HD Activity Problem

Since the last Windows update, I have seen that every time I turn on my laptop. It will peg the disk at 100% for several minutes before finally returning to normal. Not a fix.

Another thing I noticed from the last update is that putting the laptop to sleep seems to put it in a really deep sleep. Instead of the previous 2-4 second wait for the login screen after I open the cover, it's now closer to 10 seconds and I get the HP splash screen before that.

When it happens, check the task manager, to see which process is consuming HD I/O.

Boot to minimum config (no services or processes launched) to see if behavior remains the same. If it does then you might not have an OS/Apps problem.

I have checked the task manager. It does not reveal any specific process as the problem.

You might be experiencing the indexing (search) process at work. Will start up on boot, particularly after a large update. If the activity stops after you start using the system that might be the culprit.

Might just boot and let it sit for up to 20 minutes doing NOTHING so the indexing service can complete faster, else it looks for downtime/out of use sequences to finish the task.

edit: Additionally, depending on the hardware/speed, interrupting the search index might take some time, hence "unresponsive".

I have checked the task manager. It does not reveal any specific process as the problem.

In admin mode, in the task manager, you see all process, if you click on the HD column, they'll be sorted by activity. There must be one or two on top, this can't be hidden process in that case.

Also, test your hard disk, check the SMART values. It might be exhausted.

Hi Travis, I did sort and check by activity. All appears normal with peaks as processes are working and dropping back but it makes no difference to the 100% disk activity.