🍕 👨🏾‍🤝‍👨🏼 🅰️ Hard drive slows down: solutions to the problem 👬 🤪 🤷🏿

The following material will discuss the solution to computer performance problems caused by the fact that the hard drive is constantly slowing down. And it doesn’t matter on a stationary device or laptop. It is worth noting that most of the methods are applicable both to the system device and to an external drive.

Cleaning

The first and most important thing that needs to be done in this situation is to perform a full cleaning of the HDD from various debris. It means unused programs, old versions of system updates, file remnants scattered across all folders after some utility has been removed. This cleaning must be done regularly, because the computer slows down due to the hard drive. First, consider the standard way:

Using the search bar, launch the application called "Taskbar";
Find and open the "System and Security" section here;
find the "Administration" subsection and run the function to free up disk space;
in the pop-up window specify the HDD required for processing and follow the system instructions.

Let's analyze another cleaning method when it slows down the hard drive of a laptop or desktop computer. To do this, use a program called RevoUninstaller. The operation algorithm is as follows:

run the utility;
in the upper panel, open the tab with the name "Tools" and in the drop-down context menu activate the section "Cleaner of unnecessary files";
in the right part of the window that opens, specify the device that you want to process, and start the process;

waiting for it to finish, click the "Delete" button.

ATTENTION! When erasing the remaining files, a message may appear stating that some of them are used by the system, and therefore cannot be deleted now. To "demolish" them, simply follow the procedure when all programs except this one are closed.

Drive properties

Another way to fix the situation when the hard drive slows down games and programs is to perform a system cleanup. The operation algorithm is as follows:

run the program "This computer";
find the required HDD among the displayed devices;
right-click on it with a computer mouse and activate the "Properties" function;
in the window that opens, click the disk cleanup button;
after a short download, open a new section by clicking on "Clear system files";
the list will list all options available for removal that are not too important for the further operation of the system, check all of them and start the cleaning process.

Defragmentation

What to do if the hard drive of a laptop or computer slows down even after cleaning? Try to defragment it with the subsequent optimization of work. For this:

open the Control Panel application through the search bar;
continue to the system and security section;
open the Administration tab;

and here, find and run the function of optimizing hard drives ;
a window will appear in which you will be asked to select any section and defragment and optimize it.

Error checking

Brakes the hard drive. What else to do to rectify the situation? You can check the device for logical errors. To do this, follow the instructions below:

run the program "This computer";
among the list of connected devices, select the desired drive and right-click on it;
in the list that appears, find and run the disk properties section;
as soon as a new window opens, follow the tab called "Service";
click on the "Check" button here, it will be located in the very top section for checking for errors.

Mode of operation issue

You have completed all the previous points, but the hard drive is slow. What to do in such a situation? Try to check and, if necessary, reconfigure the mode in which the device operates. There are two of them in total:

PIO Outdated option. For its own functioning, the HDD uses the central processor of your computer.
DMA With this type of operation, the device performs direct interaction with RAM. This helps increase productivity.

To find out the disk operation mode, perform the following operation:

using the search bar, start the "Device Manager";
activate the controller tab;
run the subsection called "Primary IDE Channel" and go to the tab for additional parameters, if there is PIO, then proceed to the next step.

Replacement process

Now you need to change the operating mode. This is done in this way:

using the search bar, start the "Device Manager";

In the list, find and delete the primary and secondary IDE channels;
restart your computer.

ATTENTION! Windows will prompt you to restart before the end of the procedure. Press "No" until you finish deleting channels.

In the event that no errors are detected, the operating system will select the optimal parameters for its operation and select the DMA mode.

These settings should fix the situation when the hard drive is very slow.

Temperature issue

Another reason a hard drive can run slowly is temperature. Standard indicators for comfortable use of this device are at the level of 45 degrees. In some cases 55. Further increases can lead to problems. Can a hard drive slow down games if it overheats? Of course it can. Although this reason is not so common.

Now let's figure out how to fix the situation:

To measure the temperature level of the HDD, use any specialized utility or run it through the BIOS.
Can a hard drive slow down a computer? Yes, just like programs. To avoid such effects, clean the entire system unit from dust. Such contaminants affect not only the operation of the disc, but also other parts.
If after the above method the hard drive slows down, then install an additional cooler in the case, which will deal with blowing around the space around the HDD. This is one of the best options for lowering temperature.
In the event that the computer has two hard disks installed one above the other, try to place them wider. If you perform this procedure, the temperature will drop by five or ten degrees.
Why does the hard drive on the laptop slow down if all the above procedures have been successfully completed? The problem may lie in the surface on which the device is located. All ventilation openings must be open. You can also use a special cooling pad. Of course, it will not replace you with a good cooling system, but it can reduce the temperature by about seven degrees.

