4 Tb Western Digital External HD not working

I was on another forum removing malware http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=291610 I worked all steps and was clear from malware.
I worked through the link below about how to further protect yourself from malware. On this step: 8) Disable the AutoRuns Feature used to spread malware
See this tool: Autorun Eater - Note that some protection software may falsely detect this program as an infection.


I have ran Autorun Eater software and it caused my Western Digital 4Tb external hard drive to malfunction. The moving of data from the External hard drive to other drives is extremely slow, then fails. After it fails the Drive shows as "folder empty" when I double click on it. And sometimes it just hangs forever when I double click on folders within the drive. I uninstalled the software and the issue remains. Also, I have no restore points on my computer. Please help.



System Model Gateway SX2850

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium (x64) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)

Drives Memory Modules c,d
12627.67 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
191.04 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

Externals
WD Elements 107C USB Device [Hard drive] (4000.71 GB) -- drive 7, s/n WCC4E2CDEEV9


I have multiple External hard drives that are running fine , except for this 4tb drive.

 

Is this information correct? You have a 12TB drive with 1.5% free space available? I'm surprised your computer works at all!

 

No the hard drive that's not working is 4TB : WD Elements 107C USB Device [Hard drive] (4000.71 GB) -- drive 7, s/n WCC4E2CDEEV9


I do have 5 HDs connected to my machine with a total of 12TB. I didnt list them on the specs. Ive never had a problem before.

 

Hello just wondering if I am in the right forum or should I post to the Software threads?

 

No, you're in the right forum. It's just that someone who may be able to offer a suggestion hasn't viewed the thread yet. Sorry you're waiting so long.

 

Have you tried connecting the HDD to another PC?

 

This is from the FAQs on the Autorun Eater website (before you posted here, I had never heard of this software).

My guess is that this program is scanning that hard drive in real time.

Before I run something, I look at dates. This program is from Feb. 17, 2012. I'm pretty sure this pre-dates 4TB hard drives. So, if it were me, I wouldn't attempt to run a 5 year old program on new hardware.
If it is scanning a 4TB hard drive, it would take long on that size drive!

Use Revo Uninstaller to remove Autorun Eater and see if the WD external is zippy again.

 

I have already uninstalled the program using windows control panel. It didn't have any effect. I tired plugging the hard drive into a laptop computer and it wasn't recognized.

I installed The Auto Run Eater under advisement form the person who helped me in the malware forum. The program is on the Majorgeeks page on How to Protect yourself from malware http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=44525


I did use Revo Uninstaller but there is no longer any record of Auto Run Killer that I could see.

 

Then the problem is with the HDD.

 

Go here http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?level1=1&lang=en
see if you can get an RMA (return merchandise authorization) for it.

If it is out of warranty perhaps you can download firmware to install and fix it.

 

I also just noticed that my 3TB hardrive is exhibiting the same symptoms. Both hard drives work for about 10 minutes, but when I try to move files from one device to another or to play a mp3 or video file they tend to lag and over time they will eventually fail. Its as if the large Hard drives (>3TB) are the ones working poorly and The others smaller hard drives are unaffected. The first time I noticed this is when I followed the steps outlined on the webpage: How to protect your Computer form malware.

 

I did a little investigation and the 2 externals Hard drives that are having issues use micro usb 3.0, the 3 other external hard drives dont.

 

That is your problem. Some external HDDs are USB 3 & 2 compatible, and some USB 3 HDDs are not compatible with USB 2. And if your PC doesn't support USB 3, you can't access those drives.

 

I ran these hard drives without an problem for well over a year on the same computer and using the same USB ports. I started having issues after I ran the steps on the webpage on How to Protect yourself from malware http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=44525

One of the staff touched on this point that some of the applications recommended on that webpage predate large size hard drives and this may be an issue.

 

The hard drives in question run , but they run poorly. They are recognized by the computer . They eventually freeze in file transfer and then the drive shows on my list of hard dives but they folder says "empty". Files locations available for download & upload also eventually fail . Trying to play media files with Windows media Player & VLC also have issues. Its as if the computer itself has a hard time accessing the data on these drives. I first noticed this issue after I ran the steps outlined on the webpage on How to Protect yourself from malware http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=44525

Is this maybe a software issue? Should I run chkdsk? Is there an indexing issue with my computer? Are there diagnostics I can run to see if something isnt working right ?

