Dell Inspiron 3475 AIO runs ridiculously slow

The hard drive is the slowest component in the system and doesn't work well with Windows 10.  Replace it with a solid state drive.

Well, my wife reports that it ran fine when it was brand new.  So, as a test, if I restore it to a brand new state, then by definition it should run fine again--at least for a short while before it updates--unless.... maybe it was running Windows 8 when it was brand new?  Now that I think of it, I believe it was.  Maybe this is one of those computers that simply isn't fully compatible with Windows 10.  I'm starting to suspect that may be the case.  When I approached the PC this morning the screen was black with the internal fan running at maximum, and no response to the keyboard or mouse.  This was about 9+ hours after initiating the "fresh start."  i.e. It locked up somewhere during the automated re-install.  So, something is clearly not right.  I had no choice other than to reboot it, and afterward it does seem to have resumed the re-install.  Presently showing 9% completion of the re-install.    To minimize bloatware, I opted for a complete "fresh install" from the cloud, so ironically any chance of reverting to Windows 8 is now gone... unless I can find a full backup from when it was Windows 8 or possibly simply install Windows 8 from scratch.   Or, alternatively, I could restore it to what it was before initiating the "fresh start", and then do a revert to Windows 8 from there.  So, I've got options if it still crawls after the Windows 10 "fresh start" finishes.

It turns out the Dell Inspiron 3475 AIO is still available for sale, and these days the new ones sell with Windows 10 pre-installed.  So, unless there has been a silent change in their manufacture without a corresponding change in model number, the one we have should be Windows 10 capable.  At least, no less compatible than the new ones being sold now, that is.

According to mirosoft, the upgrade process isn't so good, and thus Microsoft recommends a "fresh start".  It turns out that feature is no longer named "fresh start" in the most current version of Windows 10.  The closest thing to it is a cloud re-install.  If you do the non-cloud re-install, then you may get an earlier version of Windows 10 (whatever is in the rescue partition on your PC) re-installed instead--which somewhat defeats the goal of getting a clean install of the current Windows 10 installed without any upgrade snags.

Surprise! The full reset re-install completed and shows as build 10.0.019042 (which, according to microsoft, is in fact the most up-to-date build:  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/release-information).  However, it contains *all* of the original crapware (e.g. McAfee antivirus, Dell apps, etc.) plus all of Microsoft's crapware that has appeared in later releases! And it still runs ridiculously slow. So, I guess this means Microsoft has removed "Fresh install" altogether? It still appears on the reset page, but when I click on the link that says "learn more" it takes me to a page that makes no mention of Fresh Install. It's as though Microsoft excised it but didn't even bother to clean up the loose ends. Completely unprofessional! I'll try one more time, this time doing a full install from a flash drive after fully erasing all partitions from the hard drive, in case the software is being reinstalled from one of the side partitions. If that also re-installs all the software, then I'll try running the most extreme remover I can find. Anyone have recommendations?

Reporting back:  With the "optimum" default BIOS settings, the re-install seems to stop progressing when it reaches 42% installation.  It just keeps circulating the stars in a circle and never get beyond that point.  Possibly inadequate UEFI support by Dell for the current version of Windows 10?  What else might  cause a failure to progress beyond 42%?

Next thing to try:

Run "systemreset -cleanpc" from an admin Powershell.  This looks at least a little promising, as it lists all of the Dell apps and a small number of the Microsoft apps for targeted removal.  Well, it's a step in the right direction.    Running it now.

@WhiteRabbitZeroZero  Dell has tested the Inspiron 3475 for Win 10 v2004. So if it runs that version it should run 20H2 too.

What version of BIOS is installed?

Reboot and immediately start tapping F12. When the F12 menu opens, look for the option to run Diagnostics. Run all of them, including RAM and full hard drive tests. Copy/post error messages, if any...

Hi!

"What version of BIOS is installed?"

Version 1.7

I'll run the F-12 diagnostics you suggested and report back.

