Hard drive very slow

Darcal · 03-06-2005, 02:27 PM

Starting from about a month ago I noticed Windows suddenly took a lot longer to load, so I used System Restore (which has got me out of trouble a few times), but it made no difference. My CPU usage and RAM usage are normal, but according to SiSoft Sandra and Ahead Nero my hard drive only runs at 3 megs per second, whereas before it ran at 21. This is mainly a problem when I'm playing 3D games because they become jerky whenever my HD accesses virtual memory.

I've tried all the usual things including using Norton Anti-Virus, deleting all temp files, checking HD for errors and using PerfectDisk 7 (far superior to the Windows XP defragger). Everything seems fine but my HD still only runs at 3MBps and boot time is still slow etc.

I'm wondering if there's something physically wrong with my hard drive, though I'd have thought if there was it wouldn't work at all or I'd have bad sectors, rather than just running slower.

Has anyone here had this problem? I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks.

Darren

**Sarkast** · 03-06-2005, 03:16 PM

It is possible that there is something wrong with it. Why dont you look on the HDDs manufacturers website for a diagnostic tool. Most have them and they are pretty good when it comes to finding what the problem is.

kaoswizz · 03-06-2005, 03:57 PM

my friend experienced the same problem but the solution was simple all i had to do was (but i dont recomend this)take your whole comuter appart if you a pro and clean all the parts then install windows xp again u might wannna skip the 1st part if you dont know wat ur doing

**johnwill** · 03-06-2005, 06:51 PM

It appears that the drive is stuck in PIO mode. To check, open Device Manager, and check the properties of the IDE channel it's attached to under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers. It should say PIO or UDMA Mode x. If it's in PIO, we'll see if we can get it running properly.

Darcal · 03-07-2005, 01:45 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys. I tried what you suggested first John and you're exactly right. In Device Manager it says the primary device 0 (my HD) is set to use DMA if available, but it's currently in PIO mode. I'd appreciate your knowledge on how to get it back to Ultra DMA. Cheers.

**johnwill** · 03-07-2005, 03:40 PM

DMA reverts to PIO should help you get it back to full speed.

Darcal · 03-07-2005, 06:25 PM

Thanks very much for the link. I'll see how I get on and report back...

Darcal · 03-08-2005, 01:24 PM

Hi John,

It worked! I edited the registry, rebooted and now my HD is Ultra DMA mode 5. Also it's running at 29 megs per second, which is even faster than before the problem. The boot-time is much quicker etc. I don't know if it'll last because my HD may be flagging a bit, but at least I know how to reset it again until I get a new one (if necessary). If in the near future I get a HD read error, would I get an error message or would Windows soldier on without telling me?

Thanks very much for your help. Respect is due.

(points donated)

03-06-2005, 02:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
Darcal Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 11 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Hard drive very slow Starting from about a month ago I noticed Windows suddenly took a lot longer to load, so I used System Restore (which has got me out of trouble a few times), but it made no difference. My CPU usage and RAM usage are normal, but according to SiSoft Sandra and Ahead Nero my hard drive only runs at 3 megs per second, whereas before it ran at 21. This is mainly a problem when I'm playing 3D games because they become jerky whenever my HD accesses virtual memory. I've tried all the usual things including using Norton Anti-Virus, deleting all temp files, checking HD for errors and using PerfectDisk 7 (far superior to the Windows XP defragger). Everything seems fine but my HD still only runs at 3MBps and boot time is still slow etc. I'm wondering if there's something physically wrong with my hard drive, though I'd have thought if there was it wouldn't work at all or I'd have bad sectors, rather than just running slower. Has anyone here had this problem? I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks. Darren

03-06-2005, 03:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	It is possible that there is something wrong with it. Why dont you look on the HDDs manufacturers website for a diagnostic tool. Most have them and they are pretty good when it comes to finding what the problem is. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch

03-06-2005, 06:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,721 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	It appears that the drive is stuck in PIO mode. To check, open Device Manager, and check the properties of the IDE channel it's attached to under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers. It should say PIO or UDMA Mode x. If it's in PIO, we'll see if we can get it running properly. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

03-07-2005, 03:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,721 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	DMA reverts to PIO should help you get it back to full speed. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

03-08-2005, 01:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
Darcal Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 11 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Hard drive much faster Hi John, It worked! I edited the registry, rebooted and now my HD is Ultra DMA mode 5. Also it's running at 29 megs per second, which is even faster than before the problem. The boot-time is much quicker etc. I don't know if it'll last because my HD may be flagging a bit, but at least I know how to reset it again until I get a new one (if necessary). If in the near future I get a HD read error, would I get an error message or would Windows soldier on without telling me? Thanks very much for your help. Respect is due. (points donated)

03-06-2005, 03:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
kaoswizz Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: ontario Posts: 15 OS: winxp	my friend experienced the same problem but the solution was simple all i had to do was (but i dont recomend this)take your whole comuter appart if you a pro and clean all the parts then install windows xp again u might wannna skip the 1st part if you dont know wat ur doing

03-07-2005, 01:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
Darcal Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 11 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Thanks for the feedback guys. I tried what you suggested first John and you're exactly right. In Device Manager it says the primary device 0 (my HD) is set to use DMA if available, but it's currently in PIO mode. I'd appreciate your knowledge on how to get it back to Ultra DMA. Cheers.

03-07-2005, 06:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
Darcal Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 11 OS: Windows XP Home SP2	Thanks very much for the link. I'll see how I get on and report back...