100% Disk Usage Archives

Windows 10 is one of the most popular operating systems available in the market today. More than 70 percent of the computers running in the world today use Windows and 65 percent of those using Windows have Windows 10 on their computers. Although this is a solid performing operating system there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the 100% disk usage issue in windows 10. What to do when your disk usage is 100% in Windows 10 Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer and router first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem. Upgrade your SSD firmware Is your Windows operating system installed on an SSD? If it is then this troubleshooting step needs to be performed. You have to make sure that the latest firmware of your SSD is installed in your computer. This firmware allows your SSD to work seamlessly with your computer system and the latest version will have several bug fixes. You can get the latest firmware update of your SSD from the manufacturer website. Perform a clean boot A clean boot will load Windows with the fewest possible drivers and startup programs. This allows you to check if the problem is caused by a software you downloaded or by a Windows service that is running. Sign in to the computer as an Administrator.In the search box on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.On the Services tab of System Configuration, select Hide all Microsoft services, and then select Disable all.On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.Under Startup in Task Manager, for each startup item, select the item and then select Disable.Close Task Manager.On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK. When you restart the computer, it's in a clean boot environment. The best way to find out what is causing the problem is to re-enable half of the services. Re-enable the top half of all non-Microsoft services then restart your computer. Test to see if the issue still occurs. If it doesn’t then re-enable the bottom half of all non-Microsoft services instead. Restart your PC, and check if the issue occurs. Start to narrow down the search. Keep unchecking services and restarting your PC. Once you find that the issue is gone, you should be able to find the culprit. Once you have found the culprit it’s time to set your computer to boot normally. Type msconfig in the search bar and open the System Configuration app that appears.Click Services.Click the checkbox next to Hide all Microsoft services.Click Enable All.Click the checkbox next to the offending startup service.Click Startup.Click Open Task Manager.Click a Startup program.Click Enable. Repeat this for all startup programs.Click the X to close Task Manager.Click OK in the System Configuration window.Click Restart. Check if the 100% disk usage issue still occurs. Check hard disk for errors There are instances when certain errors in the hard disk can cause this problem. There are several tools that you can use to fix this. First, try running the CHKDSK command. Open Computer and right-click on the drive you want to check and choose Properties.Click on the Tools tab and click on the Check button.Windows will begin scanning your drive for any errors. This could take a few minutes.Once it has completed, you’ll see a message on whether there were any errors found on the hard drive or not. You should also run a System File Checker. Login to Windows 10.Type Command Prompt on the search barWhen you see the Command Prompt program listed, Right-click it, then click Run as Administrator. ...When the command prompt box comes up type the following then click Enter: sfc /scannow.The System File Checker will then begin running. Wait for the process to finish. Check if the disk usage issue still occurs. Disable the antivirus Avast Right-click on the avast! icon in the system tray. Select avast! shields control and there will be options to disable avast for 10 minutes, 1 hour, until the computer is restarted or permanently. Bitdefender Double click on the System icon for Bit Defender.When the Bit Defender window appears, move the mouse arrow to the left side and click >> Virus Shield.Move mouse arrow to the black check by Virus Shield is enabled and click.The black works will change to Red, >> Virus Shield is disabled.Move mouse arrow to the top right corner and click the down arrows.Bit Defender is now inactive.To enable Bit Defender, do the same steps except click to enable. Microsoft Security Essentials Right-click on the MSE icon in the system tray and choose Open.Click the Settings tab, then click Real Time Protection.Uncheck the box next to "Turn on real time protection".Click the "Save changes" button.Exit MSE when done. ESET Double click on the system tray icon to open the main application window.Or via Start >> All Programs >> ESET >> ESET Smart Security.Click Setup >> Antivirus and antispyware >> Temporarily disable Antivirus and Antispyware protection.When prompted to confirm temporarily disable select Yes.Note: Protection will be automatically started after a system reboot. McAfee Navigate to the system tray on the bottom right hand corner and look for the McAfee icon.Right-click it -> chose "Exit"A popup will warn that protection will now be disabled. Click on "Yes" to disable the Antivirus guard. Check if the 100% disk use problem still occurs.