Windows operating system is actually very complex. If you don’t run any software, it doesn’t mean that Windows is not working. If you don’t believe me, try running Process Monitor and you will see constant reading and writing of files and registry. About two years ago I written an article to find out what program is secretly accessing your hard drive using FileMon (which is now replaced with Process Monitor) and Anvir Task Manager.

Checking what process are constantly and actively accessing your hard drive and CPU usage is very important to detect suspicious activity or even a badly coded software. If a program is idle or not running, logically it should not be using much resources from your computer. If it does, you should take extra measures to learn more about the process. I have stumbled on a useful tool called What’s My Computer Doing? which shows all programs with details that are accessing your hard disk or using the CPU.

Didn’t find what you want? The links below could help:

Free Graphical Boot Manager That Supports Up to 9 Different Operating SystemsChanging or Spoofing Hard Disk Hardware Serial Number and Volume IDFind Out What Program is Secretly Accessing Your Hard Disk DriveMicrosoft Offers Free Hard Drive Virtualization for Windows