Computer suddenly slower

I don't think the new drive is damaged. The drive fitness test I conducted last week showed the old one failed but the new one didn't. Is there a way to test these drives with the Boot up Cd I downloaded?

Thanks for your continued thinking.

 

No need to re-test the new 30GB hard drive then, if you tested it last week. How did you test it?

 

Click Settings, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device manager.

Are there any yellow exclamation points or red (somethings), to represent hardware failure?

If not, click DVD/CD-ROM drives, please post the make/model of each drive.

And look at the XP CD. Is it scratched/scuffed at all?

 

Actually it's Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device manager.

Yes, there are many HD diagnostic tools on the UBCD, if necessary and for future use.

 

First, I downloaded a drive fitness test from a site given to me by drivesolutions.com where I bought the HD.

I didn't find any yellow or red signals in System.

I have two WinXP Cds. One is the original and one has the WinXP cd integrated with SP2. I have tried both of them and get the same result. I f one is scratched or damaged, maybe both are.

I am at the office and find that I don't have a different OS CD. Could I use one that belongs to someone else or will I need to have a code or reg # or something?

Here's what I found under Hardware:

For Disk Drives:
Toshiba MK3021GAS

And under CD/DVD ROM Drive:
LG CD-ROM CRN 8245B

 

You can use the co-worker's CD for this test, after all you will uninstall it immediately because you want Windows XP on there, and you will uninstall it right after the test, so you are not breaking any licensing rules for more than 45 minutes! Get the CD (if it's not Win98 or Win2000 let me know). Get the 25 digit product key (check the back of the CD case if its the original, on a sticker). The owner of the CD knows the product key, don't forget it. If the CD is scratched get another one, this test requires a CD in good condition.

So the new 30GB hard drive checked out when you tested it, the RAM checked out, the CD drive is compatible. We're ruling out stuff, slowly but surely. We've been through alot stranger!

I hope all the connectors and everything inside the laptop is tip top. We're running out of things here, there's more to do though.

Test that CD and check back.

 

Just a note to let you know that I have not given up but my mother-in-law had a heart attach yesterday and I have been tied up with that. Today I will get back to my problem and try again to solve it.

 

OK! I'm back with news! I tried to load W98 and it loaded and installed like a dream. Does that mean that my XP CD is defective? If so, what is the best way to get a replacement? I know MS is not quick to send another just for the asking.

Thanks!

 

First off best wishes to your Mother-In-Law for a fast and full recovery.

About the computer, unless your laptop has hardware that is incompatible with Windows XP (do you have any obscure hardware?), I cannot think of another reason why only the Windows 98 CD install would work. Your laptop I am sure meets the minimum Windows XP hardware requirements.

I would still test the Windows XP CD on another computer. If not possible, I would eyeball the bottom of the Windows XP CD for scuffs and scratches. Anything visible and I would assume it's damaged. If it's in mint condition, well, post back in that case.

Assuming it is the Windows XP CD, which it looks like, you made a breakthrough. Now we know the slowness of the old 30GB drive is due to the old 30GB drive itself, and not other components.

The old 30GB drive sounds okay. No errors, I mean. That is why you originally posted this problem. And once the new 30GB drive did not work, that threw a crazy curveball into the equation. Now that we know that curveball was just a damaged Windows XP CD, we can go back to the old 30GB drive in itself. And since the original error has gone away, we are now just looking at a slow hard drive. From what I gather, it is not terribly slow either, just sluggish, as in needs a tune-up slow.

You can do things like defrag it, scan it and repair errors regularly with the UBCD or the fitness CD they gave you, you can use Crap Cleaner (I love that name but it's also a good program), and even a clean install just reformatting it. Which would result in the performance gain you want. But is it worth the work involved I don't know to you.

I think it's time to return the new 30GB drive back to Drive Solutions, before they charge you. I have not returned a hard drive, so correct me if I'm wrong, but if you returned the old 30GB drive, since there is nothing wrong with it, I think they may send it back to you and say "give us back the new 30GB drive unless you pay for it!" So at least to me, I would not start transferring stuff to the new 30GB drive.

So test that Windows XP CD, or examine it, then check back.

 

It would irresponsible of me not to recommend, sooner than later when you have an hour, to save your important computer files to CD. Those hard drive errors may have been temporary, but they are still symptoms. I love hard drives and think they are incredibly reliable components. That said, when I see a hard drive error, I make sure in the near future to save all my important computer files. This way there will be no tragedy, worst case.

So attach that BackPack drive sometime soon, get your blank CDs, and use SpeedyCD to save those important computer files. Just in case.

 

Thanks for your kind words regarding my mother-in-law. We think she will be recovering soon and well.

I have looked very closely at the XP CD and cannot see anything of a scratch or smudge nature. Remember I also have a copy that has both XP and SP2 on it which I copied from the XP CD I have. If there is a defect on the original CD then I may have copied it also. I don't have access to another computer to test the XP CD on for now. I'll see what I can do.

Since I have XP on my present HD, I don't believe I have anything that would prevent XP from loading on the new HD.

I check for adware and spyware regularly as well as run scandisk (checkdisk on XP) and defrag, and backup also. I backup on CDs and do drive image CDs as well.

What is involved in formatting a drive? Is that cleaning it completely and then re-installing all the apps and updating them? How about using a Disaster Recovery system like I have with my "Back Up My PC" program? That is supposed to add everything back to the new drive as I understand it.

