The Optional August Windows Update is Causing PC Slowdown

Windows® 10 users should be aware that the—thankfully, optional—August update is causing major slowdown on many computers.

The update, known as KB4512941, was released to address several issues, including bugs in Windows Sandbox and a black screen issue associated with Remote Desktop connections.

These problems have now been supplanted by a bug within the Cortana service, causing it to hog up to 40% of the CPU. The loss of so much core power is a common cause of sluggishness, latency, crashes and freezes. It also drains battery power much faster.

If you haven’t installed the update, you may wish to skip it. Alternately, iolo’s premier PC optimization product System Mechanic® has several features that may help you gain back some system speed and responsiveness.

In System Mechanic, System Mechanic Pro or System Mechanic Ultimate Defense, within the LiveBoost > Real-Time Boost menu, be sure OptiCore is enabled. This tool prioritizes your processor cores’ attention to the tasks you are actively performing.

PowerSense is another CPU optimization tool; also found in Real-Time Boost, this feature lets you select from a variety of power performance modes to ensure the system’s resources are wisely allocated. For example, High Performance Gaming mode revs your cores to maximum speed, while Batter-saving mode is great for laptops.

Choose On-Demand Boost from within the Live Boost menu to acquire even more speed by temporarily turning off unnecessary background services so your PC focuses its power on a single high-demand task like gaming, streaming, rendering or downloading.

Select Speed Up > Startup Optimizer to prevent unwanted bloatware from automatically launching; this can be a major cause of lag, and many users are not aware of how common it is.

If you’ve already installed the troublesome Windows 10 update, windowslatest.com reports that deleting a specific Registry key may resolve the CPU-usage problem. Another option is to uninstall the update:

  • Press Windows+i to open Settings.
  • Click Update & security.
  • On the Update & security screen, choose View update history.
  • Click Uninstall updates.
  • Select KB4512941 and click Uninstall.

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What is iolo's Whole Home License?

The Whole Home License® is iolo’s licensing policy that allows you to install and keep your software running on all of your compatible devices within the same home. Previously, users were allowed to install and license their iolo software simultaneously on a maximum of three PCs. Under the Whole Home License, a single activation key allows you to use your iolo software on all of your PCs, other than any PCs you use for business purposes. What you need to know about Whole Home Licensing

  • You, your spouse, and your relatives living within the same household may use the same license on any number of PCs that you own which are not used for business.
  • For full legal terms and conditions, see https://www.iolo.com/company/legal/eula/

To install your iolo product on additional PCs:

  1. On the additional computer, download the latest version of your iolo product. Choose from the list of downloads offered here.
  2. Follow the steps in the installation wizard, and enter the same Activation Key that you used to install on your original computer.

You can view the Activation Key on the original computer from within System Mechanic > red menu bar > key icon > Activation Key.