need help with memory and disk usage

Start with the safest checks first. If memory and disk are both hitting 100%, the most common causes in the provided guidance are low free disk space, startup/background programs, disk errors, paging/virtual memory settings, or a background Windows service.

1. Free up disk space
   • On the taskbar, type disk cleanup and open Disk Cleanup.
   • Select the main drive, then select OK.
   • Select the file types to remove, then select OK.
   • Make sure nothing important is in the Recycle Bin before emptying it.
   • A nearly full drive can slow Windows down. One Microsoft article notes that a drive with less than 20% free space will typically run slowly.
2. Check advanced performance and virtual memory settings
   • Type control panel in the taskbar search box and open Control Panel.
   • Go to System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
   • On the Advanced tab, under Performance, select Settings > Advanced.
   • Make sure Adjust for best performance of is set to Programs.
   • Under Virtual memory, select Change.
   • Make sure Automatically manage paging file sizes for all drives is selected.
   • Select OK, then Apply, then restart the laptop.
   • This is a safe setting check and does not remove files.
3. Run the built-in System Maintenance troubleshooter
   • Open Control Panel.
   • Set View by to Large icons or Small icons.
   • Open Troubleshooting > View all > System Maintenance.
   • Select Next.
   • If shown, select Try troubleshooting as an administrator.
4. Check the drive for errors
   • Open This PC.
   • Right-click the main drive and select Properties.
   • Open the Tools tab.
   • Under Error checking, select Check.
   • Let it finish. A restart may be required.
   • This can take several minutes.
5. Reduce startup load
   • If the laptop is slow mainly after sign-in, unnecessary startup apps can contribute.
   • Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
   • Go to Startup.
   • Disable unnecessary apps there.
   • Leave security software and anything not recognized alone.
6. If disk usage spikes are caused by background services
   • A Microsoft Q&A answer for similar Windows 11 disk spikes suggests checking SysMain.
   • Press Start, type services, and open Services.
   • Find SysMain, open it, stop the service, and set Startup type to Disabled.
   • Restart the PC.
   • This changes a service setting, so only do this if the earlier safer steps did not help.
7. If the laptop still feels slow after that
   • Check for malware, because malware can interfere with normal operation and cause slow performance.
   • If the system is still slow after ruling out malware, recent software changes, and low disk space, the issue may be hardware-related.
   • One Microsoft support article notes that limited RAM can be a cause of slow performance.

Safest order to try:

1. Disk Cleanup
2. Virtual memory check
3. System Maintenance troubleshooter
4. Error checking on the drive
5. Disable unnecessary startup apps
6. Disable SysMain only if needed

If the laptop becomes slow immediately after startup, focus first on startup apps and SysMain. If it is slow all the time, focus first on disk cleanup, error checking, and virtual memory settings.

References:

• Fix File Explorer if it won't open or start
• Optimizing Microsoft Windows Vista Performance
• Speed up a Windows 8.1 computer
• "System" process is very regularly using all available disk usage. - Microsoft Q&A
• My Computer running to slow - Microsoft Q&A