Thanks to all of you for the replies.
It's not a new machine, I've had it since March.
I don't want to leave the machine running twenty-four hours a day.
Why does it take up to three hours for the HD to stop running furiously
every time I start it up?
Surely the indexing system doesn't start from scratch every time you switch
it on, or does it?
I can be sitting in the next room watching the TV and suddenly I hear the HD
roaring away like it was doing a virus scan. This is with nothing at all
open or running, just the desktop showing.
Something must be running in the background.
I've been give a complete blank from the shop I bought it from.
Can anyone give me any advice as to what this could be?
I can supply screenshots of the performance monitor etc if necessary,
Still in hope, Alan.

"Steve Thackery" <thack@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:uLWN1S66HHA.5984@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Chill, it's just doing it's thing. Indexing mostly, but also Superfetch,
> startup optimisation and defragging at various times.
>
> It'll get much better after a week or so when everything has settled down.
> Meanwhile, the indexing runs at the lowest I/O and CPU priorities, so
> shouldn't slow down your work.
>
> Steve
>