 

As I stated in post #2, you only have 1.5% free space on your entire 12 TB system!

You need to have at least 25% free space on EACH drive for them to work properly. So, you're going to have to offload files from those drives either through deletion or transfer to yet another drive. Also run Disk Cleanup on all of the drives.

 

Ok thanks, I will try and free up as much space as I can and also increase my RAM by 1 GB. Im in the process of scanning the 2 biggest drives using Western Digital's Data Lifeguard diagnostic tool.

 

All 3 Gateway SX2850 models listed by Crucial can take 8 GB RAM. Get 2 x 2 GB, or 2 x 4 GB.
And as other members have said, you need to clean those drives.

 

Whats you opinion of this below? In terms of my system will this address my issues and do I replace my current memory with this new card or do I add it in addition to what I already have ?

4GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.5V 512Meg x 64
CT5282874 DDR3 PC3-12800 • 9-9-9-24 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1600 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64


And when you say to clean the drives, what does that mean exactly, like free up the 25% of each drive or do I need to run some specific tool?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

As JoeRay12 said, run the Crucial scan. You can't just arbitrarily drop another 1GB RAM module into your system. They need to be of the correct configuration (ie 2Rx8 [density], PC2 3200 [speed], etc., etc.) or they may not work in the computer (in fact, the computer may not even boot).

According to the specs for the 2850 model in general, they use Up to 8 GB of dual-channel 1333 MHz DDR3 system memory, using four DIMM modules. These need to be installed in pairs and since you have 4 RAM slots, you'd need 2 x 2GB modules (or 1 module if you have 1 x 2GB module already installed).

You have several multi-terabite drives on your system so, I don't think flash drives will cover what you need to transfer off of the hard drives and burning 4.7 GB DVDs will take forever. rolleyes You really need to delete files you no longer need.

In the Start Menu search box enter "Disk Cleanup" (without the quotes) and click on what shows up in the results pane to launch Disk Cleanup. Select the drive you want to clean up from the drop-down (start with the "C" drive) and click OK. It will scan and calculate how much space can be freed. In the next box, check off everything and then click on the More Options tab. In the System Restore and Shadow Copies box, click clean up and confirm that you want to delete all but the most recent Restore Point (with what you have on these drives, this may free up several hundred GB!). Go back to the Disk Cleanup tab and click OK. This MAY take some time to complete. Once done, the Disk Cleanup app will automatically exit. You will need to perform disk cleanup on all of your drives so, you'll need to re-run disk cleanup 4 more times (you said you have a total of 5 drives with a total of 12 TB).

On the "C" drive, you can also run CCleaner to free up even more space as CCleaner cleans up areas that Disk Cleanup doesn't touch.

2GB RAM modules of the type you need start at $14.95US on ebay.

 

Whats you opinion of this below? In terms of my system will this address my issues and do I replace my current memory with this new card or do I add it in addition to what I already have ?

4GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.5V 512Meg x 64
CT5282874 DDR3 PC3-12800 • 9-9-9-24 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1600 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64

 

Along with what dr.moriarty said, your system needs 1333 MHz DDR3 modules. The module in your last post won't work. Use that Crucial scan tool to determine how much and what type of RAM to purchase then, you can purchase good, tested and used modules at a place like ebay or Amazon.com for less than you'd pay for a new set at Crucial.com.

 

But this module that I posted was one of the ones the Crucial scan said to use for my computer. I guess My question is that do I use this module to replace my existing memory or do I add it to one of the additional slots ?

Or maybe a better question would be ,in terms of cheapest & easiest, from this list of compatible modules for my computer, which would be the best choice to add to my computer , and/or which would be the best choice to replace my existing memory ? Thanks !

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/scanview/CE7BB8F731D926C3

 

OK thanks a lot I appreciate it ! Does this one look OK to add the 2Gb ? http://www.frys.com/product/8175745?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

In reference to what the stick I posted, Being that its not the exact same , will this mean it wont work as well or not at all ? The link I posted is to a store that I can pick up the stick today and put it in my computer tonight. Whats your opinion?

