computer running properly? Like, does it respond quickly, or is everything lagging, even when you right-click on the desktop?

How old is your computer? Age can definitely affect performance, especially with boot times.

Is your boot drive a solid state drive (SSD)? If not, upgrading to an SSD could really improve your startup times. If it is an SSD and you're still having issues, consider backing up your data and replacing it.

We could assist you better if we knew more about your computer. Having the model name, like "Optiplex 790 from Dell", would be really helpful. Also, if you’re using a spinning disk drive instead of an SSD, that could lead to slow startups, among other potential issues.

You might want to check for a setting called "fast startup" in your power options. Disabling it could help speed things up. Here’s how: go to Control Panel, then Power Options, click on 'Choose what the power buttons do', and finally, uncheck "Turn on fast startup" before saving your changes.