hard drive woes

Guys,

My hard drive keeps accessing constantly for some unknown reason, its worse when i play a game on the pc as it slows the video down.

i have defragged it and removed all unecesary crap from it. even if i go into task manager and end all processes that are not needed it still does it, im running win xp pro with 512mb ram on a 40gig hd ( its partitioned into 4 ( dont ask, it was like that when i got hte computer) but its now really annoying me cos it happens mostly when im playing bf194 or vietnam when im in a chopper full of troops, my hd lags me out, next thing i know im at a nasty ass crash site with a torrent of flames from my passengers.

any suggestions..?

 

Could just be that the hdd is naturally slow (like pretty much all 40gb, other then raptors), or that other system components are slowing you down; ie, laggy games could be caused by an inadequate video card, or slow CPU.
Can you give us your full system specs?
Aslo, get adaware and spybot (available here, on the mainpage under spyware tools)

And check the drive like MA suggested

 

Heres my specs, i have used norton to check the drive and its error free. It is a prob that has only recently manifested itself too.

while ya scanning my specs can you tell me if its possible to overclock this erm tyranasaurus of a pc im not bothered about pushing the limits as i will be upgrading in the not too distant future.




Processor
Model : AMD Athlon(TM) XP2000+
Speed : 1.68GHz
Model Number : 2000 (estimated)
Performance Rating : PR2435 (estimated)
Type : Standard
L2 On-board Cache : 256kB ECC Synchronous Write-Back

Mainboard
Bus(es) : AGP PCI USB
MP Support : No
System BIOS : Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7A266-E ACPI BIOS Revision 1009
Mainboard : ASUSTeK Computer INC. A7A266-E
Chipset : Acer Labs Incorporated (ALi) ALI M1647 ALiMAGiK 1 AGP System Controller
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 134MHz (268MHz data rate)
Total Memory : 512MB

Video System
Monitor/Panel : Default Monitor
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X

Physical Storage Devices
Removable Drive : Floppy disk drive
Hard Disk : FUJITSU MPG3409AH E
CD-ROM/DVD : BTC BCE4816IM
CD-ROM/DVD : AXV CD/DVD-ROM SCSI CdRom Device

Logical Storage Devices
1.44MB 3.5" (A : N/A
Hard Disk (C : 15.2GB (2.6GB, 17% Free) (NTFS)
Music (D : 8.3GB (1.9GB, 23% Free) (NTFS)
Utility (E : 9.8GB (579MB, 6% Free) (NTFS)
Lee (F : 4.9GB (1.2GB, 24% Free) (NTFS)
CD-ROM/DVD (G : N/A
CD-ROM/DVD (H : N/A

Peripherals
Serial/Parallel Port(s) : 2 COM / 1 LPT
USB Controller/Hub : ALi PCI to USB Open Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : ALi PCI to USB Open Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
Keyboard : Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse : HID-compliant mouse
Human Interface : USB Human Interface Device

MultiMedia Device(s)
Device : Standard Game Port
Device : MPU-401 Compatible MIDI Device
Device : CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version 5.01.2600

Network Adapter(s)
Network Drivers Enabled : Yes

 

OK, your CPU is fine.
Your motherboard is, well, crappy, the ali chipset is slow and poo.
Your video card is also slow by todays standards.

Im willing to bet that your stuttering problems in games are in no way hdd related, but just because of a slow video card and old motherboard chipset.

But yes, you can OC, just go into the BIOS, there are plenty of settings there, even CPU multiplier adjustment (Which your CPU might not be able to do without modding), and FSB adjustments.
So you can OC. here is a page about your board
Also, you can use the coolbits registry hack to enable video card overclocking.

I would be willing to bet that getting a better video card would solve most of your problems. Try and wait a few months if you can, though. The next generation of cards are coming out, and will push current prices down.

 

cmi 8738 is a slow sound chip, they use a lot of cpu time and a dedicated souncard such as an audigy helps a lot. try updating the sound drivers at http://www.cmedia.com.tw/download/OS-e-cmi8738_WDM_OS.htm

I changed my soundcard because of stuttering now games are much smoother

 

Thanks for your tips guys, i have a pci soundcard which i`ll install + I`LL TRY TO O/C THE BOARD.

i know i desperatley need a new gfx card but i`ll wait a few months before investing.

thanks again for your help.

 

well done major dude, you were right, much to my wallets dismay.

late last night the drive started making wierd ass noises, then crashing the comp, then the bios couldnt even find it till i let it cool, so i went and bought a maxtor 80gig drive and i have at the moment got the old drive hanging outa the case with a big ass industrial fan thing blasting away keeping it all cool while i get what i need from it.

got a radeon 9800 xt while i was there, (couldnt resist)