Hard drive accessible but extremely slow (and lots of other problems)

[05harrism]

Hi, I've been having a series of problems with an old HDD. At first I got the error "AHCI port0 device error" and the computer wouldn't boot. I created a recovery USB and reinstalled Windows 10 onto a spare HDD I had lying around and it now boots fine to the new disk.

The weird thing is that with both HDDs connected, it takes a long time to boot up and then when it does, Windows Explorer can access the old HDD and even run some programs it has on it. However it takes a long time to do anything and if I try and access my user profile (where the vast majority of my data is) it just sits there with the progress bar stuck at ~95% (at least for 30 mins, that's the longest I've left it so far).

I've tried running chkdsk on it and initially it insists that the drive is being used and so will run chkdsk on the next startup. Restarting brings up chkdsk but it immediately goes to 100% complete and then boots like normal. Disk Management seems to think that everything is fine and healthy and running the scan function from the drive's properties menu just freezes and doesn't do anything.

In a separate but related note, before I tried resurrecting the old HDD, I tried restoring a Windows system image from a month ago onto the new HDD from an external hard drive. I loaded up recovery options through the recovery drive and got all the way to the point where it starts restoring and then was met with the error "volume id not found 0x80070495".

I've had a look around to see if I can find any solutions and have got the furthest with one that suggested running the restore command from the command line. However upon following the steps in Geeks on Wheels post (https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/fa5b51fa-9e65-4121-b0bf-db5d1a15b620/sbs2008-standard-complete-pc-restore-failed-with-0x80070495?forum=windowsbackup) I get to the last step before it says something about "the path cannot be found" for the C: drive and the recovery drive E: . After this the solutions get too technical for me, hence why I then tried to get back the original HDD. Any layman's answer to this would be appreciated.

So ideally I would like to get the old HDD working again, at least long enough to try and make another backup and failing that, does anyone have any tips on how to get my system image working?

 

[RolandJS]

Does this old hard-drive contain data folders and files that have not yet been backed up to another, reliable, external device? If no recent backup, if it all possible, copy your needed data folders and files onto external media the very next time the old HD is working.

 

[05harrism]

Does this old hard-drive contain data folders and files that have not yet been backed up to another, reliable, external device? If no recent backup, if it all possible, copy your needed data folders and files onto external media the very next time the old HD is working.

99% of all the files on the old hard drive are backed up on this system image that I am having trouble accessing. So in theory yes everything is backed up but in practise I am having trouble getting at it. The problem I am having with the old hard drive is that I cannot easily access the majority of my data on it. For example, I can get into Program Files no problem but as soon as I try and get into my user profile, then it gets really slow. It's possible that if I just leave it for hours it may eventually give me access and then I'll definitely copy the most important stuff elsewhere. However until either the old hard drive decides to give me access or this system image starts working, I can't really get at the majority of my data.

Considering things like chkdsk seem to think the drive is fine (despite it giving a read error when I try and boot from it), are there any other programs which might be able to diagnose and fix what the problem is?

 

[RolandJS]

If you know the Data folder names and locations, you can make a USB or DVD boot of AOMEI Backupper (free or fee version), attach an available, reliable, external HD, boot the AOMEI; locate the folders, copy same onto the ext HD. My pay-fors can also do folder & file backup, however, I wanted to give you one of several free options.

NOTE: if your hard-drive has an imminent physical failure in the making, then time and spin may become shorter and shorter. If you run hardware and software diagnostics BEFORE making a backup, your HD just might stop suddenly, and your data recovery will have to punted to a data recovery company/specialist -- and that option will be costly!

 

[RolandJS]

I just now remembered you mentioned a system image. What program made that system image? Depending upon present circumstances, I think there is a company that sells expensive software that can partially or totally read/repair/rebuild certain system or backup images, ISOs, etc. If interested, I don't have that bookmark, we will have to Google for it.

 

[05harrism]

If you know the Data folder names and locations, you can make a USB or DVD boot of AOMEI Backupper (free or fee version), attach an available, reliable, external HD, boot the AOMEI; locate the folders, copy same onto the ext HD. My pay-fors can also do folder & file backup, however, I wanted to give you one of several free options.

