Windows 11 runs slowly even when using Safe Mode, despite formatting, a fresh installation, and updates.
Windows 11 runs slowly even when using Safe Mode, despite formatting, a fresh installation, and updates.
My cousin purchased
Mi Notebook 14
with an i5-10210U processor, 8GB RAM at 2666MHz DDR4, and a SATA3 SSD from Kingston. Recently, its performance has deteriorated significantly. The task manager displayed CPU usage below 20%, while memory consumption remained low. Despite this, the overall speed is much slower than expected. Every click or UI interaction feels delayed. Actions like opening folders in File Explorer, launching new tabs or browsers, or using Paint all trigger a processing delay of at least a second before finishing.
I have applied Windows 11 with a single language update (23H2), but it did not resolve the issue. I upgraded to the latest available updates (24H2 and newer), yet problems persisted. I disabled various components—such as unnecessary applications, transparency settings, disk encryption, and boot processes—to see if any would help. Still, no improvement was observed. I also tried booting in Safe Mode, but lag remained evident. Certain processes like MsMpEng.exe, Tiworker.exe, and dwm.exe consistently used up resources, though CPU usage stayed under 20%, memory utilization never exceeded 60%, and disk usage remained minimal.
I attempted some online troubleshooting steps:
- Running sfc /scannow
- Executing DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHwHealth
- Performing chkdsk /f /r on drive C:
None of these resolved the problem.
I have been using Windows since Windows 95, but this situation is proving particularly challenging to resolve. Should I consider installing Windows 22H2 or 23H2 to rule out outdated updates? Some sources suggest both versions may be problematic. Another option is to switch to Ubuntu to verify if Windows drivers for this machine are faulty. I also tried replacing the SATA SSD with another PC's SSD for a quick test. If that worked, it would indicate an SSD or Windows issue, but other hardware appears intact.
Is there a simpler solution before proceeding with these more drastic measures?
PS
When I checked my disk health using CrystalDiskInfo, it showed an unknown status. Even the Transcend SSD manager failed to detect the drive. Here’s the screenshot of the result: link
1| Where do you obtain the installers for the operating system?
2| Are you setting up the OS without an internet connection?
3| Is there a need to apply any BIOS updates to your notebook?
Verify CPU and GPU temperatures. High heat can reduce performance. You might use MSI afterburner to track temps. Coretemp or Task Manager will display GPU temperature. Inspect Device Manager for any devices marked with yellow exclamation marks. Ensure chipset drivers are installed.
The original operating system was installed by default. I attempted to format and reinstall twice. Initially, I reinstalled 24H2 from the Microsoft website. Later, I reformatted and installed 23H2 from archive.org. Both versions caused delays.
2. In both instances, I made a bootable USB using Rufus from downloaded ISO files. It seems this was in offline mode?
3. I haven’t checked for BIOS updates. I need to determine the best way to do that for this laptop...
It seems like there might be a hardware concern. I believe
@SkyNetRising is on the correct path.
What are the CPU and GPU temperatures during idle and under load? Are the fans operating properly?
This issue could also stem from a faulty SSD, which would need to be replaced.
Regarding BIOS, MI's website is a bit confusing. This is the only webpage on their site which talks about BIOS:
https://www.mi.com/in/support/guida...dz...RAgSbfnFOX
It has heading "Mi Notebook 14". But immediately below that heading there are sub-headings:
REDMIBOOK WINDOWS 10
REDMIBOOK WINDOWS 11
MI NOTEBOOK ULTRA WINDOWS 10
MI NOTEBOOK ULTRA WINDOWS 11
All these subheadings have BIOS zip download link. But there is no separate BIOS link for "MI notebook 14" which is what I am trying to fix.
I checked CPU Z and it shows following in BIOS section:
Brand: TIMI
Version: XMRCM400P0904
Date: 04/01/2020
I tried googling and got following link:
https://linux-hardware.org/?id=bios:timi...04-01-2020
It says its for "MI Notebook 14"
The same site seem to have webpage for 5 month (05-06-2020) newer version for the same machine:
https://linux-hardware.org/?id=bios:timi...05-06-2020
But am not sure whether I should be downloading it and in fact there is no downloading link onf linux-hardware.org.
So now am struggling for finding correct BIOS update for this machine. But for sure the BIOS seems never updated !
Adjust the power settings in the control panel to High Performance and restart the system. Observe if this resolves the issue. Review Event Viewer for any irregularities. Determine the current CPU frequency by checking Task Manager or CPU Performance.
Processor Temperatures remain below 40C during this slowdown.
Here is the screen shot:
link
Fans are silent and laptop stays cool. I couldn’t locate the GPU temperature in Core Temp or Task Manager. It seems it shouldn’t be high, considering the <3% load shown in Task Manager.
Every time I open a new tab in File Explorer, it lags even though CPU usage stays under 10% and free memory is at 50%. (I tested by splitting the screen with Task Manager on one side and File Explorer on the other.) One small note: whenever I open a new tab or folder, the "CTF loader" appears in the Processes section of Task Manager when sorted by CPU usage. I’m unsure if this indicates anything since overall CPU usage stays below 10%.
Concerning the SSD, I mentioned in my original post: "When I checked the health of my disk using CrystalDiskInfo, it displayed an unknown status. Even Transcend SSD managers don’t detect the SSD. Here’s the screenshot of the result:" link
Processor Temperatures remain below 40C during this slowdown.
Here is the screen shot:
link
Fans operate silently and the laptop stays cool. I couldn’t locate the GPU temperature in Core Temp or Task Manager. It seems unlikely to be high, considering the <3% load shown in Task Manager.
Each time I open a new tab in File Explorer, it becomes sluggish even though CPU usage stays under 10% and free memory is around 50%. (I attempted this by splitting the screen with Task Manager on one side and File Explorer on the other.) One note: whenever I open a new tab or folder, the "CTF loader" appears higher in the Processes section when sorted by CPU usage. I’m unsure if this indicates anything since overall CPU utilization remains below 10%.
No exclamation mark appears in Device Manager:
device manager screenshot
I’ve updated Windows and confirmed there are no further available updates. Shouldn’t updating Windows update device drivers?
I think I discovered something unusual.
First, nothing suspicious in the laptop’s power settings—both times I set it to "Best performance" and it worked fine.
Power options display is normal.
Now some odd things:
In Event Viewer, there are indeed errors under Windows Logs > System section. I’ve extracted the evtx file from there.
Here’s a screenshot of the filtered error events:
events-viewer-screenshot
Additionally, in Task Manager, the CPU speed is stuck at 0.4 GHz, which is well below the base speed of 2.11 GHz.
This persists even after switching to the "best performance" power plan and plugging in the laptop. I’ve tried playing videos, opening multiple browser tabs, and watching YouTube while monitoring Task Manager in split-screen, but the speed never exceeds 0.4 GHz.
CPU-Z also shows the core speed capped between 399.xx MHz and 398.xx MHz.
It seems my overall CPU utilization is consistently stuck below 20% since 0.4 GHz is roughly 20% of the maximum.
So now I’m wondering: which issue is actually causing this? Are errors in Event Viewer or the CPU speed limitation the main problem?