How to Fix: Disable CompatTelRunner.exe (High CPU, Disk Usage)

Infopackets Reader Sharon S. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I just purchased a used Acer laptop with Windows 10 on it. The system is slow and Task Manager shows 100% disk usage by CompatTelRunner.exe. Also CompatTelRunner.exe causes high CPU usage. I searched Google on how to disable CompatTelRunner.exe or delete CompatTelRunner.exe but can't seem to find a straight answer. Can you help? "

My response:

I asked Sharon if she would like me to have a closer look at the issue using my remote desktop support service, and she agreed.

Below I will discuss my findings.

How to Fix: Disable CompatTelRunner.exe (High CPU, Disk Usage)

First off, CompatTelRunner.exe is a legitimate program built into Windows 7, 8 and 10. The name "CompatTelRunner" stands for "Compatibility Appraiser Telemetry Runner". It is not a necessary component of Windows. CompatTelRunner.exe is executed through the Windows registry, services, and scheduled tasks.

By far the biggest complaint online is that CompatTelRunner causes high cpu and high disk usage. In turn, this makes the system extremely slow to respond. This is especially true in Sharon's case as she only has 4GB of RAM on her Windows 10 laptop, which is the absolute bare minimum to run Windows 10 in my opinion (I recommend at least 8 GB).

After a bit of research I've managed to put together a small script that will disable CompatTelRunner.exe from executing.

To do so:

1. Click Start, then type in "cmd.exe" (no quotes); wait for "CMD.EXE" or "Command Prompt" to appear in the list, then right click it and select "Run as Administrator".
    
2. Use your mouse to highlight the text below:
   
   rem disable CompatTelRunner.exe
   reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection" /v "AllowTelemetry" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
   reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection" /v "AllowTelemetry" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
   sc config DiagTrack start= disabled
   sc config diagnosticshub.standardcollector.service start= disabled
   sc config dmwappushservice start= disabled
   schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" /Disable
   schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater" /Disable
   schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\StartupAppTask" /Disable
   echo this is a dummy line
    
3. Right click over top of the highlighted text above, then select "Copy" from the dialogue menu.
    
4. Right click in the middle of the administrative command prompt window you opened in Step #1, then select "Paste" from the dialogue menu. The text you copied in Step #2 should be output to the command line, and CompatTelRunner.exe disabled.

You will need to reboot the machine for changes to take effect. When you launch Task Manager again, you should see that CompatTelRunner.exe is disabled.

I hope that helps.

Re-Enabling CompatTelRunner.Exe

Per request in the comments below: if you wish to re-enable the CompatTelRunner, use the following script. The steps to implement the script are the exact same as I've already outlined, but using the script below instead of using what's mentioned in Step #2 (above):

rem re-enable CompatTelRunner.exe
rem use the following to query all services with the name 'diag': sc queryex type= service state= all | find /i "diag"
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection" /v "AllowTelemetry" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection" /v "AllowTelemetry" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
sc config DiagTrack start= auto
sc config diagnosticshub.standardcollector.service start= auto
sc config dmwappushservice start= auto
schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" /enable
schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater" /enable
schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\StartupAppTask" /enable
echo this is a dummy line

Additional 1-on-1 Support: From Dennis

If your PC or laptop suddenly has no sound after a Dell update and the instructions above didn't help fix your issue - I can help using my remote desktop support service. Simply contact me, briefly describing the issue and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

About the author: Dennis Faas

Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.