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My WD Elements 1TB hard drive has suddenly became very slow, I cant copy from it or watch anything from it without it playing and pausing the whole time. It is not full there is still over 200gigs free and I have also tried a different cable but the same things happened can you please help me.
Liam
Posted 2014-09-23T04:24:46.420
Reputation: 1
4
In my experience this is a huge warning sign of a failing hard disk. Get a SMART disk checker and make sure the disk is okay.
user230910
Posted 2014-09-23T04:24:46.420
Reputation: 250
2This is what you should do in the first place. If the drive is failing then it can die at any time. Don't use it except to diagnose it until you're sure it's fine. Avoid disconnecting it and rebooting while it's connected. Starting or stopping it brings it closer to the ultimate failure. – gronostaj – 2014-09-23T12:07:30.907
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Diagnosing is not the first thing to do. If you suspect the disk of going bad the first thing to do is copying all the data off. Here is the procedure
– Jan Doggen – 2014-09-24T07:17:27.3431
There are a number of factors that can make a HDD slow all of a sudden. I'd suggest you make a backup of your files as soon as possible - just in case.
For this purpose you could use Acronis True Image, which is provided for free on our website. Here is a link for the download.
Then, to check the health of your drive you could use Data Lifeguard Diagnostic. The DLD will allow you not only to check the drive, but also to repair bad sectors if any.
TitaniaWD
Posted 2014-09-23T04:24:46.420
Reputation: 31
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The tone of your answer suggests that you are an employee of Western Digital, if so could I ask you to disclose it in your profile and answers so that users are aware of your affiliation. We certainly appreciate having companies support their users on our site but we have some guidelines we would ask you to follow. Welcome to Super User!
– Mokubai – 2014-09-26T17:12:33.780Hi Mokubai, I am a WD representative indeed. My profile has now been updated. Thank you very much! – TitaniaWD – 2014-09-29T14:32:23.863
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Do a De-fragmentation using Diskeepr Pro Professional. It will Analise your disk and the De-fragment. The Smart Intelli process will decrease the fragmentation of the file structure, which will in-turn increase the performance of the file structure.
Technolust
Posted 2014-09-23T04:24:46.420
Reputation: 41
1also check to make sure that the PC you're using isn't the problem. Often times a slow PC (due to excessive fragmentation,too many processes) can make it seem like the hard drive is slow. – Dhiwakar Ravikumar – 2014-09-23T06:03:06.527
1Defragmentation only makes a minor speed difference. Most people don't even notice a difference. – Jan Doggen – 2014-09-23T17:58:25.607
When it becomes suddenly slow a disk failure is the first suspect. – Daniel R Hicks – 2014-09-23T12:27:12.303