Dell XPS 8500 100% Disk Usage

I wonder what would happen if you turned off Intel RST ... see if that is what causing the issue ... I don't even know if that's an option.

Well that is indeed one possibility I have NOT tried. Next time it starts (like I said it's sporadic which is one of the reasons I'm having a hard time trying to nail down the problem) I definitely will.

And yes I THINK it is possible by opening up the Intel Rapid Storage Technology program, clicking the Accelerate tab, and then choosing Disable Acceleration for the "Accelerated Divce: SATA disk on Controller 0, Port 0 (system)"...or at least that would seem logical.

Thanks!

Is something running in background like Windows Indexing Service, anti-malware scans, cloud backup service (eg, Carbonite, Sky Drive, etc)?

Is Windows or some app phoning home for updates?

That's kind of what I would have thought but I sure don't see it within the Task Manager.

Another strange thing about it is that when it is running at 100% (and it's always dominated by only 1 or 2 processes, for example WinRAR even if I'm only unzipping a single file) the rates are wildly different: Sometimes the total will be 100-130MB/s and sometimes it will be a total of only about 20-40MB/sec.

How can 50MB/sec be 100% of my disk rate capacity and 10MB/sec be 100% of disk's capacity? Maybe I'm not understanding the numbers correctly but regardless in either circumstance the effect is that everything is slowed waaaaaay down.

Thanks again to anyone who can explain either my Dell's error and/or my error in understanding!

did you install one of those hack programs to bring the start button back to windows 8?  you might try uninstalling it  ... that very well could be causing your issue. Windows 8 is uber fast even on my little sandy bridge Pentium system I built for $300.  That hack could be the root of your issues.

I use the free Classic Shell for Win 8 and don't see any problems.

You might try uninstalling and reinstalling WinRAR.

If you're comfortable working inside the case, you might want to reseat the cables to SATA and mSATA drives. Be sure to power off, unplug and press/hold power button on tower before opening the case.

And you might want to contact Dell Tech Support because it could be as simple as a bum SATA (or mSATA) cable or a bum drive.

Yes, I also use Classic Shell and I may give uninstalling that a try though, like RoHe, I don't see how that would affect it. Same with WinRAR I guess, but it is not the only culprit, it just happens to be one that was going in the screen shot. It also happens when I'm scanning with SuperAntiSpyware, checking files with QuickPar, etc.

I wish I could use Dell Tech Support...I tried this week and apparently because I bought it 2nd hand (though it was only 3 weeks 'old' and thus SHOULD be under the standard 1-year Warranty Dell gives all new hardware) and I don't know the name and/or address of the original purchaser, I can't officially transfer ownership and thus I have NO warranty?!?!

This is espcially troubling because (and I guess I should have done more research before purchasing) that's one of the reasons I felt comfortable buying a higher-end unit 2nd hand and because I am afraid, as RoHe suggests, that it is some kind of hardware issue. I will try reseating the HDD and SSD though and see what happens... *sigh*

Thanks guys for the (hopefully, continued) ideas!

See if this will help you to transfer the warranty. If you're not in the US, be sure to select your country in upper left corner of that page before proceeding.

"because I bought it 2nd hand (though it was only 3 weeks 'old' and thus SHOULD be under the standard 1-year Warranty Dell gives all new hardware) and I don't know the name and/or address of the original purchaser, I can't officially transfer ownership and thus I have NO warranty?!?!"

Hi Halusk,

Your service tag issue was brought to my attention by Rohe. I may not be able to assist in this matter, but if you would like to contact me privately and provide your service tag #, and any other Dell specific information (have you ever had an account with Dell?). Also, do you have a receipt for this purchase? I'd be happy to look into this on your behalf.

Name:
Email Address:
Shipping Address:
Phone Number:
Order Number:
Service Tag #:
Country of purchase:
Current country location:
Please attach a receipt for this purchase
Reason:

Thanks,
Lorna

Thanks, Lorna! :emotion-21:

Hi Lorna! Thanks for the offer to help, I would certainly appreciate it. I tried with 2 different Dell representatives and I got so far and being given an offer on how much it would cost to extend my warranty but never any confirmation that I had a warranty (an interesting contradiction I thought).

*PRIVATE MESSAGE SENT*

Yes, I have been a lifelong Dell customer. Had a Dell desktop in college, a Dell laptop in law school, got my sister to get a Dell desktop for school, and another Dell laptop for my other sister! Between my mom (Nora Lusk) and 2 sisters we have owned, I believe, 5-6 different Dell systems over the past 6-8 years)

I filled out the link that was previously posted using "No Information" as first/last/zip as I saw suggested in another Dell forum but certainly appreciate any other information you can offer!

And thanks again RoHe for the suggestions. I will probably try re-seating (just unplug and re-plug right? Not really "seating" like with RAM modules, correct?) this weekend when I have some time, as I really think it's some kind of hardware issue.

Yes, disconnect and carefully reconnect the power and SATA cables to both HDD and SSD. Be sure to power off, unplug and press/hold power button on tower before working inside the case.

BTW: What happens to drive useage if you boot in Safe Mode and run WinRAR on a file where drive useage hit 100% when you booted normally?

Ok, so I tried Safe Mode w/ Networking and (as I now know) Task Manager doesn't display the "Disk Usage %" in Safe Mode apparently, but my unquantified assessment is that the issue does NOT seem to be happening while in Safe Mode. I'm thinking I'm gonna try uninstalling the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software and reinstalling. Then if that doesn't work I'm gonna open up the case and try re-seating...

Thanks again for your input RoHe and offer to help Lorna. I appreciate it!

So if it's not a problem in Safe Mode, that implies this is actually software not hardware. Try this before you start working inside the case:

1. Power off and disconnect network/router/modem cable so system can't go online during these tests*
2. Reboot
3. Click Start>Run
4. Type in: msconfig
5. Click OK
6. Click: Startup tab in msconfig
7. Uncheck everything on Startup tab
8. Exit msconfig and reboot
9. Put check mark in box "Don't show this again..." box if it appears when you reboot
10. Run WinRAR or whatever else causes 100% disk activity 
11. If that fixes the problem, repeat #3 - #6 and re-check firewall and anti-malware software
12. Repeat #8 -  #10
13. Keep cycling until you've identified the process that's causing 100% disk usage. To speed things up, you can re-check a couple of things at a time until something causes the problem, then narrow it down to the one offender.

Once you find it, the fix might be as easy as uninstalling/reinstalling the offender.

*NOTE: Don't reconnect network cable until after you've re-checked firewall and anti-malware software in msconfig and rebooted at least once, to prevent a malware attack while the system is unprotected. :emotion-5: And only reconnect the network cable while the system is off.