Dramatic HD slow down

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bobby
  • Start date Start date
B

Bobby

I recently noticed that my PC was running slowly.

I wasn't sure what was causing it and checked CPU, memory, temperature etc.
Everything seemed fine. Then I checked my HD performance - it was awful.

I previously benchmarked my entire system (using Performance Test v4) and
when I tested my HD the performance had changed dramatically:

Original sequential write: 24.7 Current benchmark: 2.9
Original sequential read: 42.1 Current benchmark: 2.3
Original random r/w: 3.2 Current benchmark: 1.5

I guess that explains the slow down on my PC.

Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened to my HD? It's a
Maxtor ATA6 (133), 7200rmp, 8Mb cache drive. Only two months old. I'm
running XP Pro SR1.

Cheers.

Bobby
 
Bobby said:
I recently noticed that my PC was running slowly.

I wasn't sure what was causing it and checked CPU, memory,
temperature etc. Everything seemed fine. Then I checked my HD
performance - it was awful.

I previously benchmarked my entire system (using Performance Test v4)
and when I tested my HD the performance had changed dramatically:

Original sequential write: 24.7 Current benchmark: 2.9
Original sequential read: 42.1 Current benchmark: 2.3
Original random r/w: 3.2 Current benchmark: 1.5

I guess that explains the slow down on my PC.

Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened to my HD? It's
a Maxtor ATA6 (133), 7200rmp, 8Mb cache drive. Only two months old.
I'm running XP Pro SR1.
Click to expand...

Check what transfer mode the drive is using. (control panel, IDE,
properties)

Check the cable hasn't moved.

Have you recently added a new IDE device?
 
I recently noticed that my PC was running slowly.

I wasn't sure what was causing it and checked CPU, memory, temperature etc.
Everything seemed fine. Then I checked my HD performance - it was awful.

I previously benchmarked my entire system (using Performance Test v4) and
when I tested my HD the performance had changed dramatically:

Original sequential write: 24.7 Current benchmark: 2.9
Original sequential read: 42.1 Current benchmark: 2.3
Original random r/w: 3.2 Current benchmark: 1.5

I guess that explains the slow down on my PC.

Does anyone have any idea why this might have happened to my HD? It's a
Maxtor ATA6 (133), 7200rmp, 8Mb cache drive. Only two months old. I'm
running XP Pro SR1.

Cheers.

Bobby
Click to expand...

Running any Norton junk?


Have a nice week...

Trent

Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
 
Running any Norton junk?

Yes. NAV 2004. NSW 2004. Been running it for a while though without
problems.

Why would Norton cause this behaviour in my HD? Is it a known problem?
 
Bobby said:
Yes. NAV 2004. NSW 2004. Been running it for a while though without
problems.

Why would Norton cause this behaviour in my HD? Is it a known problem?
Click to expand...

Norton AV is known to slow down some systems considerably. However your
problem is PIO mode, you need to get it running in DMA.
 
I didn't set it to PIO. It was DMA and has become PIO and the DMA option is
greyed-out.
Click to expand...

Did you add any hardware lately?...another drive of any kind, camera,
card reader, etc.


Have a nice week...

Trent

Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
 
How do I do this? The DMA option is greyed-out in Control Panel.

~misfit~ said:
Norton AV is known to slow down some systems considerably. However your
problem is PIO mode, you need to get it running in DMA.
Click to expand...
If Windows detects transfer errors on a device running in UDMA mode,
it can switch the device to PIO mode permanently. The problem is
detailed here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;817472&Product=win2000

But to save you time, here is the workaround listed at the bottom of
this page:

------
To re-enable the typical, or faster, transfer mode for an affected
device:
1. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then click Computer
Management.
2. Click System Tools, and then click Device Manager.
3. Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers node.
4. Double-click the controller for which you want to restore the
typical DMA transfer mode.
5. Click the Driver tab.
6. Click Uninstall.

When the process completes, restart your computer. When Windows
restarts, the hard disk controller is re-enumerated and the transfer
mode is reset to the default value for each device that is connected
to the controller.
-----

Uninstalling a hard drive like this in either Win2k or XP causes no
problems at all. I've just done it on my second PC whilst doing this.

The only thing you need to watch out for is if you have assigned a
particular drive letter to the device. This may be reset on startup,
and the device will take the next available drive letter.

-DaveB
Click to expand...
 
Thanks very much Dave.

This would indeed cure my problem. But I had already received a reply via a
Microsoft newsgroup and I used Control Panel to remove the IDE channel and
reboot. It achieved the same thing. System is now back to normal. Jeez, PIO
mode is really awful.

Thanks again mate.

Bobby

 
I didn't set it to PIO. It was DMA and has become PIO and the DMA option is
greyed-out.
Click to expand...


You didn't let XP update itself did you?
Or, you updated it yourself?

Remember, Mickey® depends on a screwed up OS to sell the NEXT version of
windows, but that screwed up OS has to start out working correctly else
nobody would want it.
 
Bobby said:
Thanks very much Dave.

This would indeed cure my problem. But I had already received a reply via a
Microsoft newsgroup and I used Control Panel to remove the IDE channel and
reboot. It achieved the same thing. System is now back to normal. Jeez, PIO
mode is really awful.

Thanks again mate.

Bobby
Click to expand...
Hey mate, I was the first ...
But you're still welcome!
 
ElJerid said:
Hey mate, I was the first ...
But you're still welcome!
Click to expand...

LOL. I think I was the first to bring this to light in my very first post
asking him to check what transfer mode it was using. I suspected that PIO
was the problem but asked him to check it out first.

By the time I'd checked back here others had given him advice on how to
rectify it.

:-)
 
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