I ran ProcMon64 to capture the File Activity and Network activity during the 100+ seconds the sim was loading but not doing anything other than keeping one cpu busy:

IRP_MJ_CLEANUP    0.0000065    C:\Windows\System32\opengl32.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLOSE    0.0000038    C:\Windows\System32\opengl32.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0003346    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 46,362,624, Length: 16,384, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
...repeats hundreds of times
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0001383    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 46,260,224, Length: 4,096, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
FASTIO_NETWORK_QUERY_OPEN    0.0000017    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        FAST IO DISALLOWED
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000488    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll    Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened    SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0002858    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 44,069,376, Length: 16,384, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
FASTIO_QUERY_INFORMATION    0.0000044    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll    Type: QueryBasicInformationFile, CreationTime: 11/24/24 03:10:24 PM, LastAccessTime: 1/7/25 06:59:57 PM, LastWriteTime: 11/24/24 03:10:24 PM, ChangeTime: 1/7/25 06:01:05 PM, FileAttributes: A    SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLEANUP    0.0000115    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLOSE    0.0000030    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000578    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll    Desired Access: Read Data/List Directory, Execute/Traverse, Synchronize, Disposition: Open, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened    SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0002871    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 44,052,992, Length: 16,384, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
FASTIO_ACQUIRE_FOR_SECTION_SYNCHRONIZATION    0.0000026    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll    SyncType: SyncTypeCreateSection, PageProtection: PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE|PAGE_NOCACHE    FILE LOCKED WITH ONLY READERS
FASTIO_RELEASE_FOR_SECTION_SYNCHRONIZATION    0.0000010    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
FASTIO_ACQUIRE_FOR_SECTION_SYNCHRONIZATION    0.0000010    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll    SyncType: SyncTypeOther    SUCCESS
FASTIO_RELEASE_FOR_SECTION_SYNCHRONIZATION    0.0000004    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLEANUP    0.0000060    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLOSE    0.0000036    C:\Windows\System32\d3d9.dll        SUCCESS
FASTIO_NETWORK_QUERY_OPEN    0.0000012    C:\Windows\System32\d3d8.dll        FAST IO DISALLOWED
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0002495    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 43,180,544, Length: 16,384, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000312    C:\Windows\System32\d3d8.dll    Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    NAME NOT FOUND
FASTIO_NETWORK_QUERY_OPEN    0.0000011    C:\Windows\System32\d3d.dll        FAST IO DISALLOWED
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000254    C:\Windows\System32\d3d.dll    Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    NAME NOT FOUND
IRP_MJ_READ    0.0003034    C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_9425e4c3b1ac1c47\nvgpucomp64.dll    Offset: 45,506,560, Length: 16,384, I/O Flags: Non-cached, Paging I/O, Synchronous Paging I/O, Priority: Normal    SUCCESS
FASTIO_NETWORK_QUERY_OPEN    0.0000010    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll        FAST IO DISALLOWED
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000249    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll    Desired Access: Read Attributes, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened    SUCCESS
FASTIO_QUERY_INFORMATION    0.0000028    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll    Type: QueryBasicInformationFile, CreationTime: 5/7/22 12:19:35 AM, LastAccessTime: 1/7/25 06:59:57 PM, LastWriteTime: 5/7/22 12:19:35 AM, ChangeTime: 12/11/24 06:30:43 PM, FileAttributes: A    SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLEANUP    0.0000065    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CLOSE    0.0000026    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll        SUCCESS
IRP_MJ_CREATE    0.0000458    C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll    Desired Access: Read Data/List Directory, Execute/Traverse, Synchronize, Disposition: Open, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Non-Directory File, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a, OpenResult: Opened    SUCCESS
The sequence above from my prior note repeats thousands of times but the I/O rate is less than 1,000 Bytes per second and the Network traffic is negligible. 

The activity above persists until suddenly the loading screen jumps from 17% Activate Package to 25% and within 40-seconds the sim is finishing loading. 

My I7-9700K runs at 5.1GHz so I doubt it is the major cause of the slow loading.   UserBenchMark shows the i7-12700K to be 48% faster when both types are overclocked to 5 GHz.

