Hi, I wonder if anyone else has the same issue:
Just updated to Monterey from Big Sur - and it takes forever to boot (25+ minutes). Already happened several times.
Before I go through the regular steps for slow boot troubleshooting, I wonder if others have the same issue? And possibly a solution?
iMac 2017 27" 40 GB; 180 GB free space
iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 12.0
I did; my problem was a very slow internal drive. At 5400 RPM, the enrtry level HDD just wasn't up to the task.
Replacing use of the internal HDD with an external SSD as boot drive fixed it.
But, before I did that I confirmed the drive was the problem by running Etrecheck Pro I got from https://www.etrecheck.com/.
I did; my problem was a very slow internal drive. At 5400 RPM, the enrtry level HDD just wasn't up to the task.
Replacing use of the internal HDD with an external SSD as boot drive fixed it.
But, before I did that I confirmed the drive was the problem by running Etrecheck Pro I got from https://www.etrecheck.com/.
Ok I can now also confirm that enclosure makes a big difference.
After reading reports about all kind of different enclosures here, I swapped the enclosures of my two external SSDs.
Result: It solved the boot time issue (went down from 25 min to 1 (one) min) BUT introduced another probelm (albeit much less severe).
In details:
Replaced an Orico enclosure with a NexStar Vantec one.
The boot time went down to 1 minute. BUT only if I turn the iMac on with the power button.
If I use the Restart command, the machine refuses to boot into this drive no matter what - it boots into the internal Fusion drive (which I don't use as it's slow). Selecting the correct startup disk in System Preferences doesn't make any difference.
So I just have to remember to use Shut Down instead of Restart when needed, then use the power button. Still better that a 25-minute startup.
Still it also means that both Apple's hardware and software don't work properly and consistently with various peripherals.
Did another reboot. Waited for about 15 minutes. Decided to do a hard reset and boot the Mac in safe mode. I had a CrossOver update come through and installed it. It added CrossOver CD Helper as a Login Item. Sophos flagged something in CrossOver as a PUA. (Did not recall this occurring when I first installed CrossOver.). I decided in Safe mode to take out the CrossOver CD Helper app out of the Login Items list. Rebooted, everything seems to be back to normal. I think it is the interaction between Sophos and CrossOver is causing my problems.
Download and run Etrecheck. Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.
IMPORTANT:
Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the first window that comes up so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:
Also click the About… vurron and read the info to further permit full disk access.
Copy the report
and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.
That will allow us to evaluate the report to see if there is anything that stands out that might be contributing to the performance hit.
Hi, just wanted to say that i had this same issue. MacOS installed on external SSD. I solved this issue by doing a formatting the SSD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then i restored from Time Machine and checked everything except System Settings. Now the boot time is like it was with Big Sur.
Sorry for my bad english btw, but I´m German haha
Best Regards
Download and run Etrecheck. Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.
IMPORTANT:
Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the first window that comes up so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:
Also click the About… vurron and read the info to further permit full disk access.
Copy the report
and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.
That will let us examine the report to see what might be causing the problem.
Etrecheck
Suggest downloading the Application Etrecheck directly from a well Respected ASC Contributor.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with nor receive compensation from the Developer.
The application is free or paid from added features.
Run the application with Full Disc Access ( Security & Privacy - Full Disc Access ).
It will take a Snap Shot - both the hardware and software.
The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information.
Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last )
We can have a look at the report for possible issues and may have possible suggestions to resolve the issues.
Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS, alter, modify, remove or delete or attempt to do so is an invitation for disaster and may require a Reinstallation of the OS.
This includes AntiVirus, Cleaners, Optimizes, UnInstaller etc.
The The Built in Security is all that is required.
Thank you the Report and taking the the time to run the Application.
Major Issues:
Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.
Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed that could be adware and should be reviewed.
System Integrity Protection disabled - System Integrity Protection is disabled. Not a good idea to run with this disabled on a Regular Basis and should be be done for remove a specific file when no other way possible and then Re-Enabled.
Automatic updates disabled - Automatic updates are disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection. One may have personal reasons - so can not argue that but better to have it on.
Security updates disabled - Security updates are disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection. One may have personal reasons - so can not argue that but better to have it on.
Kernel panics - This system has experienced kernel panics that could be related to 3rd party software.
Apple security disabled - Apple security software is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.
Configuration profiles found - This computer may have configuration profiles installed. These are sometimes used by adware and malware.
Core files found - This computer has core files.
Minor Issues:
Clean up - There are orphan files that could be removed.
System modifications - There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.
Kernel boot arguments - This computer has custom kernel boot arguments.
Kernel extensions present - This computer has kernel extensions that may not work in the future.
disk0 - APPLE HDD ST1000DM003 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 7200 RPM)
Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA
disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk0s2 [APFS Fusion Drive] 1000.00 GB
disk1 - APPLE SSD SM0032L 28.00 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
Fusion drive are good for storage but for Performance - even the 7200 RPM Drive will be slower that all SSD Drive
System Software:
macOS Monterey 12.0.1 (21A559)
Time since boot: About 2 days
Boot args: debug=0x20
Configuration Files:
One core file: Total size 2.32 GB
Configuration Profiles:
This computer may have configuration profiles installed.
After unplugging my external drive, my boot time is now 1 ½ minutes. The problem I was having with bluetooth cutting out also seems to be resolved now.
Looks like Apple needs to do more testing on their releases.
Decided to do some diagnosis now that I gave Mac time finish it’s boot overnight. Looks like the culprit is the “drivers” that were loaded for the Visiontek VT4900 that I was using. Uninstalled these apps and it seems the MSc is normal. I plan to do another reboot just to make sure.
OK, so my problem is I'm using a Samsung 970 Evo.
The following NVMe drives cause Monterey boot problems if TRIM is enabled:
Samsung 950 Pro
Samsung 960 Evo/Pro
Samsung 970 Evo/Pro
Lots of discussion about this on Reddit and the Hackintosh forums. Samsung NVMe drives are best avoided, apparently. With TRIM disabled (not advisable) boot times return too under 30 seconds.
Perhaps Samsung or Apple will fix this, but it's unlikely.
Finally sorted the problem by replacing my internal drive with an OWC Aura Pro X 1TB drive. Now takes about 3 minutes to boot. I may get that down if I remove my external drive which is no longer required.
I am not sure why apple should give a free upgrade. This bug can be fixed by switching out your external SSD's enclosure to a JMS one (for $15 - $45), doing a clean install, and restoring from a TM backup. What apple should do is have a dev committee fix the bug with the RTL9210 external enclosure so that the fix can be software-only (either an update or a clean install and restore).
For me the solution was to completely reinstall my machine. Then instead of using time machine backup I had to reinstall each app individually. I was able to use time machine backup manually to restore email folders. Very long winded but did make my machine work much quicker.
Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?
macOS Monterey takes 25+ minutes to boot
