[SOLVED] My hdd is giving me troubles. Heavily fragmented and very slow in general.

[Jim Jom]

Hi!

One of my external hard drives is heavily fragmented (about 65%) and is just super slow in general. I presume it may be very fragmented because I used it for torrenting. But... I thought Windows automatically does the defragmenting. And I checked too and it is set to do it automatically. But for some reason it doesn't do anything to this particular hard drive. I have tried defragmenting at least some individual files (since I don't have much space for a proper full defragmentation), but it won't let me do it. What can I do about this situation?

Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS.

First: is your data backed up (at least twice) to other media and proven to be recoverable and readable?

Second: make and model HDD? Capacity? Have you run the applicable manufacturer's diagnostic tools on the drive?

Third: how is the external drive connected - USB? Does the drive have its' own power supply or rely on USB power via the host computer?

 

[Jim Jom]

I am using Windows 10. Have 8GB of RAM. Intel i7 processor (don't know if it's important to say exactly which one).

My data is backed up through Backblaze. Actually, this hard drive I am talking about is not backed up yet, since it is the newest one I got.

The hard drive is a Western Digital - My Passport (4TB). I haven't run any manufacturer's diagnostic tools, but I've pretty much used all imaginable tools to check the hard drive's health and all said it is in good health.

The HDD is connected via USB through an usb hub. Could it be that is it underpowered? What are even the symptoms of that usually?

 

[popatim]

I would copy the data off, format the drive, and copy it back in. This will resolve the fragmentation issue much faster then a defrag could possible do.

 

[Jim Jom]

I would copy the data off, format the drive, and copy it back in. This will resolve the fragmentation issue much faster then a defrag could possible do.

I guess that is actually the best solution to the problem. Would love if there was one where I don't have to spend any money But if not, I guess I'll have to do that.

Thanks for the help!

 

[SkyNetRising]

The HDD is connected via USB through an usb hub.

What model USB hub? Is it USB 3.0 capable?
If it's some cheap USB 2.0 hub, then performance of your external drive will be limited by slow connection.

 

[Jim Jom]

What model USB hub? Is it USB 3.0 capable?
If it's some cheap USB 2.0 hub, then performance of your external drive will be limited by slow connection.

It is a TP-LINK one and all the ports are USB 3.0.