What's causing hard drive activity even when my computer is idle?

[Larry]

Is there a way in XP to tell what Windows is doing at a particular moment?
Sometimes I am on the internet and the hard drive light will begin to work
furiously, and I wonder that AVG might be downloading virus updates. And the
hard drive light sometime also begins working when I am offline and doing
nothing. I downloaded a Microsoft update for an XP task bar search feature
maybe a year ago, and I've wondered if that was when this activity began.



Is there a way to know what might be happening in Windows or in something
else when this commotion starts?

Larry

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

See
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/desktopsearch/technicalresources/indexing.mspx

 

[Jose]

Is there a way in XP to tell what Windows is doing at a particular moment?
Sometimes I am on the internet and the hard drive light will begin to work
furiously, and I wonder that AVG might be downloading virus updates. And the
hard drive light sometime also begins working when I am offline and doing
nothing. I downloaded a Microsoft update for an XP task bar search feature
maybe a year ago, and I've wondered if that was when this activity began.

Is there a way to know what might be happening in Windows or in something
else when this commotion starts?

Larry

You can guess or you can know. Even if you are not doing anything,
there are still things going on.

Download Autoruns which will reveal more than the Windows Task
Manager.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

 

[thanatoid]

Is there a way in XP to tell what Windows is doing at a
particular moment?

The /general/ answer is a decent task manager. The windows task
manager is severely limited especially in the lack of info it
provides. You can't even look up file properties - if you want
to know, you have to start searching for the file, and don't
even get me started on Windows "search". There are good process
viewers like TaskInfo, get one.

Sometimes I am on the internet and the
hard drive light will begin to work furiously, and I wonder
that AVG might be downloading virus updates.

NO program, I don't care WHAT it is should have "auto update"
turned on.

And the hard
drive light sometime also begins working when I am offline
and doing nothing. I downloaded a Microsoft update for an
XP task bar search feature maybe a year ago, and I've
wondered if that was when this activity began.

I can't answer that, but I have NO MS software on this computer
except for the OS's because everything they don't outright steal
(or sometimes buy-out) from others is crappy and invasive and
the only reason I even USE Windows is because after 20 years I
am not about to learn a new OS, I'm too old for that.

Is there a way to know what might be happening in Windows
or in something else when this commotion starts?

Stop using MS Internet Explorer/Outlook and MSOffice when you
are online and this mysterious activity (I'll let you figure out
what is going on) will stop.

I highly recommend Opera, the latest version is incredible, and
for basic simple and faster than you thought possible browsing,
OffByOne - no flash, no scripting, so totally secure - does not
"do" some "modern" sites. Which are usually garbage anyway. I
mainly use it for my bank and for various sites which force you
to use javascript or flash, and I don't go to many of those.

--
There are only two classifications of disk drives: Broken drives
and those that will break later.
- Chuck Armstrong (This one I think, http://www.cleanreg.com/,
not the ball player. But who knows. I can't remember where I got
the quote. But it's true.)

 

[HeyBub]

The /general/ answer is a decent task manager. The windows task
manager is severely limited especially in the lack of info it
provides. You can't even look up file properties - if you want
to know, you have to start searching for the file, and don't
even get me started on Windows "search". There are good process
viewers like TaskInfo, get one.


NO program, I don't care WHAT it is should have "auto update"
turned on.


I can't answer that, but I have NO MS software on this computer
except for the OS's because everything they don't outright steal
(or sometimes buy-out) from others is crappy and invasive and
the only reason I even USE Windows is because after 20 years I
am not about to learn a new OS, I'm too old for that.


Stop using MS Internet Explorer/Outlook and MSOffice when you
are online and this mysterious activity (I'll let you figure out
what is going on) will stop.

Heh! Not if the activity is caused by the MS indexing function. Or a bit of
malware that's sending a quarter-million spams.

I highly recommend Opera, the latest version is incredible, and
for basic simple and faster than you thought possible browsing,
OffByOne - no flash, no scripting, so totally secure - does not
"do" some "modern" sites. Which are usually garbage anyway. I
mainly use it for my bank and for various sites which force you
to use javascript or flash, and I don't go to many of those.

A few non-MS products actually cause your cat to develop warts. Using a
non-MS bit of software is roughly equivalent to dating a blow-up doll:
cheap, attractive (at a distance), and easy to use.

 

[thanatoid]

thanatoid wrote:


Heh! Not if the activity is caused by the MS indexing
function. Or a bit of malware that's sending a
quarter-million spams.

The above mentioned programs ARE malware IMHO. But of course, it
could be something else. I assumed that the OP knew how to take
basic anti-malwatre precautions. And anybody who lets the
indexing service run is just nuts.

A few non-MS products actually cause your cat to develop
warts.

I have a cat, and at least 95% of my computer is non-MS. No
warts. On either of us.

Using a non-MS bit of software is roughly equivalent
to dating a blow-up doll: cheap, attractive (at a
distance), and easy to use.

Are you implying non-MS software is always easy to use?
"Equivalents" (read: smaller, faster, better) are often easier,
since they are not written by morons, but not always *easy*.
There are some pretty complex programs out there. OTOH even
Access is beyond the abilities of most people - who still HAVE
to have MS Office or they just aren't "for real". Anyway, the
above statement generally makes no sense, although it is well
crafted. Although personally I have never seen a blow-up doll
which was attractive at ANY distance, However, I don't know if
you know about "realdolls".

http://www.realdoll.com/

Those /look/ better than most real women, even right up close -
well, at least from the photographs. I can't afford 6-10 grand
for a ****toy.

--
There are only two classifications of disk drives: Broken drives
and those that will break later.
- Chuck Armstrong (This one I think, http://www.cleanreg.com/,
not the ball player. But who knows. I can't remember where I got
the quote. But it's true.)