Sloww transfer rate suddenly

[billurie]

HDTune usually shows 50-odd MB/sec. Suddenly
now, no known changes, it's dropped to less
than 3 MB/Sec. Can't find any viruses. Same
slow speed in Safe Mode where nothing is running.
My backup/clone still runs 50-ish MB/sec.
CPU utilization, everything seems fine. Did
chkdsk four times, no bad sectors, nothing
reported. Defrag is okay, 30% free disk. Any
clues as to what more I can do, other than
updating the clone and deleting entire 'bad'
partition and recovering a new master from
backup?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

HDTune usually shows 50-odd MB/sec. Suddenly
now, no known changes, it's dropped to less
than 3 MB/Sec. Can't find any viruses. Same
slow speed in Safe Mode where nothing is running.
My backup/clone still runs 50-ish MB/sec.
CPU utilization, everything seems fine. Did
chkdsk four times, no bad sectors, nothing
reported. Defrag is okay, 30% free disk. Any
clues as to what more I can do, other than
updating the clone and deleting entire 'bad'
partition and recovering a new master from
backup?

Have you downloaded a diagnostic utility from the hard drive's
manufacturer's web site to see if it can find something the generic
HDTune and/or Chkdsk might have missed. The manufacturer's diagnostic
should be able to do a better job of testing the drive's circuitry.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[billurie]

Have you downloaded a diagnostic utility from the hard drive's
manufacturer's web site to see if it can find something the generic
HDTune and/or Chkdsk might have missed. The manufacturer's diagnostic
should be able to do a better job of testing the drive's circuitry.

Thanks, Bruce. I have the W-D CD that came with the drive,
named "Western Digital Lifeguard Tools". Maybe that can do it.

 

[billurie]

Thanks, Bruce. I have the W-D CD that came with the drive,
named "Western Digital Lifeguard Tools". Maybe that can do it.

Just to put closure (sort of) on this problem. I copied the
vital data from the questionable drive to a good backup
clone of two weeks ago, and put that clone in as my current
Master. I now have the updated clone as Master, and that
questionable drive as Slave, and (sad to relate) the OS on
each of the drives now runs at top speed. This comes under
what one of my grad school profs would have called "The
innate perversity of inanimate objects". And "Elmer's
Law says the problem may be gone, but it will be back.

 

[Sharon F]

Just to put closure (sort of) on this problem. I copied the
vital data from the questionable drive to a good backup
clone of two weeks ago, and put that clone in as my current
Master. I now have the updated clone as Master, and that
questionable drive as Slave, and (sad to relate) the OS on
each of the drives now runs at top speed. This comes under
what one of my grad school profs would have called "The
innate perversity of inanimate objects". And "Elmer's
Law says the problem may be gone, but it will be back.

Hopefully this won't happen again but if it does, use Device Manager to
check the transfer settings of the drive controller involved. It's possible
there were some errors detected and the speed was downgraded.

The workaround described in this article usually sets things straight
again.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=817472