NOTE: if your hard-drive has an imminent physical failure in the making, then time and spin may become shorter and shorter. If you run hardware and software diagnostics BEFORE making a backup, your HD just might stop suddenly, and your data recovery will have to punted to a data recovery company/specialist -- and that option will be costly!

I just now remembered you mentioned a system image. What program made that system image? Depending upon present circumstances, I think there is a company that sells expensive software that can partially or totally read/repair/rebuild certain images, ISOs, etc. If interested, I might be able to search my bookmarks...

Interesting, so even though I cannot access the data files through Windows Explorer, programs like AOMEI can still find and copy the files if I boot through it? I'll give that a try when I can.

The system image was created by Windows using their default method. I would be interested in any software you can recommend, though I would of course prefer a free option. In one of the threads that I mentioned in my original post, lots of people were having success with overcoming this problem by starting the system image recovery from the command line with wbadmin rather then using the default tool.

I have tried following the steps, however I run into problems with wbadmin not being able to find the path of my C: drive (can't remember the exact error message, will update when I get the chance). Any insight into this problem would be great as it seems to be the most promising branch so far.

 

[RolandJS]

I will have to simply listen in and learn alongside you at this point. We are going into territory that I have very little knowledge of or experience with.

 

[ArtPog]

First of all...AND THIS IS IMPORTANT...the "AHCI" error message you received is an indication that the drive that was installed at that time was (is) failing. That error can also indicate that the motherboard is implicated in the possible failure scenario since the chipset (presumably an Intel chipset) may be dysfunctional. I mention this because it's important that if you have any files on the drive that are especially important to you, you should copy them over to a flash drive or some other media while the you can access their contents.

 

[ArtPog]

The previous post was just precautionary so that you would undertake a backup of your data (at least the crucial/important data) A/S/A/.

You should provide a detailed description of the components that make up your system, including the OS you're working with. It certainly sounds like you're working with a dysfunctional system. Also provide any troubleshooting steps you've undertaken aside from the ones you've already mentioned. Remember that anyone responding to your query can't see or work with your system; it's up to you to provide a "word picture" of your system and the precise problem(s) you're experiencing.

 

[05harrism]

The previous post was just precautionary so that you would undertake a backup of your data (at least the crucial/important data) A/S/A/.

You should provide a detailed description of the components that make up your system, including the OS you're working with. It certainly sounds like you're working with a dysfunctional system. Also provide any troubleshooting steps you've undertaken aside from the ones you've already mentioned. Remember that anyone responding to your query can't see or work with your system; it's up to you to provide a "word picture" of your system and the precise problem(s) you're experiencing.

As I've mentioned to RolandJS, I do have a system image backup, however I am having trouble accessing it and, while I can access parts of my HDD when I boot to Windows from another drive, I am having difficulty accessing the important parts where most of my data is stored.

System components (don't laugh, most are old as hell which I have no doubt is part of the problem):
OS: Windows 10 64 bit
BIOS Info: A05 07/08/2010
System: Studio XPS 8100
Processor Type: Intel (R) Core(TM) i3 CPU 540 @ 3.07GHz
Memory: 8GB
Memory Speed: 1333MHz
Memory Tech: DDR3
HDD with issue is an old Seagate 1TB ID: ST31000528AS

I have mentioned pretty much all the major steps I have undertaken and have searched extensively around for solutions to all the issues I am having, however each suggested solution leads to more problems and so on. I won't be able to do any more testing today but will report back when I next get the chance.

 

[ArtPog]

Let me say first of all that we long ago gave up on Windows System Image Backup utility. Since its introduction in Win 7 and continuing through Win 10 we've found this program cumbersome & awkward to use for most PC users. Although I'm aware that many users find it perfectly acceptable for their needs, as far as we're concerned it's a dog.

We strongly advise users to employ a disk-cloning program to comprehensively & routinely back up their systems. By & large they're straightforward to use, generally containing a user-friendly interface, and they've proven quite reliable in both the backing-up and recovery aspects.

So I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you sorting out the problems you're experiencing with that Windows utility.

