High CPU and memory usage after 1809 windows update. Computer running very slow.

Originally this problem because every time I opened the game pubg I would get a blue screen of death with a code of: kernel security check failure. I tried updating my graphics drivers to no avail. So I decided to get the most recent windows update 1809 to see if that would fix it, but it basically just nuked my computer making it really slow (100% CPU usage and 80% memory usage) even to the point of making a youtube video stutter during playback. And still didn't fix the pubg BSoD :'(

My computer specs:

CPU: i5 6600k

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H

GPU: GTX 1060 6GB

RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4

SSD: 750 Evo 250GB (windows installed)

HDD: WD 1TB

Some screenshots of me just trying to open a new video on youtube:

Weird thing is the memory used by my processes doesn't seem to add up correctly (seeing as I have 16GB physically installed).

My 30 second windows performance recorder file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5kks9k0s9a14nvo/JOHN-PC.12-22-2018.12-36-36.zip?dl=0

Steps I've tried (will update this as I try more things):

1. Updated my BIOS to latest version

2. Updated all the important drivers like chipset, display, audio, network, usb 3.0, etc

3. Dism CheckHealth and ScanHealth (no faults/errors)

4. Windows update troubleshooter

5. Updated windows defender

6. Let my computer run overnight (it seems to have sped up slightly)

7. Windows memory diagnostic tool

8. Uninstalled all third party antivirus software

9. scf /scannow

10. Safe mode with and without networking (performance increases significantly and the problem seems to go away)

11. Full system scan with malwarebytes

12. Clean boot (disabling all msconfig services and task manager startup tasks) did not fix the performance issue

13. Reverted to the previous windows version (1803). CPU usage dropped from 100% to around ~70%, but my computer still feels very sluggish and CPU usage still reaches 100% when watching youtube videos for example. Memory usage dropped to around 30% though.

14. Ran chkdsk on my ssd and hdd

15. Defragged my hdd

16. Let my computer run for a second night. This resulted in a ~70% to ~30% CPU usage improvement. Youtube videos don't stutter anymore and CPU usage settles down to ~40% after watching a video for ten seconds.

17. Reset my PC using a fresh install of windows while keeping my personal files (computer went into a restart loop and then couldn't boot properly)

18. Wiped my SSD completely and reset my PC using a fresh install of windows (everything's finally back to normal)


During this whole process I've tried running pubg inbetween steps. I used to get a Kernel Security Check Failure BSoD, then I got a Page in Nonpaged Area BSoD, then my whole computer freezed whenever I started pubg, and now after the fresh install it's working again...

Hi John, thanks for your question. I'm Graeme, a Microsoft Community expert and fellow user.

It sounds like you've performed most of the steps I'd generally suggest for slow performance after an update, but here are a couple others to try:

Try running the System File Checker to see if it can repair any system files:

- Click Start and type cmd.
- Right-click Command Prompt and run it as administrator.
- Type sfc /scannow
- Press Enter.

If that doesn't help, try booting into Safe Mode to see if the poor performance persists:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/12376/...

Also follow the steps in the below Microsoft Support article to improve performance:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/400201...

Lastly, if none of the above works, you can try resetting your PC. If it's a problem with Windows and not your hardware, a reset should fix the issue. You can choose to keep your files, but your apps will need to be reinstalled.

Here are instructions:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/12415/...

Please let me know how you go! Thanks!

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The Windows Explorer process appears to be very high CPU so sfc /scannow might help.

There is also the clean boot procedure to try to isolate a problem program. See this Microsoft LINK.

You may also do a repair upgrade where you run the 1809 ISO setup.exe overtop of the existing install, allowing you to keep everything. See the article from the excellent Andre Da Costa

Personally I'd uninstall any third party anti-virus using their specialized tool from their website. Or run the generalized remover  tool from Eset.

You can always re-install the AV later, although Windows Defender is the equal of any AV available. And it's integrated with the OS so there aren't any conflicts.

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Hi John. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 9 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

1) Update your drivers from the PC or motherboard maker's Support Downloads web page, using the full model number, Serial Number or Dell Service Tag on sticker. Compare the latest drivers available for download with the ones presently installed in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start Menu. Make sure you have the latest BIOS or UEFI firmware, Chipset, Display (Video), Sound, USB3, Bluetooth, Network and all other drivers, or else download and install the latest now.

2) Go over this checklist to make sure the install is set up correctly, optimized for best performance, and any needed repairs get done: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

Start with Step 4 to turn off Startup freeloaders which can conflict and cause issues, then Step 7 to check for infection the most thorough way, then step 10 to check for damaged System Files. Then continue with the other steps to go over your install most thoroughly.

3) If this was caused by Version 1809 update (which you can confirm at Settings > System > About) then you can roll back Version 1809 in Settings>Update & Security>Recovery and then hide it until it matures using the Hide Updates Tool downloaded from here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f2...

4) Test your RAM overnight to stress it with a more reliable bootable test, following these steps which test both the sticks and the slots: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram...

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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Thanks for your reply! I tried scf /scannow but it returned no errors/faults.

The safe mode however did result in a return to normal performance with 1-5% CPU and memory usage while idling. Any idea what that might signify?

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That tells me it's a service or background task causing the problem, which is progress! Try a clean boot to see if it fixes it in normal non-safe mode:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135...

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Since I made my original post I've

  1. Rreverted back to Windows 1803 - I noticed a slight improvement in CPU idle usage (from 100% to ~70%), but it was still much slower/sluggish than before this whole problem started.  
  2. Ran a chkdsk on my SSD and HDD (with no errors/faults) - no noticeable improvement
  3. Defragged my HDD - no noticeable improvement
  4. Left my computer running for a second night in a row - quite a noticeable improvement in idle CPU usage  (~70% to ~30%) but it's still not as snappy/quick as I remember my computer being before this problem started

So currently my PC is sitting at about ~30% idle CPU and ~25% idle memory usage.

I've tried the clean boot two times now:

1. Disabling all non-microsoft services

2. Disabling all services

And both times there was no noticeable improvement in performance.

I think I will try a fresh reset/install of my current windows version (1803) to see if that fixes it, but at the moment the best bet seems to just be letting my computer run for extended periods of time and letting Windows sort itself out.... unfortunately.

Also I'm making a list in my original post of steps I've tried so far.

Thanks for your help!

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I think you're right - a fresh install of Windows sounds like the only option now that you've tried pretty much everything else. Hopefully it fixes the issue! Let me know if you need more help!

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I tried resetting my current version of windows while keeping my personal files, but after a few minutes of using my computer after the reset it started going into an uncontrollable restart loop and then eventually failed to start completely.

So after being fed up with everything I just completely wiped my SSD and installed a fresh version of windows 10 (1803) losing all my files. Not too bothered since most of my stuff was in the cloud but everything is back to normal now. Wew!

Thanks again for your help

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Glad you got it working at last! If you don't have any other questions, feel free to close this one and leave a rating. Thanks!

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Last updated January 1, 2021 Views 5,040 Applies to: