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Fix 100% Disk Usage after Windows 10 update

Microsoft drops regular windows updates with New features, security improvements, and bug fixes to fix the patch holes created by third-party software. And on Windows 10, set to install the updates automatically when the machine is connected to the Microsoft server. But sometimes updates create different issues for users, several users report after a recent update install or upgrade to Windows 10 November 2021 update computer stuck, And freezes. When checking on the Task manager for resource usage, they notice 100% disk usage. If you also have the same issue with 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10, here are some tips to Fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10 version 20H2.

Why windows 100% disk usage?

This is a problem because when your computer’s hard drive is constantly working at or near 100%, it won’t have any spare capacity to perform other tasks, even routine operating system tasks. This slows everything down and can make your computer totally unresponsive.

There are various reasons behind it, generally, this error is caused by some Windows services like Superfetch, Prefetch, BITS, and Windows Search. Also, pending system updates, Virus/malware infection, problematic page file configuration, corrupted system files, outdated drivers, Hardware issues like HDD errors, bad sectors can cause windows 10 100% disk usage problems.

How To fix 100% disk usage on windows 10

After Understand the issue and reason behind 100% disk usage on Windows 10, Here apply the below solutions to fix the issue.

Note: For this article, we’ll be specifically discussing Windows 10, although the solutions can apply to previous versions of Windows as well.

Check for virus/malware infection

A virus malware infection can cause different problems on Windows computers, include High System resource usage, 100% disk usage, which cause system freezes, not responding etc. Start with basic Troubleshooting Check windows for virus infection and make sure your PC is virus-free. For that download and install the latest antivirus / anti-malware application with the latest updates and perform a full system scan. Also, download third-party system optimizer CCleaner to clear junk, cache, and system error files and fix corrupted broken registry entries. After that restart windows and check Disk usage to come to normal.

Disable Windows Services

As discussed, some windows services Running in the background cause unnecessary system resource usage. Disabling these services, Specially Superfetch, Disable Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), windows search, and windows update can help fix this 100% disk usage problem.

About These Services :

Superfetch Service: Superfetch is one of those Windows services that will always have the potential of delivering a better sweet user experience. The premise behind Superfetch is that Windows will learn from your usage habits and “guess” which applications/services you’re most likely to use next. Based on this prediction, the OS will cache those apps and programs to the RAM, so they’ll load faster. This is a fantastic concept, but unless you’re a robot that’s programmed to follow a particular routine, Superfetch’s predictions are bound to miss from time to time. And because the service is busy pulling all those predicted app files and data from your hard disk, you get the 100% Disk Usage error.

BITS: BITS is yet another Windows 10 service that’s supposed to be helpful but can turn out to be quite the opposite. The idea behind BITS is that when your computer is sitting idle, the bandwidth can be used for Windows Update, Windows Defender and the like. While it usually works just fine on newer machines, older hardware can actually suffer while BITS tries to decipher when the computer is actually idle.

To Disable These Services

To Disable these services press Win + R, type Services.msc and hit the enter key. Here on windows services, scroll down and look for Superfetch, double-click on it. A new popup window will open Here, change the startup Type Disable and stop the service next to service status as sown below image. Click apply and ok to make save changes.

Again Do the same with Disable Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Windows Search, and windows update service.

Disable Windows 10 Prefetch

While Superfetch caches data to RAM based on intelligent guessing, Prefetch works when you launch those applications. Essentially, Prefetch records information on files that are used by any given application and then pulls those files to RAM to improve app loading times. However, Prefetch isn’t your standard Windows service, we need to Tweak the windows registry to Disable prefetch Service.

Press Win + R, Type Regedit, and hit the enter key. Here on the registry editor, first backup registry database then navigate to the following :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\SESSION MANAGER\MEMORY MANAGEMENT\PREFETCHPARAMETERS

In the right-side panel, you’ll see an entry for EnablePrefetcher. Double-click it and change the DWORD value from 3 (default) to 0 to completely disable the service. You may also put in 1 as the DWORD value, which will keep Prefetcher partially enabled but disabled for boot files. Click ok and close the windows registry editor.

registry Tweak to Disable prefetch service

After Disable All These Services Restart windows to take effect the changes, Next time when you login check this time, Hard disk usage comes to the normal state. Still, Need help fallow the next instruction.

