Opening Task Manager Slows PC to Crawl - Windows 10 Pro 1709

Hello-

I had this issue and I couldn't find anywhere with a working solution.

Finally after trying every which thing I could think of, I learned that disabling powershell in the programs and features solves the issue.

That is, if you hit the windows key and then type in "programs", "Add or remove programs" should be an option.  Click on it.  Then on this screen choose "Programs and features" on the right.  From here choose "turn windows features on or off" and then scroll all the way to the bottom of the new window that pops up and uncheck both powershell boxes.

This still allows you to use powershell too!

I already have a "working solution," which is to "Allow" Firefox and Chrome in Webroot's Identity Protection module.  With this setup, I can run Task Manager and Firefox at the same time with no problem. However, I was interested in this, so I tried unchecking both powershell boxes and then "protecting" Firefox in Webroot (the default setting in Webroot).  The problem returned; upon attempting to run Firefox and Task Manager simultaneously I had no control over my computer.  After 5 minutes, I had to do a hard reboot to return it to usability.  So a question: did it solve the issue for you with just Chrome (which really isn't problematic for me) or did it also fix the issue with Firefox?  Did you have to reboot after unchecking the powershell boxes to make it work or did it immediately fix things for you?

Same issue intermittently since Win10 Creators Update. Happens to my PC when Task Manager is open at the same time as a browser.

Chrome and Firefox are affected (... but not Edge?).  Task Manager stops responding. Mouse responses lag by several seconds. ditto keyboard. CPU and memory to spare as far as I can tell.

Only happens when browser is open. Disabling Chrome extensions and setting Chrome not to run extensions in background doesn't cure the problem. Problem doesn't arise with 3rd party Task Manager alternative (System Explorer).

If left open long enough in unresponsive state, Task Manager eventually starts responding, and mouse control returns. In my case, the issue then went away for a few weeks until today, when I had reason to reinstall Chrome from scratch. Now it's back.

Uninstalled Chrome and switched to existing Firefox browser. Same deal.

Tomorrow I'll try the wait and see approach with Firefox and report back.

My PC is Dell Inspiron, AMD Phenom II 2600 Mhz with 8 GB of RAM. Also runs Webroot AV.

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Update - 2 hours later. Confirmed that issue is triggered by having Firefox and TM open at same time. All it takes is 2-3 clicks on TM (e.g. switching tab or from programme-name to CPU column) to cause TM to stop responding, then mouse/keyboard responses to lag until PC becomes uncontrollable.

Lag makes closing Firefox almost impossible but when I eventually succeeded in doing so, TM started responding again and HID control returned immediately. 

TM does not break PC when Edge is open.

For the time being I've disabled TM via the group policy editor and will use a 3rd party utility that doesn't conflict with Firefox/Chrome.

Describes the problem I'm having perfectly. Wow, it is March and that was December and this is still and issue.... wow.

Hi,

We would like to help you with your concern. Are you using the updated Windows build? To check it, type in winver on Search bar and hit Enter. When did this issue start? We suggest to create a new user account and see if the same issue persists. Also, you can scan and fix corrupted system files. Head over to this link for the instructions.

Let us know how it goes.

Same issue intermittently since Win10 Creators Update. Happens to my PC when Task Manager is open at the same time as a browser.

Chrome and Firefox are affected (... but not Edge?).  Task Manager stops responding. Mouse responses lag by several seconds. ditto keyboard. CPU and memory to spare as far as I can tell.

Only happens when browser is open. Disabling Chrome extensions and setting Chrome not to run extensions in background doesn't cure the problem. Problem doesn't arise with 3rd party Task Manager alternative (System Explorer).

If left open long enough in unresponsive state, Task Manager eventually starts responding, and mouse control returns. In my case, the issue then went away for a few weeks until today, when I had reason to reinstall Chrome from scratch. Now it's back.

Uninstalled Chrome and switched to existing Firefox browser. Same deal.

Tomorrow I'll try the wait and see approach with Firefox and report back.

My PC is Dell Inspiron, AMD Phenom II 2600 Mhz with 8 GB of RAM. Also runs Webroot AV.

---

Update - 2 hours later. Confirmed that issue is triggered by having Firefox and TM open at same time. All it takes is 2-3 clicks on TM (e.g. switching tab or from programme-name to CPU column) to cause TM to stop responding, then mouse/keyboard responses to lag until PC becomes uncontrollable.

Lag makes closing Firefox almost impossible but when I eventually succeeded in doing so, TM started responding again and HID control returned immediately. 

TM does not break PC when Edge is open.

For the time being I've disabled TM via the group policy editor and will use a 3rd party utility that doesn't conflict with Firefox/Chrome.

Describes the problem I'm having perfectly. Wow, it is March and that was December and this is still and issue.... wow.

Are you using Webroot as your AV?  If so, have you tried "allowing" rather than "protecting" Firefox and Chrome in Webroot's Identity Protection module?  After doing so, you have to shut down Webroot and then re-enable it for the workaround to take effect.  Also, every time Firefox has an update, it gets "protected" again by Webroot and you have to repeat.

After ScottDobert's solution it seemed the issue was fixed however it has come back yet again.