Solve : laptop HDD response?

1.	Solve : laptop HDD response?
Answer» Hello, I just found this forum while seeking help for a NAGGING problem. I have a five year old ThinkPad R40 which has always performed well. In the last few months, however, response time has become unacceptably long--taking up to five minutes to execute some basic functions like opening Expore or something. The common factor is that the HDD access LED is constantly lit and it sounds like it is running the HDD all the time. I've checked Task Manager and the most frequent process being run was often the McAfee anti-virus scan. But not always--and I now think that is the result and not the cause. I checked the system event viewer and there is no error related to the disc. Eventually the system comes through. I've defragmented the disc and checked for errors but all seems well. I've also done the McAfee clean up of the system. No improvement. What else can I check? Could the HDD be going bad? It sounds like that may be the case but to be sure find out what make that DRIVE is. Then DLoad and run the FREE diagnostics from the drive manuf. site. Run the long test and post back with the results...DEFRAGQuote from: patio on November 10, 2008, 12:30:27 PM It sounds like that may be the case but to be sure find out what make that drive is. Then DLoad and run the FREE diagnostics from the drive manuf. site. Run the long test and post back with the results... The disk drive is a Travelstar from Hitachi. Model IC25N060ATMR04-0 The only diagnostic I could find was a CD image of a "drive fitness test" at http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/downloads/dft32_v414_b00.iso Is that the right one? I don't have a diskette drive on the system. I tried this and put it on a CD. The disk ran fine on a different laptop I have, which also has a Travelstar, but this R40 wouldn't reboot from the CD. So I couldn't run it. Stuck again. SonnyRQuote from: jamesj2001 on November 10, 2008, 01:25:12 PM DEFRAG As I mentioned in the initial note, I did defragment the disk with no change. Analysis indicates the disk is less than half FULL and the files are coherent.Yes that's the one...if it ran on another laptop then you created the disk successfully so congrats....many get hung up on this step. Now you will need to enter Setup on your laptop and set it to BOOT to the CD drive first. If you need more help in this post back.Quote from: patio on November 11, 2008, 08:37:09 AM Yes that's the one...if it ran on another laptop then you created the disk successfully so congrats....many get hung up on this step. Now you will need to enter Setup on your laptop and set it to boot to the CD drive first. If you need more help in this post back. Oh, I should have realized that. Thank you. Yes, I did get it to boot from the CD and ran the long diagnostics. It reported no errors. What else can cause the HDD LED light to stay on so long and slow the response time?Back in the win98 days, my computer would often freeze solid while accessing my second drive. (D). The HD light would go solid, and I would be forced to reboot. I did a surface scan... it found bad sectors and my freezing issue was resolved. Try a surface scan with chkdsk- chkdsk /r be warned, it will take a VERY long time. If it finds bad sectors- the drive is going bad, but you have temporary relief from your issues.

Answer»

Hello,
I just found this forum while seeking help for a NAGGING problem. I have a five year old ThinkPad R40 which has always performed well. In the last few months, however, response time has become unacceptably long--taking up to five minutes to execute some basic functions like opening Expore or something. The common factor is that the HDD access LED is constantly lit and it sounds like it is running the HDD all the time. I've checked Task Manager and the most frequent process being run was often the McAfee anti-virus scan. But not always--and I now think that is the result and not the cause.
I checked the system event viewer and there is no error related to the disc.
Eventually the system comes through. I've defragmented the disc and checked for errors but all seems well. I've also done the McAfee clean up of the system. No improvement.
What else can I check? Could the HDD be going bad?

It sounds like that may be the case but to be sure find out what make that DRIVE is.
Then DLoad and run the FREE diagnostics from the drive manuf. site.
Run the long test and post back with the results...DEFRAGQuote from: patio on November 10, 2008, 12:30:27 PM

It sounds like that may be the case but to be sure find out what make that drive is.
Then DLoad and run the FREE diagnostics from the drive manuf. site.
Run the long test and post back with the results...

The disk drive is a Travelstar from Hitachi. Model IC25N060ATMR04-0
The only diagnostic I could find was a CD image of a "drive fitness test" at http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/downloads/dft32_v414_b00.iso
Is that the right one? I don't have a diskette drive on the system. I tried this and put it on a CD. The disk ran fine on a different laptop I have, which also has a Travelstar, but this R40 wouldn't reboot from the CD. So I couldn't run it. Stuck again.

SonnyRQuote from: jamesj2001 on November 10, 2008, 01:25:12 PM

DEFRAG

As I mentioned in the initial note, I did defragment the disk with no change. Analysis indicates the disk is less than half FULL and the files are coherent.Yes that's the one...if it ran on another laptop then you created the disk successfully so congrats....many get hung up on this step.
Now you will need to enter Setup on your laptop and set it to BOOT to the CD drive first.
If you need more help in this post back.Quote from: patio on November 11, 2008, 08:37:09 AM

Yes that's the one...if it ran on another laptop then you created the disk successfully so congrats....many get hung up on this step.
Now you will need to enter Setup on your laptop and set it to boot to the CD drive first.
If you need more help in this post back.

Oh, I should have realized that. Thank you.
Yes, I did get it to boot from the CD and ran the long diagnostics. It reported no errors.
What else can cause the HDD LED light to stay on so long and slow the response time?Back in the win98 days, my computer would often freeze solid while accessing my second drive. (D). The HD light would go solid, and I would be forced to reboot.

I did a surface scan... it found bad sectors and my freezing issue was resolved.

Try a surface scan with chkdsk- chkdsk /r

be warned, it will take a VERY long time.

If it finds bad sectors- the drive is going bad, but you have temporary relief from your issues.

Solve : laptop HDD response?

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