How to Fix Windows 10 disk usage 100% (System Process) on Startup

2 years ago

If you are looking to fix Windows 10 disk usage locked at 100% usage, read our article to solve it.

Have you ever come across a situation where your Windows 10 system has gone slow or unresponsive at times? The main cause for this could be due to high disk usage. The issue seems to be affecting the users after the recent Windows 10 version 1809. What causes this issue? You should be able to check it through the task manager on your Windows 10.

Let us check out what causes the 100 % disk usage error and how to resolve it in today’s post.

What is 100% Disk Usage Error?

Well, your computer or laptop gets extremely unresponsive and struggles to do even the simplest of the tasks. It is almost impossible to use. In such a circumstance, if you launch Task Manager, you would find that it shows a 100% full disk space.

This would simply mean that your hard drive or the system drive is put to the maximum use, and it struggles to work through the processes. You would continue to get the 100% disk usage even when close all the programs. That would specifically mean something on your computer is making your hard drive or disk to overwork.

What can cause a 100% Disk usage error?

Several reasons can cause a 100% disk usage on your system. It can be an incorrect virtual memory setup, any physical issue with your hard drive; a stopped Windows service, virus or malware attack, and a few other reasons which may be difficult to explain.

That isn’t all. Some users tend to blame Google Chrome and Skype for causing a few unwanted high disk usage on their devices. The simplest solution would be to pinpoint the exact reason that causes high disk usage and then troubleshoot it. Moreover, the difficult part is how to find the precise component that causes it!

How to fix Windows 10 Disk Usage 100% on startup?

Depending upon what exactly is causing the 100% disk usage on your system, the fixes would vary. Now that it is quite impossible to find the exact reasons that cause the issue, it may be necessary to check out all the repairs one by one.

Fix 1 – Change Feedback and Diagnostic data

Windows 10 continually sends data to Microsoft to provide you with a personalized experience. By default, the diagnostic service is designed to send the full diagnostic data. You can change it to basic to reduce the data and perhaps the disk usage.

Here is how you would do it –

Launch Windows 10 Settings
Choose Privacy grouping
On the left side menu bar, select Feedback, and Diagnostics
Under the option, Diagnostic Data on the right side choose the Basic radio button.

Check if this fix resolves the high disk usage issue on your hard drive.

Fix 2 – Disable Windows Tips

Windows 10 system comes with an option to display tips and tricks. This can be quite useful for those users who are new to Windows 10, or to the computer system. Some users have claimed that Windows Tips can generate heavy data usage.

You can turn off the Windows Tips by following the steps here below –

Launch Windows Settings once again.
Choose the System grouping
On the left side menu bar, choose Notifications and Actions
Under Notifications, locate the option Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows and uncheck it.

This can help you get rid of the issues concerning the 100% disk usage.

Fix 3 – Disable Windows Search

Disabling the Windows Search can also be helpful enough in addressing the 100% disk usage issues. Though it may not be the factor that initiates the problem actually, it can as well contribute to aggravating it. It can start creating search loops and thus generate a disk usage error.

Here is how you can achieve the task –

Launch Command Prompt on your computer.
Make sure you have launched it as an administrator.
Type in the command here below –

net.exe stop “Windows search.”

Hit ENTER

Check if the issue has been resolved. Please note that restarting your Windows system will restart the search functionality.

You can permanently disable the Windows Search functionality. Here are the steps you can follow –

Launch RUN dialog box. You can do so by pressing Windows key and R simultaneously.
Type in services.msc and click OK
Locate Windows Search option and double click on it to enter Properties for Windows Search.
Change the Startup Type to ‘Disabled‘
Click on Apply and then OK

This will permanently disable the Windows Search option. Check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 4 – Disable the SuperFetch service

The SuperFetch functionality will help you lets you decrease the boot time by loading the must load programs faster. However, it has been found to affect the disk performance in Windows 8 or higher operating system versions.

Here is how you can stop the service on your Windows 10 –

Launch Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type in the command here below

net.exe stop superfetch

Press ENTER

Check if the 100% disk usage issue has been resolved.

Fix 5 – Check the Disk Health

The CHKDSK utility can help check the integrity of your disks. A malfunctioning drive can be one of the reasons that can cause a 100% disk usage. The inbuilt check disk utility can be helpful enough to check and repair your disk.

You can check out the following steps to address the issue –

Launch Command Prompt Once again.
Type in the command here below and press ENTER

chkdsk.exe /f /r

Confirm by typing Y when you are prompted to confirm if you want to take up the disk checkup next time Windows boots up.
Reboot your device and let the disk checkup continue.

Once the check is complete and you are onto the Windows 10 startup page, you can check if the 100% disk usage issue has been resolved.

Fix 6 – Reset Your Virtual Memory

Virtual Memory would use your hard disk as RAM and use it for running a host of programs. Incorrectly configured virtual memory can cause your system to run into 100% disk usage error. One of the significant culprits would be the pagefile.sys file. Resetting your virtual memory can help you address the concern effectively.

Here are the steps you can use for resetting the Virtual memory –

Launch Control Panel.
Go to System option
On the left-hand side, locate Advanced System Settings and click on it.
Move to the Advanced tab
Under the Performance section, click on settings
Click on Advanced tab once again on this dialog box.
Under Virtual Memory section, hit change
Make sure the option Automatically manage paging file size for all drives is unchecked.
Choose your system drive and configure the maximum and initial size as per your preferences.
Once you have set the values, click on Set and then OK

Reboot your Windows system and check if the 100% disk usage issue has been resolved.

Fix 7 – Check Your Google Chrome and Skype Settings

A specific combination of settings on Google Chrome and Skype have been observed to be affecting the disk performance. Taking care of these settings can help you address the 100% disk usage error adequately.

Check out these steps –

Go into your Google Chrome Settings.
Click on advanced
Under the Privacy and Security settings, locate the option Preload pages for faster browsing and searching
Disable it.

Next on, check the settings for Skype. The following steps may be useful –

Launch Windows Explorer.
Move to the folder C:Program Files (x86)SkypePhone
Right-click on Skype.exe.
Choose Properties from the context menu
Next, open the Security tab and then choose Edit
Check the option for ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES and check the box for WRITE.
Click on Apply and OK to save Settings.

Find if the 100% disk usage issue is resolved.

Fix 8 – Change the Options in File Explorer

Changing the File Explorer settings can be an excellent option to resolve the issue of 100% disk usage error. You can find the steps involved here below.

Launch the File Explorer on Windows 10.
Navigate to the View and then Options
On Folder Options dialog box, click on the Search tab and then uncheck the following options

Include compressed files (ZIP, CAB…)

Always search file names and contents (this might take several minutes)

Click Apply and OK.

That does it. Check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 9 – Install the latest SATA drivers

Windows 10 laptops and computers use the SATA connectors for the hard drives and optical drives. You can upgrade the drivers to fix the issue with your SATA drives. Here is how you would be able to do it –

Launch Device Manager
Expand the Storage Controllers
Right-click on the controller and click on Update Driver.
Choose the driver Standard AHCI Controller

You can reboot the computer for the changes to take effect. This should effectively fix the 100% disk usage on your Windows 10 computer.

In Conclusion

Those were a few tips that should help you take care of your hard drive and assist you in resolving the 100% disk usage issues on your computer. Ideally speaking, you should never get 100% disk usage on your system. If the problem is not resolved, it could well be an indication that the computer may be facing hardware issues. The most common culprit in such a case would be the hard drive.

Check if any of these fixes address the concern you are facing with the 100% disk usage.