Is my HDD broken?

[Myles Rowlands]

So in early May my PC suddenly became very slow and after many problems and having to do many different things and my PC being reset a few times and cleaning my HDD etc I've reached this moment in time, a few days ago I installed a new psu and when I booted up my PC it was still incredibly slow (a few hours to open steam) but after my computer being on for about 6 hours it returned to normal speed and all was well.. Until about 12 hours after that it returned to being stupidly slow again.. I've gone in performance monitor and my HDD response time will change from 0-1ms to 900ms and more..? Anyone know what to do? Is my HDD dead?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, Myles Rowlands!

I'd recommend you try to resolve the issue by swapping the SATA cable that is connecting your HDD and also attempt to plug it to another SATA port on the motherboard. If you have access to another PC, I'd suggest you check how the drive would get detected there and if it will still have such slow transfer rate. It might also be a good idea to check up on the health and SMART status of the drive using its manufacturer's brand-specific diagnostic utility. This software will help you determine the health and SMART status of the HDD.

Keep me posted with the troubleshooting & Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Myles Rowlands]

I will try that now, just an edit to my post but I meant 9000ms not 900..

 

[Myles Rowlands]

So I replaced the SATA cable and its port.. After about 2 minutes of a black screen on my PC the PC cut off

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

I'd strongly recommend you reseat the HDD and make sure it spins when you power up the system. I'd also check how the HDD would get recognized in another computer/PC. If there's no way to plug it internally, try a SATA-to-USB cable (+ an AC adapter) or a docking station/external enclosure. This way you will be able to troubleshoot the HDD via USB, so it shouldn't have such back influence on the system's performance. Have you tried resetting BIOS as well?
In case you don't have access to another PC, it might be a good idea to check for any DOS version diagnostic tool of your HDD's manufacturer. It would allow you to test the health and SMART status of the drive without booting into Windows.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Myles Rowlands]

How would I be able to make sure if it's spinning or not?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

How would I be able to make sure if it's spinning or not?

When you open the side of the PC case and power up the system, try to hear if the HDD spins up as well. How about using the same SATA cable on the other port or using the same port with the other SATA cable? Check how the system will boot up then. Did you try the BIOS reset as well? What about the DOS HDD diagnostic tests? If you are unable to find such a utility, you can also use a Ubuntu Live CD to perform the SMART tests. I'd suggest you check the motherboard manufacturer's official website and see if there are any SATA controller & chipset driver updates. While on it, search for any BIOS version updates as well.

Hopefully, some of these would help you recognize the HDD properly or long enough for you to test its health.

SuperSoph_WD