100% Disk Use

JW05 · 19 Sep 2021

Windows 10, version 21H1, Desktop
Is there a solution to 100% disk use, which happens all the time now when doing W10 and NIS updates? I prefer to do these manually.
Checking Task Manager during these updates, it goes upto and ‘locks out’ at 100%. Basic PC user and tried simple Google & W10 Forums search suggestions: latest updates, defragment, delete unnecessaryfiles, disc clean up, disable prefetch and super fetch, disable File Explorersearch, disable Win Defender Firewall when search suggested it should have been disabled by NIS but wasn’t, run error check in (C:) properties, tools – noerrors found, 1.75 TB free on (C:), full system scan, change Power Settings toHigh Performance – cannot be changed.
Downloaded/run free SuperAntiSpyware – nothing detected.
Did find in Event Viewer: Level - Critical – Kernel Power Event ID 41(63). Could I have caused this by manually switching off PC during Win updatesas it had been locked up at 100% for some time and sounded as if it was labouring?
Google search on ID41(63), other than a Restart is beyond me.
Anything else a layperson can try.
Thank you.

dalchina · 19 Sep 2021

Hi, sorry to hear you're having difficulties.
Unfortunately you're stabbing randomly, rather than more analytically.

You certainly should not be disabling superfetch, especially if you have a HDD.

Windows search does NOTHING if indexing is complete and no indexed file changes are made, plus it backs off (stops) given the slightest CPU usage. So don't disable it. That's a story dating from XP days. So much mythology- and MS claim to have improved its backing off/resource use in recent builds.

You need now to reset your services etc to default.

Sometimes I have seen Defender misbehaving and using excessive resources.

Inevitably significant upgrades are disk intensive.

Please try to answer each point - this will help respondents. Thanks.

You are missing some very basic starting points:
a. which processes precisely are involved in the high disk usage?
b. is the disk in question behaving as it should?

Basic things I don't know:
- disk - SSD, HDD or what?
- model and approx age of your PC
- result of a disk test
- maximum transfer rate achieved by disk

So... basics:
a. Download install and run Hard Disk Sentinel (functional trial- excellent- includes SSDs).
Check the tab on its GUI for each disk in your system. Green is good. Report any problems.
b. Cold boot, log in, start only task manager.
About 3 mins after logging in post a screenshot of the processes tab, organising any columns of interest by clicking on the appropriate column header high to low.
c. If that is high. perform a clean boot (Google or see tutorial if unsure how).
Repeat the screenshot.
d. Check your disk transfer rate. Get a large file e.g. >2Gb.
Place it on your desktop e.g. and copy it to the desktop.
Take a screenshot like this whilst the copy is in progress (task manager, Performance, C:)

It may take a few seconds to reach the max. transfer rate.

How much free space do you have on C: ?
Are your page file settings the default ones?

History: (almost never given by posters)

When did this problem start?
What happened around the time this started?

JW05 · 19 Sep 2021

Hi dalchina, thanks for reply.
Unfortunately you're stabbing randomly, rather than more analytically.
You certainly should not be disabling superfetch, especially if you have a HDD.

I think that says it all, I haven't much of a clue. I'll re-enable all the things I have disabled and have to live with it.
Thanks anyway.

dalchina · 19 Sep 2021

You shouldn't have to live with it... please work thru the above...

JW05 · 22 Sep 2021

Hi. After much Googling, didn’t even know what a Cold boot was, got these:
a. rather avoid buy with option of trial download if possible.
b. Cold boot Task Manager

c. Clean boot

d. Disktransfer with 3.5Gb file. Write speed varied approx 36 – 102mb.

- Downloaded NIS updates 174.37 Mb no apparent problem on 6 September and 187 MbSuperAntiSpyware on 19 September. However Windows update of 15 September seemed to take forever!
- HP Desktop 8-9 years old, Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3240T CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
- RAM 8.00GB (7.87 GB usable)
- Windows10, version 21H1
- When did this problem start? Last Windows update?
- What happened around the time this started? Nothing I am aware of!

dalchina · 22 Sep 2021

Thanks. Your max disk transfer rate is very very low.
You can see that in two places:
a. Your task manager: 450 KB/s - would hope for perhaps 40MB/s
b. Your task manager - Disk usage of 100% with quite low figures for disk data rates.

However Windows update of 15 September seemed to take forever!

- which exactly was that? Update or feature update (upgrade)?
- see your Update History

What technology is the disk? SSD? HDD?
What model is your HP PC? Specs help (click My computers under my post for comparison).
How much free space do you have on C: ?

Await report from Hard Disk Sentinel. There is a portable version available if you don't wish to install it.
You can use the functional trial for free.
It's periodically given away- and has been posted on tenforums as such.

Clean boot: I mentioned there's a tenforums tutorial: here's a way to find it easily:

and if you simply ask:

- you get instructions straight away.

Paul Black · 22 Sep 2021

Hello @JW05,

Just for information, you can check the Read and Write performance of the Disk using the Windows System Assessment Tool. Just Copy & Paste this command into an Elevated CMD Prompt and press Enter . . .

Code:


winsat disk -seq -read -seqsize 65536 -drive %SystemDrive% & winsat disk -seq -write -seqsize 65536 -drive %SystemDrive%

winsat can run MANY assessments, each with their OWN Parameters . . .

> The Windows winsat Command - ghacks.net

I hope this helps.

MaloK · 22 Sep 2021

It looks like your machine catched the "Windows 10 Cryptographic service high disk usage" bug.

STOP the Cryptographic Services service

DELETE or RENAME the catroot2 directory located in C:\Windows\System32

RESTART the Cryptographic services service.

Code:

net stop cryptsvc

ren %systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 oldcatroot2

net start cryptsvc

dalchina · 22 Sep 2021

@MaloK - in your opinion, is that related to the low maximum transfer rate, or is that a separate and different issue?
Just to be clear...

MaloK · 22 Sep 2021

I looked up the specs of his machine and It's doing a substained 50-90MB/s

I'm pretty sure it's close to What you expect real life from this little guy...