HDD 100% Active Time

[Benevolent Deity]

When I copy a large file (30GB) onto the same SATA HDD as the original file using the File Explorer the task manager in my Win10 64-bit 12MB RAM system indicates 100% active time, yet the read and write speeds are each only about 28MB/s. The average response time is shown as around 40ms. The HDD is 1.4TB and is only about half full but I've tried this on several different HDDs with the same results. This is not my system HDD and is not being used for anything else during copying. These speeds seem quite slow compared to typical HDD specifications. Can anyone tell me if this is normal and, if not, what I might try to speed things up?

Thanks,
Ray

 

[Tumeden]

Check your BIOS, change from IDE to AHCI if possible.

Many things can contribute to a lower data transfer speed.

 

[Benevolent Deity]

Check your BIOS, change from IDE to AHCI if possible.

Many things can contribute to a lower data transfer speed.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I switched to AHCI and the transfer speed actually got worse by about 25%. I'm using an ASUS motherboard and and i7 processor just to add a little more information about my system.

 

[D_Know_WD]

Hi there Benevolent Deity,

I believe it may be a good idea to test all your drives: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282651-32-best-diagnostic-testing-utility
Even if a single one is failing, it could cause system slow down. If this is the data, then you need to back up the data stored on it.

Apart from that, you can:
- Go to your MOBO's website and update drivers.
- Run your system with just a single RAM stick. See if you will get different transfer speed.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD