Random computer freezes

[Pengdoo]

Hi there!

So recently I had those weird freezes where I couldn't do anything besides moving my mouse around.
The light of my PC indicating disk usage went "solid".
I went into Task Manager once and it froze, and I had the chance to take this screenshot :
http://prntscr.com/byirb7
Apparently in the Processes tab, nothing is using that much disk. It doesn't assign this 100% usage to anything.
Defrags have already been disabled.
I don't know what to do, I've been looking for solutions but haven't found one.
It started like 6 months ago, and today this problem became more frequent.

So, can somebody please tell me what is going on and perhaps fix this? Thank you.
(sorry if my English is kinda bad, it isn't my primary language)

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Pengdoo.

Looks like this is an SSD an not an HDD, at least from the screenshot. First, you should backup all the important files you have on it, just to be on the safe side. After that I'd recommend that you try the drive with a different SATA port and cables, to see if the same issue occurs.
If this is really an SSD you should check its manufacturer's website for available firmware updates for that drive model.

I'd also suggest that you download an SSD/HDD diagnostic tool so that you can test the drive for errors and see what's the situation with it.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[slyverine]

you are just in task manager and your cpu has reached 100% use?Something is wrong... As boogieman suugested run a diagnostic tool, but afterwards run a virus scan with your antivirus and a malware scan with something like malware bytes...

 

[Pengdoo]

you are just in task manager and your cpu has reached 100% use?Something is wrong... As boogieman suugested run a diagnostic tool, but afterwards run a virus scan with your antivirus and a malware scan with something like malware bytes...

Not CPU usage. Disk usage.

Hey there, Pengdoo.

Looks like this is an SSD an not an HDD, at least from the screenshot. First, you should backup all the important files you have on it, just to be on the safe side. After that I'd recommend that you try the drive with a different SATA port and cables, to see if the same issue occurs.
If this is really an SSD you should check its manufacturer's website for available firmware updates for that drive model.

I'd also suggest that you download an SSD/HDD diagnostic tool so that you can test the drive for errors and see what's the situation with it.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

Well yeah it is a SSD but I said HDD because it has the platters sign above it. Edited it.
I have only 1 SATA port (this is a laptop)
I'm scared to do firmware updates (I don't want to f*** up my SSD)
And I'll start scanning the SSD with a program. Should I do /chkdsk ?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Well, you could give it a go with chkdsk /r, to see if anything comes up, but only after you've backed up your data. Since you've mentioned that it's a laptop, you could try the drive with a different computer, to see what happens.

Firmware updates are made to correct bugs or other errors or incompatibility issues caused by the current version. This should not affect your SSD negatively. Especially if we determine that the SSD is at fault (as it seems, at least for now).

 

[Pengdoo]

Well, you could give it a go with chkdsk /r, to see if anything comes up, but only after you've backed up your data. Since you've mentioned that it's a laptop, you could try the drive with a different computer, to see what happens.

Firmware updates are made to correct bugs or other errors or incompatibility issues caused by the current version. This should not affect your SSD negatively. Especially if we determine that the SSD is at fault (as it seems, at least for now).

Well I have to do stuff to do on my PC right now so I'll do this chkdsk later (in 2-3 hours). But I guess for now I can install a program to scan the SSD right?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

You, go ahead and run a diagnostic tool to see if it finds anything out of the ordinary. Preferably the SSD manufacturer's diagnostic tool if it offer one. If it doesn't, you can select a 3rd party one from this article: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/tophddiag.htm

 

[Pengdoo]

You, go ahead and run a diagnostic tool to see if it finds anything out of the ordinary. Preferably the SSD manufacturer's diagnostic tool if it offer one. If it doesn't, you can select a 3rd party one from this article: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/tophddiag.htm

Alright I'm downloading the scanner for Sandisk SSDs.
This is what I got : http://prntscr.com/bymthv

 

[Boogieman_WD]

It seems to have passed the SMART test, although I can't see some of the attributes on the screenshot. You could also try a 3rd party diagnostic tool out of the suggestions from this article, just to double-check: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/tophddiag.htm.

If everything seems OK and it's not a motherboard, cable, or port related issue, then it's either the drive's firmware or it might be just a faulty SSD. If I were you I'd get in touch with the manufacturer's customer support for more info on how to proceed and if you need to RMA the drive.

 

[Pengdoo]

It seems to have passed the SMART test, although I can't see some of the attributes on the screenshot. You could also try a 3rd party diagnostic tool out of the suggestions from this article, just to double-check: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/tophddiag.htm.

If everything seems OK and it's not a motherboard, cable, or port related issue, then it's either the drive's firmware or it might be just a faulty SSD. If I were you I'd get in touch with the manufacturer's customer support for more info on how to proceed and if you need to RMA the drive.

The other attributes you didn't see were the Read and Write counts the SSD has done in its "life".
The SSD is only about a year old so, I don't think I can RMA it. I have no idea about the warranty duration because I bought this SSD from a guy who fixes computers.
I'll attempt a check with a 3rd party diagnostic tool.
Also, I haven't done the firmware update yet

 

[Pengdoo]

Now I am having trouble upgrading the firmware. Great news!
Apparently the toolkit made a "bootable USB" but my BIOS won't even recognize it as a bootable USB!
Also the freezes are getting more frequent.
I have scanned my SSD with the toolkit, the BIOS disk check, the computer disk check and they all say it is "good".
Somebody help, please?

 

[Pengdoo]

(bump)

 

[Boogieman_WD]

There might be an issue with the mobo or the ports as already mentioned. Since you got the SSD from someone who fixes laptops you might want to get the laptop fully diagnosed. This way you should be able to find out what's causing those issues, since the SSD seems to be passing the diagnostic tests.

 

[Pengdoo]

There might be an issue with the mobo or the ports as already mentioned. Since you got the SSD from someone who fixes laptops you might want to get the laptop fully diagnosed. This way you should be able to find out what's causing those issues, since the SSD seems to be passing the diagnostic tests.

I think we can close this thread. I switched from the SSD to a HDD.
I gave the SSD to a friend and it didn't freeze on his laptop. So the problem is ME/my laptop/my mobo/my port/my whatever. But since the laptop I currently own is old (5 years), I don't want to spend extra bucks on fixing this laptop.

Can I close this thread by myself?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Basically you've already done that by selecting an answer as the solution. Other people and you would still be able to post, but it's considered "solved".

Too bad we weren't able to get to the bottom of it, however at least your able to use your laptop without an issue. I'd still bet on a compatibility problem, but you never know. Keep your important data backed up and you should be OK.

 

[Pengdoo]

Basically you've already done that by selecting an answer as the solution. Other people and you would still be able to post, but it's considered "solved".

Too bad we weren't able to get to the bottom of it, however at least your able to use your laptop without an issue. I'd still bet on a compatibility problem, but you never know. Keep your important data backed up and you should be OK.

I always backup my data. For some reason I'm always thinking my computer would crash any second now so I back up all my data on a cloud storage (Dropbox).
Anyways this problem is "solved" so,

have a good day!