Hard drive running for no reason

[Bob]

Is there something that displays what is accessing my hard drive resources
that is similar to Task Manager displaying the CPU usage percentage column?
I would like to know what is using my hard drive.

My hard drive seems to be working very intensely when I am not doing much.
Then it will calm down after 3 to 10 minutes. It has always done this. I
check task manager and CPU usage is 6-18% and my hard drive is really
working intensely. The CPU usage percentage column of task manager has
"Percentage of time the processor is idle" at 87-97%. I cannot believe
"Percentage of time the processor is idle" is hard drive intensive. There
are times that I want to do some major multi-tasking and something is using
my hard drive and slowing what I want to do. Also when the hard drive is
running intensely for seemingly no reason and I shut down the computer it
takes more than twice as long to shut down.

For example, my hard drive is quiet, Task Manager is open so I can monitor
CPU usage, I start Windows Mail to read an email I already received. I am
just reading an email and scroll down a little and hard drive is working
intensely. I immediately check the CPU usage percentage column of task
manager has "Percentage of time the processor is idle" at 96%.

Then there are times when I leave my computer for an hour and the hard drive
goes silent right away. That should be the time that whatever is using hard
drive resources should be doing its work and not when I want to be using my
computer.

I was thinking it was indexing and I was going to post a question on how to
make it lower priority. But the CPU usage percentage column shows indexing
as rarely registering any CPU usage.

I know it is not malware because along with avast free anti virus & malware
for real time protection. I have about seven other malware scanners
installed for manual scan only usage and run each at least once a week. I
use safe internet habits and openDNS for protection so I do not go to web
sites known for malware.

Background info: Desktop AMD 4400+ 64X2 4GB memory 320GB HD Acer
(AM3100-U3201A) purchased new February 2008 -- 32-bit MS Vista Home Premium
SP2 -- MS auto updates on. Comcast ISP 12mbps service W\ Motorola SURFboard
SB5101 Cable Modem. D-Link DWA-552 Xtreme N Desktop PCI Adapter with D-Link
DIR-615 Wireless N 300 Router.

Thank you for your help.
Bob

 

[Mr. Arnold]

For example, my hard drive is quiet, Task Manager is open so I can
monitor CPU usage, I start Windows Mail to read an email I already
received. I am just reading an email and scroll down a little and hard
drive is working intensely. I immediately check the CPU usage
percentage column of task manager has "Percentage of time the processor
is idle" at 96%.

Sysinternal's Process Explorer allows one to look at the processes
running and what is using the processes. It's free.

I was thinking it was indexing and I was going to post a question on how
to make it lower priority. But the CPU usage percentage column shows
indexing as rarely registering any CPU usage.

I know it is not malware because along with avast free anti virus &
malware for real time protection. I have about seven other malware
scanners installed for manual scan only usage and run each at least once
a week. I use safe internet habits and openDNS for protection so I do
not go to web sites known for malware.

Malware can fool all of it, hide itself and piggy back off a legitimate
running process.

Hey go look around for yourself and not solely depend upon protection
software.

Systinternal has some other tools to help you look at what is running on
the computer.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx

Who is to say that you don't have rootkit running on the machine?

Hey, you might not have anything, it all may be legit, but at least
you'll learn how to look around and check for yourself.

The link below talks about the tools like Process Explorer and others.
With PE, right-click a line in the upper pane and go to properties of
the running process to get more information. You can do the same on a
line in the lower pane.

You can use CurrPort instead of Active Ports that doesn't run on Vista
the last time I looked.

<http://www.windowsecurity.com/artic...d_Rootkit_Tools_in_a_Windows_Environment.html>

 

[Bob]

Thank you for your kind response.
I will try it
Thanks
Bob