The presence of extraneous noise

When the hard disk is running, various noises can occur. Among them are knocking, "buzzing", rattle and some others. This is due to the mechanical structure of the device. Quite often, cracks emit heads that move from one sector to another at high speed.

But it is worth noting that different devices have a unique noise level. In addition, quite often the presence of third-party sounds in new hard drives does not mean the appearance of any problems. And if the old HDD started to knock, for which such situations are not typical, then it is worth starting to carry out a series of checks in order to identify any irregularities in the work and structure. But for starters, back up all the data stored on it as quickly as possible so as not to lose them if the disk suddenly stops working.

Two methods will be presented below on how to reduce the noise level of a disk, if it is still working.

Mounting location

If you are working on a desktop computer, then try to "soften" its location. Make small rubber gaskets and place them under the device itself. Make sure that this construction does not interfere with ventilation.

Utilities

You can also try to reduce the head positioning speed. You can use any special program for this. It is worth noting that this option will slightly reduce the quality of the drive as a whole. The difference will not be particularly noticeable. But at the same time, the sounds will become much quieter.

It is also worth noting that this method of reducing noise also helps to significantly extend the life of the device.

Now let's move on to the analysis and solution of the reasons why the external hard drive slows down.

The need for defragmentation

This is the first option why it can slow down the hard drive. And what to do? The problem is that after the removal of various programs, the files are scattered in other folders. They are stored for a long time and clog up the space. The way to correct this situation has already been described earlier, but so that you do not have to scroll back, we will simply describe it as briefly as possible:

delete all unnecessary documents, folders and applications from the disk;
close all applications that consume resources.

Next, select one of two cleaning methods.

Specialized program

As before, RevoUninstaller will be used. For this:

run the program;
on the top line, launch the tool tab and select "Cleaner of unnecessary files";
in a new window, select your portable disk and start the cleaning process, then click the "Delete" button.

Official way

Now we will use the standard method provided by the operating system. It is done like this:

run the program "This computer";
among the list of disks, select the necessary one and right-click on it;
in the drop-down list, launch the "Properties" section;
after opening the window, go to the "Service" tab and start the optimization process by pressing the button of the same name;

after this, a new subroutine will open, it will report on the degree of fragmentation of the device, as well as whether there is a need for defragmentation.

Bad

The next option is why the hard disk is slow. It is worth noting that errors do not always make themselves felt. They can simply pile up for quite some time, and then result in one big problem. As a rule, they arise due to the fact that the user does not follow the rules for working with the device. Among these violations:

sudden power outage;
computer freezes.

Next, you should check the disk for errors. This is done as follows:

using Explorer, run the program "My Computer";
select the necessary disk and click RMB;
run the Properties subroutine;
after that a window will open, here again follow the tab "Service";
start error checking by clicking on the button with the same name.

Load reduction

This reason is the most common. Slowing down the speed of the hard drive can occur due to the fact that several programs are working simultaneously with the drive in active mode. As an example: files are downloaded from the Internet to the device. At the same time, the user watches the movie, which is located here.

To find out how loaded the disk is, it is worth checking by running the task manager. This can be done using the combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

Inadequate nutrition

The hard drive may also start to slow down when the power level of the USB port is insufficient. Most often, such braking can be fixed quickly enough. Just connect the portable drive to the ports that are installed on the motherboard. That is, those that are located on the rear side of the case of a stationary computer.

There are a couple of ways to check whether a decrease in disk speed is associated with a lack of port power.

As the first option, you can buy the so-called pigtail. One side connects to two USB ports of a computer or laptop, and a USB connector of a portable hard drive is connected to the second side.
You can also buy additional power hubs. It will be even better. Additional connectors allow you to connect to a computer more than a variety of devices. Including additional drives.

Physical or software damage

This option is the last. And if everything described above did not help you, then you should come to terms with the fact that, most likely, the disk will not last long. Therefore, it is worth making a backup. To finally verify the malfunction of the device, it is worth paying attention to the presence of such violations as:

when you connect to a computer and try to interact, the portable drive starts knocking or the PC freezes tightly and you can only get it out of this state by an emergency shutdown;
it is impossible to check the device for errors due to the constant termination of the programs;
indicator light is off.

Hard drive slows down: solutions to the problem