Run the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, and turn on the following
columns: "I/O Read Bytes" and "I/O Write Bytes." This will give you details as
to which process is accessing the disk. Although many processes will be
accessing the disk a lot, look for one with a high total or a fast rate of
increase, especially when you hear the drive being accessed.
Hard
Disk Performance Is Slower Than You Expect

OFFXP: Hard Disk Runs Continuously After You Install Office XP

Hard Disk - Cleaning
Hard disks keep getting bigger and bigger, but somehow we still run out of space. MP3s and other media files are immensely popular–and simply immense. Programs are bigger, and data files are bigger. Windows Explorer isn't much help. It will tell you the size of all selected files in a folder, but nothing about the files in that folder's subfolders.

Enter
DiskPie2 a
utility to identify the biggest consumers of disk space. Pie charts let you see
at a glance which folders and file types are taking up the most space. The
charts are highly customizable, and can be printed.

An Explorer view lets you navigate to the folder you want to chart, and as a bonus displays the number of bytes in and below the selected

folder. DiskPie2

also can display and print a report of the largest files in the selected folder.
Armed with the information that DiskPie provides, you can decide how best to
allocate the space on your disk.

TreeSize: Every hard disk is too small if you just

wait long enough. TreeSize tells you where precious space has gone to. TreeSize
can be started from the context menu of a folder or drive and shows you the size
of this folder, including its subfolders. You can expand this folder in
Explorer-like style and you will see the size of every subfolder. Scanning is
done in a thread, so you can already see results while TreeSize is working. The
space, which is wasted by the file system can be displayed and the results can
be printed in a report. TreeSize is Mailware for Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP.
Download.

Hard Disk - Heavy Load

HeavyLoad simulates heavy activity on a PC, it allows you to
test if a workstation or server PC is working stable under heavy load. It
stresses processor, memory and hard disks, operating system, etc.
Download.

Harddrive Repair

Title: Harddrive Repair

URL:
http://www.my-hard-drive-repair.com

Description: Data recovery, hard drive repair,

recover files, tools, information and guide.


Title: Data Recovery

URL: http://www.my-data-recovery.com


Description: Hard drive recovery tools and tips,

guide for data recovery and repair.



Title: Quick Data Recovery

URL:
http://www.quick-data-recovery.com

Description: Info on data recovery and tools for

repairing your hard drive.

Hardware Detection

Troubleshooting Device Manager Issues

Hardware Profiles in Windows XP

To create a hardware
profile

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators
group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a
network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this
procedure.

1. Open
   
   System in Control
   Panel.



2. On the Hardware tab, click Hardware Profiles.
   


3. Under Available hardware profiles, click Profile 1
   (Current), and then click Copy.


4. Type a name for the new
   
   hardware profile, and
   then click OK.



5. You can customize your new profile by enabling or
   disabling devices for that profile in
   
   Device Manager.
   

Notes

To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and

• Maintenance, and then click System.


• The profile named Profile 1 (Current) provides a
  model for you to create new hardware profiles. It will not appear in the list
  of available hardware profiles shown during startup.

To specify the
default hardware profile for startup

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the
Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is
connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from
completing this procedure.

1. Open
   
   
   System in Control
   Panel.


2. On the Hardware tab, click Hardware Profiles.
   


3. Under Available hardware profiles, use the arrow
   buttons to move the
   
   
   hardware profile you
   want to use as the default into the top position in the list. During startup,
   Windows will load only the
   
   device drivers for
   hardware devices that are enabled in the profile you select.


4. Under Hardware profiles selection, click one of the
   options that specifies how long
   Windows waits before automatically loading the default hardware
   profile.

Notes

• 
  To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and
  Maintenance, and then click System.


• If you want the default hardware profile to load
  automatically without showing you the list during startup, enter a 0 in
  seconds under Hardware profiles selection. If you decide later to select a
  different hardware profile, press the SPACEBAR during startup and choose a
  profile from the list.

To copy,
rename, or delete a hardware profile

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is

connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from
completing this procedure.

1. Open
   
   System in Control
   Panel.


2. On the Hardware tab, click Hardware Profiles.
   



3. Under Available hardware profiles, click the
   existing
   
   hardware profile you
   want, and do one of the following. Click:
   
   
   
   • Copy to open the Copy Profile dialog box, and type
     a new name for the copy.
   
   
   • Rename to open the Rename Profile dialog box, and
     type a new name for the selected profile.
   
   
   
   • Delete to remove the selected profile.
     
   
   
   Note

• To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and
  Maintenance, and then click System.

Hardware and Software Detection

The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed
software and hardware. Download
here. In the Software Versions section you'll see all of your installed
software. At the end of each entry is a clickable asterisk that will take you to
the folder the software is installed in.

Hardware Malfunction - Call your hardware vendor for
support - The system has halted Error Message

Hardware Malfunction Results in System Error Message