Update: I forgot to say that both these WD Elements 2tb drives were always plugged into powers strips and not directly into a wall socket. The one that is still running well has always had its power supply plugged into a strip, not a wall outlet. I have had the slow drive plugged into both a strip and a wall outlet since it started having problems. It doesn’t make any difference where the power comes from. It is still slow.
There have been suggestions to try Hard Drive Sentinel. I have looked on the website. It looks like you have to buy the professional version before you can do a surface check or analysis.
I will have to go elsewhere. I can’t afford the $35. I may need to set the drive aside until I afford something like this. I’ll keep looking for something else. I’ll share what I find.
