Sounds logical, but where is that option in WinXP ? I searched MS Knowledge database and all it came up with was how to do it in Win 95, 98 and ME.
I went in Device Manager..CD/DVD drives and checked the properties of both and no auto insertion option there. :huh:

OK,

I admit, I'm also out of anything quick answers.

If it was my box, I'd uninstall the Writer software, although I have used all tree programs in the past, but I don't remember if this problem occurred. If even that doesn't solve the weird led-flashing I'd install a clean copy of XP on another disk or partition, just to see if a clean install gives you the same problem.

But, this will cost you some time. But, I wouldn't rest till I knwe for sure what cause this.

Keep me posted, I'm a urious guy :P

I will bet it is the auto play for the cd.

I personally have had this happen on all my computers ever since I installed XP on them. I just gave up on thinking of it as a problem and just something that XP does. Infact I don't know anyone who does not have this happen on their computer with XP installed. Although all of those computers have a CDR installed so it could be that that may be causing it.

Sanjay

To turn off autorun on your CD drive in WinXP,
one way is to enter the registry, and find this one :

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servi ces\Cdrom\AutoRun" change the value from 1 to 0 :)


btw : do you have any DirectCD software installed ?

Wooohooo, the mystery is solved. I changed the autorun value in the registry and no more blinking lite :D
BTW, I don't have DirectCD installed...or any Roxio crap for that matter.

Now that I know what was happening, I can sleep better at nite. hehehe j/k

But I went back and enabled the auto run, I think the little annoyance of that lite flashing isn't as bad as not having cd's auto run.

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions.

I think the little annoyance of that lite flashing isn't as bad as not having cd's auto run.
Well said cccapt :)

But the thing is Windows 98/ME/2000 also way CD Autorun feature. How come it is only for XP :o

I changed my autorun too - thanks for the tip Bearcat. No more blinking every second; now it blinks to no set pattern but it still blinks! I'm going to reset autorun and go back to pretending everyone's got it.
:D

I am 99.9% sure, this is one of the reasons why the hd light is flashing. I created a dual boot of two Windows XP installations today, and set the indexing service enabled in one and disabled in the other. As expected, the hd light started flashing after a while when the computer was idle in the XP system where indexing service was enabled.

cccept got his problem solved after turning off the CD autorun, but mine didn't; neither didn't for freezer121. To most of the others, it may be other disk maintenance utitiles running while idle, and you forgot. In my case it is 100% it is because of the indexing service.

I remember reading this somewhere:

Windows xp is the first OS that should be installed on a complete disk rather then a partitioned one because windows XP will move the most frequently accessed files to the side of the platter where then can be accessed quicker

Perhaps this low light you see is XP moving the files on your disk for faster access?