Help needed computer too slow

[Stone6]

My laptop is getting slow , I checked the task manager and it shows disk usage 100% when no programs are running also, it did check for virus but no virus is there. How lower disk usage. 

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Hi

Defrag the HDD, I use Piriform Defraggler.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

It will show massive amounts of services/programs/apps loaded and running, prune a few out.

If in doubt please ask.

[Stone6]

I did use defragment but it is still showing 100% disk usage 

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Hi

Either delete stuff or find out what is running.

Sysinternals is good for that.

[WAWood]

@Stone6 

With a Win10 PC, you're going to experience a variety of problems not typical of the older PCs. Unlike with older OS versions, Win10 FORCES updates and patches on folks every week. This can cause problems not seen in the older OS versions.

First is sluggishness. You may experience a very slow PC at times because Windows Update (WU) is hogging your PC, searching for, downloading, and installing updates -- to bring your PC up to the most current version of Windows. This can also contribute significantly to high processor temperatures, as it is being heavily used.

Second is fan noise. That's directly related to fan speed, which is the result of processor heat, and WU is known to drive up the processor load -- sometimes to 100%. That can cause the fan to run loud and continuous for some time.

Third is disk usage. WU can easily force the disk usage to 100% and and keep it pinned there for some time. That's because it writes WU files to the drive, then it turns around and reads them, then it overwrites existing Windows System files. All of that takes a lot of disk usage to complete.

These processes are compounded by Win10 because new Win 10 patches coming out nearly every Tuesday. Since you can't stop Updates like you did with Win7, this means you're going to get updates, regardless of what you do.

To find out what version and build of Win10 your PC is running, do the following:
1) enter "cmd" (without the quotes) into the search area and select the Command Prompt option
2) enter "winver" into the command window (again, without the quotes)
3) The most current Win10 versions as of 5/12/20 are the following:
a) v1809: Bld 17763.1192
b) v1903: Bld 18632.836
c) v1909: Bld 18363.836.

If yours is older than that, most likely WU is hogging your PC trying to update it.

Some folks have been told that resetting your PC will fix this. but, if you reset your PC, you only make matters WORSE! Why? Because you will reset Win10 back to the original version that came preloaded on the PC and that will restart Windows Update all over again.

To disable WU temporarily, do the following:
1) Enter "services" in the search area (again, without the quotes)
2) When the window opens, scroll down until you see Windows Update
3) If it say Running under status, that indicates that WU is running
4) To change that, double-click on that task, select Stop under the Service status, and then Apply
5) That should stop WU -- and you should see an immediate improvement in performance.

If not, then WU is not the problem.

WU will restart itself automatically later on, so you basically have no choice than to bear with it until it finishes.

[Stone6]

I checked the version and it is running on the latest Windows version. On task manager it is showing system usage and I cannot restart the computer .

[WAWood]

@Stone6 

Disk usage is an indication of the load on the drive, not how much of it has been filled.  IF the drive is failing, that will cause it to work a lot more and drive up the load numbers.

If your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, to check the drive you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) Press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

[Stone6]

It is not a hardware issue as I already changed the hard disk warranty before. When I first bought the laptop it was very slow so under warranty they already changed the hard drive once.