Performance problems are always a reason to look at the Task Manager because that is where you will most often find a clue to the cause of the problem.
In Windows 10, the SysMain service is responsible for reducing disk writes by compressing and merging memory pages. When there’s not enough RAM, the data isn’t moved to the swap file, but compressed and only when the memory manager realizes that compression alone isn’t enough, the pages are dumped into pagefile.sys.
In fact, this means reducing the number of I/Os to the hard disk, hence the point of view that you should disable the SysMain service on PCs with SSD to save their resources does not have any serious justification. From this, it’s quite logical to conclude that disabling SysMain is undesirable. Anyway, what if SysMain starts loading the disk itself?
Such abnormal behavior of the service may be caused by incorrect operation of one of its components, by corrupted system files, and by errors on the hard disk itself.
Well, here’s how to fix service host SysMain’s high disk load.
What is the SysMain service
First of all, it should be said that this service has this name in the latest Windows 10. Also in earlier versions of Windows SysMain was called Superfetch. However, the principle of its work doesn’t change much.
The service is an intelligent feature that monitors user behavior on the PC. It tries to help launch frequently used programs faster. It interacts mainly with the hard disk, SSD and RAM.
You’ve noticed how after the first start of a program, subsequent starts and work are faster if these actions are performed in the same session. This is how Superfetch or SysMain works.
Why is the Sysmain host service loading the disk
However, this service can load not only the disk but also the processor. Most likely, you are a fan of various third-party programs and tweaks. In other words, software that can change systems and other parameters. The cause can also be viruses that you downloaded with patches, cracks, cheats.
The appearance of a heavy load in the Task Manager may mean that your PC doesn’t have enough RAM. You can try increasing the swap file. Try performing a clean Windows boot and check the behavior of the process. If you can get rid of the problem this way, uninstall third-party programs and clean your hard drive.
How to disable the SysMain service
The aforementioned service is a very important tool of the system in organizing its performance. If you disable it, your PC can be significantly slower. Especially if you have a powerful PC and a demanding user. You may think that the service prevents you from playing games. However, after disabling it, the game may run worse.
If you do decide to disable the SysMain service because of the load on the disk, you can do so through Windows services.
- First of all, press “Win + R” on your keyboard and type the “services.msc” command.
- Then, the services window will appear on the screen. Find SysMain (Superfetch) among them.
- The service can also be stopped here. You need to focus your cursor on the service and click on the appropriate button above left.
- Now you need to disable its automatic startup. To do this, click on the service and select “Properties”.
- Opposite the “Startup Type” line, click on the current value.
- Select “Disabled” from the drop-down list.
- Finally, click on the “Apply” button to save the changes.
Also, click on the “OK” button and restart the computer. You can stop the service briefly via Task Manager. However, from time to time it may start again automatically.
How to change the paging file size
The PC is running fast due to the RAM. The hard disk works as a data storage device, to which RAM periodically refers. RAM is used to load the programs that you run. However, it isn’t always enough. Therefore, there’s a paging file, a small area on the hard disk which is accessed by RAM much more frequently.
The paging file can be increased or decreased manually. If you want to do so, you have to follow these steps:
- Press “Win + Pause” and select “Advanced System Settings”.
- Go to the “Advanced” tab, and at the bottom click “Settings” (in the “Performance” block).
- Click on the “Advanced” tab again and in the block with the amount of memory select “Change”.
- In the first parameter, uncheck the box and specify the amount of memory below according to the amount of RAM in the computer.
Then save these settings and check the response of the SysMain service. If the disk will boot again, go back and select “System managed size”.
