FIX Disk Usage 100% issue on Windows 10/8 (Solved) – wintips.org – Windows Tips & How-tos

The Disk Usage 100% issue, in Task Manager, is commonly caused on Windows 10 or Windows 8 based computers for several reasons. The high disk utilization issue, on Windows 10, is a very annoying, because it can affect even a new computer

(desktop or laptop), with any kind of hard disk (HDD or SSD), even after a fresh installation of the operating system.

The almost 100% disk utilization decreases the system’s performance dramatically, because it makes the operating system to run and respond very slowly, or to freeze, even when no additional applications are running or user actions performed on the machine.

In this troubleshooting guide you ‘ll find the most common methods to resolve the 100% Disk usage issue on Windows 10 and Windows 8, 8.1.

How to fix the High Disk Usage issue on Windows 10/8.1/8.

– Before you continue to apply the solutions below, in order to resolve the 100% disk usage problem in Windows 10 task manager, try the following:

• Make sure that you system is virus free.
• Uninstall Microsoft One Drive (if installed) from your system.
• Uninstall or temporarily disable your Antivirus program.
• Disable Chrome Flash Player plugin (if the issue is faced when you run Chrome).

Solution 1. Disable the Culprit Services.

Solution 2. Increase the virtual memory (Paging file).

Solution 3. Disable the MSI mode in StorAHCI Controller.

Solution 4. Turn off Notifications.

Solution 5. Disable the Disk Defrag task.

Solution 6. Remove Temporary files.

Solution 7. Install Latest Device Drivers.

Solution 8. Perform a Windows 10 Repair with an in-place upgrade.

Solution 1. Disable the Culprit Services.

The 100% disk utilization (in Task Manager) on Windows 10/8.1/8, may be caused from on of the following services:

1. 1. Superfetch.
   2. Windows Search.
   3. Connected User Experiences and Telemetry.
   4. Windows Update
   5. Windows Modules Installer

So, proceed and disable one-by-one the above services, until you find out which one causes your disk to work at 100 percent. To accomplish this task:

1. Simultaneously press the Windows key + R  keys to open the ‘Run‘ command box.

2. In run command box, type: services.msc and press Enter.

3. Right click at Superfetch service and select Properties.

4. Set the Startup type to Disabled.

5. Press OK to close SuperFetch properties window.

6. Restart your computer.

7. If, after the restart, the high disk usage behavior still exists, then proceed and disable one –by –one the rest services mentioned on the above list and restart your computer.

* Note: If, after disabling the “Windows Search” service, the high disk usage issue was resolved, then try to:

1. 1. Enable the “Windows Search” service and
   2. Rebuild Search Index.

Solution 2. Increase the virtual memory (Paging file).

1. Right click on Computer icon (Name) and select Properties.

2. Click Change Settings.

3. At Advanced tab select Settings at Performance section.

4. At Performance options, click the Advanced tab and then select Change at Virtual memory section.

5. Uncheck the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” check box.

6. Check the “Custom size” radio button.

7. Set the Initial size and Maximum size values to twice and half (2,5) of your RAM size in MB* and then press the Set button. *

* For example: If your RAM’s size is 4GB (4 x 1024MB = 4096MB), then type the value 0908603917MB x 2,5 = 10240MB) in the Initial & Maximum size (MB) fields.

8. Click OK three (3) times to exit.

9. Restart your computer.

Solution 3. Disable the MSI mode in StorAHCI Controller.

In some Windows 10 computers, the Advanced Host Controller Interface PCI-Express (AHCI PCIe) doesn’t operate properly and causes high disk usage problems, when the Message Signaled Interrupt (MSI) mode is enabled when running with the inbox StorAHCI.sys driver.

So, proceed and disable the MSI mode in StorAHCI Controller, by following the instructions on this MS article: KB3083595.

Solution 4. Turn off Notifications.

1. From Start menu, open Settings.

2. At settings window, select System.

3. Select Notifications & actions at the left and then set the Show me tips about Windows notifications to OFF.

4. Close settings window and check if the “System and Compressed Memory Service” high CPU usage problem persists. If it persists, then try to turn off all other notifications.

Solution 5. Disable the Disk Defrag task.

1. At Cortana’s search box type task scheduler.

2. Open the ‘Task Scheduler’ desktop app.

3. At the left pane go to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Defrag.

4. At the right pane select the Schedule Defrag task and click Disable.

5. Restart your computer.

Solution 6. Remove Temporary files.

The next solution to fix high disk usage issues on Windows 10, is to delete the temporary Windows files. To do that:

1. Press “Windows”    + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.

2. Type %temp% and press Enter.

3. Select all files and Delete them.

Solution 7. Install Latest Device Drivers.

– Make sure that you have installed the latest drivers for every device on your computer, starting from the “Intel SATA SATA/AHCI” controller. To do that:

1. Press “Windows”    + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.

2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

3. Under each category, right click at every listed device and choose Update driver software.

Solution 8. Perform a Windows 10 Repair with an in-place upgrade.

The in-place upgrade and repair method, is the most secure solution to fix many issues in Windows 10. To perform a repair upgrade of your Windows 10 installation follow the detailed instructions on this article: How to repair Windows 10.

That’s it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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