As of course you know, that Dell PC is quite old and was designed for the Win 7 OS. Apparently you were successful in installing Win 10 on that machine. Was this through the freely available upgrade that users of Win 7 were able to obtain a year or so ago? Or did you purchase a Win 10 OS? I ask that because we've run into incompatibility problems installing Win 10 on older Dell PCs that were originally designed for the Win 7 OS.

 

[BadAsAl]

So you have the original 1TB Seagate drive that is failing
You have a new drive with a fresh install of Windows 10 which is running fine
You have a backup image from a month ago on another hard drive (I am assuming a USB external drive)

Is this accurate?

How are you connecting the failing drive? USB enclosure or directly to SATA port?
It can definitely cause slow boots if connected during boot so I would recommend attaching after boot (easiest with USB enclosure of course).

 

[05harrism]

Let me say first of all that we long ago gave up on Windows System Image Backup utility. Since its introduction in Win 7 and continuing through Win 10 we've found this program cumbersome & awkward to use for most PC users. Although I'm aware that many users find it perfectly acceptable for their needs, as far as we're concerned it's a dog.

We strongly advise users to employ a disk-cloning program to comprehensively & routinely back up their systems. By & large they're straightforward to use, generally containing a user-friendly interface, and they've proven quite reliable in both the backing-up and recovery aspects.

So I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you sorting out the problems you're experiencing with that Windows utility.

As of course you know, that Dell PC is quite old and was designed for the Win 7 OS. Apparently you were successful in installing Win 10 on that machine. Was this through the freely available upgrade that users of Win 7 were able to obtain a year or so ago? Or did you purchase a Win 10 OS? I ask that because we've run into incompatibility problems installing Win 10 on older Dell PCs that were originally designed for the Win 7 OS.

I will certainly bear that in mind in the future and if this experience has taught me anything its that I definitely won't be using Windows system imager again. I upgraded to Windows 10 through the free upgrade and I don't remember encountering any major problems with the whole process. Seemed to go very smooth to me.

 

[05harrism]

So you have the original 1TB Seagate drive that is failing
You have a new drive with a fresh install of Windows 10 which is running fine
You have a backup image from a month ago on another hard drive (I am assuming a USB external drive)

Is this accurate?

How are you connecting the failing drive? USB enclosure or directly to SATA port?
It can definitely cause slow boots if connected during boot so I would recommend attaching after boot (easiest with USB enclosure of course).

That is an accurate assessment of what I have, yes. Failing drive is currently inside the tower connected directly to a SATA port. I did briefly try connecting the drive after booting and in the few minutes I left it, the drive did not appear in Windows Explorer. I would have left it longer but as I had the case open (don't have an enclosure) and everything exposed I didn't really want to risk leaving it for an extended period of time.

 

[BadAsAl]

I would invest in an external USB enclosure or docking stating for your old hard drive IF you really want to try and get at your data on there.
OR you can just use the backup image to get at your data. You don't need to restore the image, you can browse the backup using the same backup software you used to create the image. I use the "Windows 7" style backup within Windows 10 to create my system images and then can use that same software to browse that image and select just the data I want to copy. Did you happen to use this one?

 

[05harrism]

I would invest in an external USB enclosure or docking stating for your old hard drive IF you really want to try and get at your data on there.
OR you can just use the backup image to get at your data. You don't need to restore the image, you can browse the backup using the same backup software you used to create the image. I use the "Windows 7" style backup within Windows 10 to create my system images and then can use that same software to browse that image and select just the data I want to copy. Did you happen to use this one?

Do you mean the default system image creator that Windows come with? Then yes I did use that. I notice looking at the backup part of control panel (Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore (Windows 7)) that there is a Restore Files (Advanced) option. Is that what you mean as the software that can browse the system image?

 

[BadAsAl]

Sorry, I now realize it isn't accessible from there.
If you open your backup drive in file explorer, do you see a WindowsImageBackup folder?

 

[ArtPog]

Frankly, I think you're going to go round & round in circles chasing a will '0 the wisp that in the final analysis will lead you nowhere in terms of arriving at a functional system.

