Disk stuck at 100 percent at startup, but nothing running

If your Disk usage is stuck at 100% at the startup, but nothing is running, you can follow these tips to get the problem fixed. As it makes your PC slower than usual, you need to take every step cautiously. Whether you get this issue on Windows 11, Windows 10, or any other version, you can follow the same set of solutions to troubleshoot this problem.

Disk stuck at 100 percent at startup, but nothing running

If the Disk is stuck at 100% at startup, but no programs are yet running on your Windows 11/10 PC, follow these solutions:

1. Remove Startup programs
2. Unplug all external devices
3. Pause Windows Update temporarily
4. Turn off Print Spooler service temporarily
5. Run CHKDSK
6. Update Device Drivers
7. Run System File Checker

To learn more about these tips and tricks, continue reading.

1] Remove Startup programs

It is the first thing you must do when your Disk usage is stuck at 100%. At times, some people forget to check the startup apps list frequently. If that happens to you too, you might encounter the same issue. As startup apps consume a lot of Memory and other CPU resources, you need to remove or diable Startup programs to make the disk usage lower than 100%.

To remove apps from startup, follow these steps:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.
• Switch to the Startup apps tab.
• Find the Enabled apps and select them.
• Click on the Disable button.

2] Unplug all external devices

At times, you might plug in an external hard disk, printer, audio device, your mobile phone, etc., to your computer and leave them. When you restart your computer, your system needs to run all the processes and services to make them useful for you again. That is how your computer consumes so much disk space. This is the reason why it is recommended to unplug all the external devices and check if it resolves the issue or not.

3] Pause Windows Update temporarily

When you start your computer, Windows Update starts checking for available updates automatically in the background. This is why this particular service or functionality requires some amount of CPU resources, including disk space. You can Pause Windows Update temporarily and check if it vanishes your problem or not.

4] Turn off Print Spooler service temporarily

Print Spooler service is essential for all printer users. This in-built service mainly stores data or pending printing jobs. Even if you shut down your computer, it doesn’t remove the stored data. That is why it needs some disk space to store your data. To turn off the Print Spooler service in Windows 11/10, follow this detailed guide.

Read: Fix 100% Disk, High CPU, Memory or Power usage in Windows

5] Run CHKDSK

At times, this problem may occur due to an error on your disk. The best way to resolve such disk errors is by using the CHKDSK tool.

In case you don’t know, this is an in-built utility, which recognizes and fixes common disk errors automatically. No matter whether you have installed one or more than one HDD or SSD, you can run this utility on your hard drive. For your information, you can run this tool from Command Prompt as well as using the GUI option.

6] Update Device Drivers

Corrupted drivers can cause this issue, hence update your Device Drivers and see.

7] Run System File Checker

Run System File Checker to replace potentially corrupted system files that may be causing this issue.

Read: Random Disk Usage Spikes on Windows

Why is my disk at 100% when nothing is open?

There could be several reasons why your disk is stuck at 100% even when nothing is open on your computer. The main reason why this problem arises is the unnecessary apps assigned to be run at the startup. The second reason could be the plugged-in external devices, such as external hard drives, printers, audio devices, etc. Windows often runs some Services and processes in the background to make those devices run smoothly. These Windows Services can be safely disabled.

Why does my HDD say 100%?

If your HDD displays a 100% usage message, you need to add additional storage. However, you can delete some unnecessary files from your computer to make free space temporarily. However, if you do not have anything to be removed, the easiest way to get rid of this problem is by installing a secondary hard drive.