Windows Freezes for 30 Minutes After Update? Here’s How to Fix It (July 2025 Guide)

A dark room with a laptop stuck on a 'Loading...' screen and a clock endlessly spinning

“My lock screen shows up fast, but after entering the password, it just freezes… for 30 minutes!”

This is one of the many complaints that started flooding in after the July 2025 Windows cumulative update.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the possible causes and solutions to severe performance drops or long freezes after a Windows update. From general steps to hidden tweaks and last-resort methods, everything is explained clearly for both beginners and experienced users.

目次

Introduction – Symptoms – Causes

“The lock screen shows up quickly, but after I enter my password, the system freezes for 30 minutes!”

Since the July 2025 cumulative Windows update, many users have reported extreme performance issues — long login times, unresponsive desktops, and full system freezes.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the possible causes of these slowdowns and provide clear, step-by-step solutions. Whether you’re just frustrated or already considering reinstalling Windows, this article has something for you — including general tips, hidden tweaks, and last-resort recovery methods.

Common Symptoms

  • The lock screen appears normally, but login takes over 30 minutes
  • Only the mouse pointer shows, with a black screen
  • Taskbar or File Explorer becomes unresponsive
  • Extreme input lag even after the desktop loads
  • Disk usage stuck at 100% in Task Manager

Possible Causes

CategoryDetails
💽 Storage CompatibilityOn older SATA SSDs, MSI mode (interrupt handling) may cause I/O bottlenecks, resulting in long freezes.
🔧 Problematic DriversAutomatically installed GPU or chipset drivers may not be compatible with your hardware after the update.
⏱️ Background ServicesServices like “SysMain,” “Windows Search,” or “Connected Devices Platform” may spike CPU or disk usage at startup.
🛡️ Security SoftwareSome third-party antivirus tools may conflict with the updated Windows environment, causing significant slowdowns.

As you can see, this issue is rarely caused by “just an old PC” or “lack of disk space.” The July update changed internal Windows systems deeply — and even slight mismatches in drivers or services can result in system-breaking delays.

This is also why a clean reinstallation of Windows doesn’t always fix the problem — the issue often lies in hardware compatibility or low-level system settings.

In the next section, we’ll go through step-by-step solutions, starting from the easiest checks to more advanced adjustments. Let’s get your PC back to normal.

General Fixes

1. Disable Unnecessary Startup Items

Using Task Manager

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on the Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on any unnecessary startup apps and choose Disable.

This prevents apps from loading during boot, which can reduce the initial load on your system and speed up login.

Temporarily Stop Problematic Services

Services like SysMain, Windows Search, and Connected Devices Platform can sometimes spike disk usage at startup. You can temporarily stop them using either PowerShell or the Services app.

Option A: Using PowerShell (Admin)

  1. Right-click the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  2. Enter the following commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:
Stop-Service -Name “SysMain”
Stop-Service -Name “WSearch”
Stop-Service -Name “CDPSvc”

These commands may take several minutes to complete. Please be patient and wait for each one to finish.

Option B: Using Services App

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Find and right-click on each of the following services:

    – SysMain

    – Windows Search

    – Connected Devices Platform Service
  3. Select Stop.

This is a temporary fix, but if your system becomes more responsive afterward, you may consider disabling these services permanently later.

2. Check and Roll Back Drivers via Device Manager

Outdated or incompatible drivers are often the root cause of severe slowdowns after updates. Here’s how to check and roll them back:

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
  2. Check the following categories in particular:
    • IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers
    • Storage Controllers
    • Display Adapters
  3. For each device:
    • Right-click → Properties
    • Go to the Driver tab
    • Click Roll Back Driver if available
CheckWhat to Look ForWhy It Matters
⚠️ Warning IconsYellow triangle with an exclamation markIndicates loading or compatibility failure
🔁 Automatic UpdatesCheck driver date and providerWindows may have force-installed a newer but unstable driver
⬅️ Rollback Available“Roll Back Driver” button is clickableAllows return to a previously stable version
🧩 Unknown DevicesListed under “Other devices”Driver not properly installed — may cause boot delay
🗓️ Driver VersionCompare with known stable releaseUse manufacturer’s site to reinstall older versions if needed

Carefully checking these points helps determine if a driver mismatch is causing the slowdown. If your drivers were updated around the same time the issue started, rolling them back may resolve it.

