Question My pc is very slow at multitasking.

May 11, 2019
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My computer gets very slow when I open up programs and when i open up task manager I realize that my disk usage is 100 every time i open a program which seems to be when it is very slow,any ideas?
 
with no browser open, is task manager when idle at 2-4%? Any unexplained processes running in task manager? All WIndows updates done downloading and applied?

If drive is starting to fail, often it will be much slower than normal as tasks reading/writing begin to stack up...(sometimes, even when Windows is on an SSD, an additional storage drive when failing can still 'tie up the works', as Windows is rather unforgiving when it is in the middle of a data read when/if it lags for whatever reasons....

Might be a good idea to check SMART data and general health status of drives with CrystalDIskInfo and/or GsmartControl...
 
Check the drive's SMART data as suggested above to make sure it's not failing. If that turns out clear, I'd try running a manual defragment overnight. But I suspect this is just the new normal. I've been noticing this problem more and more with clients who have HDD-only systems. My theory is that this is the result of OS developers exclusively using computers with SSDs now.

In the past when they used HDD systems, and they made a change to the OS which bogged down a hard drive, their test system would slow to unusable, and they would say "uh oh," track down the problem, and fix it. But now that they're using only SSDs, they don't notice when they make a change which causes a HDD to bog down. But users with HDD-only systems sure notice when that OS update gets rolled out to them.

The only real fix is to buy a SSD. If you're price-constrained, get a 250 GB SSD. That will be enough for the OS and programs and a little data. Avoid the 120 GB SSDs - those are barely borderline usable now. Fortunately prices have come down enough that the additional cost of a 250 GB SSD over a 120 GB just means skipping Starbucks a couple times. If you can afford it, I'd get a 500 GB SSD - that will have plenty of room for the OS, programs, and working data.

You can also run MalwareBytes to try to clear up any malware/spyware which is bogging down your system.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/thankyou/

I'd also go through and disable any unnecessary apps which are auto-starting when your computer starts.

https://www.howtogeek.com/74523/how-to-disable-startup-programs-in-windows/

But usually the HDD is bogging down so much that these two steps take hours when they should take minutes. i get so frustrated that I just talk the client into paying for a SSD. (I can diagnose and fix the problem and bill them for 2 hours of my time, with a warning that the problem will probably come back as they install/update more programs. Or they can pay for a SSD and I'll bill them for just 30 minutes of my time needed to clone their OS drive to the SSD.)
 
May 11, 2019
8
0
10
Check the drive's SMART data as suggested above to make sure it's not failing. If that turns out clear, I'd try running a manual defragment overnight. But I suspect this is just the new normal. I've been noticing this problem more and more with clients who have HDD-only systems. My theory is that this is the result of OS developers exclusively using computers with SSDs now.

In the past when they used HDD systems, and they made a change to the OS which bogged down a hard drive, their test system would slow to unusable, and they would say "uh oh," track down the problem, and fix it. But now that they're using only SSDs, they don't notice when they make a change which causes a HDD to bog down. But users with HDD-only systems sure notice when that OS update gets rolled out to them.

The only real fix is to buy a SSD. If you're price-constrained, get a 250 GB SSD. That will be enough for the OS and programs and a little data. Avoid the 120 GB SSDs - those are barely borderline usable now. Fortunately prices have come down enough that the additional cost of a 250 GB SSD over a 120 GB just means skipping Starbucks a couple times. If you can afford it, I'd get a 500 GB SSD - that will have plenty of room for the OS, programs, and working data.

You can also run MalwareBytes to try to clear up any malware/spyware which is bogging down your system.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/thankyou/

I'd also go through and disable any unnecessary apps which are auto-starting when your computer starts.

https://www.howtogeek.com/74523/how-to-disable-startup-programs-in-windows/

But usually the HDD is bogging down so much that these two steps take hours when they should take minutes. i get so frustrated that I just talk the client into paying for a SSD. (I can diagnose and fix the problem and bill them for 2 hours of my time, with a warning that the problem will probably come back as they install/update more programs. Or they can pay for a SSD and I'll bill them for just 30 minutes of my time needed to clone their OS drive to the SSD.)
Yeah I was planning on getting an SSD, should I still use my hdd?and I think i probably dont have malware because i just did a fresh install of windows a while ago
 

retroforlife

Reputable
Apr 19, 2017
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sounds like a hdd thats crawling to its grave try a different drive if you happen to have one . ssd are amazing are way faster and more responsive makes your whole system much faster and smoother than a hdd since it has to spin up seek data a lot of moving stuff ssd rule :p

best to have a hdd for storage and back up and the ssd for os programs games and other stuff that need the speeds

also just a thought have you backed up any data off that drive yet ? 🤞
 
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conventional HDDs are so slow with WIndows, they all practically scream for SSDs these days, especially with the pretty low cost of 500 GB SSDs these days....(seems like not all that long ago that an 850 EVO at 500 GB used to cost $165...; a COsair MX500 500 GB drive is $69 on Amazon, with 1 TB at only $119!)