System and compressed memory High disk usage windows 10/11

"System and Compressed Memory" is a Windows process that manages system memory and compression tasks to optimize the use of physical RAM by compressing unused memory pages.

System and Compressed Memory” is a Windows process, that manages system memory and compression tasks. Its primary function is to improve system performance by compressing unused pages of memory and managing the virtual memory (paging file). It also controls and monitors various functions that are related to the system and Random Access Memory associated operations. This process helps in efficiently utilizing the available physical RAM especially when it is running low, by compressing less frequently used data and reducing the need to swap data to the disk. However, this process is to improve system performance, but sometimes you may notice System and compressed memory High disk usage and making the PC unstable. Several users report, 100% Disk Usage caused by “System and Compressed Memory”. This article helps you find out the common reason behind this and troubleshooting steps to solve this problem.

System and compressed memory high Disk

The System and compressed memory process High disk usage problem mostly occur for Two reasons. Maybe you messed around with your virtual memory settings and ended up changing the paging file size from Automatic to a set value or the System and compressed memory process is simply going haywire. Some Others are may Windows system files get corrupted, the System has been infected with virus malware or any third-party application causing the issue, etc.

  • Outdated or corrupt drivers can cause the process to use more resources than necessary.
  • Incorrectly configured virtual memory settings can lead to excessive disk activity.
  • Some malware can disguise itself as the “System and Compressed Memory” process or interfere with its operations, causing high resource usage.
  • Again if you have old HDD, Disk fragmentation can cause slow read/write operations, leading to increased disk usage by this process.

Scan for Malware virus infection

If your system is infected with Malware or viruses it can cause high system resource usage, including 100 Disk or CPU usage. It is recommended to perform a full system scan with the latest updated antivirus application or Windows security. This will help you ensure virus/malware infections not causing 100 CPU and disk usage issues.

Malware can interfere with system processes, causing them to consume more resources.

  • Open Windows Security from Settings> Update & Security > Windows Security.
  • Nevigate Virus & Threat Protection then scan options, select full scan then click scan now.
  • Also, you can use reputable third-party antivirus software to perform a comprehensive scan.

Antivirus scan

Set the paging file size for all drives back to automatic

By default, Windows will set the pagefile.sys file size and manage it automatically. If you recently adjusted the virtual memory and customized the paging file size for any of your drives, this can lead to problems with memory compression, ultimately leading to 100% disk usage by the System and compressed memory process. And restoring it back to the default setting will help you solve this problem.

  • Press the windows key + S, and type performance. Now Click on the search result named Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.

Adjust the appearance and performance

  • This will open the performance options popup here move to the advanced tab
  • Click “Change” under Virtual Memory.
  • Here Ensure “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” is checked.

Alternatively, set a custom size with the minimum being 1.5 times your RAM and the maximum being 3 times your RAM.

save changes and restart windows to check the problem is fixed.

Change the Paging File Size to Automatic

Set Correct Permission for System and Compressed Memory Process

If the first solution does not work well for you. Don’t worry! You can simply try the second solution to get system and compressed memory high disk usage problems.

  • Press the Windows key + S type Taskschd.msc and hit Enter to open Task Scheduler.
  • Then navigate to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > MemoryDiagnostic.
  • Double-click on ProcessMemoryDiagnostic Events and then click Change User or Group under Security Options.
  • Here Click Advanced and then click Find Now.
  • Scroll down and select your user account from the list then click OK.

Set Correct Permission for System and Compressed Memory Process

  • Checkmark Run with highest privileges and then click OK.
  • Do the same steps for RunFullMemoryDiagnostic and close everything.
  • Reboot your PC to take effect the changes.
  • After that check Windows working normally without any high CPU or disk usage.

Disable System and Compressed Memory

If applying both solutions does not work still 100% CPU or  Disk usage by system and compressed memory Don’t worry! Here is the most effective solution to completely Disable the system and compressed memory process.

  • Click on the Start menu search type Task Scheduler and hit the enter key.
  • Here on the Task Scheduler, double-click on Task Scheduler Library in the left pane to expand its contents.
  • Double-click on Microsoft in the left pane to expand its contents.
  • Next Double-click on Windows in the left pane to expand its contents.
  • Scroll down and Click on MemoryDiagnostic in the left pane to have its contents displayed in the right pane.
  • locate and right-click on a task named RunFullMemoryDiagnosticEntry and Click on Disable in the contextual menu.
  • That’s all Close the Task Scheduler and restart your computer.
  • Check to see if the issue persists once your computer boots up.

Disable the System and Compressed Memory

Disable SysMain Service

Sometimes some Windows services (especially SysMain, And BITS service ) running in the background can cause different issues, Usage unnecessary system resources which causes a High System resource usage problem on Windows 10. We recommend disabling the SysMain service by following the steps below and check it helps to fix 100% Disk usage problems.

  • Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and hit the enter key.
  • Look for a service named SysMain and double-click on it to open its properties.
  • Here change the startup type to disable and stop the service next to the service status as shown image below.
  • Click apply and ok to save changes, Restart windows to take effect the changes. On the next start check, there are no more 100% Disk usage problems.

disable superfetch service

Adjust your PC for Best Performance

This is another effective solution To reduce High Memory, Disk, or CPU usage on Windows 10. Adjusting system performance settings to prioritize performance over appearance can reduce the load on system resources, and allow the “System and Compressed Memory” process to work more efficiently.

  • Simply press Windows Key + R then type sysdm.cpl and hit Enter to open System Properties.
  • Switch to the Advanced tab and then click on Settings under Performance.
  • Now Under the Visual Effects tab select the radio button “Adjust for best performance“. Click Apply followed by OK.
  • Reboot your PC and check There is no more than 100% Disk Usage by the System and Compressed Memory.

Adjust for best performance

Disable Startup Programs

Again disabling unnecessary startup programs can free up system resources, allowing the “System and Compressed Memory” process to operate more efficiently.

  • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
  • Navigate to the “Startup” tab
  • Right-click on unnecessary programs and select “Disable.”

Run SFC and DISM scan

Running SFC and DISM can repair corrupt system files and restore system health, which can reduce unnecessary CPU and disk usage by the “System and Compressed Memory” process.

  • Press the Windows key + S key type cmd, right-click on the command prompt select run as administrator,
  • Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This will scan for and repair any corrupt system files.
  • If SFC finds issues it cannot fix, needs to run the DISM restore health command, DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.

After running these commands, restart your computer to apply the changes, and check if this helps fix High CPU or disk usage problem on Windows 11/10.

Also Adding more RAM to your system reduces the dependency on virtual memory, decreasing the workload on the “System and Compressed Memory” process.

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