Question OS Drive randomly chokes - 100% Usage, 0 MB/s speed, renders the system unusable ?

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Mohammad_koing

Mohammad_koing

Jul 13, 2025
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Hello Tom's Hardware Community,

I'm hoping I can get some expert advice on a long-term and very frustrating performance issue with my PC that has made it unreliable. I'm dealing with what I can only describe as a system drive "stroke."

System Specifications:

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro (Recently reinstalled via a clean In-Place Upgrade, so the OS itself is pristine)
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-12400
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte H610M H DDR4
  • RAM: 19.78GB (A mismatched 16GB G.Skill + 4GB kit)
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER
  • C: Drive (The Suspect): WD Green 2.5" 240GB SSD (DRAM-less)
  • Other Drives: 1TB Seagate HDD, 2TB Western Digital HDD
The Problem in Detail:

At random intervals, it can happen while gaming, browsing, or even when idle, my C: drive will exhibit a critical performance failure.

  • The Symptom: When I check Task Manager, the C: drive shows 100% Active Time. However, the read/write speeds plummet to at or near 0 MB/s. The drive appears to be fully utilized while processing no data.
  • The User Experience: This is not a hard freeze. The mouse cursor can still move, but the entire operating system begins to run as if it's in deep mud. Clicks take several seconds to register, opening a new folder can be a 30-second process, and programs become completely unresponsive. While I can sometimes slowly navigate, the system is functionally crippled by this system-wide chokehold originating from the OS drive.
  • The Duration: This state can last for a few minutes before, just as randomly as it started, it resolves itself and the system returns to normal operation.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

  • This problem persisted through a full OS reinstall, so I believe I can rule out simple software corruption. sfc /scannow and chkdsk both report no issues.
  • I have disabled SysMain (Superfetch). This seemed to slightly reduce the frequency of these episodes but did not solve the core problem, which feels like a significant clue.
  • All core system drivers (Chipset, GPU, etc.) have been updated to the latest versions from their respective manufacturers.
The Dilemma: My Zero-Budget Constraint

I know the most common suggestion would be to replace the SSD. Unfortunately, at this moment, I have zero budget for new hardware. It is simply not an option.

My only path forward is to move my entire Windows OS from this unreliable SSD to one of my two existing mass-storage HDDs. I am fully prepared to sacrifice speed for stability, as I need a machine that I can rely on.

My Question For the Community:
Based on the S.M.A.R.T. data below, which of my two HDDs would be the safer, more reliable choice to become my new primary OS drive?

The Contenders:

Drive C: (Current - The Suspect SSD):

  • Model: WD Green 2.5" 240GB
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Health "Good 78%," 9 Reallocated Sectors, 1 recorded Command Timeout.
HDD Option #1 (The "Old Veteran"):

  • Model: Seagate ST1000DM010 (1TB)
  • Speed: 7200 RPM
  • Power On Hours: ~19,818
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Has a recorded Command Timeout count of 1.
HDD Option #2 (The "Young Grunt"):

  • Model: WDC WD20EZAZ-00L9GB0 (2TB)
  • Speed: 5400 RPM
  • Power On Hours: ~9,900
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Perfectly clean record. Zero reallocated sectors, zero command timeouts, zero errors of any kind.
My Final Questions:

  1. Which drive do you recommend I choose? The faster 7200RPM Seagate with a questionable past, or the slower but flawlessly reliable 5400RPM WD?
  2. What is the best method for the OS transfer in this situation? Should I clone my current (and otherwise stable) Windows installation, or is a full, fresh Windows install on the chosen HDD the only way to be certain no issues are carried over?
  3. Do you have any other advice for making an HDD-based OS as usable as possible in this day and age?
Thank you for taking the time to read through this detailed post. I am at my wit's end and am ready to resolve this issue for good.
 
Mohammad_koing said:
Which drive do you recommend I choose? The faster 7200RPM Seagate with a questionable past, or the slower but flawlessly reliable 5400RPM WD?
Click to expand...
WD20EZAZ HDDs is SMR drive.
It is not suitable for being used as OS drive.
OS does continuous writes. SMR recording technology overwrites neighboring tracks and they have to be corrected after every write.
This has extreme impact on write performance.

ST1000DM010 is CMR. So it can be used for OS.
But this model has rather high failure rates. Be prepared, when it eventually dies.
Mohammad_koing said:
What is the best method for the OS transfer in this situation? Should I clone my current (and otherwise stable) Windows installation,
or is a full, fresh Windows install on the chosen HDD the only way to be certain no issues are carried over?
Click to expand...
Yes. You can clone. It would be easiest and fastest way for OS transfer.
Mohammad_koing said:
Do you have any other advice for making an HDD-based OS as usable as possible in this day and age?
Click to expand...
Get a new SSD.
For modern system it is essential to have OS on SSD.
 
