Uneven transfer rates on HDD

[1shaman]

Hi, friends.

I've been struggling with my laptop for several weeks now. It's been running really slow (on Windows) and makes it difficult to use for work (Finite Element Analysis). I got rid of all the junk files and used Defraggler at least twice (fragmentation was initially 13%, then 10% and now 8%; is this alright?)

Doing a benchmark with HD Tune I get highly uneven transfer rates, Here's a capture:

As of now, I'm still running the Error Scan tool on HD Tune, and got zero bad sectors at 50%.

Of course, I'm not writing/reading anything while using said tools.

Thanks!

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, 1shaman.

Let me know what results you get from the SMART data and when you finish the test for bad sectors as well. Generally, it doesn't look like it has some problems from this benchmark, although judging by the access time it's a bit higher than it should be according to the drive's specs ( 11.0 - 13.0ms ) and the average speed is a bit low as well, although it reaches the maximum. I'd suggest that you update your anti-virus program's database and scan your drive with it, you could also do the same with an anti-malware program. You could also try restoring your system to a previous point if you think this happened after an OS update. You could also try the drive with a different SATA port and cables to see if you get the same results as well.

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

 

[1shaman]

Thanks, Boogieman_WD!

Got no bad sectors but also I have a blank screen for SMART data. I've blocked all Windows updates and restoration points (I just have restoration points in the registry); another issue I have is that I have a bunch of software I use with many updates on top of another, so for time's sake I'd rather avoid that, if possible.

I started another defrag and now fragmentation is down to 4%. Is this all common?

I´ll run a Kaspersky full scan now.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

It is normal for the fragmentation to go lower after you've defragmented the drive. After all this is the whole point of running it. However I'm a bit concerned by the fact you don't get any SMART data. Try downloading the manufacturer's diagnostics tool and run the tests on the drive, to see what results you'll get.