High End PC Has Very Slow Loading Times

[DualBreasted]

Hey,

I've been experiencing this problem for some time but only recently started actively trying to fix it. My PC has the hardest time loading easy things like Spotify or Google Chrome, even booting up seems to be very slow in comparison to my old laptop which booted up nearly instantly and had much worse specs. Don't even get me started on how long it take to do something as simple as use the search function after pressing the windows key.

Specs:
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770 CPU @ 3.40GHz
8192MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
Seagate 3.5" Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001

I have a feeling the root of the problem is my HDD since whenever I boot up something I get a solid 100% Disk Usage and before I started tinkering with some settings I was getting a constant 100% Disk Usage whether I was opening something or not. I dealt with that by disabling the Superfetch and Windows Search services. I also turned off a few animations that are on by default, set the PC to High Performance and turned off the "show me tips about Windows" option.

I have no problem gaming for the most part, but I have noticed in games with larger maps like GTA or Batman that I will get some major stutter issues where I should be running the game perfectly. I assume this is due to my HDD not being able to load in assets as fast as I'm getting there even when I'm traveling in game at a relatively slow speed. Games like Civilizations and Mortal Kombat seemingly run perfect where everything in the game is loaded before-hand.

Another interesting thing I should point out, load times when it comes to gaming aren't actually that long, I'm pretty sure they're fairly normal so if it's a HDD issue I'm not sure how this can be.

Thanks in advance and feel free to ask for any information I didn't provide.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

defragment your HDD.
Alternatively, get an SSD. they are very cheap this days (240GB for well under 100$).
That will give you 5-6 sec boot time.

 

[DualBreasted]

defragment your HDD.
Alternatively, get an SSD. they are very cheap this days (240GB for well under 100$).
That will give you 5-6 sec boot time.

I don't think defragmenting has done much to improve my pc unfortunately and an SSD would help for gaming but I would still have issues with general use

 

[Astralv]

Run several Virus scans from different companies. If the scan fails to run- you have a virus. One scan may be able to finish and be negative for viruses or malware, while other- may fail which is a symptom. Try Malware bytes. It likes to fail the scan if you infected because malware blocks it from running. If evil spirit in your machine is strong enough, it may prevent you from even downloading it. malware Bytes and Webroot have free versions as well as paid. There also many other options.

 

[DualBreasted]

Run several Virus scans from different companies. If the scan fails to run- you have a virus. One scan may be able to finish and be negative for viruses or malware, while other- may fail which is a symptom. Try Malware bytes. It likes to fail the scan if you infected because malware blocks it from running. If evil spirit in your machine is strong enough, it may prevent you from even downloading it. malware Bytes and Webroot have free versions as well as paid. There also many other options.

0 threats across those two you recommended and Windows Defender. Was kind of hoping something would show up so I could try and remove it and be done with this. Thanks though.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

SSD will greatly improve the general user experience if you move your OS to it.

 

[Astralv]

Run several Virus scans from different companies. If the scan fails to run- you have a virus. One scan may be able to finish and be negative for viruses or malware, while other- may fail which is a symptom. Try Malware bytes. It likes to fail the scan if you infected because malware blocks it from running. If evil spirit in your machine is strong enough, it may prevent you from even downloading it. malware Bytes and Webroot have free versions as well as paid. There also many other options.

0 threats across those two you recommended and Windows Defender. Was kind of hoping something would show up so I could try and remove it and be done with this. Thanks though.

It can still be malware. It hides good now days. What Antivirus do you have installed?

What browser are you using? When you looking at your address bar, dose it have any graphics, logos or words such as "FastWeb" or any other? Does it look like it may be some gaming browser that takes over when you thinking you using Google Chrome? Do you have any Pop Up windows with advertising opening time to time?

Go to Add/Remove software and uninstall everything that is not Windows or Microsoft or something you install. Anything related to online gaming needs to be removed.

Are you able to install Windows updates?

 

[DualBreasted]

Run several Virus scans from different companies. If the scan fails to run- you have a virus. One scan may be able to finish and be negative for viruses or malware, while other- may fail which is a symptom. Try Malware bytes. It likes to fail the scan if you infected because malware blocks it from running. If evil spirit in your machine is strong enough, it may prevent you from even downloading it. malware Bytes and Webroot have free versions as well as paid. There also many other options.

0 threats across those two you recommended and Windows Defender. Was kind of hoping something would show up so I could try and remove it and be done with this. Thanks though.

It can still be malware. It hides good now days. What Antivirus do you have installed?

What browser are you using? When you looking at your address bar, dose it have any graphics, logos or words such as "FastWeb" or any other? Does it look like it may be some gaming browser that takes over when you thinking you using Google Chrome? Do you have any Pop Up windows with advertising opening time to time?

Go to Add/Remove software and uninstall everything that is not Windows or Microsoft or something you install. Anything related to online gaming needs to be removed.

Are you able to install Windows updates?

I didn't have any antivirus except Windows Defender.

I'm using chrome and there's no sign of anything unusual. No weird graphics or anything along those lines and nothing has been installed besides well known apps like Chrome, Skype, Spotify etc. and video games.

Yeah, I'm able to install Windows updates.

 

[Astralv]

Ok, that is good. I would strongly recommend to install Antivirus right this second and not wait any longer. Windows Defender is not enough. Using computer without antivirus is reckless. It may not just infect your computer but many other people as malware likes to use unprotected computers to do its business and attach other computers. I use Norton Antivirus for many years. It had recently discovered vulnerabilities but it helps. I also use Weebroot and Malware Byte. But there many other antiviruses, many free. There good articles on best antivirus choices. Please, use something. The problems you have now can be multiplied 1000 times to a point of needing full OS reinstall.

The SSD will improve performance IF you don't have errors on the drive. If it is possible, backing up and reinstalling OS may be good option. There several programs that can clone your C drive. I use Acronis True Image. 500GB SSD should be good option. If the slow performance persists, it may be some Windows errors. Do not use any programs that promise to speed up your PC- those are often malware.

 

[DualBreasted]

Ok, that is good. I would strongly recommend to install Antivirus right this second and not wait any longer. Windows Defender is not enough. Using computer without antivirus is reckless. It may not just infect your computer but many other people as malware likes to use unprotected computers to do its business and attach other computers. I use Norton Antivirus for many years. It had recently discovered vulnerabilities but it helps. I also use Weebroot and Malware Byte. But there many other antiviruses, many free. There good articles on best antivirus choices. Please, use something. The problems you have now can be multiplied 1000 times to a point of needing full OS reinstall.

The SSD will improve performance IF you don't have errors on the drive. If it is possible, backing up and reinstalling OS may be good option. There several programs that can clone your C drive. I use Acronis True Image. 500GB SSD should be good option. If the slow performance persists, it may be some Windows errors. Do not use any programs that promise to speed up your PC- those are often malware.

So do you think it's a problem with the HDD as well?