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SkyNetRising said:
WD20EZAZ HDDs is SMR drive.
It is not suitable for being used as OS drive.
OS does continuous writes. SMR recording technology overwrites neighboring tracks and they have to be corrected after every write.
This has extreme impact on write performance.

ST1000DM010 is CMR. So it can be used for OS.
But this model has rather high failure rates. Be prepared, when it eventually dies.

Yes. You can clone. It would be easiest and fastest way for OS transfer.

Get a new SSD.
For modern system it is essential to have OS on SSD.
Click to expand...
Hello SkyNetRising,

Thank you very much for your direct and helpful response regarding my HDDs. Your explanation of SMR vs. CMR drives is exactly the kind of expert insight I was looking for and gives me a clear path forward for that specific question.

You also asked me to review the main problem with my SSD. You are absolutely right, the situation is far more complex and specific than my initial post could convey. As requested, here is a highly detailed, comprehensive documentation of the problem and the extensive troubleshooting journey I've been on. I'm hoping this full context might shed some light on the "odd" behavior I'm experiencing.

The Core Problem: A Deeper Look at the "Choke"​

The issue is not entirely random. It has a very specific and repeatable pattern, especially concerning cold boots.

  1. The Startup Grind: The problem is at its absolute worst after the PC has been powered off for several hours (especially overnight). Upon a cold boot, the C: drive (the WD Green SSD) immediately enters a "choked" state:
    • Task Manager shows 100% Active Time.
    • The total Read/Write speed is abysmal, hovering between ~500 KB/s and ~3 MB/s.
    • The entire system becomes functionally unusable for approximately 2-4 minutes (sometimes longer).
  2. The Temporary Reprieve: After this initial period, the disk activity will suddenly drop to a normal 0-1% idle state, and the system becomes responsive again.
  3. The Instant Re-Trigger: The system remains in this fragile state. Any significant disk I/O—launching an application like Steam, a web browser, or even just opening a folder with many files—can instantly trigger the choke again. The drive will peg back to 100% active time with near-zero throughput.
  4. The Indefinite Stall: Sometimes the choke lasts a few minutes and resolves itself. Other times, as described in my first post, it gets "stuck" in this 100% usage state indefinitely, requiring a hard restart to fix.

Comprehensive Troubleshooting Log​

Here is a summary of all the steps we have taken so far to diagnose this:

Phase 1: Initial Software & System Integrity Checks

  • OS Reinstall: The problem persisted even after a clean, in-place upgrade/reinstall of Windows 11, using the official Media Creation Tool.
  • sfc /scannow: Consistently reports "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."
  • DISM: The commands /CheckHealth, /ScanHealth, and /RestoreHealth were all run successfully, reporting they found and repaired minor Component Store issues. The store is now considered healthy.
  • chkdsk /f /r: Reports no errors on the C: drive.
  • Driver Updates: All major system drivers have been updated to their latest versions, including BIOS, Intel Chipset, SATA/AHCI, GPU, and LAN drivers.
  • SysMain (Superfetch): Disabling this service seemed to slightly reduce the frequency of the random chokes but did not solve the core startup problem.
Phase 2: Deep Dive with Resource Monitor

  • Using Resource Monitor, we identified several processes that were highly active during the choke periods. The culprits would often shift, but the most common ones were:
    • OfficeClickToRun.exe (and System accessing Office update files in Program Files).
    • System (PID 4) accessing C:\System Volume Information.
    • chrome.exe (accessing AppData extension and cache folders).
    • MsMpEng.exe (Windows Defender).
    • TiWorker.exe (Windows Modules Installer, related to Windows Update).
Phase 3: The Critical Revelations

  1. Extremely Low Free Space: A detailed drive report revealed my C: drive has only ~14.8 GB of free space (~6% free). This was identified as a critical factor known to severely degrade SSD performance.
  2. System Restore Disabled: The high activity in C:\System Volume Information was puzzling because I confirmed that System Protection (System Restore) was already disabled in my system settings. File History is also confirmed to be off.
  3. AHCI Mode Verified: We couldn't find a direct AHCI/IDE toggle in my Gigabyte BIOS (it's likely the enforced default on this modern board). However, checking Device Manager confirms that Windows is running the "Standard SATA AHCI Controller," so it is operating in the correct mode.

Current Overarching Hypothesis​

Based on this entire journey, the leading theory is that this isn't a simple software bug, but a hardware limitation being brutally exposed by software demands.

The hypothesis is that my WD Green SSD, which is a budget-oriented, DRAM-less drive, is being absolutely crippled by the critically low free space. The drive's controller has no free blocks to work with, making every write operation incredibly inefficient and forcing it into a state of constant, desperate "garbage collection" and data shuffling.

