Hard drive fully utilized - it could be because of that
If the hard drive is busy, this has a negative impact on the overall system performance. Therefore, this problem should be resolved. The difficult thing about it: There can be numerous causes. We give you some tips and tell you what you can do in this case.
Hard disk busy: General system and hardware check
- Hard drive diagnostics: First you should check your hard drive for errors with a diagnostic tool such as "CheckDrive" or "SeaTools". Some manufacturers also provide special software for their hard drives, such as Western Digital and Samsung.
- Checkdisk: Next you should run chkdsk or alternatively use the freeware "CheckDisk" to search for sector errors on the hard disk.
- System check: You can also check your entire system. This works for example with "SiSoft Sandra" and "HWiNFO32".
- Hard disk space: In any case, you must check whether you still have enough free space on your hard disk and, if necessary, free up space.
- Tip: The "Ultime Boot CD" is ideal for analysis, since you can carry out the diagnosis outside of the installed Windows system. However, this tool requires some understanding of technology.
Solutions for hard disk usage
- Making the system easier: To speed up Windows, you should, among other things, deactivate unnecessary system services, remove unnecessary startup programs, switch off indexing and deactivate Windows tips.
- It can also help to disable Windows Firewall and Windows Defender. However, please note that in this case you should install an alternative virus scanner and a firewall.
- Also follow the tips from sections 2 through 4 of the article "Make Windows 10 Faster". The defragmentation instructions are particularly important.
- In some circumstances, the internet browser used can also be the culprit. Google Chrome in particular is known to utilize the hard drive. You should therefore reset your browser or, if possible, completely reinstall it.
- If all of these tips do not help, you should think about formatting your entire hard drive and reinstalling Windows. Please be sure to follow our operating system installation guide.
- Tip: You can also use an alternative operating system such as Linux Mint instead of Windows. This means that you will probably have less difficulties in the future than with the resource-intensive Windows, which also spies on your privacy.