Windows 10 Slows down gradually

W10 Tweaker said:

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.


Attachment 304558


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.

Have you read this post or tried any of the suggestions presented?

dlwmacgregor said:

I don't understand how my antivirus is relevant. It is on after a fresh reboot and stays on until I reboot again. If it's a problem with my antivirus, I would expect it to be slow all the time.

I will do 2 captures of the Performance Tab/CPU in Task Manager over the next couple of days and update the thread.

Thanks.

Your PC is a relatively complicated device with many processes running in the background and unless you're actively monitoring these processes, we really don't know when they choose to start or the impact on system resources.

I appreciate that you might believe that using a third-party antivirus should have a consistent impact on performance from boot through to after running for a period of time, historically, this is not always the case. Consider that Microsoft did not produce this software (and we know how well everything they produce functions), a third-party vendor produced this to interface with Windows.

I use a third-party antivirus and disable it often while working, testing or troubleshooting. I also have Windows Defender to protect my PC and unless you're surfing nasty untrustworthy places, Windows Defender is adequate protection.

Disabling antivirus is a fast easy test. If you're not comfortable with disabling it, please just make that clear and we'll move on.

If the task manager captures don't provide anything remarkable, a clean boot is another definitive test to prove if the slow performance is related to Windows or a third-party app. This result will provide direction for further testing.

I'm trying to assist you in finding the quickest and easiest solution, it's your choice to decide which testing you're comfortable using or not.

W10 Tweaker said:

I don't understand how my antivirus is relevant. It is on after a fresh reboot and stays on until I reboot again. If it's a problem with my antivirus, I would expect it to be slow all the time.

I will do 2 captures of the Performance Tab/CPU in Task Manager over the next couple of days and update the thread.

Thanks.

Your PC is a relatively complicated device with many processes running in the background and unless you're actively monitoring these processes, we really don't know when they choose to start or the impact on system resources.

I appreciate that you might believe that using a third-party antivirus should have a consistent impact on performance from boot through to after running for a period of time, historically, this is not always the case. Consider that Microsoft did not produce this software (and we know how well everything they produce functions), a third-party vendor produced this to interface with Windows.

I use a third-party antivirus and disable it often while working, testing or troubleshooting. I also have Windows Defender to protect my PC and unless you're surfing nasty untrustworthy places, Windows Defender is adequate protection.

Disabling antivirus is a fast easy test. If you're not comfortable with disabling it, please just make that clear and we'll move on.

If the task manager captures don't provide anything remarkable, a clean boot is another definitive test to prove if the slow performance is related to Windows or a third-party app. This result will provide direction for further testing.

I'm trying to assist you in finding the quickest and easiest solution, it's your choice to decide which testing you're comfortable using or not.[/QUOTE]


I fully appreciate all the help you are giving me, please let's be clear on that.
I've been working with PC's for close to 40 years, both as a programmer and hardware technician so I'm no stranger to it.
That being said, the reason I come here is that I don't know everything.

Prior to about 3 months or so ago there was no apparent problem. I started brand new with this build in January with my new ASUS MB, RAM and AMD 2700X. So it's likely not my AV. (unless BitDefender did something between now and then which I could rule out by turning if off temporarily).
I did add numerous astronomy software a few months ago so that's another avenue to check.

The Clean Boot suggestion was one I was going to try but I thought that maybe someone who knows way more than me would suggest possible remedies, which you have done.
I'll put that in my ToDo List over the next couple of days.
Thanks again.

- - - Updated - - -

Update:

I ran the PC yesterday, checking every so often if the slowdown was evident.
I ran everything I usually do and it didn't appear.

This morning it is back, especially during e-mail replies (5 seconds for the reply windows to appear).

Nothing jumps out at me from the Task Manager Windows.

The only difference? My nightly Acronis Backup ran last night.

So at this point I have a choice of 2 things - Clean Boot or upgrade to the October release.

My instinct is to try the Clean Boot first.

Concur?

Thanks

It sounds as though we both started in Electronics around the same time. Technology developments in the early 80's was pretty exciting.

Could you please post a screen shot of the start tab in the task manager? If you have anything disabled, please click on the status heading so that enabled apps appear on top and expand the window to display all if possible or use 2 captures if necessary. Thanks

dlwmacgregor said:

Here it is..

Thanks for posting. That does appear to be a busy start menu, I believe I have 9 items on mine although I recently cleaned up.

Your PC may have worked wonderfully in the past with that many items but I'd say it would be my first choice, try to reduce start menu items, if possible. The next step is a clean boot.

Could you try disabling a few items to see if that reduces the impaired performance?
Unless you're constantly printing or manipulating print settings, disable all Brother related.
I use Macrium Reflect to manually create images and have removed all the associated startup related items.
Java always implants itself unless you're meticulous with the update windows, I'd disable it.
If overly concerned about Java updates, add to the Event scheduler to update monthly.