[SOLVED] 100% Disk Usage VERY Slow PC

[DXXXX]

hey, ive been trying too work pass this issue for a while now but its literally got to the point where sometimes my whole computer just freezes for a whole minute..

basically, my pc's disk usage is literally always at 100% whenever I click anything, whenever im just idle it goes down but as soon as I press something it just goes back up. i THINK its been happening ever since i upgraded my i5 2400 to an i7 2600 and enabled hyperthreading, not sure tho.

i've tried upgrading my disk and it didnt work. i used too have a 1tb hard drive, now i have a 2tb one and it still is doing the same thing. browsing my pc is literally so hard its so slow i really need a fix asap. also, this process called "system" sometimes just spikes up in disk usage. ive also tried virus scans, that didnt work either.. whenever im gaming its bad too. it used to like spike sometimes when i had my i5, not even remotely close too how bad it is now though..

anything will help! thank you.

my pc specs:
intel core i7 2600
gtx 1050ti
2tb hdd
cx 450 psu
8gb ram
optiplex 390
0m5dcd mobo

 

[iq7]

hey, ive been trying too work pass this issue for a while now but its literally got to the point where sometimes my whole computer just freezes for a whole minute..

basically, my pc's disk usage is literally always at 100% whenever I click anything, whenever im just idle it goes down but as soon as I press something it just goes back up. i THINK its been happening ever since i upgraded my i5 2400 to an i7 2600 and enabled hyperthreading, not sure tho.

i've tried upgrading my disk w i have a 2tand it didnt work. i used too have a 1tb hard drive, nob one and it still is doing the same thing. browsing my pc is literally so hard its so slow i really need a fix asap. also, this process called "system" sometimes just spikes up in disk usage. ive also tried virus scans, that didnt work either.. whenever im gaming its bad too. it used to like spike sometimes when i had my i5, not even remotely close too how bad it is now though..

anything will help! thank you.

my pc specs:
intel core i7 2600
gtx 1050ti
2tb hdd
cx 450 psu
8gb ram
optiplex 390
0m5dcd mobo

did you have a lot of applications installed on your pc ? running on your PC at the same time may cause 100% disk usage ,sometimes even when you just idle ,this is because the background process.
but first you can try to disable windows superfetch and update your driver .

Go to source monitor > disk , screenshot and send it here ..

 

[Olle P]

As iq7 said: Having multiple programs running in the background will eat resources.
Since you have "only" 8GB of RAM you'll need to be a little restrictive with what gets there, or the computer will be sluggish.

Some general advice:

1. Don't store/save data files directly on the "desktop" (really in the "Desktop" folder under your user data). Everything in this folder is read into RAM at startup, so you should only have shortcuts here, not the actual data files!
2. Disable autostart for programs you don't use directly after starting the computer, and don't keep them running in the background when not used.
3. When web surfing don't keep many tabs open at once, since that will also use up a lot of RAM.
4. Keep the registry file neat. As you add/remove programs and other stuff it has a tendency to grow with obsolete/unused lines that will also eat of your precious RAM.
5. Re-boot the computer at least once a week or so to get a fresh set of data into the RAM.
6. To keep your HDD somewhat speedy delete unused programs/data and defrag the disk every now and then.

One program I've used now and then for several years to help me with some of the tasks listed above is CCleaner from Piriform. In my personal opinion it's great for cleaning the registry and HDD from trash. It's also good for disabling unwanted autostarts and uninstalling unwanted programs.
When installed it will set itself to autostart and then keep running in the background, which I don't want, so that has to be turned off manually in the settings.
(There are also other programs that do mostly the same thing, but I have no experience with those.)

If you're willing to spend a little money to speed up your computer the priorities should be:

1. Another 8GB of RAM (which can be a bit costly since it's an older type).
2. Get a cheap SATA SSD to use as system disk. A 256GB drive should be sufficient for Windows, a browser and a selection of your most used programs.

 

[mdd1963]

With 500 GB SSDs like the Crucial MX500 down to about $60-$65 I'd not even mess with a 250 GB SSD....

 

[DXXXX]

did you have a lot of applications installed on your pc ? running on your PC at the same time may cause 100% disk usage ,sometimes even when you just idle ,this is because the background process.
but first you can try to disable windows superfetch and update your driver .

Go to source monitor > disk , screenshot and send it here ..

no, i still have 1.54 tb free out of 1.81tb. ive already disabled superfetch (sysmain) and updated all drivers. also, i do not know where or how too access "source monitor" when i search it w / windows search nothing pops up.. is it a download?

 

[DXXXX]

As iq7 said: Having multiple programs running in the background will eat resources.
Since you have "only" 8GB of RAM you'll need to be a little restrictive with what gets there, or the computer will be sluggish.

Some general advice:

1. Don't store/save data files directly on the "desktop" (really in the "Desktop" folder under your user data). Everything in this folder is read into RAM at startup, so you should only have shortcuts here, not the actual data files!
2. Disable autostart for programs you don't use directly after starting the computer, and don't keep them running in the background when not used.
3. When web surfing don't keep many tabs open at once, since that will also use up a lot of RAM.
4. Keep the registry file neat. As you add/remove programs and other stuff it has a tendency to grow with obsolete/unused lines that will also eat of your precious RAM.
5. Re-boot the computer at least once a week or so to get a fresh set of data into the RAM.
6. To keep your HDD somewhat speedy delete unused programs/data and defrag the disk every now and then.

