Hard Disk Activity When Computer Is Idle (146630)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 95
- Microsoft Windows 98
This article was previously published under Q146630 SYMPTOMS
When your computer seems to be idle, intense hard disk activity may occur,
sometimes for up to a minute or more.
CAUSE
When your computer is idle, Windows performs various housekeeping
activities. One such activity is compacting the virtual memory swap file
after one minute of inactivity. This is done to conserve disk space.
You can confirm that this is what is happening by running the System
Monitor tool and monitoring the Swapfile Size item in the Memory Manager
category. When the hard disk activity is finished, you should see the
Swapfile Size file decrease.
RESOLUTION
No action is necessary. Windows stops all housecleaning tasks the moment
you begin using the computer and resumes them when the computer is not
busy.
STATUS
This behavior is by design.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 12/16/2004 |
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| Keywords: | kbprb KB146630 |
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