TSGL: Hard Drive Thrashing

[The Computer Whisperer]

Gene,

If you have only 256 MB of RAM and a low amount of HDD space then this could
be the problem.

If it's completely random tho, it sounds like a virus.

Try a startup scan with Avast Antivirus

Regards,

Justin

-- 
http://www.whisperer.com.au

The Computer Whisperer - Your Friendly In-Home Technical Support Consultant

Telephone: (03) 5979 1122
Mobile 0406 467 701

Servicing the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria, Australia)


On 29/10/2007, H Davis <hdavis1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Gene,
>
> Some of this thrashing is normal. If Windows isn't busy it'll do some
> housekeeping particularly some things relating to svchost.exe and/or
> wuauclt.exe and/or helpsvc.exe. There is a known problem that affects
> only a few folks where Windows consumes 100% of CPU time on one or the
> other of these routines. There are lots of suggested solutions out there
> but nothing seems to be universally successful. Google for those names
> combined with "slow down", "100 cpu" or similar terms.
>
> I myself have a similar problem but i'm not yet convinced it is the same
> problem as I described above. I can hear, what sounds like, my drive
> stuttering as if the head were shuttling in and out rapidly. This will
> keep up for a long time unless I start some program to make the machine
> busy doing something else. The funny thing though, is that if I watch
> CPU usage on task manager during this stuttering it doesn't show
> anything. No process is using the CPU, just system idle. I've concluded
> that if the disk is really stuttering, it's not being commanded to do so
> by a program or something else is making the noise. However, during this
> stuttering period something appears to be partially slowing the machine
> because it takes some time to get another program running even though
> task manager shows nothing else using the CPU. Do you think I'm
> confused!!!!!!!!!!!! You betcha!!!!!!!!!!
>
> I've just been watching it for quite a while. It's my backup machine
> running XP SP2 with all updates. Another, newer machine, also with XP
> SP2 doesn't have the problem. Sometimes the problem won't show up for
> days. Other times it will return fairly quickly as soon as I stop using
> the machine for anything productive.
>
> Watching and waiting,
>
> H Davis
>
> gene wrote:
> > Hello Everyone,
> >     Hope someone can help me with this problem. My hard drive keeps
> > thrashing every now and then for a reason I can't figure out.
> > I have a hp pavilion dv6000. I have tried to isolate the problem but
> > it just seems to arbitrarily do it whenever it feels like it.
> > Anytime, surfing, working off-line or whatever.
> > Can anyone give me some ideas i can try to stop it or can't i stop
> > it, is it just an inherent thing?
> > Thanks,
> > Gene
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> > http://www.tsgserver.com/list/
> >
> >
>
> --
> H Davis   hdavis1 at gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> http://www.tsgserver.com/list/
>