I’ve recently written about troubleshooting Windows 10 freezing issues and in this blog post, I’ll discuss troubleshooting another common issue which is the use of disks being 100% of the time. I’ve noticed that this issue is particularly prevalent on laptops.
Typically, the use of the disk is likely to rise to close to 100 percent for a short period of time or for a while and then settle down to a more moderate level (usually less than 10 percent). If you are seeing an excessively high usage of your disk then it could be that there’s something else that’s not quite right.
Before we begin be sure to visit our YouTube channel as well. There, we have made a brief video that goes over some of the things we discuss below and demonstrates the steps for using how to use a Windows PC.
Check disk usage in Windows 10
To begin, you should examine the disk’s usage by opening the Task Manager on Windows 10. You can either click the Start button, and then select Task Manager, or hit CTRL + Shift + ESC. If you see only the apps listed in a tiny list you can click More information at the lower left.
If you click on the tab, the Processes section, click on the Processes tab and you’ll be able to see an overview of CPU Memory, Disk, and Network usage. If I’m not working on my computer, the usage of disk typically is about 0. In the worst case, there’s a situation below, where the disk usage is at 100% or similar to.
In certain instances there may be one process causing the excessive disk usage, however, in other cases the process responsible for the increase could alter.
Let’s look at the best way to determine what’s causing the problem and then formulate the solution. In some instances it’s easy to find a solution while in other cases it’s a little more difficult. Before we dive to those issues, here’s the worst thing you can do.
Avoid Trying These Solutions
On the internet, I found many options that did not sit for me since they may cause additional problems in the future. Avoid following the steps below:
- Disable BITS is required by Windows for your computer to be upgraded and isn’t going to help disable it.
- Deleting Windows Search as well as Superfetch They are fundamental Windows services, and it is not recommended to disable them.
- Editing Page File The file should be left in it to ensure the Windows handles the file. Don’t attempt to modify the values.
- Disabling Windows Defender – Except for Method 6, don’t disable Defender.
Method 1: Upgrade Firmware to SSDs
If you’ve got the SSD fitted to your system and you’re experiencing the disk utilization issue the most likely cause is an issue with the firmware. SSDs are extremely fast, and unless you are running software that is accessing the disk constantly the disk should not be 100 percent for more than a couple of seconds.
Here are a few hyperlinks to SSD update firmware for a few of the most popular manufacturers: Crucial, Samsung, Kingston, Intel, OWC.
Method 2 – Perform a Clean Boot
If you’ve never attempted an unclean boot, this is the perfect time to master it. Clean boot is essentially loading Windows with the smallest number of drivers and start-up software. A clean boot can assist you in determining whether the problem is the result of Windows itself or an external program that is installed on Windows.
Microsoft has a fantastic article about how to do an unclean boot. I suggest you try it since it the procedure usually resolves a number of other issues as well. It’s not the most efficient method, but well worth the effort. You only need some time on the weekend to complete the task.
If you notice that everything is working fine on an unclean boot, gradually enable the startup programs one after one until you can determine what program is responsible for the slowdown. It is then possible to remove it or turn it off. For starters, always start by disabling any third-party anti-virus/anti-malware program as those programs can have a tendency to access the disk all the time.
On forums online I’ve seen lots of users say that Skype was the reason behind the increase in disk usage. Therefore, try deinstalling Skype for a while and then see if it does the trick.
Method 3. Enhance Memory (RAM)
Another thing to look at is the amount of RAM installed on your computer. Because Windows 10 can run on older devices, I’ve observed lots of people installing it on older laptops and desktops. It’s fine, but you must ensure that your device has a sufficient amount of RAM. This means not less than 4 GB.
There is another option to launch Task Manager and then click Performance and then click on Memory..
In the picture, I have 16GB of memory, and around 6GB of it is used. If you have 4GB of RAM on your system, all memory will be used up. Everything that’s not able to be put into memory is fetched onto the hard disk. In essence, Windows uses your hard drive as an indefinite memory device.
If you’re dealing with a large amount of data to be transferred onto disks, this could make your disk utilization rise and the computer will slow. If you observe that the line in the graph is very close to the top of the graph, it’s likely that you’ll require a change in the RAM in your computer.
Method 4: Use High-Performance Power Plan
On some computers, hard drives are intelligent and will attempt to shut down or alter RPM in order to conserve power. One example is the blue/green Western Digital hard drives. It’s an appealing feature however, I’m not convinced it actually works very well in actual use.
To avoid this issue For avoiding this problem, go to power options and choose the high-performance Power Plan. Also, click change plan options and then expand. the settings to turn off your HDD at the end of setting the duration of the minutes to zero.
Then, the drive does not shut down or enter the low-power state, which can lead to a disk usage issue.
5. Disable MSI Mode
This is a more complicated solution and won’t be helpful to the majority of people however it’s important to mention because Microsoft has explicitly stated that this is a problem with Windows 10. It’s all to do with AHCI which is technical jargon that you don’t have to be familiar with.
If you’re experiencing this problem you will notice that Disk Usage will be 100%. However, as you go through the columns, you will find that there isn’t any specific software or process using a lot of disk space. It is possible to read this Microsoft KB article here and try to fix the issue.
Method 6 – Turn off Windows Defender with 3rd Party Antivirus
As a default feature, Windows Defender should disable itself if you use an anti-virus program from a third party installed on your computer. In some cases it is not the case and using two antivirus applications at the same time could result in excessive disk usage as well as a myriad of other issues.
To determine whether Windows Defender is disabled or not, go to Start at the top, followed by settings, Update & Security, and finally Windows Defender. Check to see if that Real-Time Protection, as well as Cloud-based protection, are turned off. off.
You should only do this if you’ve got an anti-virus program from a third party running on the system.
Method 7 – Deleting Windows Notifications
The software is widely available over the Internet However, I’m not certain if it actually works or it doesn’t. It seems to work for specific variations that run Windows 10. However, it wouldn’t harm to turn it off and that’s the reason I’m mentioning it.
In essence, you turn off extra Windows notifications, which are basically ads. Navigate into Settings Then click System and finally the Notifications and Activities. You can turn off the Find tips ideas, tricks, and suggestions whenever you run Windows.
It’s important to note that your usual notifications will function perfectly but you won’t get any of them that aren’t useful from Microsoft.
Method 8 – Check Hard Disk for Errors
If the above options aren’t functioning, you may possibly have an issue with your computer. There are a variety of methods to determine the condition of your hard drive as I’ve covered in the past.
In many cases, repairing mistakes on the drive was able to fix the issue. In other cases, replacing the drive was required.
Hope that one of these solutions is a good fit for your needs. Another alternative is to complete a clean installation on Windows 10, which can fix the issue for those who have malware on their computers and aren’t aware that it’s there. For any queries, you’d like to ask, please leave a comment. Enjoy!