Also, unknown or flagged devices may delay booting significantly. Don’t overlook them — they could be the key to fixing your problem.

This process is safe and beginner-friendly. Take your time to review each section, and roll back anything suspicious.

3. Uninstall and Block the Problematic Update

If your system became unusably slow after a specific update (such as KB5060842), uninstalling that update might temporarily resolve the issue.

How to uninstall the update:

  1. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Update history
  2. Click on Uninstall updates
  3. Select the problematic update (e.g., KB5060842) and uninstall it

However, Windows may automatically reinstall the update later unless you block it. To prevent that, use a Microsoft-provided tool.

How to block reinstallation using wushowhide.diagcab:

  1. Download the tool from Microsoft:
    wushowhide.diagcab
  2. Run the file and select Hide updates
  3. Choose the update you want to prevent from reinstalling (e.g., KB5060842)

This tool lets you hide specific updates from Windows Update, effectively blocking automatic reinstallation of buggy updates.

⚠️ Note: This is a temporary workaround. Hidden updates may reappear later depending on your system settings, so monitor your update history occasionally.

Advanced Fixes

Disable MSI Mode (Message Signaled Interrupts)

Some SATA SSDs experience severe slowdowns when MSI Mode is enabled. This setting controls how your storage controller communicates with the system — and in certain configurations, it can cause I/O to bottleneck.

Here’s how to disable MSI mode via the registry editor. Please follow these steps carefully.

⚠️ Before proceeding:
Always back up your registry before making changes. Incorrect edits can cause startup issues.

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to the following registry path (you will need to identify the correct device key):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\PCI\\Device Parameters\Interrupt Management\MessageSignaledInterruptProperties

💡 Note: Replace <YourDeviceID> with the actual PCI device ID corresponding to your SATA controller. You can find this in Device Manager under “Storage Controllers.”

  1. Double-click on MSISupported
  2. Change the value from 1 to 0
  3. Click OK and restart your computer

If MSI mode was the cause of your disk bottleneck, this tweak can dramatically reduce boot time and system lag.

This change is reversible. To restore MSI mode, simply set the value of MSISupported back to 1.

Last Resort Methods

1. In-place Upgrade (Repair Install)

If none of the previous steps worked, you can try repairing your Windows installation using an in-place upgrade. This will keep your personal files and apps, while replacing system files.

  1. Download the latest ISO file from the Microsoft website.
  2. Double-click the ISO file and run setup.exe.
  3. Choose “Keep personal files and apps” when prompted.
  4. Let the upgrade complete — it may take some time.

This method can fix corrupted system files and resolve deep Windows conflicts introduced by updates.

2. Clean Install with Offline Boot Test

If even the in-place upgrade fails, a clean install is the final option — but there’s a trick to make it more effective:

  • Perform a clean install using USB media
  • Do not connect to the internet until the first login is complete
  • This prevents Windows from automatically installing problematic drivers during setup
  • Observe the system behavior before any updates are applied

This “offline boot test” is useful to isolate whether the issue is caused by post-installation updates or hardware incompatibility.

If the system is stable before updates are applied, you can then reintroduce drivers and updates one by one — or use wushowhide.diagcab to block specific updates in advance.

Conclusion

If your PC takes 30 minutes to boot after a Windows update, the problem likely goes beyond ordinary system lag. Deep-level driver conflicts, service behavior, or storage controller issues are often to blame — not just “an old PC.”

  • Start by disabling unnecessary startup apps and services
  • Check your drivers for rollback options or warnings
  • Block problematic updates using Microsoft’s tool
  • Apply advanced fixes like MSI mode adjustment for SATA SSDs
  • As a last resort, try an in-place upgrade or clean install with offline setup

We hope this guide helps bring your Windows system back to life. If you found it helpful, feel free to bookmark it or share it with others facing the same issue.

Need a faster SSD?
If your current drive is aging or showing I/O bottlenecks, consider upgrading to a reliable SATA SSD. Here are options based on region:

Tip: If you’re reinstalling Windows or doing a full backup, having a spare USB stick or external drive can make recovery easier.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

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