I have Cortana disabled yet it is still using CPU strenuously.

I have Cortana disable via the registry hack; yet task manager is reporting that Cortana is largely robbing the CPU percentage and pegging my CPU constantly to its limits.

If I understand correctly, the Cortana and Search feature are combined; but I wasn't even using the search feature when checking the task manager for reasons as to why my computer was lagging with even the simplest of tasks such as opening a jump list or notepad.

Here is a screen shot of the task manager:



Here is what my search looks like when I click the search magnifying glass symbol in my task bar; but remember, when I took the screen shot of the task manager that reflected Cortana's CPU usage, I didn't even have this search field active and it was through the roof on CPU usage:



Can anyone confirm that has Cortana disabled like me by way of the registry hack, that the CPU usage for Cortana is still present when disabled?

I tried ending the task in Task Manager, but it always regenerated in a couple of seconds and resumed using my CPU usage at an alarming rate of 60% or more.

NMI said:

Version 1903 with the August 30 cumulative update installed? It's a recently acknowledged issue with KB4512941:

Windows Desktop Search may not return any results and may have high CPU usage

How to Fix High CPU Usage Caused by Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4512941

Thanks to all that replied!

@NMI - your links worked! I had to adjust that "BingSearchEnabled" value in the registry and the high CPU usage went away:



The thing that bothers me though, from what I read in your linked articles, Microsoft doesn't want to acknowledge that this was/is a problem. They just want to roll out a Patch Tuesday fix and sweep it under the rug.

Microsoft did acknowledge a small percentage of users were reporting this and said they will address it in mid-September. That's nice of them and all; but what about the high CPU usage it inflicted on some computers for a couple of weeks - they didn't think to roll out a quick fix?

That really upsets me that they feel that your computer can be pegged close to 100% CPU usage and over 60% was do to the search feature whether it was being used or not. That just makes no sense how that can be acceptable and passed off as a bug.

That is down right infiltrating the computers health and I'm just wondering how many people don't know of this problem.

It just seems like Microsoft is out to destroy or slow down platforms that wish to maintain a private or somewhat private connection.

Many thanks again NMI !!!

P.S. - I'm just wondering if I'll have to undo what I did today after they roll out the September Patch Tuesday updates.

Helmut said:

The reason is basically because you have done those Registry edits which were not necessary to side line Cortana and just use the search functionality when they were combined.
They are now separate in the latest increment of Windows 10. Undoubtedly a much requested popular move.
The vast majority of users will not have done those unnecessary Registry mods.

Most problems blamed on MS are due to a minority of users and their OS mods. If that is what you want to do then you have to take the responsibility for subsequent problems.

I agree and disagree with you.

I understand there will be risks in modifying the registry; however, the high CPU usage and search problem came down to whether Bing Search was enabled or not regardless of a registry hack for Cortana and it was acknowledged by Microsoft to be a problem.

So I agree and disagree; since a vast majority, not minority of users as you claim, of Registry modifications are done because the platform isn't working correctly in the first place when it is released to the public.

So when something isn't working right, it is the only time it should be fixed - thus when there is a problem.

If Microsoft wants to come out and blame people for modifying their registry, they should ask themselves why a vast majority of people are doing it in the first place.

They hand us a crooked T-Square and expect us to make straight lines and then blame us for coming up with makeshift repairs to make their platform perform correctly - which I might add they are paid to do and paid well.

See where I'm going with this?

It is a vicious cycle of a blame game and frankly it is getting old when someone is getting paid well to brandish a platform that is self destructing itself at every turn because people just want their computers to be personal again.

- - - Updated - - -

I found another process called Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry eating away at CPU usage constantly. As a matter of fact, it was clocking my CPU at 80% constantly, which is greater than what the Cortana fiasco was doing.

Now one may ask: "Why would anyone care about what percentage of their CPU is being used?"

Well the short answer is if the CPU is being pegged close to 100% just by one instance of a problematic process, then what if you have two or three processes clocking your CPU at its maximum all the time? It is very obvious that your system is going to slow way down in the general processes it should carry out without breaking 25% on the CPU usage.

How did I fix the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry problem?

You guessed it, another registry fix.

Why a registry fix you may ask?

Simple answer is: Because you are not given a choice in the settings to restrict certain telemetry gathering processes; particularly the one that eats 80% of your CPU core process.

Now try to tell me we don't need registry fixes. If we didn't need them, then why do sites like this exist that do nothing but promote using registry fixes to get our systems to perform basic tasks that shouldn't have been interfered with in the first place by Microsoft updates?

On a side note, I only perform registry fixes that are reversible - so blame game aside between Microsoft and all the real geniuses who are smart enough to not work for a proprietary company - I thank the people who offer the free advice to get something to work when people who are paid, do nothing but give us a flawed platform.

Also, I wouldn't perform these registry fixes if the CPU usage fluctuated its high usage; but my point is the CPU was CONSTANTLY pegged to its maximum capacity full time with the above mentioned processes.

How long do you think a CPU would last if it was constantly pegged to its maximum capabilities all the time?

I'm guessing it would have less than half the life cycle of a CPU in a computer that was left on 24/7.