Software to pinpoint the cause of hard-drive activity

[SleepingWolf]

Does anybody out there know if there are any programs out there that can pinpoint the cause of hard-drive activity (probably page-file activity come to think of it). Ie. Software to show the name of the file(s) currently being accessed by a given hard drive.

Just as you can get software like DriveGleam that show read or write activity on the hard drive, it strikes me that it would be nice if the actual file being used could be pinpointed. Any such program might need a slow display mode for multiple files or a logging function.

I'm aware that this is probably not a coding-snack but I feel sure that someone somewhere has probably already produced such a tool (if it isn't in XP already).  Does anyone already know the answer?

[Carol Haynes]

How about FileMon (for Win XP and 2003)

or Process Monitor (for Win XP/2003 and later)

Process monitor requires a few clicks on the tool bar to do what you want.

Click to enable auto scroll and then to the right hand end of the tool bar you 'unpress' all the buttons except file activity.

You can also enable logging to a file (presumably it filters the resulting file activity out!)

Note both tools don't require any installation - just unpack and double click to run.

[Ehtyar]

My vote is for process monitor. Absolutely excellent application.

Ehtyar.

[Shades]

Actually, download the whole (free) Sysinternals Suite, it consists of a lot(!) more software gems like 'autoruns' and 'process explorer' to name just two that I use all the time.

[BigJim]

Good/Better/Best !!    SISetup keeps evreything up to date and happy  Install and update 'on the fly'.

[SleepingWolf]

Thank you people. I tried OpenedFilesView by Nirs Sofer (whose stuff is usually really good) but it seemed to miss something in a folder which Windoze wouldn't let me rename. Could have been a file used by hidden rootkit or malware I suppose... This made me wonder why the drive was spinning so often (could be page-file of course). I'll try 'em and see.