When Windows starts up (a cold boot), it creates an IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) flood—thousands of small, random read/write requests from the OS, drivers, antivirus, etc. The already-struggling SSD controller is completely overwhelmed by this, leading to the 100% active time but near-zero data throughput. It's 100% busy managing the queue, not moving data.

After the initial startup storm subsides (the 2-4 minute mark), the IOPS demand drops, and the drive gets a temporary break. But any new, significant task instantly re-floods the queue and triggers the choke all over again.

My Final Question for You:​

Given this incredibly detailed context, does this sound like the classic behavior of a DRAM-less, TLC SSD being slowly suffocated by a lack of free space? Or do the "indefinite stalls" requiring a restart point more strongly to an impending hardware failure of the drive's controller or NAND flash itself, regardless of free space?

My immediate plan is to aggressively clear space on the C: drive to see if that alleviates the issue. But I would be immensely grateful for your expert opinion on whether this sounds more like a "drive pushed to its operational limits" problem or a "drive that is actively dying."

Thank you again for your time and expertise.
 
Mohammad_koing said:
Hello Tom's Hardware Community,

I'm hoping I can get some expert advice on a long-term and very frustrating performance issue with my PC that has made it unreliable. I'm dealing with what I can only describe as a system drive "stroke."

System Specifications:

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro (Recently reinstalled via a clean In-Place Upgrade, so the OS itself is pristine)
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-12400
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte H610M H DDR4
  • RAM: 19.78GB (A mismatched 16GB G.Skill + 4GB kit)
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER
  • C: Drive (The Suspect): WD Green 2.5" 240GB SSD (DRAM-less)
  • Other Drives: 1TB Seagate HDD, 2TB Western Digital HDD
The Problem in Detail:

At random intervals, it can happen while gaming, browsing, or even when idle, my C: drive will exhibit a critical performance failure.

  • The Symptom: When I check Task Manager, the C: drive shows 100% Active Time. However, the read/write speeds plummet to at or near 0 MB/s. The drive appears to be fully utilized while processing no data.
  • The User Experience: This is not a hard freeze. The mouse cursor can still move, but the entire operating system begins to run as if it's in deep mud. Clicks take several seconds to register, opening a new folder can be a 30-second process, and programs become completely unresponsive. While I can sometimes slowly navigate, the system is functionally crippled by this system-wide chokehold originating from the OS drive.
  • The Duration: This state can last for a few minutes before, just as randomly as it started, it resolves itself and the system returns to normal operation.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

  • This problem persisted through a full OS reinstall, so I believe I can rule out simple software corruption. sfc /scannow and chkdsk both report no issues.
  • I have disabled SysMain (Superfetch). This seemed to slightly reduce the frequency of these episodes but did not solve the core problem, which feels like a significant clue.
  • All core system drivers (Chipset, GPU, etc.) have been updated to the latest versions from their respective manufacturers.
The Dilemma: My Zero-Budget Constraint

I know the most common suggestion would be to replace the SSD. Unfortunately, at this moment, I have zero budget for new hardware. It is simply not an option.

My only path forward is to move my entire Windows OS from this unreliable SSD to one of my two existing mass-storage HDDs. I am fully prepared to sacrifice speed for stability, as I need a machine that I can rely on.

My Question For the Community:
Based on the S.M.A.R.T. data below, which of my two HDDs would be the safer, more reliable choice to become my new primary OS drive?

The Contenders:

Drive C: (Current - The Suspect SSD):

  • Model: WD Green 2.5" 240GB
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Health "Good 78%," 9 Reallocated Sectors, 1 recorded Command Timeout.
HDD Option #1 (The "Old Veteran"):

  • Model: Seagate ST1000DM010 (1TB)
  • Speed: 7200 RPM
  • Power On Hours: ~19,818
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Has a recorded Command Timeout count of 1.
HDD Option #2 (The "Young Grunt"):

  • Model: WDC WD20EZAZ-00L9GB0 (2TB)
  • Speed: 5400 RPM
  • Power On Hours: ~9,900
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Perfectly clean record. Zero reallocated sectors, zero command timeouts, zero errors of any kind.
My Final Questions:

  1. Which drive do you recommend I choose? The faster 7200RPM Seagate with a questionable past, or the slower but flawlessly reliable 5400RPM WD?
  2. What is the best method for the OS transfer in this situation? Should I clone my current (and otherwise stable) Windows installation, or is a full, fresh Windows install on the chosen HDD the only way to be certain no issues are carried over?
  3. Do you have any other advice for making an HDD-based OS as usable as possible in this day and age?
Thank you for taking the time to read through this detailed post. I am at my wit's end and am ready to resolve this issue for good.
Click to expand...
Proper bios?
Remove the 4GB stick of ram.
Reseat the sata cable....both ends... and the power cable.
Test.
 
