Last updated on April 19, 2024

"My hard drive is relatively new, but my computer has been running very slowly, so I checked the disk activity and found that it's almost always at 100%."

5 Ways to Fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11

Is your computer or laptop running slow, with constant pop-ups warning you that your disk usage is at 100%? Don't let this problem plague you any longer. Below, you'll find effective methods for resolving the 100% disk usage issue and optimizing your computer's performance in Windows 7.

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Feasible Solutions | **Feasible Solutions** | **Step-by-Step Troubleshooting** | | --- | --- | | Solution 1: Check and Fix System Errors | Launch Partition Master on your computer. Then locate the hard drive...Full Steps | | Solution 2: Reset Virtual Memory | Press the Windows key + Pause/Break key simultaneously. Then select...Full Steps | | Solution 3: Stop Windows Services | Press Windows + R keys or type "Run" in the Windows 7 search box. Input services.msc...Full Steps | | Solution 4: Clean System Files | Download and install CleanGenius. Select "Clean Up"...Full Steps | | Solution 5: Upgrade Your HDD/SSD | Open Partition Master. Right-click the hard drive you want to copy or clone...Full Steps |
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7 Ways to Fix 99% Disk Usage on Windows

Learn effective methods to solve the issue of 99% disk usage on Windows. Optimize system performance with these 7 steps.

99% Disk Usage

How to Check Disk Usage in Windows 7

Before diving into finding the reason for a full disk, it's essential to check the disk usage. Follow these steps to examine your disk usage:

Press CTRL+ALT+DEL > Right-click the Taskbar > Select Task Manager > Click on Processes.

Windows 7 100 disk usage

If some useless processes are occupying the Windows disk space, select it and click “End Task” to stop it running immediately. Then you can figure out how to solve the 100% disk usage problem. Here are some recommended methods to fix the 100% disk usage issue in Windows 10/8/7.

Read more: How to Fix 100% Disk Usage in Task Manager on Windows 10

Fix 1: Check and fix system errors to resolve 100% disk usage issue

First of all, you should check for disk errors. In some cases, 100% disk usage can be caused by unknown system errors. You can use the CHKDSK command to check and repair drive errors, or use third-party disk repair software - tools Partition Master. With it, you can check and fix disk errors with simple steps.

    • Increase C drive space.
    • Resize/move partitions, merge partitions, check file system errors.
    • Disk cloning, conversion to MBR/GPT, dynamic/basic, and even data erasure.
    • Migrate OS, increase partition space, and more.

Step 1: Right-click the problematic partition.

Step 2. Select Advanced > Check File System.

Step 3: Confirm whether to hide the partition.

Step 4: In the “Check File System” window, select the option to “Attempt to repair if errors are found.”

Click “Start” to begin checking for partition errors.

Solution 2: Reset Virtual Memory If Windows Is Using 100%

Virtual memory is a combination of RAM and hard drive space. It can be a cause of the 100% disk usage problem. If you're still having issues with 100% disk usage, reset the virtual memory to fix it.

Step 1. Press the Windows key and the Pause/Break key at the same time. Then, click "Advanced system settings" on the left.

Reset virtual memory to fix 100% disk usage issue in Windows 7 -1

Step 2: Click "Advanced," then click "Settings."

Step 3: Click again on the "Advanced" tab, and then under the "Virtual Memory" section, click on "Change."

How to set virtual memory to fix 100% disk usage issue in Windows 7-2

Step 4: Make sure the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” checkbox is unchecked.

Step 5: Select your Windows disk (the hard drive or partition where Windows is installed, usually C:) and enter the same size for both the Initial and Maximum size of the virtual memory:

How to Set Virtual Memory to Fix 100% Disk Usage Issue in Windows 7 - 3

Enter a value for the virtual memory, then click “Set,” and then “OK” to continue.

