When I'm not using my computer, I want it to just sit there.

[Tom]

If I let my computer sit for a few minutes, the hard drive starts working like crazy. I guess Windows XP thinks it's a good time to do something, I want to stop it.

What are all the possibilities, and how do I turn all of them off ?

I know there's defrag, but I never told it to run auto

I think there's something that moves common files to the quickest part of drive, I don't want that running auto either.

Anything else ?

 

[imported_ColinT]

In XP pro you go to : start, all programs, accessories, system tools, scheduled tasks and see what is set to autorun - delete what you don't like.

 

[wseyller]

In power option properties you can set the hard disks to turn off after a certain amount of time.

 

[xtknight]

It's probably the indexer service.

 

[Tom]

I don't want the hard drives to turn off. I don't want it to do anything. I want it to sit there, running, but not doing anything.

Is it possible for me to control what my pc does if I'm using Windows XP ?

 

[ebaycj]

turn off the indexing service.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: ebaycj
turn off the indexing service.

Thanks for trying to help, but I've already disabled indexing service; and there is nothing in scheduled tasks.

What about the other 2 things I mentioned in my first post, can they be turned off ?

 

[DaiShan]

It would probably help if we knew which processes were running during this activity. Before you leave your computer, open up task manager. When you notice the HDD activity, check which process (in the process tab) is using the most CPU (not a fail-proof way but will at least provide insight) /edit Also, is this a laptop or a desktop?

 

[fr]

Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

 

[Brentx]

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

I was waiting for someone to say that. XP defrags your hard drives when there is no activity, which is what you are hearing. In TweakUI you can disable it from doing that.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: Brentx

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

I was waiting for someone to say that. XP defrags your hard drives when there is no activity, which is what you are hearing. In TweakUI you can disable it from doing that.

What does process does SysInternal's filemon see that activity as?

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

Hallelujah ! Disabling "optimize while idling" did the trick.

Thanks !

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

Hallelujah ! Disabling "optimize while idling" did the trick.

Thanks !

:roll: Careful what you ask for.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

Hallelujah ! Disabling "optimize while idling" did the trick.

Thanks !

:roll: Careful what you ask for.

What are you getting at ?

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: fr
Download TweakUI and tell it not to optimize/defragment your drives when it thinks you won't notice.

Hallelujah ! Disabling "optimize while idling" did the trick.

Thanks !

:roll: Careful what you ask for.

What are you getting at ?

"If I let my computer sit for a few minutes, the hard drive starts working like crazy. I guess Windows XP thinks it's a good time to do something, I want to stop it. "

Why?

It's your computer so by definition anything you decide to do to it is the right thing of course. I'm not trying to bust your balls; I just don't understand.

 

[Tom]

I use this particular computer for 2 things mostly, playing games, and video capture. When I'm not usng it, i don't want to hear the hard drives chattering away, especially when it is not doing anything that will help any of the things I use the computer for, and is probably actually screwing things up by trying to move very large video capture files and fragmenting them when they weren't fragmented to begin with.

For instance, I noticed the modify date on my Program File and Windows directory are very recent, the only reason I can think of for this is because the "optimize while idling" has been moving them recently, which makes no sense because they've been on the hard drive for almost 3 years ! They were "optimized" a long time ago.

When I want to defrag or "optimize" I'll do it, I don't want to listen to a drive chattering away while I try to read the morning newspaper.

 

[pcgeek11]

It is obvious in this instance your computer is in fact smarter than you are. It is not going to screw up your files by optimizing them. It will help in both of the things you use your computer for. The hard disk will perform better when it has a low fragmentation level, and if the fragmentation level gets too severe it could cause data corruption. Regardless of what you might think you know.

pcgeek11

 

[Smilin]

It is completely normal for Windows and program files to get updated. You DO want these folder to be periodically reoptimized. Being optimized a long time ago does not mean they stay that way.

Your machine won't fragment otherwise unfragmented files during the process.

Just so you know you DO want that defragging to occur on a regular basis. I totally understand the noise thing though. Shut off the idle defrag and put a scheduled one for late at night.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: Tom
If I let my computer sit for a few minutes, the hard drive starts working like crazy. I guess Windows XP thinks it's a good time to do something, I want to stop it.

What are all the possibilities, and how do I turn all of them off ?

I know there's defrag, but I never told it to run auto

I think there's something that moves common files to the quickest part of drive, I don't want that running auto either.

Anything else ?

power it off?

ok that was a jerk thing to say.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: pcgeek11
It is obvious in this instance your computer is in fact smarter than you are. It is not going to screw up your files by optimizing them. It will help in both of the things you use your computer for. The hard disk will perform better when it has a low fragmentation level, and if the fragmentation level gets too severe it could cause data corruption. Regardless of what you might think you know.

pcgeek11

I don't claim to be an expert on exactly how XP defrag works, or even if the thing they call "optimize" even is defrag, or if it's the process that moves more commonly used files to faster parts of the drive. But the defrag programs I know of move fragments to other parts of the drive where they can be combined together, then rewrite the unfragmented files back into the freed up space where the fragmented files use to be. Doing this now and then during so called idle time, interrupted by my using the computer and creating new files, doesn't seem like nearly as good a process as running a full defrag at an appropriate time.

For my uses on this particular computer( I have other computers for more general use)

1. playing games- the only time defrag would help is when loading the game, or a new level, or if it is using the swap file. None of these are of any importance to me in the games I play.

2. for large video files. The half done defrag that has to be occuring during idle time, might be defragging files, but it is fragmenting the free space on the drive if it isn't running to completion. This means when I write a new large file to the drive it will be more fragmented than it would have been if the idle time "optimization" had not occured.

So what I do is, when I'm going to be writing large files, is I run defrag to completion, to maximize the unfragmented free space on the drive. I think the idle time defrag actually must be doing the opposite of what I want it to do, since it never gets to finish. And with the defrag programs I'm familiar with, the optimization of free space happens at the very end of the process.

Now, if I'm wrong on these concepts, please let me know.