How to setup windows 10 for machine control not for user applications.

Question

We are using Windows 10 to control our hardware.
There are many programs running in the background for users. Everything from skype to virtual assistants.
The disk drive is running like craze although I am not doing anything.
Is there a strip down version of Windows 10 that does not have all the extra processing running in the background.
Our system is not even connected to the internet which is causing its own problems.
Our machine is time critical so we cannot be fighting for CPU time.

Answer 1

Task Manager or Performance Monitor may help you understand what's using the resources, then you can take some action to correct the situation.

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Answer 2

When you feel disk drive was running like craze, please open task manger to check which process cost the most disk resource or CPU usage, if it is not necessary process or system process, end this task and check again.
In general, Skype, Quick Assis or other Microsoft built-in Store app will not have a big impact on system performance.
On the other hand, if you want a more clear Windows 10, Windows 10 LTSC 2019 seems to be a good choice, this version of Windows 10 doesn’t have Store app, doesn’t apply feature update.

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Answer 3

Windows 10 IoT Core is a stripped down version of Windows for devices. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC (aka Windows 10 IoT Enterprise) is used by OEMs to build things like digital displays, ATM machine, CNC equipment, medical devices, etc. It is not stripped down, but you create a custom image with only the items you need. There are features like UWF and shell launcher that help lock the system down even further. I help companies create custom Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC for their devices, and it is widely used.

More information can be found here: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot/
My book covers how to build a custom Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC image: https://annabooks.com/Book_SGWin10IoTE.html

FYI - IoT Core and IoT Enterprise are merging: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/microsoft-to-combine-windows-10-iot-core-and-iot-enterprise-in-2021/ar-BB14tgJp