WDDrive Running Slow

Whytey · 02-20-2008, 02:42 PM

I have a Western Digital IDE Storage Drive (internal) with 40GB free space of 232GB.
Over the past few weeks it has been running slowly
not just that, it causes the whole computer to run slow as well
until i end the program that is accessing it.

2pistolpacker · 02-20-2008, 05:51 PM

Hi Whytey, you should download the WD diagnostic tool for DOS and test your drive. Mike

Data Lifegaurd

**smz** · 02-21-2008, 06:05 AM

In addition to testing the drive with Western Digital's Lifeguard tools. You could also schedule a offline windows scandisk that will occur upon your next reboot if you don't want to do this from a software side of things. If you can get to the run command or under accessories, choose command prompt and type the following chkdsk c: /f - if you have more than one drive do it one at a time, i.e. chkdsk d: /f. The bootable partition will not be able to be tested while windows is up. so it will ask if you want to schedule the check during the next reboot. OF course your would say yes.

Second scenario and I'm sure there are some free programs to do it. I personally use R&Wipe and Clean and/or Webroot Window Washer. Those puppies go through your entire hard drive looking for useless left behind files as well as giving you the option to delete past history for most of your installed programs. Some see this as a privacy suite though you would be surprised how many gigs people get back from temporary files alone.

Final suggestion is a defrag. You should to the chkdsk or WD diag first though. But the stock windows defrag is under accessories/system tools named Disc Defragmenter.

Hope the post above me helps and my post above this sentence also helps. Good Luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whytey

I have a Western Digital IDE Storage Drive (internal) with 40GB free space of 232GB.
Over the past few weeks it has been running slowly
not just that, it causes the whole computer to run slow as well
until i end the program that is accessing it.

Whytey · 02-21-2008, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2pistolpacker

Hi Whytey, you should download the WD diagnostic tool for DOS and test your drive. Mike

Data Lifegaurd

I dont have access to a floppy drive atm, so i will try the CD Version :)

Whytey · 02-21-2008, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smz

In addition to testing the drive with Western Digital's Lifeguard tools. You could also schedule a offline windows scandisk that will occur upon your next reboot if you don't want to do this from a software side of things. If you can get to the run command or under accessories, choose command prompt and type the following chkdsk c: /f - if you have more than one drive do it one at a time, i.e. chkdsk d: /f. The bootable partition will not be able to be tested while windows is up. so it will ask if you want to schedule the check during the next reboot. OF course your would say yes.

Second scenario and I'm sure there are some free programs to do it. I personally use R&Wipe and Clean and/or Webroot Window Washer. Those puppies go through your entire hard drive looking for useless left behind files as well as giving you the option to delete past history for most of your installed programs. Some see this as a privacy suite though you would be surprised how many gigs people get back from temporary files alone.

Final suggestion is a defrag. You should to the chkdsk or WD diag first though. But the stock windows defrag is under accessories/system tools named Disc Defragmenter.

Hope the post above me helps and my post above this sentence also helps. Good Luck!

thanks for the infomation, i will try chkdsk but i am unable to defrag because it runs extremely slow and takes forever to complete that is with any program that accesses this drive, strange thing is i have never had any read/write errors.

**Edit**

244196000 KB total disk space.
201644320 KB in 59195 files.
20184 KB in 3159 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
164968 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
42366528 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
61049000 total allocation units on disk.
10591632 allocation units available on disk

dai · 02-21-2008, 08:37 AM

check it is running in dma mode and has not dropped back to pio mode

Whytey · 02-21-2008, 08:54 AM

Ok, i ran the lifeguard tool it took about 1 hour, didnt find any errors also its in DMA mode and still running slow when i access folders and files.

dai · 02-21-2008, 09:10 AM

check for an infection follow the 5 steps here
http://www.techsupportforum.com/showthread.php?t=15968
check your drive speed with this trial edition
http://www.simplisoftware.com/Public...request=HdTach

Whytey · 02-21-2008, 10:11 AM

I've just done a quick test using HD Tach also the drive isnt infected as i scanned it with Spyware Doctor, SpySweeper and NOD32.

i have attached the log file for the results of HDTach -

dai · 02-21-2008, 10:19 AM

i cannot open it
check yours against these
HD Tach Scores

Whytey · 02-21-2008, 11:03 AM

WDC WD2500JB-22GVC0 08.02D08
Random access: 15.6ms
CPU utilization: 52% (+/- 2%)
Average read: 1.3MB/s

dai · 02-21-2008, 03:56 PM

asked a couple of others to come onto the thread,that is slow

**linderman** · 02-21-2008, 05:07 PM

Wow that drive is tanking big time

I just ran HD Tach on my 320gig Sata 7,200 RPM drive which is very close to the same performance catagory as your drive

here are my results

Random Access: 12.8 ms

CPU Utilization: 3%

Average Read: 70.5 mb/s

its your cpu usuage that has my ears perked up the most >>>>

please download and run everest home edition >>>> then paste a system summary from Everest into this tread for evaluation

I am really interested in your CPU temps ?????

