use Task Manager to determine if resources are at 90-100%
note which process is most active
may be a Windows service running in svchost.exe
common culprits: SuperFetch/Prefetch caching engine, Windows Telemetry data collection, Windows Search/Indexing, and Windows Defender (or third-party security software)
wait for the processes to complete
if process is unresponsive, either restart or kill the process
if ending process doesn’t fix performance, try rebooting the computer
if process continues to be unresponsive, disable it, and check the software vendor for known problems
If Windows displays an error message such as Low memory
try running fewer programs
see if issue can be isolated to one process
software might have a memory leak fault
if issue only occurs when the user tries to run more programs, the system will need to be upgraded with more RAM or user will need to do less multitasking
If Windows displays an error message such as Low disk space
use Disk Clean-up to delete unnecessary files
if problem persists, check for excessive logging or temp file creation by an application
if those are ruled out, you will need additional storage space
Other Troubleshooting Techniques
Apply updates
Defragment the hard drive
run defrag regularly on HDD to improve file I/O
Verify OS and app hardware requirements
add resources if necessary
Disable startup items
use System Configuration Utility msconfig or Task Manager
can set to delayed startup
Scan for viruses and malware
check config settings of antivirus
exclude file locations it should scan
database files, image files for virtual hard disks
Check for power management issues
if user closes sessions with sleep, try restarting
verify system is not operating in power-saving mode (CPU throttle)