🚀 go-pugleaf

bakerbob@ix.netcom.com (The IceMan) wrote:


;>I just upgraded to a new Pentium motherboard from a 486, and every
;>couple of seconds or so, the hard drive access light flickers.  Does
;>anyone have any idea why this is?  I don't remember it doing this with
;>my old motherboard.

This is happening because you have a disk controller that also has a CD-ROM
drive attached to it, IDE CD-ROM right?

The CD-ROM driver has a feature called "autorun" that checks the CD-ROM
driver every few seconds and will run the autorun program on the cd if you
change cds and it detects the right program.  You can disable this feature
in Control Panel | System | Device Manager | cd drive | Properties .

Otherwise it is not hurting anything and the hard drive is not being
accessed.

;>Also, when I exit Win95, drive A: is *ALWAYS* accessed, no matter
;>whether or not there is a disk in the drive.  I have cleared out the
;>start menu documents list, but it didn't help.

There might be a reference in the registry to the a: drive.  I have two new
Pentiums at work with the same problem.  I have done all the checks.  I'm
going to have to go on one PC with a program to see exactly what it is
looking for on the A: drive.


Gordon McAndrew
LAN Manager
Alberta Environmental Centre
Alberta Canada
gmcandrew@aec.env.gov.ab.ca    -   Home  (403)632-6198

In article <3121599b.462652@nntp.ix.netcom.com>, bakerbob@ix.netcom.com says...
>
>
>I just upgraded to a new Pentium motherboard from a 486, and every
>couple of seconds or so, the hard drive access light flickers.  Does
>anyone have any idea why this is?  I don't remember it doing this with
>my old motherboard.
>
>Also, when I exit Win95, drive A: is *ALWAYS* accessed, no matter
>whether or not there is a disk in the drive.  I have cleared out the
>start menu documents list, but it didn't help.
>
>Any clues would be much appreciated.
>Thanks,
>Bob
>


I'd almost be willing to bet that you have an IDE CD hooked to the secondary 
IDE port on the motherboard and what you're seeing is 95 polling the CD every 2 
seconds .. 
 

CHEERS

=Jay=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                  
Jay Garcia: jgarcia@earthlink.net
Southern Systems International 
Novell Installation, Support, Training   
Voice:(504)469-6324
FAX:  (504)469-5171            
Amateur Radio - N5HZF
              

gmcandrew@aec.env.gov.ab.ca (Gordon McAndrew) wrote:

>bakerbob@ix.netcom.com (The IceMan) wrote:


>;>I just upgraded to a new Pentium motherboard from a 486, and every
>;>couple of seconds or so, the hard drive access light flickers.  Does
>;>anyone have any idea why this is?  I don't remember it doing this with
>;>my old motherboard.

>This is happening because you have a disk controller that also has a CD-ROM
>drive attached to it, IDE CD-ROM right?

>The CD-ROM driver has a feature called "autorun" that checks the CD-ROM
>driver every few seconds and will run the autorun program on the cd if you
>change cds and it detects the right program.  You can disable this feature
>in Control Panel | System | Device Manager | cd drive | Properties .

>Otherwise it is not hurting anything and the hard drive is not being
>accessed.

>;>Also, when I exit Win95, drive A: is *ALWAYS* accessed, no matter
>;>whether or not there is a disk in the drive.  I have cleared out the
>;>start menu documents list, but it didn't help.

>There might be a reference in the registry to the a: drive.  I have two new
>Pentiums at work with the same problem.  I have done all the checks.  I'm
>going to have to go on one PC with a program to see exactly what it is
>looking for on the A: drive.


>Gordon McAndrew
>LAN Manager
>Alberta Environmental Centre
>Alberta Canada
>gmcandrew@aec.env.gov.ab.ca    -   Home  (403)632-6198

I had similar when win95 loaded it was a file association with the a:
drive check your file extensions to see that one doesn`t associate
with the floppy drive.
hope that helps
Gadget thats me...you name it i`ve got it..

jgarcia@earthlink.net (Jay Garcia) wrote:

> In article <3121599b.462652@nntp.ix.netcom.com>, bakerbob@ix.netcom.com says...
> >
> >
> >I just upgraded to a new Pentium motherboard from a 486, and every
> >couple of seconds or so, the hard drive access light flickers.  Does
> >anyone have any idea why this is?  I don't remember it doing this with
> >my old motherboard.
> >
> >Also, when I exit Win95, drive A: is *ALWAYS* accessed, no matter
> >whether or not there is a disk in the drive.  I have cleared out the
> >start menu documents list, but it didn't help.
> >
> >Any clues would be much appreciated.
> >Thanks,
> >Bob
> >
> 
> 
> I'd almost be willing to bet that you have an IDE CD hooked to the secondary 
> IDE port on the motherboard and what you're seeing is 95 polling the CD every 2 
> seconds .. 

A few people have suggested that, and I don't think thats right. My
machine and my lodgers machine both do it, and we both have soundcard
connectors for our CDroms.... It's not every few seconds, it seems to
happen when the 'puter is idle for about 40 seconds... then
"WHIRRRR!".




--
Tim Brutton (KoX)                    | ==============================
tim@arcady.demon.co.uk               | For my PGP 2.6 key, send email
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On Wed, 21 Feb 1996 22:47:17 GMT, tim@arcady.demon.co.uk (Tim Brutton) wrote:
>It's not every few seconds, it seems to
>happen when the 'puter is idle for about 40 seconds... then
>"WHIRRRR!".

When your system has been idle for 60 seconds, Windows goes into housekeeping
mode.  One of the most noticeable housekeeping activities is optimizing your
swap file.

Note that you can interrupt the housekeeping by starting to use the computer
again.  Windows will notice that the computer is no longer idle and stops doing
its housekeeping.

In <312b9c18.4802807@news.demon.co.uk> tim@arcady.demon.co.uk (Tim Brutton) writes:

>jgarcia@earthlink.net (Jay Garcia) wrote:

>> In article <3121599b.462652@nntp.ix.netcom.com>, bakerbob@ix.netcom.com says...
>> >
>> >
>> >I just upgraded to a new Pentium motherboard from a 486, and every
>> >couple of seconds or so, the hard drive access light flickers.  Does
>> >anyone have any idea why this is?  I don't remember it doing this with
>> >my old motherboard.
>> >
>> >Also, when I exit Win95, drive A: is *ALWAYS* accessed, no matter
>> >whether or not there is a disk in the drive.  I have cleared out the
>> >start menu documents list, but it didn't help.
>> >
>> >Any clues would be much appreciated.
>> >Thanks,
>> >Bob
>> >
>> 
>> 
>> I'd almost be willing to bet that you have an IDE CD hooked to the secondary 
>> IDE port on the motherboard and what you're seeing is 95 polling the CD every 2 
>> seconds .. 

>A few people have suggested that, and I don't think thats right. My
>machine and my lodgers machine both do it, and we both have soundcard
>connectors for our CDroms.... It's not every few seconds, it seems to
>happen when the 'puter is idle for about 40 seconds... then
>"WHIRRRR!".

My guess is lazy cache writing, or swap-file resizing. Probably the latter, as
I have a partition on my second hard drive dedicated to Win95 swapping, and
have set the minimum and maximum sizes to the size of the partition. I never
experience your problem (486DX4/120, 8MB RAM).

Mark.