I ran the ePSA quick diagnostic test panel that I reached through F-12 during reboot (per your suggestion), and it found no problems. I haven't yet run the 4 hour+ memory test. Maybe I'll run it overnight tonight. While I was in F-12 mode I had a look at other possible BIOS settings and noticed that the Video had defaulted to PCI instead of AGP.  Which is preferred? IIRC, AGP is preferable, so I switched it over to that. This seems to have reduced the amount of baseline RAM that's in constant use, which is perhaps a good thing. Meanwhile, I completed the Microsoft nominal cleanpc procedure, which removed the Dell apps and a small number of the Microsoft apps. However, looking at the task manager, the bloat of microsoft apps (including many that I never use) is obviously putting demands on the system. Just from watching the task manager for a while, I'd say that the WSAPPX task (which I've since read relates to the microsoft store) is a huge offender in terms of causing a constant barrage of disk accesses. From what I've read about WSAPPX, this is a known problem. In short, on a low-end system such as this, Microsoft's bloatware and other parasitic software/services/tasks is effectively malware.So, I think running a remover that uninstalls any unnecessary Microsoft junk will yield a noticeable improvement. Maybe even a complete cure. Which remover do you think is the most extensive and most effective?

Even without debloating Windows 10 of parasitic Microsoft code, the biggest hog of system resources is Windows Security.  I can see this by reviewing App History.  Also, the "Antimaleware Service Executable" often tops the list, at least near start-up tiime, as the biggest CPU, Memory, and Disk access consumer.  Perhaps it can be replaced by a less heavy app like webroot or ESET that's less intrusive and has a lighter impact on resource utilization?  It's been a while since I've surveyed the market.  Is there something even better than either one of those now?

Also, Windows update needs to be tamed or it will barge in when it shouldn't and slow down the system immensely.  For now I've put it on a 7 day hold until after I debloat the system, and I've adjusted the active hours so that it should work only when I'm not at the computer.  It also has an "Automatically adjust active hours for this device based on activity," but turning that on seems to disable active hours.  I've already seen that if it's in the middle of an update, it seems to want to finish it rather than quickly relinquish all resources to the user, so, as so often happens, Microsoft makes all the wrong choices when it comes to how the Windows OS should behave.  It should be that automatic adjustments happen rapidly and in addition to active hours, but since it isn't, I'm opting for very wide active hours to keep it out of the way.

Microsoft Edge is also quite a resource hog, even when very little is going on.  For he Inspiron 3475 a lighter browser, like maybe Opera, is probably a better fit.

IMO, you removed some necessary things.

Realtek driver for proper audio output. You may also want the Waves MaxxAudio Pro app for full use and quality of audio output

AMD software (chipset and video drivers)

If you use WiFi and Bluetooth, you need the Qualcomm driver

Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 - Some apps need this software even if you don't use Visual Studio, so if things start crashing, this might be the reason.

Did you switch to Windows Defender after you removed McAfee, which is a known resource hog?

"Did you switch to Windows Defender after you removed McAfee, which is a known resource hog?"

No, I uninstalled all the Microsoft security programs as well because Microsoft's "antimalware" program was putting a huge burden on the CPU whenever it was running.  I replaced it all with ESET, which is less CPU intensive.

I made a few upgrades that also seem to have helped:

1.  Upgraded from factory installed 5400rpm 1TB Seagate HDD to a Samsung 870 1TB SSD

2. Upgraded to 16GB (from 8GB) of RAM that's lower latency than the original DELL RAM.  It appears that nothing can be done to improve the frequency of the RAM, which appears to be fixed in the BIOS at an unchangeable 2133Mhz, even if you insert RAM rated for higher clock speeds.

A few maintenance things:

1. Replaced the original CR2320 coincell BIOS battery with a genuine Duracell.

2. Removed old solder paste and applied fresh solder paste.

3. Blew out the fan and the heat pipe's heatsink with compressed air to remove any dust.

About the only thing left to do would be to upgrade the Wi-Fi module to something better.  Even with the Dell Wi-Fi drivers for it installed, the factory wi-fi module installed by Dell seems to greatly under-perform, even though it shows full signal strength.  Which wi-fi module would make for a good upgrade?

I hope you meant thermal paste, not "solder paste"! They're two entirely different things with very different purposes.

If you have SmartByte software running (pre-installed by Dell) get rid of it!  You can read this about SmartByte, but -IMO- it's just unnecessary.

Open Device Manager and double-click the entry for your WiFi card. Click its Power Management tab and uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off..." Then close Device Manager.

Now open the Windows Power & Sleep screen. Click Additional Power settings. On next screen identify the active Power plan and click Change Plan Settings. On next screen, click Change Advanced Power Settings.

On that last screen, disable Hybrid Sleep, USB Selective Suspend and PCI-e Link State Management. Next, change the Wireless Adapter Settings>Power Saving Mode to Max Performance. Be sure to save the changes to the Power plan and reboot.

Does that improve WiFi performance?