Otherwise, keep reading for our more extensive list of possible problems. Tools like OneDrive or Dropbox take time to synchronize all files.
That happens often with large amounts of data. In such cases, I often reset the programs or reinstall them. For example, you can reset OneDrive by pressing the Windows and R keys at the same time and typing in:. After clicking OK , OneDrive will reset and resync your files.
This often solves issues with constant disk usage on my end. Every few months, Microsoft releases new Windows 10 updates. Those download in the background and at some point install automatically. Since Windows is replacing literally tens of thousands of files, everything else will slow down during the update process. In some cases, Windows may even become unresponsive.
To figure out whether an update is in progress, open the Start menu and click on Settings. From there, select Updates and Security. In this case, sit back and let Windows Update do its job. Windows Superfetch is supposedly a highly intelligent feature that Microsoft introduced in Vista.
It analyzes your usage patterns, such as when you launch certain applications and how often, and then preloads their data into memory. In most cases, this works quite well, especially on older hard disks. Some users complain that Superfetch causes constant hard disk usage.
To disable Superfetch, press the Windows and R keys at the same time. Type in services. Hit OK. Scroll down until you see SysMain. Under Startup type , click Disabled and hit OK. Reboot your system and see if performance improves. Is Task Manager showing you an unknown program with super-high disk usage? There might also be spyware on your system.
At any rate, make sure you stay updated about the most dangerous current threats , and read our list of best security and privacy tips.
Get it for Android , iOS , Mac. Get it for Mac , iOS , Android. Get it for Android , Mac , iOS. Get it for iOS , Mac , Android. High disk usage can also be caused by your antivirus software — during a background scan, or if the tool suffers a malfunction and gets stuck.
If so, do not stop it. If the scan seems frozen, reboot your system and let it sit for a while until the antivirus stops. For instance, Adobe Reader runs various background tasks, and these might lead to high disk usage.
Once you launch Adobe Reader, Sleep Mode turns everything back on again as if nothing happened. Try Sleep Mode out for yourself. Fire up Disk Doctor and run a check. If it finds an error, it will fix it automatically. To prevent data loss, get your files off that disk as quickly as possible. Copy them to an external hard disk and replace the drive with a new one. Your PC will use the page file on your disk as expanded memory.
Over time, this page file can become defective, which can, in turn, cause unexpected slowdowns and high disk usage. To fix it, you need to delete that page file and create a new one. To do that, press the Windows and R keys at the same time and type in sysdm.
Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives and then select No paging file. Hit Set and then reboot your system. Repeat all those steps again, select System managed size , and hit Set.
Then, check Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. The index in Windows Search helps you find files, folders, emails, and even the content of some of those files instantly. To do that, it scans your hard disk and turns it into a super-fast index to give you immediate results.
Click on the Start button and type in Indexing. The search results will return this:. Click on Indexing Options. From there, select Advanced and hit the Rebuild button. Errors in the pagefile. The remedy to this problem is to reset your virtual memory settings.
A check disk can show you if there are any physical problems with your hard drive. Usually, a high disk usage indicates that there is an application or logical issue driving the disk usage, but it is worth your time to rule out any physical damage.
Run check disk and note its results. Some users have reported that making these changes to your Google Chrome and Skype settings can have a beneficial effect on your disk usage. One last thing to try is to disable any automatic defrag processes that are running as they may be causing you problems. You need to fix the issue or risk a very slow moving computer. Jeff Cochin is a data management and recovery expert. He also serves as a technical writer, testing and reviewing tech solutions in various fields.
Jeff Cochin is a professional data management, warehousing and recove Updated on April 29, Written by. Jeff Cochin. Approved by. Brett Johnson. Read also. The services window will open. Select the Windows Search entry and double-click it to update its properties. Select Disabled under Startup type and then OK to save your changes.
To update your Skype settings use this procedure: To start Skype for Windows 10, select the Start menu from the bottom left of your screen. In the list of available applications, scroll down to Skype for Windows 10 and click to open it. Select the Security tab and click on the Edit option.
Check the Write option to select Allow which lets Skype write to your disk.
