Unfortunately for a number of applications, Windows 10 tends to have a problem with excessive CPU usage (often caused by a memory leak).
In the case of IAStorDataSvc (Intel Rapid Storage Technology Service), the issue resides in the way the application is continually running in the “background” of Windows.
The tell-tale sign of a problem is when you load up “Task Manager” and see that the IAStorDataSvc (32bit) service is constantly running at ~30%+ CPU capacity.
Cause
The cause of the problem seems to be a problem with the way that IAStorDataSvc has been designed by Intel (its publisher).
With problems like this – the typical issue is that the system is running some sort of recursive function, which inherently takes up a significant (and sometimes increasing) amount of resource.
For many instances of the problem (for different applications), the tell-tale sign is high memory usage. However, large CPU processing usage is also often present.
The point is that if any application in Windows 10 is taking up more system resource than it should, it has a number of adverse effects on the system.
Apart from the obvious degradation in overall system performance, other problems – such as overheating and lack of space – will often blight systems with such problems.
To this end, the most important thing to do is try and resolve the problem.
Unfortunately, the Intel Rapid Storage technology Service system is generally at fault in this case; meaning you are better to get rid of it entirely.
Solution
The primary solution – in this case – is to get rid of the third-party “Intel Rapid Storage Technology” application.
This should leave the driver on your system; just remove the third-party application which it uses as a “control panel” (and is taking up all the CPU resource):
1. Uninstall The “Intel Rapid Storage Technology” Application
The first step is to completely remove this from your system.
This is a very simple process:
- In Windows 7, click onto “Start” > “Control Panel” > “Programs & Features”
- In Windows 10, right-click on the “Start” button > select “Apps and Features”
From the list that appears (in both instances), you should scroll down to the listing for “Intel Rapid Storage Technology”, select it and then click “Uninstall”.
This will bring up the un-installation system for the application – which you need to follow and then restart your PC after it completes.
2. Update Intel SATA Raid Chipset Drivers
Chipset drivers are designed to provide base-level functionality to the various components inside a system.
It *may* be the case that you’re experiencing a problem with the core chipset driver on your system, leading to issues with the likes of the CPU usage.
In other words, the “problem” you have may be symptomatic of a deeper issue – that issue typically being associated with the SATA Raid driver:
- Go to Google and search for “Intel Rapid Storage Technology chipset driver”
- Click on the first Intel link you find
- It should display a list of drivers – make sure you obtain the first one that’s compatible with your OS
- Save the driver to your system
- Open the download and run the installer
- After the installation completes, restart your system
If the problem persists, revert to Step 1 to remove the application from your system again.
3. Disable Service
Lastly, you need to be able to disable the service (if it keeps appearing).
Services are used by Windows as a “constant reference point for applications”.
Whilst they’re not applications, they behave similarly – running continually in the “background” of Windows.
Drivers often install “services” onto Windows systems, and have them continually running regardless of what else is installed on your system.
You need to ensure this driver’s service – in particular – is removed:
- Press “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard
- Type “services.msc” + press “OK”
- Scroll down to “Intel Rapid Storage Technology” (considering it’s still there)
- If it is present still (it shouldn’t), right-click and select “Stop”
- After this, right-click again, and select “Properties”
- From the window that appears, select “Disable” under “Startup Type”
- Click OK to exit the Window
This should remove the service from your system, preventing it from taking up any further resources.
After doing this, there are a number of other things to do in order to attempt to resolve the issue (for good)…
- Temporarily Disable Antivirus – It may be the case that your antivirus application could be blocking the system from accessing the core elements of Windows that it requires to run (causing some sort of recursive loop as mentioned above). A good test for this is to just disable the antivirus application temporarily, and see if the problems persist.
- Update Windows – It can often be the case that Windows may have difficulty either running the application, or have some underlying issue causing a conflict with the Intel app. You get this a lot with games; they may have some issue with the core graphics driver or something. To fix it, ensuring Windows is entirely up to date will make sure that it’s able to operate effectively.
- Seek Specific Support – It may be the case that your system has some conflicting application installed, causing the Intel service to eat up increasing amounts of resource. The better way to ensure this is not a problem is to seek support from someone with specific experience of your system itself. This can be done online (through services such as SuperUser) as well as locally.