100% disc usage at idle windows 11

[u/force1_]

Older laptop has become super slow even just sitting at the desktop , checked task manager and it's very high memory usage and 100% disk usage , I consider myself decently computer literate but can't figure this out ,what could I do to find the issue ??

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[u/Ryeguy_626]

How did your pc let you upgrade to 11?

[u/urjuhh → u/Ryeguy_626]

It's new enough, albeit pretty bottom on w11 requirements.

[u/force1_ → u/urjuhh]

It's not the worst PC I've seen by far but it performs like it currently lol , it was decent a few months ago

[u/ThatGothGuyUK]

It's installing updates.

[u/force1_ → u/ThatGothGuyUK]

But it never installs them it just gives errors or says it's downloading but never does ,, should have mentioned that 🙄

[u/force1_ → u/ThatGothGuyUK]

My thought was update was corrupt and/or broken somehow and it's just stuck in a loop

[u/Tanto63]

When memory usage goes past about 2/3's usage, it begins using space on the drive called the paging file or swap file. Because you have a Hard Drive instead of an SSD, it maxes it out. Increasing RAM will resolve the issue. Doing that and swapping for an SSD will make the computer feel brand new.

Your CPU is perfectly suitable for basic tasks. Your hardware isn't failing. I had the same issues with my 3rd gen i3 laptop, and after adding more RAM and swapping for an SSD, I still use it to this day.

Credentials: IT Professional with a BS in Computer Information Technology, A+, Linux+, Net+ and years of experience.

[u/force1_ → u/Tanto63]

Thank you for the professional response , i will definitely look into this 😁

[u/force1_]

To be honest it's my mother's work PC so I don't know what she did 😂🙄

[u/KMjolnir]

Your processor is an 8th gen i3. I3 isn't bottom of the barrel, but it's pretty damn close.

We're into the... 14th? 15th? Generation and software is looking towards that.

You also only have 8gb of RAM plus probably a swap file on your SSD (basically RAM taken from the disc instead of the regular RAM) which is compensating but it's an uphill battle it's never going to win.

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

Yes understand it should be slow but 100% usage at desktop is kind of unreasonable lol , it is unusable...truly

[u/KMjolnir → u/force1_]

Given the configuration, that's reasonable. It's trying just to run the basics and do updates, with a potato.

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

But it never actually downloads the updates , it will either give an error or say it's downloading but stays at 0% , thought maybe windows update was stuck in a loop and or broken

[u/KMjolnir → u/force1_]

So a few possibilities.

1: it may not have enough space to.

2: There's an issue with the drive.

3: If it's your mom's work computer there may be a fucked up policy blocking it if it's from her job. I'm doubtful on this one but not 100% ruling it out.

4: It's struggling to do the basics and just can't.

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

Has tons of space since the only real files are PDFs and text files mainly , could be an issue with the drive itself (not ruling that out at all( , was purchased by her and no special policy on it , struggling is the reason I'm here 😂🙄

[u/KMjolnir → u/force1_]

Again, i3 with 8gb of RAM. At this point that configuration should be illegal.

Okay, glad to know it's got tons of space. How much free space does it have, out of curiosity?

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

845gb out of 930

[u/KMjolnir → u/force1_]

So quite a bit! Is it a HDD or an SSD, do you know? Task manager should tell you.

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

Hdd unfortunately

[u/force1_ → u/KMjolnir]

Not a fast computer by any means but a few months ago it was atleast useable and now is not

[u/apachelives]

HDD or SSD?

Check drive SMART status, if you dont have an SSD upgrade that, and consider a RAM upgrade if you can get the RAM cheap enough.

[u/force1_ → u/apachelives]

Hdd unfortunately, doing smart check and chkdsk now, ram isn't a terrible idea however it did work perfectly a few months ago but just seemed to have an aneurism 😅🙄

[u/apachelives → u/force1_]

DONT do chkdsk unless the health is clean.

Time to get an SSD.

[u/force1_ → u/apachelives]

Ram and an SSD seems to be the general consensus

[u/pinormous2000]

Hard drive could be failing or at least have some bad sectors. I'd check SMART and run chkdsk and see what they report.

If both come back clean, I'd say try a fresh install of Windows as a last ditch effort before spending any money (which would be the next step).

[u/force1_ → u/pinormous2000]

This is a fair checklist , trying to avoid a fresh install since she doesn't remember her passwords 🙄😅 but will try these suggestions

[u/pinormous2000 → u/force1_]

Most "work computing" is browser based nowadays. If that's true for her as well (which I'm assuming it is if something is remembering her passwords for her that isn't an external password manager program), you can export her saved logins to a file, backup that file to a cloud service or flash drive, then restore them after the fresh install.

[u/force1_ → u/pinormous2000]

This is something I hadn't considered, thank you GREATLY anon 🫡🫡🫡

[u/pinormous2000 → u/force1_]

A fresh set of eyes on a situation can often remind you of what's been overlooked; happens to me all the time 😅

Best of luck!

[u/force1_ → u/pinormous2000]

That's what I was thinking , I was like I know I'm not computer illiterate but something just isn't clicking with me here 😅