Running slow or frozen on Mesa 3 Windows or Mesa 2

9 Nov 2016

Content updated 16 Dec 2020, original article from 9 Nov 2016:

If a Mesa 3 Windows or Mesa 2 unit is running slow or is frozen (such as at a blank black screen), some possible causes and solutions are as follows.

Microsoft may be automatically downloading or installing an update which can cause an unexpected delay while booting Windows 10.

With a Mesa 2 unit, if after an update some system devices are no longer loaded correctly in Device Manager causing issues such as the touchscreen no longer responding, please install the latest firmware updates to resolve the issue.

Press Windows+Power on the keypad. Similar to using Ctrl-Alt-Del on a desktop PC, hold the bottom-left hardware Start (Windows logo) button while then also briefly pressing the bottom-right hardware Power button. A blue screen will appear which provides several options to help diagnose the issue (such as using Task Manager) or to just restart the system.

Holding the hardware Power button alone for 5 seconds normally gives you a slide down screen for performing a Restart. If this does not appear, continuing to hold the Power button for 10 seconds (such as releasing while the red charging LED is flashing quickly) will force a soft Restart. If this does not occur, continuing to hold the Power button for a full count of 20 seconds (such as until after the red LED turns off completely) will perform a Hard Reset (which disconnects the batteries and drain the system), requiring you to attach an external power source (such as the wall charger) and possibly again hold the Power button for 2-3 seconds (batteries will re-connect). This should revive the system in the majority of cases.

If the system continues to run slow even after a Restart or Hard Reset, then either a startup process is not working correctly or there is corruption in the system. If you are unable to diagnose and resolve the issue such as using Task Manager, System Configuration (msconfig), or other tools as you would on any full Windows PC, then you may need to use the recovery tools under Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery such as the "Reset this PC" tool.

If the system is not responding well enough to be able to get to and operate this menu and these options, then you may be able to load the Recovery menu which provides similar options such as "Reset this PC" or even for booting into Safe Mode. To get to the Recovery menu, you must attach a USB keyboard (may need to restart once before it is recognized) for then holding the Shift key while using the on-screen Power button to select Restart. The on-screen Power option is in the Start menu or at the bottom-right corner of the security screen which appears when performing the equivalent to Ctrl-Alt-Del as explained previously. Or just hold the hardware Power button for 10 seconds to force a Restart and then hold Shift.