Windows 10 - Task Manager Reports 100% Disk Utilization
This article addresses a Windows 10 issue where Windows Task Manager might show 100% disk utilization on devices with Message Signaled Interrupt (MSI) mode enabled.
Symptoms of this issue include the following:
- Task Manager reporting the hard disk to be operating at 100% utilization despite a light workload or no workload.
- The system may experience lag or become unresponsive.
- The system event log contains numerous events with Event ID 129, which represent resets of the disk controller.
As a result, the Windows storage stack attempts to reset the device after encountering unresponsive read or write commands over a period of time.
Microsoft has provided the following steps to disable MSI mode for specific devices via the registry:
- Determine that the system is running the default AHCI driver (StorAHCI.sys):
- Open a command prompt with administrator privileges. Then type devmgmt.msc in the command prompt window and hitEnter.
- Under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers right-click on the AHCI controller node and selectProperties. This node is normally called "Standard SATA AHCI Controller."
- Click the Driver Details tab.
- If "StorAHCI.sys" is listed, the system is running the default driver.
- Disable MSI for the controller in the registry:
- In the same properties window opened in step 1.2, navigate to the Details tab and selectDevice instance path from the Property drop-down menu. Note this path.
- Open the registry editor by typing regedit in the previously opened command prompt.
- Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\PCI\<AHCI Controller>\Device Parameters\Interrupt Management\MessageSignaledInterruptProperties, where <AHCI Controller> refers to the device instance path you noted in step 2.1.
- Change the value of the MSISupported key from "1" to "0".
- If you don’t know which controller your boot device is attached to, repeat steps 2.1 through 2.4 for all AHCI controllers found under 1.2.
- Reboot the machine.
If the steps above do not resolve the issue, the following steps may provide a workaround:
- Navigate to Control Panel
- Select System and Security
- Select System
- Select Advanced System Setting
- Under Performance, Select Setting
- Select the Advanced Tab
- Select Change
- Set the minimum to the amount of System Ram installed
- Set the Maximum to double the amount of System Ram installed
- Select Apply
- Select OK
- Restart the system