Configure your Page File

Windows Automatically Uses some Hard disk space ( page file ) as virtual memory to optimize the system performance. You can know more about pagefile (virtual memory) from here. But sometimes, this paging file can cause problems on the disk drive, which causes 100% disk usage problems. Check with Disable the virtual memory option and see the high disk usage problem is solved. To disable the page file (virtual memory), follow the steps below.

First, click on Start menu search type performance and select adjust the appearance and performance as shown below image.

Here on Performance options, move to the advanced Tab, Then click on Change under Virtual memory. A new popup window open named virtual memory. Here uncheck the option Automatically manage paging file size for all drives As shown below. Then select the no paging file radio button on click on Set. Click OK, Apply OK to make save changes, This will ask restart windows to take effect, Restart windows and check now disk usage come to normal.

Adjust virtual memory

Repair Corrupted system files

Also, Corrupted, Missing system files can cause different errors and problems on windows 10. System freeze, Application not run with a different error code, Blue screen of death and high System Resource usage are the common ones, Normally cause due to corrupted system files. Windows SFC utility ( system file checker ) is a good tool that helps scan and restore missing system files. You can read more about SFC utility with Details from here.

To Run SFC utility on Windows computer open the command prompt as administrator, Type Command sfc / scannow and hit enter key to execute the command.

Run system file checker

This will scan windows for corrupted and missing system files If found, this will restore them from a cache folder located %WinDir%\System32\dllcache. You only have to wait until 100% complete the scanning process then after restart windows. Now Check the High Disk usage problem is solved for you, Still need help to follow the next solution.

Run Check Disk

Some Times this High Disk Usage also cause due to HDD Errors or Bad Sectors. Running Windows CHKDSK Is a good option to fix 100% of disk usage problems, which checks and fix hard disk errors.

Normally CHKDSK command Check disk Errors only, By adding some extra parameter, you can force CHKDSK to repair them for you. Let’s see how to check and fix disk errors.

First open an elevated command prompt (type cmd in Windows 10 search bar, right-click on the command prompt, and select “Run As Administrator”), Then run the following command:

CHKDSK C: /F /R 

Check disk utility

Note: Replace C: with your windows installed Drive letter, Mostly its C: but if you installed windows on a different drive, assign the drive letter.

Command Explained :

Here Command CHKDSK is for Check disk Drive.

C: is the Drive Letter, Which checks for errors.

/r  Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information

/f Fixes errors on the disk

After type the command when you press enter to execute the command, You’ll see a message within the command prompt that will ask you to confirm whether you’d like to run CheckDisk on the next system reboot. Acknowledge with a Y, and restart your computer. This will scan the disk drive for Errors, Bad sectors, if found, this will fix them itself for you. CheckDisk might take some time to finish, but it can be handy not just for 100% Disk Usage error but also for some other issues.

Some Other Solutions:

Disable Windows Tips: Windows 10 offers tips about the operating system from time to time. Disabling those seems to have helped mitigate the 100% Disk Usage error for a variety of people. Just go to Settings, then to System, and then Notification & Actions. Disable “Show me tips about Windows” on this list.

Disable Background Apps: Also, Windows 10 apps run background which uses unnecessary system resources. Several users report After Disable background Running apps, They notice less system resource usage, Which helps them fix the 100% disk, CPU usage problem. You can disable Background apps from Settings -> Privacy -> scroll down and select Background Apps. Here turn off the unnecessary apps that start on windows 10 startup.

Disable programs in the background

These are some Best possible Solutions to fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10 computers. After applying these solutions your problem High Disk Usage/ 100% disk Usage after windows 10  update will get solved, And windows run smoothly without any issue. Still, have any queries, a suggestion about this post feel free to discuss on comments.

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