One program I've used now and then for several years to help me with some of the tasks listed above is CCleaner from Piriform. In my personal opinion it's great for cleaning the registry and HDD from trash. It's also good for disabling unwanted autostarts and uninstalling unwanted programs.
When installed it will set itself to autostart and then keep running in the background, which I don't want, so that has to be turned off manually in the settings.
(There are also other programs that do mostly the same thing, but I have no experience with those.)

If you're willing to spend a little money to speed up your computer the priorities should be:

1. Another 8GB of RAM (which can be a bit costly since it's an older type).
2. Get a cheap SATA SSD to use as system disk. A 256GB drive should be sufficient for Windows, a browser and a selection of your most used programs.

hey! sorry for the late responses, i wasnt home all day.

1: yes, i only store shortcuts on my desktop and some other things that are like less than 3mb..
2: yea, i only have like 2 things opening up on startup, and both of them are low on startup impact.
3: i keep maybe like 3 tabs open always, never more than 6.
4: i dont really know how too keep the registry "neat" i never really touch that stuff though.
5: i reboot it quite often.
6: i've defragged it, and its pretty neat imo. i have 1.54 tb free of 1.81tb.

thank you, ill try ccleaner out. ive heard of it before and it seems pretty good. i guess ill get an ssd, but ill have too search for a tutorial that shows how too put it in. any cheap ssd recommendations?

 

[iq7]

no, i still have 1.54 tb free out of 1.81tb. ive already disabled superfetch (sysmain) and updated all drivers. also, i do not know where or how too access "source monitor" when i search it w / windows search nothing pops up.. is it a download?

no .. right click on taskbar > task manager > peformance > open resource monitor > disk .

 

[DXXXX]

no .. right click on taskbar > task manager > peformance > open resource monitor > disk .

https://media.discordapp.net/attach...138926493716/unknown.png?width=708&height=623

 

[iq7]

https://media.discordapp.net/attach...138926493716/unknown.png?width=708&height=623

the shellexperiencehost.exe on the second list is part of your operating system like background , visuals, taksbar and other things.
and msmpeng.exe associated with Windows Defender , the runtimebroke part of Microsoft core process .
i want to know did you set your PC background to use a slideshow or use a slideshow creator app to change your desktop background ,? app like wallpaper engine ?

 

[DXXXX]

the shellexperiencehost.exe on the second list is part of your operating system like background , visuals, taksbar and other things.
and msmpeng.exe associated with Windows Defender , the runtimebroke part of Microsoft core process .
i want to know did you set your PC background to use a slideshow or use a slideshow creator app to change your desktop background ,? app like wallpaper engine ?

why is this marked as solved? i still have this problem.. no i dont use a slideshow, or wallpaper engine.

 

[iq7]

why is this marked as solved? i still have this problem.. no i dont use a slideshow, or wallpaper engine.

did running a third party AV ?
then try to rescan your pc using windows defender , defragment your drive , and checking disk error using cmd ( chkdsk A : /f /r /x " A mean drive of the partition where you installing your program " ) and try to clean the registry file like missing DLLs,or unused file extensions

 

[Olle P]

4: i dont really know how too keep the registry "neat" i never really touch that stuff though. ...

... i guess ill get an ssd, but ill have too search for a tutorial that shows how too put it in. any cheap ssd recommendations?

CCleaner can "clean" your registry to make it "neat". That's what I meant. You should run the registry cleaner repeatedly until it doesn't find any more lines to remove.

Installing an SSD is very simple.
Physical installation:

1. Turn the computer off.
2. Unplug the power to the computer.
3. (Assuming a 2.5" SATA SSD.) Connect the disk to your power supply and a free SATA port on the motherboard. Place the disk where it's convenient for you and room in the case unless you have a free mounting for a 2.5" drive. (Consult your case/computer manual.)
4. Re-connect all external cables to the computer and start it up.
5. Immediatly after POST spam the [Del] key to enter the BIOS. Verify the disk is properly identified there.

What to do next depends on a couple of factors...
a) If the new drive has enough space you could "simply" clone the HDD. Will require some cloning software.
Then (after verifying the SSD works as the new boot drive) you can reformat the HDD and use it for storage of lesser used stuff.
b) A generally better, but more time and work intensive, option is to unplug the HDD and do a fresh Windows install on the SSD. Once the OS is up and running you can re-install the HDD and copy or re-route the "user" data from it. All/most programs needs to be re-installed as well.

As for what SSD to buy I'd suggest to simply go for "the cheap one". They're all substantially faster than an HDD and there's (AFAIK) no decidedly "bad" SSD. If you can afford one with more storage it's better. Those around 250GB cost the least in absolute terms, those around 1TB cost the least per GB and those around 500GB are in-between. Your budget and what's available in your store should decide.