Hard disk keep running on M1330

Hi all,

I've been following this forum for months, and finally got my new XPS M1330.

It has some flaws as many of you have pointed out, like the base is not completely flat, probably due to one feet sticker a little thicker. Or it maybe due to a bulding piont on the memroy cover. Not sure what that is, but apparently the memory cover has a bump. I would later upgrade the current 1g RAM to 2g, maybe at that time can have a clearer look. I'm a little concerned, since it looks like it is very crowded down there..

Some CPU whines, and it goes on and off, no matter I'm on AC or battery. But magically went away when I disabled the C4 state. I'm pretty happy now. Since I'll be mostly on AC, I'm not too concerned about battery drain.

One thing that has not been mentioned before is that I notice my Harddisk keeps running and is quite loud. Maybe it's just because of the new setups in Vista? Apparently a lot has been installed, and I hestate to reinstall the system as it's kind of a hassel. However, if the HD keeps running like that, it's a litltle worriesome. Interesting as I type, the HD kind of slows down and I can hardly hear it now. I've adjusted the virtural memroy size to be constant, and not sure if that will help.

I've learned a lot from this forum and would like to take this opportunity to thank every one, and share my experiences.

Thanks!

 

It's probably Vista doing indexing or creating restore points or something. When it sees that you're active on the computer (typing and such) it stops doing it so as not to slow down whatever you're doing.

 

You can check the sources that use your hdd through source-check in your task manager to see if it's Vista thats causing it or some other application perhaps. If there's nothing using your hdd and it's stilling running like a maniac there could be something wrong. Maybe you should also install hd-tune and/or speedfan to check your hdd for flaws and monitor the temps it reaches.

 

Thank you very much for your suggestions. It seems that the temp is not too bad, it's even cooler than an old IBM T43. I'll keep watching and hope the indexing/backingup will stop in a few days...

I also feel that it's starting up a little slower than I expected. Maybe also due to the new setups. Could that be a memory limit? I've seen posts before that stated no difference between 2g and 1g memory, but I guess I will still upgrade to 2g as I've been waiting for this machine for so long..

Thanks!

 

Oh yeah, i wanted to mention that right in my first message but i guess i forgot; 1 Gb of ram is really the minimum for Vista HP, you'll see your machine running much smoother and faster after you upgrade to 2 Gb. Most people that upgraded from 2 to 3 Gb report that it doesn't increase Vista's performance much, so 2 Gb should be sufficient for the next two years or so.
Also you could check how many programs are active on start up (type 'msconfig' in the search bar in the start menu, open it and you will see your start up menu, just uncheck the programs you don't wnat to start up with Windows). There might also be some 'bloathware' on your machine, just check the program list and delete the pre-installed programs you don't need/use.

Goodluck and congrats with your beautiful notebook, i'd get me one of those 1330's to if i hadn't bought this Vaio already. Oh well, next year maybe....

 

THanks again Storm. I acutally do like VAIO, my ex boyfriend had one and we both loved it much. Too bad SONY does not produce LCD panel any more. In my opinion VAIO and MBP are both better designed, while M1330 gives good specs with designs that are getting closer to VAIO/MBP.

I'll upgrade my RAMs as soon as I find my screwdriver, hehe.

 

Sony does have a few models with he led panels (i think that's what you mean), i believe some of the TZ/TX and he SZ models have it. But though they look very sexy i'm always a little worried about braking them to be honest...

*sighs* i'd love to have a Macbook pro, but they are just to expensive i think. Besides that, all Apple fan's would probably hate me if i'd get one because i'd still run it with Windows Vista, lol

Goodluck with that screwdriver miss, i hope that bumpy lid won' give you trouble

(what's the color of your 1330 btw? just curious... )