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

will wait for your system summary

also if you open task manager / (ctrl/alt/delete) with no programs running on your desktop how much of your CPU is used up ?????

Jebtall · 02-21-2008, 09:25 PM

High CPU usage usually points to PIO mode. But PIO mode usually runs about 2-3 MB/s.

How did you check to make sure you are in DMA mode? You need to check in the device manager to be sure.

**linderman** · 02-22-2008, 06:41 AM

you could also boot into safe mode and run HD Tach again / I think you will find your trouble is a bad driver or other software problem

how long have you been running your current operating system install ?????

Whytey · 02-22-2008, 08:02 AM

Last month i had to use the console to recover a corrupted registry that prevented windows from starting, but this WD drive is just for storage not the actual windows drive that was repaired.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/en-us

**linderman** · 02-22-2008, 10:43 AM

about the only option you have is to try to find what is taxing the cpu so hard ????

check your task manager / (ctrl-alt-delete) try to identify whats using the cpu so hard ????

what are your system temperatures ?????

Whytey · 02-22-2008, 10:51 AM

The CPU usage only goes high when i access folders/files on that storage drive.

Cpu Temp: 40C

**smz** · 02-23-2008, 02:19 AM

Here's something maybe no one has thought of from a "benchmarking" standpoint. That is to download a copy of the Ultimate Boot CD or Hiren's Boot CD. Make sure your computer's bios is set to boot of CD.

Then when the menu pops up. Look for options pertaining to hard disk tools or benchmarking. WD lifeguard may help determine if there are hardware failures but I don't think it does an internal benchmark.

There should be some HD Tach similar apps for DOS that can be run. As long as they are not from the 80's, they should be fairly accurate. You just need to see if that 2/3mb/sec rate applies in dos. Because it's all going to point to hardware at that point. Could be the motherboard IO, the PCB on the drive, faulty cable, etc. Then you could try a 3rd party HD io card and see how it benches. But if all is well in dos, You have to start looking to blame something in windows and normally some sort of TSR or driver.

For starters, if you have a broadband connection, grab this ISO and burn it to CD and boot from it. See what dos benches the drive at.

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

Unlike the Hiren release, the download above is fully public.

**Deleted090308** · 02-23-2008, 10:40 AM

Is the other HDD an IDE drive as well?
What motherboard do you have?
Might be PCI bus master has been disabled in BIOS.

02-20-2008, 02:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
Whytey Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 80 OS: Winxp Pro SP2	WDDrive Running Slow I have a Western Digital IDE Storage Drive (internal) with 40GB free space of 232GB. Over the past few weeks it has been running slowly not just that, it causes the whole computer to run slow as well until i end the program that is accessing it.

02-20-2008, 05:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
2pistolpacker Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Lenexa, Ks Posts: 1,038 OS: Win XP Pro My System	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Hi Whytey, you should download the WD diagnostic tool for DOS and test your drive. Mike Data Lifegaurd __________________ Speak kindly to me, beloved master. Revel in my unconditional love, and give me every minute that you can spare, for my time with you is short. --Your faithful dog

02-21-2008, 08:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,221 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: WDDrive Running Slow check it is running in dma mode and has not dropped back to pio mode __________________

02-21-2008, 08:54 AM	#7 (permalink)
Whytey Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 80 OS: Winxp Pro SP2	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Ok, i ran the lifeguard tool it took about 1 hour, didnt find any errors also its in DMA mode and still running slow when i access folders and files.

