Question:

What is causing the persistent disk activity on my D drive (HDD) and how can I diagnose it?

I have a Windows 10 system with three drives: two SSDs (C and E) and one HDD (D). I use the SSDs for my OS and frequently accessed files, while the HDD is mainly for storage. Lately, I have noticed that my explorer is very slow when opening files or folders, even though I have not changed anything in my system. I have run SFC and other basic troubleshooting steps, but the problem persists.

When I checked the performance monitor, I saw that my D drive is constantly reading and writing data, even when the system is idle. The disk usage fluctuates between 3-6% and the read/write speeds are around 65kb/s and 2.9mb/s respectively. The process that is using the most disk resources is system (PID 4), but I am not sure if that is specific to the D drive or not.

I am wondering if this is normal behavior for an HDD or if there is something wrong with my drive or system. How can I find out what is causing this disk activity and how can I fix it or optimize it?

Answer:

If you have a Windows 10 system with multiple drives, you may have noticed that one of your drives, especially if it is a hard disk drive (HDD), is constantly busy with disk activity, even when the system is idle. This can cause your explorer to be slow when opening files or folders, and affect your overall system performance. In this article, we will explore some possible causes and solutions for this issue.

What is disk activity and why does it matter?

Disk activity is the amount of data that is being read from or written to a disk by a process or application. It is measured by disk usage (the percentage of time that the disk is busy) and disk throughput (the speed of data transfer in kilobytes per second or megabytes per second). Disk activity can be monitored by using the performance monitor or the resource monitor tools in Windows 10.

Disk activity is important because it affects the performance and lifespan of your disk. A disk that is constantly busy with high disk usage and throughput can wear out faster, generate more heat and noise, and consume more power. Moreover, a disk that is constantly busy can slow down other processes and applications that need to access the disk, such as your explorer or your browser.

What are some common causes of persistent disk activity on an HDD?

There are many possible causes of persistent disk activity on an HDD, but some of the most common ones are:

• System processes: Some system processes, such as system (PID 4), svchost.exe, or ntoskrnl.exe, may perform background tasks that involve disk activity, such as indexing, defragmenting, caching, updating, or scanning. These processes are essential for the proper functioning of your system, but they can also cause high disk activity on your HDD, especially if it is your system drive or if it contains system files or folders.
• Third-party applications: Some third-party applications, such as antivirus, backup, or cloud sync software, may also perform background tasks that involve disk activity, such as scanning, copying, or syncing files. These applications can be useful for your security or convenience, but they can also cause high disk activity on your HDD, especially if they are configured to run automatically or frequently.
• Malware: Some malware, such as viruses, worms, or ransomware, may also cause high disk activity on your HDD, as they may try to infect, encrypt, or delete your files. These malware can be harmful for your data and your system, and they can also slow down your disk and other processes.

How can I diagnose and fix the issue?

To diagnose and fix the issue of persistent disk activity on your HDD, you can follow these steps:

• Identify the process or application that is causing the disk activity: You can use the performance monitor or the resource monitor tools in Windows 10 to see which process or application is using the most disk resources on your HDD. You can sort the processes or applications by disk usage or disk throughput, and see the details of their disk activity, such as the file name, the path, and the operation. This can help you determine the source of the disk activity and whether it is normal or suspicious.
• Adjust the settings or disable the process or application: Once you have identified the process or application that is causing the disk activity, you can try to adjust its settings or disable it temporarily or permanently, depending on your needs and preferences. For example, you can change the schedule, frequency, or priority of the system processes or the third-party applications, or you can uninstall or disable them if you do not need them or if they are malicious. You can also use the task manager or the services manager tools in Windows 10 to end or stop the process or application, or use the autoruns tool to prevent it from running at startup.
• Check the health and performance of your disk: You can also use the disk management or the disk defragmenter tools in Windows 10 to check the health and performance of your disk. You can see the status, capacity, and partition of your disk, and you can run a disk check or a disk optimization to fix any errors or improve the efficiency of your disk. You can also use third-party tools, such as CrystalDiskInfo or HD Tune, to see more details about your disk, such as the temperature, the SMART attributes, and the benchmark results.

Conclusion

Persistent

disk activity on an HDD can be a common and annoying issue that can affect your system performance and your disk lifespan. However, by following the steps above, you can diagnose and fix the issue, and optimize your disk and your system. You can also consider upgrading your HDD to a solid state drive (SSD), which can offer faster, quieter, and more reliable performance, and reduce the disk activity and the power consumption.