Disk usage spikes up to 100% when opening any programs.

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guyferrari

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Jun 28, 2016
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Hello, I've got a dilemma.

My disk usage spikes up to 100% every time I open any application. Simple things like Chrome and Steam take a long time to open, with the usage going so high up. Even logging into my computer is a pain. Otherwise, the usage is pretty low.

I have a Western Digital Black 1TB HDD.

If you have any additional questions about my computer or the issue, let me know. Thanks!

EDIT: The usage has a similar problem when downloading.
 
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mdd1963

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Jan 14, 2006
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Is the 1 TB drive in question your sole drive in the computer? (Naturally, launching applications will access the C drive to launch them)

Is your drive almost full?

What is your % CPU and % RAM usage in task manager?

do you have adequate amounts of RAM? (preferably 8-16 GB)

Are your CPU temps under control? (an overheating cpu could make it run at 800 MHz, slowing everything down, including making drive reads take forever)
 
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guyferrari

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Jun 28, 2016
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It is the only drive I have, with 501 GB being used.

CPU% is usually around single digit numbers when resting. It can go up to 30-40% when opening something or updating.

I have 8GB RAM.

I checked the CPU temp when opening some stuff like Steam. Resting is around 30 degrees C, but it spiked up to roughly 50 when opening and updating games on Steam. Is this just a cooling issue?
 
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mdd1963

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Jan 14, 2006
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Temps will always spike up with clock speeds, normal....

However, maybe your drive has issues if the wait is inordinately long...

Download/install/run crystaldiskmark, and run a short test, and view the drives smart data...

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/
 
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guyferrari

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Jun 28, 2016
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Haven't done a SMART test in forever, haha.

Here are the results: https://imgur.com/a/96LxK7m

These speeds are slow, and I've been wanting to buy an SSD in addition to my hard drive for a long time. Are these speeds bad for HDDs though? If so, I'll replace it, but please let me know!

 
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guyferrari

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Jun 28, 2016
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My bad! That was a benchmark, not a SMART test.

https://imgur.com/a/hohd4VX

It says good overall, but there are some pretty big differences between current and worst. Does anything seem poor?
 
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mdd1963

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Jan 14, 2006
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The sequential reads/writes are not that bad...

But, certainly, disk usage will spike for disk resident programs....

I'd just swap to an SSD (Crucial MX500, Samsung 850/860 EVO), then relegate the spinning drive to 'slow/secondary storage' roles, vice losing more sleep over 'my slow drive is slow'-problem solving :)
 
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guyferrari

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Jun 28, 2016
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I made a post on reddit, and I got a similar recommendation. I've been planning on getting an SSD for a while, and I'll put the OS and the applications I use a lot on it. Should speed things up, thanks!
 
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