Question: My HDD is slow 5400RPM and when working with 10GB size files it is impossible to use the computer until that big file finish re-creating a new copy/muxing/writing/etc. depends on process, the thing is it eats up all HDD speed and no other program can be used while this process runs.
So I was thinking maybe I could limit HDD write speed for programs I work with, so then it would reserve free HDD leftover speed to use for browsing internet or playing mp3s while the big files are being processed.
Answer: Unfortunately, you can’t do that. ?Hardware is abstracted from applications and even parts of the OS. ?In essence, the application says “write this to disk” and the OS handles it. ?The application doesn’t handle how or even when it gets written. ?All of this is handled at the driver and kernel level and there is no real way to change this.
Even if you could do this, the fact is you are using a spinning magnetic disk – and a very slow one at that – you wouldn’t see much gain. ?The drive is constantly spinning and the heads are moving along the disk. ?Even if you wrote to your file less, the disk will constantly be seeking the right areas on the disk to read/write to/from.
Your best option would be to get another drive and do your work on that drive, leaving your first drive for your internet, MP3s, etc.
P.S. You didn’t mention how much RAM you have. ?Swapping could be a factor in the slow speed. ?Depending on how much RAM you have, adding more will only help.