The storage on Windows 10 is becoming a real concern
The storage on Windows 10 is becoming a real concern
Windows 10 is now fine-tuned for SSDs. Running on an HDD—even a fresh installation—shouldn’t be expected. A solid 7200RPM drive works, but a slower 5400RPM isn’t ideal for the main storage. To improve things temporarily (until you upgrade), try using a different audio/video solution than Windows Defender. If it’s been a while, back up your important files and reinstall Windows 10, making sure to format the drive during setup. This process not only helps with defragmentation but also organizes files more efficiently, reducing the need for the drive to search everywhere. You might also consider a deep defragmentation, though most tools don’t support it. O&O Defrag is one option that handles this, though it requires payment (or a trial). It offers a “Complete/Access” mode that sorts data by access time, which can help the drive perform better. The job takes roughly 8–10 hours and needs your system awake—turn off sleep if possible to avoid interruptions. Be aware that data loss is possible during this process. Always back up first. Performance gains may be minimal, so it depends on how much you’re willing to invest in optimization. Make sure your BIOS settings have SATA mode enabled, AHCI activated, and your chipset drivers are up to date. Also, ensure the SATA controller driver is installed if it’s separate from the chipset.
I recall in previous versions of W10, the superfetch(sysmain) service was responsible for this issue on systems with only an HDD. It's possible to turn it off to see if performance improves.