T61 HDD always twitching

[pipspeak]

Is it normal that an HDD is always working? Even when my T61 is sitting doing nothing with no applications running, the HDD is always "twitching" on and off. It's never just off.

I checked the task manager and there is one, and only one, process that constantly reads and writes -- lsass.exe, the Security Accounts Manager. It's the one lsass service that cannot be stopped (I stopped all the others).

Why would this constantly be accessing the HDD and is this normal?

[ryengineer]

Sir, you did not mention which OS you're using?

Under Vista it is normal for a week, few days. In general regardless of which Windows OS you're using, it depends on numbers of services and programs working in the background.

[SHoTTa35]

well i guess since this is in the Windows OS forum i'll assume you're using Windows XP.

Is the usage so constant that it affects performance or is it just something that you find annoying?

lsass.exe is a system process of the Microsoft Windows security mechanisms. It specifically deals with local security and login policies. This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated.


unless you have the trojan version. It has the same file name but is a trojan.

[pipspeak]

It is XP and the only reason I'm at all concerned is for power consumption issues when running on batteries. The HDD will basically never stop spinning if it's constantly being accessed, which will be a bit of a drain on the battery.