Mohammad_koing said:
  • Model: WD Green 2.5" 240GB
  • S.M.A.R.T. Notes: Health "Good 78%," 9 Reallocated Sectors, 1 recorded Command Timeout.
Click to expand...
I recommend you abandon that SSD as soon as possible. When I see Pending Sectors, Reallocated Sectors, Bad Blocks, on hard disks and SSDs, I usually replace them ASAP.

I boot a number of ancient computers into Windows from cheap 120GB and 240GB SATA SSDs. They usually work fine (although not hyper fast), provided you don't let them get too full. Anything over 80% full is bad news for disk housekeeping and TRIM.

I recently treated an old machine to a 500GB Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD (with DRAM cache) and the improvement is significant. The trouble is I can buy five 120GB Patriot SATA SSDs for the same price as one 500GB Samsung 870 EVO and I have many old systems to upgrade. The 250GB 870 EVO's aren't much cheaper where I live.

Mohammad_koing said:
The total Read/Write speed is abysmal, hovering between ~500 KB/s and ~3 MB/s.
Click to expand...
I've just finished diagnosing similar problems (although not quite as bad) on two 240GB Lexar NS100 SATA SSDs. They're being used as Windows 10 boot drives on old 4th Gen. Intel and AMD Trinity APU PCs.

With less than 10 days total use, both Lexar drives were periodically grinding to a halt. I've not had anything quite this bad with other cheap DRAM-less 120GB SATA SSDs, manufactured by PNY, Patriot and Integral.

Hard Disk Sentinel was giving both Lexar 240GB drives a clean bill of health, untll I performed non-destructive read tests.
https://www.hdsentinel.com/help/en/61_surfacetest.html

Instead of zipping through the read test at an average rate of 400MBytes/sec, it kept slowing down to a crawl on "hard to read" blocks.

The results were similar to this in terms of density, except there were no nasty red blocks, just loads of dark green blocks.

img_65_hddsurface4.gif


I attempted to Secure Erase the two Lexar drives with the Lexar utility, but it said the "driver was locked". (I'm not sure what it meant by a driver). The drives still allow normal write operations, so I abandoned this approach.

Instead, I ran Hard Disk Sentinel's destructive Write + Read test and it cleared the drives of all the nasty slow blocks. A subsequent HD Sentinel read test whizzed through the drives, at the native SATA transfer rate of over 400MB/s.

From the Hard Disk Sentinel web site:-

- WRITE + read test (Pro version only) - Overwrites the disk surface with configurable pattern and then reads back sector contents, to verify if they are accessible and consistent. Forces the analysis of any weak sectors and verifies any hidden problems and fixes them by reallocation of bad sectors (this is drive regeneration).

I shall abandon these 240GB Lexar drives, plus two 480GB Lexar SSDs and won't be using them as Windows boot drives again. I might not even bother using them as data drives, having lost all faith in the brand.

If you want a quiet life, buy a 250GB or 500GB Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD and install a fesh copy of Windows on the drive. The predecessor (860 EVO) is good too.

Since your existing SSD is slowly dying, there may be parts of the Operating System which are corrupted. By all means try cloning your old drive to an EVO, but don't be surprised if some programs run slow or stop working. That's why I suggested a fresh install of Windows on a new drive.

If a Samsung 870 is not available in your locality or too expensive, try a different brand, but avoid buying "genuine" EVOs direct from China, they might be fake and contain low quality memory. If fake, I doubt they include DRAM as well as NAND.

There are very few SATA SSDs with DRAM cache and hundreds of SSDs without DRAM. I've used Patriot Burst, P210, P220 and they're all OK, but not brilliant as boot drives because they don't have DRAM.

Stick with a Samsung 870 EVO if you can.
 
Last edited:
I suppose it might be worth the OP checking the Terabytes Written and Health status of the WD Green SSD if the drive is getting old.

On my brand new 240GB 2.5" SATA Lexars, one drive had been powered on for 9 days, the other for 3 days (on different systems).

Windows 10 was slowing to a crawl on both SSDs and Hard Disk Sentinel sat at 15MB/s for much of the Read surface scan. Both drives were restored to full speed (455MB/s) after after a HD Sentinel "regeneration".

I'm still none the wiser as to what went wrong with the Lexars. I've never encounted such slowing down on other cheap DRAM-less SATA SSDs. The Lexar DiskMaster utility did not suggest a firware update. HD Sentinel showed TRIM was enabled on both drives.

I have several cheap Integral, Patriot and Pny 2.5" SSDs used as Windows boot drives in old systems with over 100 days use and they're still OK.
 
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