"CPU Activity, HD LED on" question

[xcalibur]

For the past couple of days my computer has been performing ...well... crappy. While idling, task manager registers cpu activity and the hd led showing activity as well. Task manager is also telling me nothing out of the ordinary is running during the idle, either. I'm running WinXP, 512MB PC133 RAM, and a Maxtor 60GB.

Right now I'm in the process of getting it ready for a format. I'm just curious at what is up with my system. Even listening to music has gotten difficult.

Please advise.

XCalibur

 

[Tinker]

My activity light is always flashing, I can hear the HDD turning off and on all the time as well. Streaming audio is OK however. On average I have to do a clean install every 6 weeks. I too wonder what is going on.........

Click in System Specs.....