Windows 10 Slows down gradually

Hello. I just recently cured an ASUS of the same problem. It is not software but "mechanical" if I may say so. One has to clean the inside of the box and get rid of all the dust that gathers inside. The CPU cooler radiator was clogged with dust. I used a good size air pump and blew it all out. Do not forget the power transformer too, PSU. I hope that this works for you. Daopa.

dlwmacgregor said:

I have an annoying problem that seems to have developed since I updated to the 2004 Feature Update.

With a fresh reboot, the system is really fast AMD 2700X, 16 GB RAM 3200, NVMe 1TB M.2, X570 MB.

Over the next few days it will slow gradually but very perceptively.

I have not installed any new software since August and I have done multiple AV scans with a clean result (BitDefender paid).

Any idea what might be causing this and what I could check?

Thanks.

Hi dlwmacgregor,

have you tried disabling your anti-virus to see if the slow down still happens? Anti-virus are notorious for slowing system performance. It may have functioned great with a previous OS and just not well with 20H2. Also, you may require to uninstall the AV entirely to obtain accurate test results. Just make certain that Windows Defender is enabled.

How to uninstall Bitdefender from your Windows device



Try posting a screenshot of your task manager, processes tab selected and sort by cpu, use high to low. Also maximize the window so it captures more processes. It would be helpful to see this after a reboot (functioning a normal speed) and a second screenshot when it is performing poorly.





If there's nothing remarkable showing with the task manager, you could also try a clean boot to determine if a third-party app is responsible for the slow performance. This test will take time and patience to produce results.

Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 10 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts


I know 2 days seems like forever when you're waiting for assistance. Try to keep in mind that with the pandemic that this place is very busy and sometimes assisting someone can use the resources of several members.

I also have to run a few errands and have household tasks to complete today which will limit my immediate availability.

I have seen/heard this on many occasions from many users, over the years, in a significant proportion of cases this is a perceived rather than real slowdown. It's a human fault where we get used to the speed of the system and it appears slower than it was. It's often the case that the brand new system appears to slow down over time as we get used to the new "normal speed".

Of course there are actual occasions where there is something causing a real slowdown, this can be checked by regularly running a benchmark to test the real speed, I will not suggest a specific test suite as you will be better off using some of your regular "work routines" and timing, and logging the results. for example if you are using the system for a particular purpose, eg. photo editing or games playing then devise a test that uses the software that you have and use. once a Day/Week/Month, or other schedule, check the time taken to perform your selected task, and record this repeat this until you can see/or not a slowdown

It may be that there is no real slowdown, or it may be that there is, once you have actual evidence of the slowdown then you can start to investigate possible causes and look at solutions.

It used to be the case that the build up of temporary files and reduction of available space on hard drives would cause a slowdown of the operating system, however modern systems are much better at performing the required "housekeeping" to prevent this or at least minimise it.