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How to fix 100% disk usage in Windows 10
This is caused by a common combination of Skype as well Google Chrome. Similar issue with other programs could also cause 100% disk usage. To fix this do the following:
Google Chrome:
In Google Chrome, go to Settings > Show Advanced Settings ... > Privacy > Prefetch resources to load pages more quickly
and untick it. See Figure-1 below:
Figure-1
Skype:
Make sure you have exited Skype and it is not running in the taskbar (if it is running in the taskbar then quit it).
Open Windows Explorer and open the following folder:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Skype\Phone"
Now right click "Skype.exe" file and then click "Properties" and open the "Security" tab.
Click the "Edit" button and then highlight "ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES" and place a tick in the "Write" box.
Click "Apply" and then "OK" and then "OK" again. See Figures-2 to Figure-6 below:
This is it, now run Skype and check the Disk Usage in Task Manager and it will no longer show you 100% disk usage anymore:-
I hope this helps people. I spent a long time in finding a solution to this problem.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
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Please consider starting a new question, with the specifics of your device.... Please make sure you have a good Backup (FileHistory and/or OneDrive or something else).. Although you have identified an effect of the instability, fixing the cause of the instability may be elussive, a Win10 Reset or Win10 clean install may get you back to safe, secure, and stable quickest.
Wow ! It worked.
Outstanding u're, thank you so much. U made my day ^^
My issue was resolved by removing Norton Internet Security. After that - the problem has not returned. I may try a reinstall of it since it was there before the upgrade.
So basically, there is no real fix for this problem? I have a Lenovo G50-80, core i5, 6gRAM, less than one year old. It performed like magic with Windows 8, then with 8.1. THEN came Windows 10 and poof! 100% disk usage spiking constantly, PC is becoming unusable. The same thing happened to my 2-year-old Dell, core i3, 4gRAM. Sure, it was a little sluggish, it was only i3, but still, a decent-enough machine. "Upgraded" to W10, performance slowly degraded, 100% disk usage constantly, and finally the drive blew. I'm working right now to offload my files from the Lenovo so I can do a factory reset back to W8 and cross my fingers that the Lenovo isn't ruined.
As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft owes me one, perhaps two, laptops. Totally irresponsible to release an OP that destroys machines. I'm hoping there will be a class-action lawsuit soon. Save your receipts, people, and be ready to sign on.
I dont know how I missed this thread, but am having similar problems.
My 100% disk use always degenerates into a system hang with "windows not responding", however task manager shows disk and cpu activity on background processes. I am not convinced that the 100% disk usage is actual disk usage. I/O activity is low and is a only a small percentage of what my SSD is capable of. I have tried essentially all the solutions indicated.
- got rid of chrome
- got rid of skype
- did a clean install
- ran in safe mode (no apparent problem here)
- disabled everything in startup
- ran a memory test for a few hours (no issues)
- changed antivirus programs
- disabled network access
- System logs reveal nothing except "unexpected power loss due to the forced reboot"
I also have suspected something to do with sleeping and screen saver since sometime the system is essentially idle and the screen saver activates successfully, but when I type a key to reactivate it the system is frozen, except for the cursor.
In just about everything I have tried , I get the feeling that it has solved the problem because it may run okay for a couple of days but then Whamo a hang and I reboot every 10 or 20 minutes for a few hours and then it miraculously resolves itself for another day or so.
Any more diagnostic suggestions would be appreciated.
Other than this I like windows 10, it works fine on my desktop but not my laptop
I just wanted to add a few more observations:
Somewhere I read that disabling the search index was a good work around to the problem. Sure enough I tried it and it worked for a couple of days. (It seems like most of the proposed solutions work for a couple of days). Then this morning some automatic updates from Microsoft got hung up at 50% complete, with no response from anything. A reboot followed by a hang in 5 minutes, another reboot followed by a similar hang and "this is funny" these hangs now happen at exactly 50% active disk rather than 100% with no perceived activity followed by a black screen with cursor.
I am going to try understand the SDK performance module and get it working.!!
I don't understand if Microsoft knows about these problems and is working on them , or are they the kind that refuse to acknowledge there is a problem.
