Issues with long disk management load times and slow shutdowns.
Issues with long disk management load times and slow shutdowns.
Having no unallocated space shouldn't slow down a computer but I always make sure there's about 50 GB of unallocated space at the end of the primary Windows 11 drive because it's happened to me before.
But that likely is not the issue and if you do decide to use a program like NIUBI Partition Editor Free Edition to create 50 GB of unallocated space at the end of the primary Windows 11 drive, You will have to ensure that you do it correctly.
I typically shrink the C:/ partition by 50 GB if there's at least 200 GB of free space on the C:\ partition and then ensure the resulting unallocated space is at the end of the drive. I don't touch any of the other partitions, ever. You're on your own, of course. I'm just sharing what I do.
I also like to run the Windows 11 compatibility troubleshooter to see if any applications are the reason for the slow performance.
Select
Start
>
Settings
>
System
>
Troubleshoot
>
Other troubleshooters
.
Locate
Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
and select
Run
.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
I need to ask, from where comes this fixed size of 50 GB?
🤔
Sure, on 2TB drive, 50GB is peanuts but on 256GB drive, it's 1/5 of the capacity.
And when it is unallocated, Win can not see nor use it. So, what's the idea?
Only purpose of the 50 GB unallocated space is when you fill up your C:/ drive to the brim and need a bit of extra space (e.g for pagefile.sys). Other than that, i see no reason why to keep 50GB unallocated on C:/ drive.
I'm not bad at managing my storage capacity. At most, i let my drives fill up to 80% of capacity. 90% at worst. But never 100%.
If i need more storage capacity, i'll buy a new drive.
(Way back in time, in Win95/98 era, i learned my lesson not to fill the HDD to the brim. It did not end well.)
While i don't do well with software issues, i know very well not to go and poke around with partition splits/merges. Especially when it is the OS drive.
For a SSD, it doesn't matter at all where the unallocated space is located on the drive. SSD is not a HDD which has "start" and "end" sectors.
I reviewed the various posts and began to consider utilizing certain built-in Windows utilities to analyze system performance details. Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and Process Explorer come to mind. I plan to use each tool individually, focusing on one at a time. The goal is to identify what processes are active or inactive during performance issues—anything anticipated or missing, anything unexpected or unknown. Additionally, I will check the Reliability History/Monitor and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, or other events captured near slowdowns. I also observed the Reliability History screens; the warnings there are particularly noteworthy. I want to see what information is available in the Technical details section. The listed sources seem unusual, starting with 9* etc. I’ll examine the Update History as well. As a last resort, I’ll consult the motherboard’s User Guide or Manual. How was RAM installed? Some boards require the first physically installed RAM to go into a specific slot—usually DIMMA2. This requirement isn’t always clearly explained, so it’s important to read all details carefully and refer to diagrams. In summary, certain systems may function correctly even if RAM was installed in an incorrect order, but unusual issues still arise.
This is the main concern for me—I have no idea which processes are missing or extra under Win11.
Talking about it, there are several screenshots;
Process explorer all tasks;
Resource monitor – general;
Resource monitor – disk;
Resource monitor – memory;
Task manager – all processes;
Win update history.
Tech details of the three warnings:
Spoiler:
Screenshots
Event Viewer is a massive mess, plus some extra files. Any specific instances I should examine? Since there have been numerous errors and warnings in the past 11 days, the build has been running.
As stated in the official PCs documentation.
I know even the best builders can make mistakes.
😀
But I made sure both DIMMs were installed correctly in their slots.
Here’s a picture of Astral MoBo right after updating the BIOS;
Spoiler:
Breadboard
RAM DIMMs are placed in the 2nd and 4th slots from the CPU socket, exactly as the PCs manual says on page 26.
Yes, I’ve found the same solution when searching online. However, when checking the Virtual Disk service from my Aurora build (it works fine), the same service is running in Manual mode too. During the Aurora build, Disk Management loads quickly.
With this, I’m not entirely confident it’s the problem. But it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Edit:
I set the Virtual Disk service to Automatic, started it, clicked Apply and OK. Then I ran SFC /scannow for extra assurance. No issues were found.
After that, I rebooted, logged in to Win, waited for all start-up programs to finish, checked Services to confirm the Virtual Disk was running, and launched Disk Management.
No luck.
Still stuck at "Connecting to Virtual Device Service..." until it fully loads, just like I described in the original topic.
Edit 2:
Screenshot of the elusive Disk Management once it’s up;
Spoiler:
Disk Management
Everything seems normal now.
I just updated my previous response and included the disk management screen. The build contains a 9in1 card reader, linked to an internal USB 2.0 header. The same 9in1 card reader is also part of my Aurora setup. I use it for Estonian ID cards and SD/microSD cards (I have several devices that rely on microSD).
I identified the problem by removing the card reader. Disk Management started working quickly, and a full shutdown took under 10 seconds, similar to the Aurora build. Since she no longer uses that card reader—she stopped relying on it a few years ago when it failed—I can safely remove it from her setup.