Windows 11 high disk usage

The problem appears to be some software by Rivet Software called SmartByte that gets installed if you use the Dell Assistant (that seems to be general consensus) and it causes a the Capability Access Manager file to get corrupted which then results in the file getting progressively larger.  

The process of deleting the corrupted file is somewhat complex

Step 1: Boot into Safe Mode

1. Open the Windows Start Menu and click Settings.
2. Go to System > Recovery.
3. Look for Advanced startup and click Restart now.
4. When your PC reboots to the blue screen, navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
5. Press 4 or F4 on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Step 2: Delete the Corrupted Log File

Once in Safe Mode, Windows will not be running the Capability Access Manager service, allowing you to modify its files. [1, 2]

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Take ownership of the folder by typing this command and pressing Enter:
   takeown /f "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager" /r /d y
3. Grant administrator permissions to the folder by pasting this command and pressing Enter:
   icacls "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager" /grant administrators:F /t
4. Delete the corrupted database file with this command:
   del "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\CapabilityAccessManager\*.db-wal" [1, 2, 3]

Step 3: Restart and Check for Issues

1. Restart your computer normally. Windows will automatically generate a fresh, clean database file (usually a few megabytes in size) to replace the corrupted one. [1, 2]
2. If your Wi-Fi is not working after deleting the file, this is a known side effect. Search for and open the Settings app, go to System > Recovery, and select Reinstall now under the Fix problems using Windows Update section. 

Removing the SmartByte program using the Control panel was straightforward, but I noticed that there are still residual services that are running that were not removed.  I guess I needed to turn them off first before removing the app.  Now I am stuck with these services programs but I disabled them in the Services.