Ubuntu boot time is "utterly slow" compared to Windows

Desktop
#1

I suggest to really improve the Ubuntu boot time. I’ve always known it is bad, but because i don’t boot that much i’ve always borne with the problem. After Windows 10 broke totally after an update. i just installed Kubuntu for my grandma. Now everytime she turns on the PC she asks me “Why is it so slow”, “everything is so slow”. She mentioned that it was “utterly slow” at boot and this is the truth. It is lacking very much compared to Ubuntu. So i’m giving feedback to Ubuntu/Canonical to consider really and dramatically improving the boot time. I know it’s all FOSS, it’s just a thread to acknowledge that there is a huge problem for Ubuntu in this area.

I’ve used systemd-analyze critical-chain but you just cannot go and disable every service, also there are some things there that even i don’t know what to do about. I didn’t manage to bring things any better.

#2

To me, this seems like a moderately common AskUbuntu “Help me troubleshoot my slow boot time” support query.

Most folks with slow boots can find the causes themselves with systemd-analyze critical-chain and systemd-analyze blame and a a few minutes spent reviewing their logs.

Historically, upon investigation of most such requests that pop up on AskUbuntu, they tend to be fairly easy to spot in logs or bootchart, and are often (not always) self-inflicted: Unused (forgotten) software set to start at boot, old network config, non-standard installs or release-upgrades, improper shutdown habits resulting in fsck at boot, and others.

We also see hardware problems: Dying drives that fail to mount first time, replaced drives that no longer match fstab, network hardware I/O errors caused by dying power supplies, dead networking cables, weak wireless signals due to distance, and others.

I use both Ubuntu 20.04 Desktop and Windows 10 side-by-side daily, and when really shutting down Windows (disabling Windows Fast Startup), I find the startup times to be comparable.

1 Like
#3

@mystiquewolf, I believe the best way forward is to collect info about the slow boot using:

and then open a generic bug about the problem using ubuntu-bug or by going here. Please also attach (to the bug) a system log from a fresh slow boot using:

journalctl -b0 > journal.txt

This is a bug and not something that everyone experiences. So we don’t know where to start without more information from the affected machine.

Please mention the new bug ID here and then keep the conversation in the bug.

3 Likes
#4

@vanvugt Thank you for not putting this issue aside. I am not pretending there is a bug, but the boot times are plain slow. I have created two bugs for my PC and for my grandma PC with the logs you have requested. Her Kubuntu also might not be shutting down correctly (a guess) because it shows the GRUB list of kernels on each boot and i’ve managed to lower the time to 1 sec. with GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT as GRUB_TIMEOUT didn’t work.

My Ubuntu bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1898878
Her Kubuntu bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1898869

2 Likes
#6

I was facing this issue before (around 2,3 weeks before) but now it is working fine.

#7

This happened to me in Kubuntu. I suggest you give her vanilla ubuntu.

#8

As far as I recall, there was a push by Ubuntu way back when they introduced their own startup tooling (I think upstart) to replace the previous init system. Then Ubuntu was very fast and Windows was the slow poke.
Of course, that was a long time ago and since then Canonical gave up on most in-house initiatives that are not server related, so now we have upstream systemd, desktop and most other things too. I have the impression that all this stuff slowly creeps up boot times again over many releases. But it’s more of a systemic problem, not something that’s very easy to fix. Though looking at the default installation bootup sequence and identifying bottlenecks would probably still help.

#9

Slow boot times are machine specific. My machines for example all boot within a couple of seconds.

If you experience slow boot times then please report a bug from the affected system by following the above instructions. If you do not receive any replies to your bugs within two business days then subscribe me (vanvugt) to them.

4 Likes
#10

hi @vanvugt i have the same issue and would love to use bootchart except i dont know how to use it. every step in the explanation requires 2h finding out how to do it. Is there somewhere a step by step guide? i didnt even get to install bootchart…
my old PC takes 12min to boot ubuntu :(. already reinstalled 4 times

#11

The purpose of this topic is to discuss the suggestion that improved boot time should be a development priority.

The moderators take a dim view of folks hijacking threads to complain about (unreported) bugs or ask technical support questions (“I don’t know how to use [bootchart or other tools]”)

Please stay on topic.

  • Please troubleshoot your boot. @utilisateurchercheps there are gurus in UbuntuForums who will happily guide you through the process of using the troubleshooting tools and interpreting the results.

  • If you discover that a slow boot in caused by a bug, please report the bug properly.

3 Likes
#12

hi Ian

First of all: thanks for replying. that is how these forum muves forward.
Now to your point: if the purpose of the discussion is what you say, i suggest renaming it along that lines. that would avoid people like me ending up seeking help here and wasting both of our time. as you can see, i was not the only one misled.
as many others, since i still dont know where to look for help, i will just drop fixing my boot.
thanks anyway for replying, as that is always appreciated

#13

OK, bootchart is not a requirement (yet), just preferred. Please create a launchpad bug for each machine that boots slowly and in the least attach the system log from that machine:

journalctl -b0 > journal.txt

If you do not get a reply from the community within two business days then please subscribe me (vanvugt) to the bug also.