 

Or how about this one? http://www.frys.com/product/6413552?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

Ok thanks, Im going to drive over there and see if one of their people can give me the definitive answer on whether they can work.

 

Its just a factor of time. a week to get one delivered or drive to the store and get one today. Id spend a few more bucks if it means I can fix my system today. Wish me luck ! and thanks again !

 

It would depend on what's in the computer currently. If one of the Crucial modules matches what's in the computer currently (specs — not necessarily brand) you may be able to purchase a single 2GB memory module and increase RAM to 4GB (if you have a 2GB module installed already). I don' know how your computer accesses RAM so, I can't say if the module would go into slot 2 or slot 3.

 

First of all I want to thank every one on here to has lent their time to help me. I have installed new memory and in doing so have discovered some things . I happened to have 4 slots for memory cards. One of my memory cards must have been malfunctioning or loosened when I replaced my power supply becasue now that Ive added new memory and made sure all cards were fastened in place, I have a total of 6gb of RAM instead of the 2GB when I first posted this thread. I will add my current specs below, but right now I am having problems with windows starting up. I ran the start up diagnostic but it couldn't fix the issue. Does anyone one of any scans/diagnostics in Windows or from another source that I can utilize to see if I have any ram, motherboard, hardware/software etc issues. Thanks !


Heres my current specs.


Operating System System Model
Windows 7 Home Premium (x64) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Installed: 3/2/2012 1:22:35 PM
Boot Mode: BIOS (Secure Boot not supported) Gateway SX2850
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
3.20 gigahertz Intel Core i3 550
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache
4096 kilobyte tertiary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Hyper-threaded (4 total) Board: Gateway SX2850
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. P01-A1 03/31/2010
Drives Memory Modules c,d
12627.67 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
475.02 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GP50NB40 USB Device [Optical drive]

Generic- Compact Flash USB Device [Hard drive] -- drive 5
Multiple Flash Reader USB Device [Hard drive] -- drive 6
SAMSUNG HD204UI USB Device [Hard drive] (2000.40 GB) -- drive 3, s/n 801130168383
SAMSUNG HD204UI USB Device [Hard drive] (2000.40 GB) -- drive 2, s/n 801130168383
Seagate GoFlex Desk USB Device [Hard drive] (3000.58 GB) -- drive 7, s/n NA0MEBBY
WD 10EAVS External USB Device [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB) -- drive 1, s/n WD-WCAU41321796
WD Elements 107C USB Device [Hard drive] (4000.71 GB) -- drive 4, s/n WCC4E2CDEEV9
WDC WD6400AAKS-22A7B2 [Hard drive] (640.13 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WCASYD480244, rev 01.03B01, SMART Status: Healthy 6072 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM0' has 2048 MB (serial number 71132616)
Slot 'DIMM1' has 2048 MB (serial number 2D1241E9)
Slot 'DIMM2' is Empty
Slot 'DIMM3' has 2048 MB
Local Drive Volumes


c: (NTFS on drive 0) * 625.35 GB 30.07 GB free
e: (NTFS on drive 2) 2000.40 GB 20.90 GB free
g: (NTFS on drive 7) 3000.58 GB 15.08 GB free
h: (NTFS on drive 1) 1000.20 GB 105.17 GB free
i: (NTFS on drive 4) 4000.75 GB 222.20 GB free
n: (NTFS on drive 3) 2000.40 GB 81.59 GB free

 

According to the specs you listed:

c: (NTFS on drive 0) * 625.35 GB 30.07 GB free — 5% (this is critical because it's the system drive)
e: (NTFS on drive 2) 2000.40 GB 20.90 GB free — 1%
g: (NTFS on drive 7) 3000.58 GB 15.08 GB free — 1/2%
h: (NTFS on drive 1) 1000.20 GB 105.17 GB free — 10%
i: (NTFS on drive 4) 4000.75 GB 222.20 GB free — 5%
n: (NTFS on drive 3) 2000.40 GB 81.59 GB free — 4%

you have 10% or less of available free space on any and all drives. Do you work a lot with video files?