02-21-2008, 09:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,221 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: WDDrive Running Slow check for an infection follow the 5 steps here http://www.techsupportforum.com/showthread.php?t=15968 check your drive speed with this trial edition http://www.simplisoftware.com/Public...request=HdTach __________________

02-21-2008, 10:19 AM	#10 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,221 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: WDDrive Running Slow i cannot open it check yours against these HD Tach Scores __________________

02-21-2008, 11:03 AM	#11 (permalink)
Whytey Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 80 OS: Winxp Pro SP2	Re: WDDrive Running Slow WDC WD2500JB-22GVC0 08.02D08 Random access: 15.6ms CPU utilization: 52% (+/- 2%) Average read: 1.3MB/s Last edited by Whytey; 02-21-2008 at 11:04 AM.

02-21-2008, 03:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,221 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: WDDrive Running Slow asked a couple of others to come onto the thread,that is slow __________________

02-21-2008, 05:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,402 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Wow that drive is tanking big time I just ran HD Tach on my 320gig Sata 7,200 RPM drive which is very close to the same performance catagory as your drive here are my results Random Access: 12.8 ms CPU Utilization: 3% Average Read: 70.5 mb/s its your cpu usuage that has my ears perked up the most >>>> please download and run everest home edition >>>> then paste a system summary from Everest into this tread for evaluation I am really interested in your CPU temps ????? http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html will wait for your system summary also if you open task manager / (ctrl/alt/delete) with no programs running on your desktop how much of your CPU is used up ????? __________________ Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day ! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

02-21-2008, 09:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
Jebtall Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 85 OS: xp	Re: WDDrive Running Slow High CPU usage usually points to PIO mode. But PIO mode usually runs about 2-3 MB/s. How did you check to make sure you are in DMA mode? You need to check in the device manager to be sure.

02-22-2008, 06:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,402 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: WDDrive Running Slow you could also boot into safe mode and run HD Tach again / I think you will find your trouble is a bad driver or other software problem how long have you been running your current operating system install ????? __________________ Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day ! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

02-22-2008, 08:02 AM	#16 (permalink)
Whytey Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 80 OS: Winxp Pro SP2	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Last month i had to use the console to recover a corrupted registry that prevented windows from starting, but this WD drive is just for storage not the actual windows drive that was repaired. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/en-us

02-22-2008, 10:43 AM	#17 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,402 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: WDDrive Running Slow about the only option you have is to try to find what is taxing the cpu so hard ???? check your task manager / (ctrl-alt-delete) try to identify whats using the cpu so hard ???? what are your system temperatures ????? __________________ Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day ! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

02-22-2008, 10:51 AM	#18 (permalink)
Whytey Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 80 OS: Winxp Pro SP2	Re: WDDrive Running Slow The CPU usage only goes high when i access folders/files on that storage drive. Cpu Temp: 40C Last edited by Whytey; 02-22-2008 at 10:53 AM.

02-23-2008, 02:19 AM	#19 (permalink)
smz Hardware Tech Specialist Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 705 OS: Mac OS X / W2K3 Server / XP Home/MCE/Pro / Vista Ultimate / Ubuntu Linux My System	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Here's something maybe no one has thought of from a "benchmarking" standpoint. That is to download a copy of the Ultimate Boot CD or Hiren's Boot CD. Make sure your computer's bios is set to boot of CD. Then when the menu pops up. Look for options pertaining to hard disk tools or benchmarking. WD lifeguard may help determine if there are hardware failures but I don't think it does an internal benchmark. There should be some HD Tach similar apps for DOS that can be run. As long as they are not from the 80's, they should be fairly accurate. You just need to see if that 2/3mb/sec rate applies in dos. Because it's all going to point to hardware at that point. Could be the motherboard IO, the PCB on the drive, faulty cable, etc. Then you could try a 3rd party HD io card and see how it benches. But if all is well in dos, You have to start looking to blame something in windows and normally some sort of TSR or driver. For starters, if you have a broadband connection, grab this ISO and burn it to CD and boot from it. See what dos benches the drive at. http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html Unlike the Hiren release, the download above is fully public. __________________ {{{{ Scott - 25+ Years HW & SW Expertise - Dos, Linux, Mac OS X, & Windows }}}} Abit IP35 / Core 2 Quad Q6600 / APC 650 UPS / Antec 900 ATX w/Antec Trio 550 PS XFX GeForce 8400GS w/512MB / 320GB Maxtor SATA II HD / 4GB Corsair CAS4 DDR2 HP Laser P1006 & PS 2610 / D-Link DGL-4500 Router / Dell 24" LCD / Asus G1 Laptop

02-23-2008, 10:40 AM	#20 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,277 OS: Xp	Re: WDDrive Running Slow Is the other HDD an IDE drive as well? What motherboard do you have? Might be PCI bus master has been disabled in BIOS.