100% Disk Usage with little running and even after clean boot

I'm wondering how it is that Hard Disk Sentinel appears to show 2 disks of the same size, each with C: (OS)?
Your Crystal Diskinfo and initial task manager screenshot appeared to show only 1 disk.

Please could you clarify exactly what disks you have in your PC - and how they are connected.
I saw a reference to Optane- are you using Intel Optane? (See what I found about your disks below). I think HD Sentinel could be misrepresenting that - well, inasmuch as users don't have access to Optane accelerator disks- access would be limited.

I've never used Optane, so I've asked another member who does to give his opinion. I would wait for that.

I have a lurking suspicion I've seen something about slow performance and Optane.. and the user disabling that. Can't be sure Optane became obsolete around 2021, so it may be this relates to you seeing your system slow down. Just a thought at this point.

I suggest you try disabling Optane pairing.


Here are 2 of your 3 screenshots from your docx file, using forum features as I asked you to use.

Why?
a. makes them immediately visible
b. saves respondents time
c. they expand when clicked on
d. respondents don't have to download a file
e. the quality would be better (at least in this case)

So..
a. create your screenshot and save as a jpg or png file.
b. upload it to the forum as I showed you.

Thanks.

You will immediately see search indexing is not the cause of your problem as I said. Disk usage is still 100% with very little happening.




I asked for details of your disks. I have looked up the codes for you:
MEMPEK1W016GA
System Memory Accelerators Intel Optane Memory 16GB PCIe M2 100 PCK
https://www.mouser.co.uk/datasheet/2...ef-1100902.pdf

ST2000DM001-1ER164
2TB SATA III Performance Hard Disk Drive

You mention 5 mins cold boot time. Assuming that's with your hard drive, I'd expect better than 3.5 mins, for example. Less if you have fast startup enabled.

Did you clone your system disk or clean install Win 10 around the time this problem started? See discussion about disk space allocation for Optane enabled systems:
Clone HDD with Optane Memory enabled

Hi @coopfab,

How is your system doing? What is the present condition?

The Optane Memory module Intel MEMPEK1W016GAD in your system is failing, I would think the failing OPTANE is dragging your HDD. Immediately get into Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management application and disable it. This would delink Optane and the 2TB Seagate HDD will be operating independently with 16 GB RAM. After disabling Optane, tell us how your system is performiing.

Note: If the Optane module has already failed and dead, you wouldn't be able to boot into your system.

So do this immediatelly before the Optane goes dead.

Thanks to dalchina. But for his message I wouldn't have seen this thread.





OFF TRACK

My Optane is OK but HDD is failing. Is my HDD failing?
@dalchina When Optane is coupled to the HDD ( some sort of quasi-raid) its capacity is shown as that of the HDD. In Device Manager it will be shown as Optane+932GB HDD ( my disk capacity) When Optane is disabled these will show as two seperate Disks - 1. Intel MEMPEK1J016gda 2. TOSHIBAMQ04ABF100 )





I have already disabled Optane. in my PC. With only 4 GB RAM, the PC takes a long time to boot and then every mouse click takes it own time. Though it is usable, it requires a lot of patience. ( I just switch it on for half an hour in the morning and evening to check the status of the HDD and waiting for it to die. HDD already cloned to a 1TB SSD with Macrium Reflect and ready to replace the dead HDD. Hope the burial and resurrection will go smoothly when it comes). With the OP having 16GB RAM he will be better off, though it will not be as fast as Optane +HDD..( I will also be replacing the 4GB RAM with Crucial RAM.16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) SODIMM 260-Pin Memory CT2K8G4SFS824A. Optane will be retained till its death or may be I may not see that day )

@zbook,
I beg to differ with you.

If you look at the Hard Disk Sentinel screenshot in post #11, the Intel MEMPEK1W016GA (the 16GB Optane memory module ) shows 0 health with the comment "Failure Predicted" It has also been placed in Read only mode.

In contrast the Seagate ST2000DM001 - his 1863 GB HDD - shows 100 % health.

So The OP needs to disable the Optane immediately rather than testing his HDD. While I do not know if and when the Optane will go dead, if it goes dead, then he won't be able to boot the PC.

If he succeeds in disabling the Optane using the Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management application, he will be able to boot and his PC will be operating with the 16GB conventional RAM in his PC.

At the moment the defective Optane is dragging his HDD.

Thanks for the info on how Optane is handled by HDS.

It will be instructive to see the same for coopfab's system when Optane is disabled.

@jumanji

Post #10 displayed: Backup important files > replace the Intel drive


HD sentinel uses SMART data and a proprietary scoring system.

Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology - Wikipedia

Comparison of S.M.A.R.T. tools - Wikipedia


Hard Disk Sentinel runs in the background and verifies SSD / HDD health status by inspecting the SMART status of the disk(s).
Hard Disk Sentinel - HDD health and temperature monitoring


Unfortunately the Hard Disk Sentinel scoring system gives computer users false confidence on the status of their drives.



There are multiple types of drive tests.

In Ten Forums and Eleven Forum there are threads in which HD sentinel displayed > 90% on drives that had already failed.

It is important to run Sea Tools for Windows or Sea Tools bootable on drives that are problematic.

Sea Tools for Windows is a useful testing tool to eliminate the hard disk drive as the source or physical cause of some system problem.

How to use SeaTools for Windows | Support Seagate US


SeaTools | Support Seagate US

Unable to disable Optane..
- you may have found this somewhat curious response:
Cannot disable Intel Optane - Intel Community
- referring the poster back to their OEM...

Did Optane come pre-installed with your PC?
(For reference only- how to install Optane on Dell..
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/e...enware-systems
)

@coopfab,

OK,Good that you have contacted Intel.You may also seek help from Dell community( I believe you have a DELL Optiplex) and if any resolution comes from either or both the entities, let us know. https://www.dell.com/community/Dell-...y/ct-p/English

Now continuing with my viewpoints,

The status in the application Window clearly shows the problem is with PCIe(13GB)- the Optane module.

In the past when I invoked Disable Optane, the preparing system went on for a long time.. Losing patience I would shut down or restart the PC to end the process. What I found was when the PC boots, the preparing system will come back automatically and run till it completes. Did it happen in your case?

Give it one more shot. Let preparing system run overnight. Check the next morning. Does it complete or stop with the error status? ( Change the Power Settings. When you sleep, the PC never to sleep.)

I also have the following questions.

Have you ever in the past disabled and enabled the Optane? To avoid long running of preparing system, I disable and enable Optane regularly once in a month. I no longer experience a long running disable. During the disable process, it jettisons all the data stored in it back into the HDD and starts again with a clean slate when enabled. If the data is filled to its brim it will take more time to complete the action.

Next question: Do you do a regular system back up? If so which program do you use? Intel recommends disabling Optane first and then back up.

Well , in your case if Optane does not discharge its content back to the HDD, what next? Let us wait and see what Intel or Dell say.

Note: Optane can be disabled in BIOS. But do not do it now. It will be the last option if nothing else resolves the problem to disable Optane and remove it.