BTW, should I uninstall W98 on the new HD before returning it to DriveSolutions?

Thanks again for all your help.

 

Is the Windows XP CD an OEM? Where did you get it?

Is perhaps the Windows XP CD tied to the hard drive, I wonder. I'm googling a couple things out of curiosity, since it sounds like your Windows XP CD is in mint condition and you do not have incompatible Windows XP hardware.

Oll bee bock

 

It is not an OEM. I bought online from Buy.com, I think. Let me know what you think. I found an old drive that crashed - I think it is one I got from Dell when I upgraded from 10G to 30G. I had forgotten about it. Is there any way to format it and maybe use it as an external drive or something?

Again, should I uninstall W98 from the new HD?

 

Let's get back to basics, since I don't think you have a pirated CD, I don't see why the HD would be bound like that, I don't see you not meeting minimum specs, don't see you having incompatible hardware.

But the Windows 98 CD worked. Which tells us something. .

So I went back to the error message you get during the windows xp cd install. Here is the Microsoft KB article, and why I had you run the RAM test.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315335

It pretty much focuses on RAM. Unless I have the wrong error, maybe you should try the XP CD install twice more, on the new 30GB drive. Try the install with only one RAM module, each time. See if you get the same error both times.

If XP setup gives you no errors, this has some ideas too. http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310760

 

We posted at the same time, I didn't see that about the old 10 GB drive. I think that would great to try to install XP on. The test would be to see if you get the same exact error with the new 30GB drive, and the 10GB drive. In fact, do this first. If you get the same error with the old 10 that you got with the new 30, than I'd say it is RAM as Microsoft suggests. Then do the one-stick-at-a-time install method. Slowly but surely we're getting there!

 

I don't know if it's necessary to uninstall Win98 before returning the new 30GB drive. I would think it's a good opportunity though to use one of the programs on the UBCD. It's called something "Nuke and Destroy." It zero fills the entire hard drive, wipes it with zeros across. Check it out, it's a cool program.

I don't know if Buy.com sells OEM discs? I'd guess they do. I'd guess you can tell if your copy came with a manual, and a full warranty, and just generally looks normal. I mentioned it thinking out loud but don't really think an OEM version of Windows XP could be tied to one specific hard drive only so forget I mentioned OEM regarding this problem.

If the old 10GB drive you're talking about still works, and you want it for a laptop, you can buy a USB enclosure case. So yes you can. For like forty bucks. But you can probably buy an external HD for a little more, which I would do, considering you said that 10GB one had crashed years ago.

 

I tried to install WXP on the old drive I found and nothing happened - it wouldn't work.

I have already tried the XP installation with one memory stick at a time and got the same errors.

I look a little further into these article from MS and see if there is anything there I need to change. I have an external Drive A that has been connected each time I tried the boot up. I will remove that and see if that has anything to do with it.

Talk with you later.

 

Farbib:

A few more details. First, sent the "new" drive back - told I thought my present drive is healthy enough for now.

I also realized that my XPHome was an upgrade from WinME. I had forgotten that. Also, that old HD that I found is a 30G, not a 10G, but here is what happened. I had tried to install XP on it to no avail so I formatted it with the Nuke program. After that I was able to load XP on that drive - I didn't do the complete install but it went far enough to let me know it was good to go. That is when I remembered my XP was an upgrade because the setup asked me to put a Win98 or WinME or a cd with the previous OS on it. Luckily I had the Win98 that I had borrowed from a person at my office. I had thrown my old ME CD away some time back. I hated ME so much I just wanted to get rid of it.

Anyway, it appears like I have another good 30G HD. I am going to use it to do some experiments with it. I have a Drive Image program that I want to use to see if I can transfer data to this HD. I also use BackUp My PC which has a Disaster Recovery system that I want to see if that will work.

When I bought the first 30G HD and transferred the data to it I used a Drive Link gizmo to to it directly. I was going to use it again when I first had the error problem and they sent me a new HD, but I couldn't get the pins in HD to plug into the Drive Link. I don't know what the problem is unless some piece of it dislodged and I lost it. i am in contact with that company for enlightenment and may have to send it back to them for service. Anyway, if I can get that to work I will probably use it to transfer data periodically in case I have a crash with the present one.

With all that said, do you think that some of my problem with trying to load XP had to do with it being an upgrade? I never was asked for the CD with the earlier OS on it but maybe it would have if the setup went a bit further.

Please expose me to more info from your wise brain!

 

Got me I can't answer that. I'd love to know myself.

Amazingly GrrreatRon you're stepping out of this without a part to replace. What's most important? The old 30GB laptop's hard drive errors are gone. Sometimes they do that, they just go away with a little scandisk or minor tweak. Hopefully that hard drive will give you smooth sailing for a long while.

If it remains sluggish, give 'er a tune-up. Maybe even go the clean install route, instead of imaging the drive. Maybe the configuration is what slows it down, not the hard disk itself, rebuilding that registry will give you that perormance bump you're looking for, though it's definitely more work.

Looking back maybe the new 30GB drive got us a little off track, but we had to do those steps, we could not ignore those tests, besides you now have a UBCD. Go make a couple copies and pass them out. Be a hero when friends and family have computer emergencies.

*nod of the 10 gallon hat*
Nice working with ya