Question Task manager indicating high CPU, RAM, HDD usage

[piyushstv]

Hi
My system is hp envy x360, core i7 (7th gen) with 12GB ram and 1TB HDD running windows 10 home.
Problem is that my CPU, RAM and HDD usage are very high, as seen in task manager. However, I see no single program using high amount of resources.
Interestingly, under the "users" tab of task manager, total usage under my name is not high. Which other user is consuming so much resources?

Even in idle, i often see 50% RAM, 30-80% HDD and 30-60% CPU usage.

I tried changing from Kaspersky Total to Bitdefender Total Security.

I have too many programs installed in my laptop so I don't want to reset it. Any other solution would be highly appreciated.

 

[PC Tailor]

Welcome to the forums my friend!

Are all of your other users logged off and not using resource?
If task manager is not giving any details, then you can look in resource monitor for more details.
Presumably you have actually run FULL system scans with Kaspersky / Bitdefender? For the record, I use Bitdefender, but Kaspersky is just as good.

 

[Colif]

from memory, Bitdefender runs a scan as soon as you install it. Or very least, it recommends one. First full scan can take a while, depending on whats already on PC.

Try these, clearly don't do all 3 if its fixed by a previous step

1. Have you run this on laptop? https://www8.hp.com/au/en/campaigns/hpsupportassistant/hpsupport.html

2. Have you run windows in a clean boot to see if problem caused by a startup program
Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame.

3. Have you tried safe mode to see if it is the same there
go to settings/update & security/recovery
under advanced startup, click restart now
this restarts PC into a blue menu
choose troubleshoot
choose advanced
choose start up options
click the restart button
choose a safe mode (it doesn't matter which) by using number associated with it.
Pc will restart and load safe mode

If it still happens in safe mode, its likely a hardware problem.

 

[PC Tailor]

Or very least, it recommends one

Yes, this it does. That's why I had to confirm, you can skip it.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Problem is that my CPU, RAM and HDD usage are very high, as seen in task manager.
Even in idle, i often see 50% RAM, 30-80% HDD and 30-60% CPU usage.

Probably windows update downloading and installing some large update.
Can you show screenshot from Resource Monitor (Disk Tab, Disk Activity section, ordered by column Total) ?

Spoiler

It should look similar to this. Just expand file names column to be readable.

 

[piyushstv]

Welcome to the forums my friend!

Are all of your other users logged off and not using resource?
If task manager is not giving any details, then you can look in resource monitor for more details.
Presumably you have actually run FULL system scans with Kaspersky / Bitdefender? For the record, I use Bitdefender, but Kaspersky is just as good.

Thanks for the reply.
There are no other users created, ever. There would obviously be some system created users.
Even the resource monitor talks about only the % used under my user ID.

All scans done on both the antivirus programs. No threat found.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/762586149386283368/

 

[PC Tailor]

In which case I completely agree with Colif's next steps, clean boot, safe mode, etc. to help isolate the cause.

1. Have you run this on laptop? https://www8.hp.com/au/en/campaigns/hpsupportassistant/hpsupport.html

2. Have you run windows in a clean boot to see if problem caused by a startup program
Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame.

3. Have you tried safe mode to see if it is the same there
go to settings/update & security/recovery
under advanced startup, click restart now
this restarts PC into a blue menu
choose troubleshoot
choose advanced
choose start up options
click the restart button
choose a safe mode (it doesn't matter which) by using number associated with it.
Pc will restart and load safe mode

 

[SkyNetRising]

In which case I completely agree with Colif's next steps, clean boot, safe mode, etc. to help isolate the cause.

That will eliminate the cause and won't give you any info about, what caused it.

 

[PC Tailor]

That will eliminate the cause and won't give you any info about, what caused it.

I understand your point, and yes, but at this point we don't even know if it is a third party module loading or the OS for example.

If a clean boot works, it's just a cause of retracing the applications back from clean state to see which module causes the increase.

If clean boot still has an issue, it could be updates as you say, and safe mode doesnt, we know it's something in the OS or hardware.

Easiest way to identify the cause is to scope it down, and then see if you can turn it off and on again. But also agreed, it's easy to check if there are any background updates occurring first. And also as I stated in my first post - resource monitor is better:

If task manager is not giving any details, then you can look in resource monitor for more details.

 

[Colif]

Thanks for the reply.
There are no other users created, ever. There would obviously be some system created users.
Even the resource monitor talks about only the % used under my user ID.

All scans done on both the antivirus programs. No threat found.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/762586149386283368/

You aren't only user on the system. You are the only human user but windows has internal users it uses to do what you ask it to do. Such as Trustedinstaller and System.

If you go to task manager/details, and sort by username, you will find others called Local service, network service, System

So the user tab just shows human users, not all usage

Try looking at the screen Skynet showed in his 1st post, or you can download Process explorer and see way more info that you can in Task manager

Download Process explorer and run it as admin (it comes from Microsoft so its safe)

the default view is tree structure meaning like your task manager screen, it will show what processes are under each service, but unlike task manager, it shows the ram usage of each part so you can see what is eating your ram

Private bytes = actual ram usage
Working set = Ram + page file usage

This page shows what all the colours and headings mean, link at bottom of it shows how to use it to find problems. You can right click headers and run an av scan from within the program.


Which version of win 10 is it?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter
current version is 1903

I only ask as there was a bug in 1809 where it wasn't displaying usage properly, updating windows could fix that.

 

[piyushstv]

That will eliminate the cause and won't give you any info about, what caused it.

Hi
Thanks again for the reply. I booted my PC in safe mode and see no such unexpected high usage. Back to the normal mode and all the issues are back.
Windows 10 Home version is 1809 (build 17763.678) - all updated.
All virus scan done.

 

[piyushstv]

You aren't only user on the system. You are the only human user but windows has internal users it uses to do what you ask it to do. Such as Trustedinstaller and System.

If you go to task manager/details, and sort by username, you will find others called Local service, network service, System

So the user tab just shows human users, not all usage

Try looking at the screen Skynet showed in his 1st post, or you can download Process explorer and see way more info that you can in Task manager

Download Process explorer and run it as admin (it comes from Microsoft so its safe)

the default view is tree structure meaning like your task manager screen, it will show what processes are under each service, but unlike task manager, it shows the ram usage of each part so you can see what is eating your ram

Private bytes = actual ram usage
Working set = Ram + page file usage

This page shows what all the colours and headings mean, link at bottom of it shows how to use it to find problems. You can right click headers and run an av scan from within the program.


Which version of win 10 is it?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter
current version is 1903

I only ask as there was a bug in 1809 where it wasn't displaying usage properly, updating windows could fix that.

Process explorer shows no extra process, other than what I can already see via task manager and resource monitor. As you can see in the task manager image i shared, the usage details are much below the total use shown.
Update 1903 is not yet available to my device (HP US, win10 home). Running 1809 (build 17763.678) with all available updates.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Screenshot from Resource monitor please.
Resource Monitor (Disk Tab, Disk Activity section, ordered by column Total) .

Spoiler

Should look similar to this, just make file column larger, so it is readable.