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by TacomaSailor

1 hour ago, Bones62 said:

Do you by any chance have your frame rate locked in Nvidia's Control Panel? After the third update, it was taking up to seven minutes to load for me, but once I disabled the locked frames, my loading time dropped down to two minutes. Also, make sure your system time is synched with internet time. My Community folder only contains the A2A Comanche.

No frame lock I can find.  nVidia Profile, RTSS, AfterBurner - none of them show a frame lock.  The sim settings show no frame lock.  The system time is always synced with the PC.  I've checked many times. 

Can someone with a similar, "older", CPU give me some loading time numbers.

Can someone tell me what their system is doing (CPU, File I/O, Network I/O) between the time the loading screen shows 14% and 25% Activating Packages - that seems to be where the slow down is and seems to be the time my PC is only  using the CPU.

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by TacomaSailor

4mins 30sec to the main menu for me

One day it can load in 2.5 Mins and next day 3.5 Mins max - but that said it can be those numbers after shutting down and restarting immediately 

Nothing consistent about it - local traffic prob effects loading from min to min - not an Asobo issue - is what it is - word not allowed shoot

I have 1.2gb connection - Xfinity cable

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by Richard Sennett

1 hour ago, Mace said:

9700K

Really..  5 GHz CPU..

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by Bert Pieke

I thought one of the big advantages of 2024 was supposed to be faster load times.   However, I have seen no difference compared to 2020.  Perhaps it is because I have very fast NVMe drives.  In 2024’s favor, I also have 1Gbps symmetric internet service via fiber.  

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by kholt

I have over 200 items in my 2024 community folder, which is on a separate drive than my M.2 drive that 2024 is installed on. My startup takes about 3.5 minutes to main screen and another 1.5 mins to load into airport when I press fly now. Also, GSX, Active sky and AIG running in background.  When I start 2020, I can go to the kitchen and make lunch and when I return it's still loading.

2:20 (minutes) to the main menu.  System specs in my signature below.  Of note.  I use Addons Linker religiously and only load what I need for the next two or three flights, perhaps 20 items max including mods. aircraft, and scenery (mostly airports).  Also loading concurrently Fltplan.Go, Active Sky, AutoFPS, and Navigraph Charts and Navdata.

My system security is Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes.  That could be an influence and perhaps a key item for evaluating responses to this question.

 

Edited January 8, 20251 yr by fppilot

1 hour ago, Bigmack said:

I have over 200 items in my 2024 community folder, which is on a separate drive than my M.2 drive that 2024 is installed on. My startup takes about 3.5 minutes to main screen and another 1.5 mins to load into airport when I press fly now. Also, GSX, Active sky and AIG running in background.  When I start 2020, I can go to the kitchen and make lunch and when I return it's still loading.

I too find 2020 to be 2 times or more slower to load than 2024. In 2020 when I click on the Fly button at the map page, I go to the internet to do something else while the flight loads. Not necessary in 2024.

Been long time since using 2020 as you prob know - didnt realize it took that long to load 2020 - 3 mins is not so bad now - feel a lot better now 🙂 

2 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

Really..  5 GHz CPU..

4 or 5 generations old, too.  Instructions Per Clock does matter.  Not slamming it, just pointing it out.  I had an 8700K up until not all that long ago. 

I've disabled a lot of content I don't use and it's helped with my load times. It's also fixed the issue of the sim not exiting and hanging.

2 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

Really..  5 GHz CPU..

Bert another point on that...my 8700K could clock to roughly 5 ghz also.   Yet, it's considerably slower than a 12700K for example, which also clocks to 5.0 ghz.    Very broadly stated, Intel CPU's generation over generation, in recent years, improved circa 10% with each successive generation.  And according to the OP's own testing, the MSFS2024 loader uses a lot of the cpu...hence these loading tasks take longer with the OP's 9700K than a more modern cpu would take.   I'm not trying to sound the wrong way here, but this is not my theory, it is a factual statement about any load that hits the cpu hard, and a factual statement about what IPC (Instructions Per Clock) does generation-over-generation with the recent Intel cpu's.   The 9700K is probably not the sole reason for the OP's slow load times.  But given the OP's reported facts here it must be a significant factor.

People keep looking for their favorite scapegoats like cloud gaming or whatever, but I just want to point out that it's a *9700K* we're talking about here.  It can only do so much.

@usernamerequired 's point about disabling content sounds good.  That is something I am going to look into doing soon...

Aaaahhhhh ....  1st world problems!!!!!!