Fix 3: Stop certain Windows services to fix 100% disk usage on Windows 7

If Method 2 doesn't work, you might need to disable some of Windows' mysterious and resource-hungry background services, like Superfetch.

Step 1: Press Windows+R or type “Run” in the search box on Windows 7. Type services.msc in the Open field, and then click the OK button.

Step 2: Right-click on the “Superfetch” service and select “Properties.” In the window that pops up, click “Stop,” then under “Startup type,” select “Disabled.”

Fix 100% disk usage on Windows 7 by stopping certain Windows services

Solution 4: Speed Up Windows 7 by Cleaning System Files

If your Windows operating system is running slow, you can speed it up by cleaning system files. You can do this manually, or use a lightweight cleaning utility. Here's how:

Step 1: Download and install the Partition Master Suite tool.

Download and install CleanGenius

Click on “PC Cleanup,” install the CleanGenius tool, click “Clean” and then “Scan” to begin cleaning your system and restoring your computer to its former self.

System Cleanup Step 1

Step 3: The software will scan your computer and list the idle data files that are taking up a lot of space on your hard drive. You can choose to get rid of unnecessary large files, system junk, and invalid Windows entries. Click on “Clean” to begin the cleanup process.

System Cleanup Step 2

4. When the scan is over, click “Finish” to get rid of system junk files.

System cleanup step 3

Solution 5: Upgrade to a Larger HDD/SSD

If none of these methods work, you can upgrade your SSD or HDD to a larger one. AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you change to a new hard drive or SSD without reinstalling Windows.

Tips
Make sure there is enough unallocated space on the target SSD or HDD to hold all the data from the source disk. As all data on the target drive will be removed during this process, remember to backup important data on it in advance.
If the partition table types of the source and target disks are different, you need to ensure that your computer motherboard supports the boot mode required by the target disk. Otherwise, you should convert MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR in advance with this guide.

Step 1: Select the source disk.

    Click "Clone" on the left menu. Choose "Clone System Disk" or "Clone Data Disk", then click "Next". Select the source disk, then click "Next".

Step 2: Select the target disk.

    Select the desired HDD/SSD as the target disk and click “Next” to proceed. Read the warning message and click “Yes” to confirm.

Step 3: Review the disk layout and edit the target disk partition sizes if necessary.

When prompted that all data on the target disk will be erased, click Continue. (Back up any important data on the target disk beforehand.)

Here you can choose to “Automatically adjust the disk size,” “Clone to the same size as the source disk,” or “Edit disk layout.” (If you want to reserve more space for the C drive, choose the last option.)

Step 4: Click Start to begin cloning the disk.

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Conclusions

After doing so, your computer should no longer have the 100% disk usage issue. You'll then enjoy an optimized computer with plenty of free space to store more useful data. If you still encounter other 100% disk usage issues like high disk usage by Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry in Windows 10 or high CPU usage by Antimalware Service Executable, you can also turn to a tool for help.

Frequently Asked Questions About 100% Disk Usage on Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11 (UTF-8)

If you continue reading, you can get more help here.

How can I reduce the amount of disk space used by Windows 7?

Reduce Windows 7 disk usage:

    • Moving the temp files
    • Disabling the page file
    • Setting the Windows Update download folder as a symbolic link

Why is my disk usage so high?

If you notice that your disk usage is consistently very high, there might be something else going on. Right-click the Start button and choose Task Manager, or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

What is taking up space on my Windows 7 hard drive?

See what is taking up space on your hard drive.

Step 1: Show Hidden Files on Your Hard Drive

Step 2: Analyze the hard drive and find out what is taking up space

The amount of space that Windows 7 takes up depends on the edition installed and whether it includes Service Packs and other updates. Generally, an installation of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional without any updates might require around 15-20 GB of hard drive space. Including Service Pack 1 (SP1) and other updates can increase this to approximately 25-30 GB. To ensure smooth system performance, it's recommended to have additional space available for the operating system and storage of other files.

1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit) 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)