Windows 10: SSD Speed halved when running outside of Safe Mode

Hi there,


I'm running into an issue with a particular SSD when benchmarking it outside of Safe Mode. I've been trying to disable various startup services and processes to determine the cause, but to no avail.


When fresh installing a 2015 version of Windows 10 Professional with no further installations of drivers or updates, I've achieved scores in Crystal Disk Mark matching expectation. Running the same fresh install in safe mode yielded even higher results, but this discrepancy is understandable due to background system processes that may exist in Regular boot of even a fresh installation.


That said, after running windows updates and nothing more, 4KiB results are halved or worse in Normal boots. Safe Mode restores this performance to around 80% of expectation.


I've performed the above tests with Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Professional (both to current latest release updates), Windows 10 Professional (2015 installation, no updates), Windows 10 Professional (2015 installation, full updates).


With the exception of base installation 2015 Windows 10 Professional (no updates), all benchmarks result in ~40% 4KiB speeds (tested via both CrystalDIskMark and AS SSD) while running in Normal boot - base installation, no supplemental programs/drivers added on.


My conclusion at the moment is that this may be caused by some kind of Windows update/patch/windows provided drivers. Given that safe mode yields excellent results in all tests, the base drivers from a fresh installation should work just as well for a Regular boot (to my knowledge). Do also note that the 2015 run in Regular boot also ran nearly matching Safe Mode results - I imagine this points to a recent Windows update causing this issue.


I have tested this same SSD across multiple laptops and desktops (all running windows 10 Professional - up to date) - all yielding the same pattern of performance drop in Regular boot vs Safe Mode.


For reference, the primary system configuration:

Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
Intel i9 - 9900k

EVGA 1080 TI SC2 Hybrid

Intel Optane SSD 905p 1.5TB - Add in Card (This is the SSD that is causing the aforementioned issues)

Samsung 970 Pro 1 TB M.2 SSD x2
Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 3200MHz - 16GB x 4
Corsair AX1600i PSU


I've contacted Intel to no avail, being referenced datacenter articles for a different line of SSDs. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly in advance.


Best regards,

Andi

:)

 

Password not accepted in Safe mode

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community forum.

Have you tried all the above steps suggested by Sangeeta Sarkar on September 13, 2015.

I would suggest you to provide some information to help you better.

• Are you trying to login the Microsoft account or the Local account in safe mode?
• Did you try with only safe mode or safe mode with networking?
• What is the critical error you are getting?

If you are using Windows 10. To go to safe mode you have to follow the below steps.

If you are able to go to login screen in normal mode try the below steps to go to safe mode with networking.

• 
  At the login screen click on the power symbol.
  
• 
  Hold SHIFT + Click Restart.
  
• 
  After restarting your system, select the Troubleshoot option.
  
• 
  Select advanced options under
  Troubleshoot screen.
  
• 
  Click on Startup Settings.
  
• 
  Click Restart and follow the onscreen steps to go to
  Safe Mode with networking and check if you are able to login.
  

[*]

Please get back with more information, we will be glad to help you further.

 

Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10  


I am stuck in Safe Mode in spite of following all the suggested steps to go back to Normal Startup - Like opening file location of msconfig.exe & running as Administrator. The computer I am trying to get out of safe mode has just been updated from Windows 7.

 

Safe mode problem

Hi,

To get better clarity on the issue, kindly answer the questions below:

• By saying that you have a "Safe mode problem," did you mean to say that your computer is stuck in Safe mode or are you unable to boot it to Safe mode?
• What troubleshooting steps have you attempted to resolve your concern?

If this is caused by recent programs installed on your computer, then we suggest you to run
System Restore to revert your system files to an earlier date. To run System Restore, follow the steps below:

• Press Windows key + R on your keyboard.
• On the run command box, type "RSTRUI.EXE" and hit enter.
• Follow the on-screen instructions.

Make sure that you choose the restore point date when your computer was working fine. Please be advised that programs and applications installed on your computer after the restore point will be removed.

Let us know how it goes.