How to fix constant freezing, delayed keystrokes, and high disk usage?

Question

How to fix constant freezing, delayed keystrokes, and high disk usage?

Melissa Falcon 0

I've done multiple things: factory reset, chkdsk, sfc, a full GPU check (the thing where you power off your computer three times), and gone through many AI and support forums to try and fix this problem for NOTHING to work.

a regular computer reset acts as a temporary fix, but the problem will always come back in a matter of time. it starts small, then becomes extremely violent.

it does not freeze browsers or discord, but delays the keys more often instead.

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 17,780 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Melissa Falcon,

Since you've already run CHKDSK, SFC, and even performed a factory reset, it may be helpful to focus on what is causing the high disk activity when the slowdowns occur. In many cases, recurring freezing and delayed keyboard input can be related to a background process, storage device health, or a driver repeatedly accessing the disk.

A few quick checks to try:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and sort the Processes tab by Disk usage when the issue appears. Note which process is using the most resources.
Run Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) and review the Disk tab for unusually high read/write activity.
Check your storage drive health using the manufacturer's diagnostic tool (for example, Samsung Magician or WD Dashboard).
Review Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) under Windows Logs > System for recurring Disk, NTFS, or storage controller warnings around the time the freezes occur.

If the problem continues, please share your PC model, whether Windows is installed on an SSD or HDD, and a screenshot of Task Manager sorted by Disk usage during a freeze. That information can help narrow down whether the issue is related to a specific process, driver, or storage component.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Melissa Falcon 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T20:46:42.65+00:00

There were no warnings or errors about any of the things mentioned in 4, just Kernel-EventTracing, Service Control Manager, and DistributedCOM.
My drive health is at 90%.
There isn't anything using up all the disk, but apparently a few 0.1% disk intakes are a bit much for it and quickly increases the disk very high. Then, the total disk lowers and becomes 0% right after the spike.
There's a Google Chrome networking path that sometimes spikes up to 130K disk and write per second, but it isn't related to the disk spikes. Also, when the disk is at 100%, most things inside then disk selection decrease to 25K bytes or below. A few processes lay around an average of 50k or 40K
Melissa Falcon 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T20:47:28.8733333+00:00

Did not mean to send this twice, computers being weird.
Hendrix-V 17,780 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T07:27:08.3866667+00:00
Hi Melissa Falcon,

Thank you for the update. Since the drive health looks good, there are no disk/controller errors in Event Viewer, and no single process is consistently consuming high disk activity, this may not be a straightforward storage failure. The fact that disk usage briefly spikes to 100% while transfer rates remain relatively low can sometimes indicate a driver, service, or I/O response bottleneck rather than sustained disk load.

A few targeted checks you can try:

1, Test without Chrome running - completely close Chrome and end any remaining Chrome processes in Task Manager.

2, Monitor whether the freezes and delayed keystrokes still occur.

Check Disk Performance

Open Task Manager > Performance > Disk during a freeze.

Take note of the Active Time, Response Time, and transfer speeds.

3, Update Storage Drivers - install the latest SSD/NVMe/SATA controller drivers from your PC or motherboard manufacturer's website.

If the issue persists, use Windows Performance Recorder (WPR) during a freeze event. A trace can help identify which component is causing the disk activity spikes. Since you've already completed extensive troubleshooting, including a reset and disk health checks, gathering performance data during the freeze may provide the clearest indication of the underlying cause.

I hope this helps move the investigation forward.
Hendrix-V 17,780 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-08T07:55:32.7533333+00:00

Hi Melissa Falcon,

If you have any further questions or updates regarding this issue, please feel free to let me know in the Comments section. I'd be happy to assist you.