maybe you have grim malware that slows your device or maybe its near full

what os it is i had this problem when i was on windows 8 :( 8.1 fixed it for me

Check harddisk health :P

Maybe time to reinstall windows, or buy a ssd.
I had a hdd and i hade the same thing where it took like 40 secs to boot up, and after that i couldnt launch anything, i needed to wait like 5 more minutes for everything to load and refresh and stuff.

Use resource monitor (it's a default windows application, open task manager and there's a button for it on the performance tab) and you can see what processed are using the disk and how much each is reading/writing, which will help you pinpoint the problem.

Also, use CrystalDiskInfo to identify more specific problems with hard drives: http://i.imgur.com/QzDLIfh.png

i had the same problem a few weeks ago
it got to the point where HDD was always at 100% usage and i couldnt do anything about it, which in the end made me reinstall OS
the next day HDD died, completely
funny thing is that it was a 3 months old HDD, while the 6-7 years old HDD from my old pc still runs (with a few errors)

also, you can use this to check for any HDD errors: hddscan.com

1) HDD dying
2) cable causing problems
3) not enough RAM
4) swap file fragmented to a trillion pieces

see whats running at start up? Maybe something is taking up HDD by running a scan. Antivirus?

see whats running at start up? Maybe something is taking up HDD by running a scan. Antivirus?

Read enough, just 1 question when it started? To me since is a cuda look like you got a defective hdd but it would be good to test another one and see if your motherboard is not the problem(i still bet 90% over the cuda) or you can just set a fan over the hdd and see if he still freeze, if not, then again is your cuda.

One extra test, take you hdd and give it a shake, heard anything? change it, heard nothing test the other options.

I AM SORRY IF ANYONE IS BEEING ANOYED BY ALL THE BUMPS, I REALLY AM

This is the last bump, i swear, no more! :)

So, here's a thing i just figured out: My SWAP memory gathers up reeaaaly slow, it seems in needs a optimum of 6 minutes to gather up enough (about 1,7 GB) before it works as usual. Here's a little image to explain everything: clicky-mad paint skills
Even more, it stays at about 2,3 GB when i'm in-game and when i quit it drops to 1,2 GB,and it recovers veeeery slow so i just might have found the cause...Now 'sup with this darn SWAP memory?

I'm not going to go too technical, but since Swap is used once your physical ram is all used it, try closing processes you don't use, did you also try cleaning the internal fan? It can lead to more stress on the Swap memory and potentially the computer itself. I'm no computer wizz, but hopefully this or another person's solution helps

Run your computer in SAFE MODE and see if the problem persists. If everything runs fine then your infected with malware. If the problem persists ram might be going bad or overheating

maybe a virus or you put activated a free space cleaner on a scheduled task