System hangs, HDD LED glows but no activity

[pjargon]

Sometimes when I'm using my computer it will hang (most often when I play a 3d game, but sometimes when I'm just downloading files or something). The hang lasts for 10-30 seconds typically, during which time my HDD Led glows solid but my system jams solid and my HD doesn't do anything (no crunching). When it recovers I can usually move on, but sometimes it will stall about 5 seconds later (no hdd led glowing, never recovers).
Specs:
AMD 2100+
Asus A7n8x
Maxtor SATA 120gb (8meg cache)

 

[foofoo]

hi,
this can be the disk searching and failing.
have you checked the event viewer for problems? most often there will be some entries there that will tell you what is happening.
also, try downloading the maxtor disk checking software from their site and checking out your disk.
also, make sure that your sata drivers are up to date.
good luck.