Windows 7 64bit WD Hard disk suddenly very slow

Question

my WD1002FAEX 1TB SATA 3 hard disk suddenly became very slow (like 30mins to boot Win7, before it was like 1min). It is completely unusable.

I am using a ASUS P6T Deluxe v2, Intel Core i7, 6GB RAM, 650W power supply, Geforce GTS250.

When I boot using a Linux live CD the computer is fast and responsive (not using the hardisk)

I can only hear the hard disk every second of so.

All the data is apparently there because Windows actually boots.

Is the hard disk "dead"? power issue?

Thanks

Answer 1

Sounds like your hard drive is on the way out and on the verge of failure. Is the drive making any weird noises like clicking sounds? I notice your hard drive is a rather new WD Caviar Black model, so it could be a virus or software related problem that is causing the slowdown and not a mechanical problem.

If I were you I'd use the Linux live CD and try to salvage as much data as possible from the disk (hopefully you have backups of everything important already) before troubleshooting anything else.

You should then try run a checkdisk on the drive and a virus scan (if you can get into Windows).

If it turns out the drive is dying/dead, you can try return it to Western Digital as the Caviar Black series has a 5 year limited warranty on it.

Read this article for more info about hard drive failure, warning signs, and what to do.

Answer 2

Several things you can try. First test the drive using the Western Digital tool DatLifeGuard

Boot the system into Safe Mode and see if boot time drops. If it does, it is something related to your profile. Possibly a servcie waiting on another service and it takes time before it fails.

Naturally asure you are not infected with some type of malware.

By any chance do you ahve a wireless card and a wired network connection? Have seen this cause long boot times.

Answer 3

One thing that wasn't mentioned, but occurs to me since you said you're not hearing any noise and this is a fairly new Caviar Black...double-check that the data and power cables are properly connected, something may have just vibrated loose and is making poor contact!

Answer 4

Seems like a typical case of hard drive dying. Or atleast the sectors gone bad where Windows boot files are located.

I had a similar problem with my laptop, did a chkdsk and it confirmed the bad sectors, but the problems persisted. A format and re-install solved stalled the issue because the files were moved to other part of disk. I'd start with backups ASAP and look at replacing the drive.