What is harddrive/RAM doing???

lyron

New member
Local time
4:22 PM
Messages
7
Very often when I wake up my computer, for a good 5 minutes the harddrive goes completely bozo and the system is extremely unresponsive since (I guess) it is in the process of waking up - in addition, when I look at task manager (even when observing "Show processes from all users") the majority of the RAM (>85%) is "System Idle Processes."

1) What is it doing, and how do I stop it?

2) Whatever is happening, why isn't it displayed?

Thanks - BTW, I had observed similar behavior with Vista.

B
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium
It is waking thus it need to do stuff...are you wanting the computer to remain off?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Alienware Aurora ALX R4
OS
Windows 10 Pro (x64)
CPU
Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)
Motherboard
Alienware Aurora-R4 x79
Memory
4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
Sound Card
SteelSeries Siberia Elite
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell UltraSharp U3011
Screen Resolution
2560x1600
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB, Seagate 1TB Desktop Hybrid HDD, 2x Western Digital 4TB Green HDD
PSU
875W Some Dell PSU <.<
Case
Alienware Aurora ALX
Cooling
Custom Liquid Cooling (EK CPU & GPU blocks) dual EK 480RAD
Keyboard
Logitech G710+ Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G700s
Internet Speed
Verizon Fios (50 mbps average)
Other Info
Server: Intel NUC D54250WYK: i5-4250U, 16GB, 256 GB mSATA, Windows Server 2012 R2
I guess what I'm getting at is:

1) If it's going to take 5 minutes before I can issue any commands to the system, what's the difference between turning it off (apart from the fact that all the applications remain open)

2) Whatever it's doing to wake up, why won't it tell me what it's doing so I can address it?

Thanks -

B
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 420
OS
Windows 10, Home Clean Install
CPU
Intel Core2 processsor Q8200(2.33Ghz 1333FSB) Quad Core Tech
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
6 gb
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 256MB HD3650
Sound Card
Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell SP2009W 20"
Hard Drives
640 GB Serial ATA Hard drive
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell USB Keyboard
Mouse
Dell Premium Optical USB
Internet Speed
DSL 2.85
System Idle is the percentage of time the CPU is doing nothing.
85% seems pretty good to me!
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
OEM - Me
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium x64
CPU
AMD Phenom II X6 1600T
Motherboard
GigaByte GZ-990FXA-UD3
Memory
16GB PC3-10700 (1342MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 5770 HD (x2) CrossFire
Sound Card
On-board RealTek chipset
Monitor(s) Displays
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Screen Resolution
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Hard Drives
Intel 25-V SSD 40GB: 218 MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Intel X-25M SSD 80GB: 230MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Seagate 750GB: 133 MB/s AT: 13ms (perpendicular storage)
Buffalo HD-PCTU3 1TB External drive
PSU
OCZ Stealth X Stream 750W
Case
Cheap (unknown)
Cooling
Stock
Keyboard
HP USB
Mouse
LogiTech USB
Internet Speed
1.5 Mbps - Slow - At the tail-end of a rural network
Other Info
Printer: Epson Stylus C-84
Scanner: HP 3500C Flatbed
DVD-RW: Plextor
DVD-ROM: Unknown
WEI: 7.4
Very often when I wake up my computer, for a good 5 minutes the harddrive goes completely bozo and the system is extremely unresponsive since (I guess) it is in the process of waking up.

1) What is it doing, and how do I stop it?

2) Whatever is happening, why isn't it displayed?

B

Are you using "Sleep" or "Hibernate" when you leave the computer?

In Sleep, everything the computer needs to get going again is held in RAM, so when you wake from Sleep the process is fast.

In Hibernate, everything the computer needs to get going again is held on the Hard Drive, so it takes a while longer for the data to move from the Drive into the RAM.

Hopefully 5 minutes is a bit of an exaggeration, it shouldn't take that long unless you are doing other things while the computer is waking from Hibernation that would slow down the process.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built - Jan 2013
OS
Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
CPU
i7-3820
Motherboard
Asus P9X79-PRO - Bios 4608
Memory
GSkill F3-14900CL9Q - 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce GTX660 - Driver 352.86
Sound Card
On board Realtek ALC898
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer S271HL
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
#1- Samsung 840 Pro Series
#2- Western Digital WD1002FAEX Sata3 Black
#3- Western Digital WD1002FAEX Sata3 Black
PSU
Corsair CMPSU-850TX-V2 - 850 watt (by Seasonic)
Case
Corsair Obsidian 550D
Cooling
Standard 3 120mm case fans, Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Keyboard
MS KC-0405
Mouse
Intellimouse 5-button
Internet Speed
56 Mbits/Sec (on a good day)
Antivirus
Avast & Malwarebytes
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
Asus DVD - DRW-24B1ST 24X
Thanks for all the suggestions. It appears to be using sleep and not hibernate, and it looks like hybrid sleep was already turned off (both cases). But I did try to alter some power settings to see if it would alleviate the problem. And maybe I am exaggerating the 5 minutes ;). But 2-3? Just means a lot of sitting around waiting. It's like the GPS I got for my car, it takes 1.5-2 minutes to acquire a satellite, so I get in the car to punch in the address and I have to sit there and wait.

I guess I wasn't making myself clear to some - yes it SAYS 85% or higher, but it's sluggish and the harddrive is doing something (running up and down the stairs??) so I believe the 85% is misleading (or else RAM activity is low but some other activities are high).

Thanks -

B
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS 420
OS
Windows 10, Home Clean Install
CPU
Intel Core2 processsor Q8200(2.33Ghz 1333FSB) Quad Core Tech
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
6 gb
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 256MB HD3650
Sound Card
Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell SP2009W 20"
Hard Drives
640 GB Serial ATA Hard drive
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Dell USB Keyboard
Mouse
Dell Premium Optical USB
Internet Speed
DSL 2.85
Back
Top