At this point-in-time I believe your best course of action is to reinstall the Win 10 OS on a non-defective drive in your possession. You can download the Win 10 OS setup files using the MediaCreationTool installed on a flash drive, or if you prefer an ISO/DVD from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If it's feasible to do so install the OS as a "Custom" (in effect) fresh-install of Win 10. Presumably your system's activation status should be in effect as a digitally licensed Win 10 installation as a result of your original upgrading to that OS when it was freely available to you.

Presuming the OS installation is successful and the result is a bootable system that performs without problems, you will of course need to reinstall your programs & all other data. Hopefully you will have means to do so via another HDD to facilitate the copying/moving of files.

Obviously I can't tell from this distance with any degree of precision whether the preceding suggestions are feasible given your present situation (and your objectives) but I thought I would just suggest this option to you for your consideration.

 

[BadAsAl]

He has already done the new install of Windows 10 on a functional drive and is now just trying to get at his backed up data. The failed drive does not seem to be accessible and since he does have a backup image we are trying to get him into that so he can copy his data. He created the image using the Windows 7 backup from within Windows 10. He isn't able to restore his entire system using this backup as it fails.
There is a way to access the image that I am testing right now. If it is possible to copy the data from the image then that is the easiest way to go.
The only other option left is to do data recovery on the failed drive, but this is much more involved especially since the drive doesn't appear in Windows Explorer when attached.

 

[05harrism]

Sorry, I now realize it isn't accessible from there.
If you open your backup drive in file explorer, do you see a WindowsImageBackup folder?

He has already done the new install of Windows 10 on a functional drive and is now just trying to get at his backed up data. The failed drive does not seem to be accessible and since he does have a backup image we are trying to get him into that so he can copy his data. He created the image using the Windows 7 backup from within Windows 10. He isn't able to restore his entire system using this backup as it fails.
There is a way to access the image that I am testing right now. If it is possible to copy the data from the image then that is the easiest way to go.
The only other option left is to do data recovery on the failed drive, but this is much more involved especially since the drive doesn't appear in Windows Explorer when attached.

I do see the WindowsImageBackup in my backup drive, yes.

As far as the failed drive goes, I can actually see and access it (as I've detailed in a previous post), I just can't get into folders that contain lots of data like my user profile. I can access low-data areas reasonably fine. So far it has only not appeared in Windows Explorer when I connect the drive via SATA after having already booted to the new Windows 10 install on the new disk. In essence, if the failing drive is connected at start-up = seen, if the failing drive is connected after start-up = not seen.

 

[BadAsAl]

O5harrism - if you have the WindowsImageBackup folder on your backup drive, you can mount the image and copy data from it as if it were an external drive.
If you need exact instructions let me know and I'll find a guide.

But basically attach the backup drive to your machine, open Disk Management, click Action menu, then click Attach VHD.
Browse to the external drive and Click on WindowsImageBackup folder, then click the folder within (mine has my computer name), and you should see a folder called Backup 2017-XX-XX XXXXX.
Click on that and then you will see several things listed with random numbers (these represent your partitions). The largest of these will probably be your main drive so double click on it.

Hit OK

Now check within Disk Management again and you should see a new Disk listed with a large partition listed. If you see a drive letter with it then that will show up as that drive letter in Windows Explorer and you can go into it and copy whatever you need.
If no drive letter, just right click on the large partition, select Change drive letter and paths, then click Add.
Choose a drive letter, I like to use P or greater just so I don't have a chance of assigning a used letter, then hit OK and voila, look for a new drive with that letter in File Explorer.

 

[BadAsAl]

[/quotemsg]

I do see the WindowsImageBackup in my backup drive, yes.

As far as the failed drive goes, I can actually see and access it (as I've detailed in a previous post), I just can't get into folders that contain lots of data like my user profile. I can access low-data areas reasonably fine. So far it has only not appeared in Windows Explorer when I connect the drive via SATA after having already booted to the new Windows 10 install on the new disk. In essence, if the failing drive is connected at start-up = seen, if the failing drive is connected after start-up = not seen. [/quotemsg]

If the SATA port you attached to is not designated Hot Swappable in the BIOS you have to have the drive attached prior to boot else it will not show up. So this makes sense. Even when you boot with it attached and it shows up you have trouble accessing the files you need which is classic failing drive symptom.

