Windows Fast Startup has been one of the most controversial features ever since it was integrated, and I can confirm that there have been many reasons for it since then has caused many problems and until a few days ago I suffered from some of them. The situation became quite complicated for me, so much so that I even thought I had hardware problems, although fortunately that wasn’t the case in the end.
Because of this reality that I have had to live with in recent days, I have decided to give shape to this article that I am going to present to you Three reasons to disable fast startup in Windows and I will explain how to do it in an easy and quick way. It is true that not everyone has had problems with this feature, in fact, until recently I was among those who were not affected by it, but that does not mean that you never have to deal with it.
Before I get into the matter, I feel it necessary that I explain it to you What exactly is Windows Fast Startup?, how it works and what exactly it offers. This combines the features we find in the cold shutdown modes and hibernation of the operating system to speed up boot time.
That means it adopts a hybrid approach between a normal shutdown and computer hibernation, Therefore, applications and logins are closed, but the system state is saved in a file that will be restored later when we turn on the computer to enable this quick startup. This all sounds completely normal, but in the end it can lead to problems so serious that, as I told you at the beginning, we even think of a hardware problem when in reality everything is fine.
My problems with fast startup in Windows 10
In my case, I started having problems after installing the latest NVIDIA drivers. At the end of the process the system asked me to reboot and when that reboot was completed The screen went completely black. The motherboard was blocked (light was on even when the PC was off) and I had to cut off the power for several minutes, then I turned the computer back on and received the image normally, but the keyboard didn’t work and I couldn’t enter the BIOS.
Given the All BIOS level settings have been reset, including enabling Intel I received no image, the graphics card light blinked which made me think of a power issue, the keyboard was unresponsive and I had to turn off the PC from the source again for the situation to normalize.
I’ve made many turns, I changed the graphics card, mounted it on the test bench and it worked perfectly. I also replaced the keyboard and was about to waste a lot of time replacing the motherboard, but before that it occurred to me that maybe it was a conflict at the software level and that they were the same drivers that I had installed. I also thought of checking the power settings just in case and that’s it I realized I had enabled fast startup.
At that moment it occurred to me that this setting is the cause of some of the most common problems in Windows 10, namely could lead to errors and failures that perfectly suited the situation I was experiencing So I decided to disable it and try turning the PC off and on again to enter the BIOS. My surprise was enormous when I found out that this was the reason for everything and that I had wasted a lot of time applying much more complex solutions. Imagine if I changed the motherboard for free.
What seemed to be a very serious problem at the hardware level, questioning the correct functioning of the graphics card and even the motherboard, In the end, there was only one culprit, Windows 10’s Fast Startup. Luckily, it all ended in horror and a waste of time. When I turned on the PC from scratch for the first time after disabling this feature, the keyboard immediately lit up and started working normally again, and I can enter the BIOS and make the necessary settings. I also took the opportunity to update the motherboard BIOS.
To date I haven’t had any more problems. My computer is functioning completely normally and startup times are still very fast Thanks to the fact that I installed Windows 10 on an SSD drive. To be honest, I didn’t notice any difference and got rid of a lot of problems that left me baffled and very worried.
Three problems you may suffer due to fast Windows startup
1.-Inability to access BIOS/UEFI
This was one of the problems I had, as I already reported to you, and I was also able to confirm that Windows fast boots It even interfered with the correct operation of the keyboard during the commissioning phase of the equipment. This is exactly why I couldn’t enter the BIOS as the keyboard didn’t work until I got to the Windows screen.
When I turned on the PC, when I immediately pressed the keyboard to try to enter the BIOS, the computer strangely turned on Image was not displayed, and I had the problem with the flickering LED lighting on the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. I had no choice but to turn the device off by pressing a button, disconnect the power for a few minutes and turn the device back on. Since the keyboard still didn’t work, I couldn’t enter the BIOS normally.
It’s clear that the quick start has led to some kind of conflict, because As soon as I disabled it everything went back to normal. The keyboard lit up and worked fine again, allowing me to easily enter and exit the BIOS and reconfigure any reset settings.
I know what you’re thinking, that there is another way to enter the BIOS through Windows 10’s advanced configuration mode, and yes, I used it, but When I restarted the PC, I almost always got the error message that there was no image. So I ended up in a loop that I couldn’t see a way out of. It was very frustrating.
2.-No image output on the monitor
I have already told you about it, but I would like to delve a little deeper into this topic, since it was one of the topics that worried me the most. Naked eye I had the impression that he might have problems with feeding, Something that seemed unlikely to me, but given the flashing lights, it was the first thing that came to mind.
After I tested that the graphics card was working fine and after I got the PC to boot, I played three very intense games and the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti worked fine, so it was clear the problem wasn’t there. I replaced the DisplayPort cable in case it was responsible for the missing image, and more of it wasn’t the culprit either.
By the time I even went so far as to reinstall the previous drivers., but nothing worked. Just the thought that it could be a power or graphics configuration issue made me frantically look at the Windows power settings, and there I saw that I had the fast startup option enabled. . You already know the end of the story.
3.-Failed to reboot and apply updates
Fast boot can cause conflicts and fatal failures because, as I said, it doesn’t boot from scratch, but rather boots from a file that it saves to speed up the loading process. This creates the perfect breeding ground for these conflicts to arise and these errors and may particularly affect system restarts and the application and consolidation of updates.
Any failure or failure to restore the computer to the state at that point in time that Windows saves to use Fast Startup can lead to serious failures and with updates it must be clear that most of them require a complete shutdown and a fresh start to use and function correctly.
Quick Start doesn’t fit this idea, and here’s why This can ultimately lead to problems with Windows updates. It goes without saying that this, in turn, can lead to critical failures from which the PC may not recover. Also keep in mind that Fast Boot does not allow for a clean boot of the operating system and basic drivers for its proper functioning and this can lead to many other problems.
How to disable Windows Fast Startup
Fortunately, the process is very simple and does not require any reboot activate. In my case, I noticed the change from the moment I disabled it and turned it off and on again for the first time. These are the steps you need to follow:
- Press the Windows key and type “edit power plan”. Enter the first result.
- Click “Power Options” at the top. This will take you to the menu you see in the attached image.
- Click “Choose Home/Power Button Behavior.”
- Now all you have to do is uncheck the fast startup box as you see in the second image and that’s it.
If you continue to have problems after completing these steps, Windows may have been negatively and irreversibly affected You have no choice but to reinstall the operating system. This can especially occur if updates have not been installed correctly or there are unresolved errors that have corrupted the operating system.
When you consider the benefits that Windows Fast Boot offers, a slightly faster boot that is not noticeable with an SSD, and the problems it can cause, I think things are very clear. It’s best to disable it, even if it’s just a precautionary measure. If you want to activate it again, you just have to repeat the same process.
