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    1420 users... is your hard drive always doing something??

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by val23, Oct 2, 2007.

  1. val23

    val23 Notebook Consultant

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    hey all..
    i have a 1420... and my HD light is always turning on and off... even when my computer is idling... not so much of an annoyance.. but the HD is definitely doing something b/c i hear it like maybe 20-30 times a minute. always!

    just wondering if you're experiencing the same problems...
     
  2. Waveblade

    Waveblade Notebook Deity

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    It's not a problem, it's a feature for Vista that's indexing or something probably.
     
  3. Lithus

    Lithus NBR Janitor

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    Indexing, Shadow Volume, Defragmenting.

    Vista keeps busy, even when you're not.
     
  4. cyclone2k1

    cyclone2k1 Newbie

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    I face this problem too with my Vostro 1400.
    I tried switching off the indexing but the error saying some files are in use always popped up. Is it possible to switch off the indexing?
     
  5. n19htmare

    n19htmare Notebook Evangelist

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    one of the touted features of Vista is it's search feature. I don't know about you but I keep my files where I can find them and dont have to use the search feature.
    IF you do not use the search feature of Vista, Indexing is not really needed and disabling it will free up some clock cycles as well as the HD churn.
     
  6. surfasb

    surfasb Titles Shmm-itles

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    It's probably Indexing. Unfortunately, I use this feature often as it's tied to the Outlook search feature. I use Outlook to organize my RSS feeds and emails. I use the search feature to sort through my email and feeds for certain keywords..
     
  7. cyclone2k1

    cyclone2k1 Newbie

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    Aye. I want to turn indexing off but everytime I do this, Vista pops up an error box stating this or that program is running and I can't change its attribute. How to go about this?
     
  8. 000111

    000111 Atari Master

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    just click ignore all, if that is an option. worked for me. indexing off rules. searches are fast enough for me, even without the indexing on.
     
  9. Cyanize

    Cyanize Notebook Consultant

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    There is still the possibility that none of those (indexing, vista, etc) is responsible for the constant noise from your HDD. Check out my thread here, might help you to solve this annoyance.
     
  10. gridtalker

    gridtalker Notebook Virtuoso

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    That is normal
     
  11. gibson00

    gibson00 Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm having the same problem, and I have indexing turned off. I don't get any noise, but the hard drive light is always on. I look at task manager and I don't really see anything much running. The laptop was new yesterday, and was turned on for at least a few hours straight after I turned indexing off and rebooted. What the heck is it doing???
    Vostro 1700 w/Vista Home Basic.
     
  12. manzi

    manzi Notebook Evangelist

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    For me the main problem is the amount of noise the hard drive makes. I wish i got a quiter one instead as its louder than the fan.
     
  13. nolo451

    nolo451 Notebook Guru

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    yes, but do not mind it one bit.