Take a look at the long post I just posted. You should be able to gain access to your backup image using this method. I just tested it on my own machine and it works great.

 

[05harrism]

O5harrism - if you have the WindowsImageBackup folder on your backup drive, you can mount the image and copy data from it as if it were an external drive.
If you need exact instructions let me know and I'll find a guide.

But basically attach the backup drive to your machine, open Disk Management, click Action menu, then click Attach VHD.
Browse to the external drive and Click on WindowsImageBackup folder, then click the folder within (mine has my computer name), and you should see a folder called Backup 2017-XX-XX XXXXX.
Click on that and then you will see several things listed with random numbers (these represent your partitions). The largest of these will probably be your main drive so double click on it.

Hit OK

Now check within Disk Management again and you should see a new Disk listed with a large partition listed. If you see a drive letter with it then that will show up as that drive letter in Windows Explorer and you can go into it and copy whatever you need.
If no drive letter, just right click on the large partition, select Change drive letter and paths, then click Add.
Choose a drive letter, I like to use P or greater just so I don't have a chance of assigning a used letter, then hit OK and voila, look for a new drive with that letter in File Explorer.

I do see the WindowsImageBackup in my backup drive, yes.

As far as the failed drive goes, I can actually see and access it (as I've detailed in a previous post), I just can't get into folders that contain lots of data like my user profile. I can access low-data areas reasonably fine. So far it has only not appeared in Windows Explorer when I connect the drive via SATA after having already booted to the new Windows 10 install on the new disk. In essence, if the failing drive is connected at start-up = seen, if the failing drive is connected after start-up = not seen. [/quotemsg]

If the SATA port you attached to is not designated Hot Swappable in the BIOS you have to have the drive attached prior to boot else it will not show up. So this makes sense. Even when you boot with it attached and it shows up you have trouble accessing the files you need which is classic failing drive symptom.

Take a look at the long post I just posted. You should be able to gain access to your backup image using this method. I just tested it on my own machine and it works great.
[/quotemsg]

Ok, thanks very much for this, I will test trying to access the system image in this way when I get home and report back. While 99% of all my files are on the system image, there are obviously some that I have made in between it being created and now so ideally I would still like to gain access to my failing drive to try and recover them if possible. As I do seem to still be able to access parts of the drive, do you know if there is still a way to get at those parts that I have not yet managed to access?

 

[RolandJS]

"...do you know if there is still a way to get at those parts that I have not yet managed to access..."
You might have to delve into, dive into, the realm of forensic data recovery, which is far above my pay grade. I will continue to listen in and learn alongside you.

 

[05harrism]

O5harrism - if you have the WindowsImageBackup folder on your backup drive, you can mount the image and copy data from it as if it were an external drive.
If you need exact instructions let me know and I'll find a guide.

But basically attach the backup drive to your machine, open Disk Management, click Action menu, then click Attach VHD.
Browse to the external drive and Click on WindowsImageBackup folder, then click the folder within (mine has my computer name), and you should see a folder called Backup 2017-XX-XX XXXXX.
Click on that and then you will see several things listed with random numbers (these represent your partitions). The largest of these will probably be your main drive so double click on it.

Hit OK

Now check within Disk Management again and you should see a new Disk listed with a large partition listed. If you see a drive letter with it then that will show up as that drive letter in Windows Explorer and you can go into it and copy whatever you need.
If no drive letter, just right click on the large partition, select Change drive letter and paths, then click Add.
Choose a drive letter, I like to use P or greater just so I don't have a chance of assigning a used letter, then hit OK and voila, look for a new drive with that letter in File Explorer.

So I am currently running chkdsk again on the failing HDD and its is taking forever (hopefully a good sign...), so in the meantime I tried mounting the system image in the way you described to my laptop and it worked! It still takes a quite a while to access my user profile for the first time but after it completes once it goes quickly on subsequent tries. After chkdsk has finished running I'll try doing the same on my tower and hopefully everything will be good.