My programs are stucking! WD 1 Tb (WD10EARS)

[Giantani]

I bought a Western Digital 1Tb  HD (WD10EARS) 2 weeks ago, installed Windows XP (SP2) and some standard softwares, the same ones that I was using previously.

For some reason that I don’t know, the load times are huge! Even when Windows XP starts, my Avira (antivirus) advertisement window that usually take few seconds on screen, now takes like 40 seconds to vanish out!! Every time that I click on a program to start it, the process to open the software takes lots of seconds! When using Mozzila Firefox the windows get stucked for lots of seconds and if I try to click in one of them, a message on top appears telling me that Mozzila is frozen!!

Please someone could give me some light about what is going on?  My work is completely compromised for such terrible issue!

Thanks in advance!!

My system :

Windows XP SP2
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
4Gb Ram Gskill DDR2 1200
HD Western Digital 1Tb buffer 64ram  WD10EARS
Mobo Gigabyte
video board Geforce 8800GT (EVGA)
power source 550w (real)

[Ardvark]

I think that model is an Advanced Format drive. Did you properly align the sector size after you originally formatted the drive?

Here are instructions from WD on how to align your drive if you haven’t yet. Make sure to back up your data first!

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=5341

[Giantani]

Hi Ardvark, thank you very much for your orientation !!

I did what you recommended me and worked fine !!

Just one more question, Can I apply also this software “wdidle3_1_05.zip” ( http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=609&sid=113&lang=en)

Thank you once more!

[graysky]

No offense but did you read the link?

Description

This firmware modifies the behavior of the drive to wait longer before positioning the heads in their park position and turning off unnecessary electronics. This utility is designed to upgrade the firmware of the following hard drives: WD1000FYPS-01ZKB0, WD7500AYPS-01ZKB0, WD7501AYPS-01ZKB0.

CAUTION: Do not attempt to run this software on any hard drives other than what is listed above.

So that would be a big fat, NO.  That said, you can use hdparm to raise the lcc retry from 8 seconds to 60 minutes.  Stupid I know, but it works.

hdparm -S 242 c:

[Giantani]

Hi Graysky, thank you very much for your orientation!

I read the caution advice, but I saw in another forum somebody using the wdidle in same HD model that I have, this is why I was askingh about it …

Graysky I downloaded hdparm folowing your advice, and Im trying the “hdparm -S 242 c:” instruction in this “DOS looks like window”  but its not working …  please can you help me about it?

Thank you very much once more!

[graysky]

I actually never used the hdparm windows port.  It is an Linux native application.  Can you post the output of that command?  Under linux you would replace the c: with /dev/sdX where x = a for the 1st drive, x = b for the 2nd drive, etc.

example:

hdparm -S 242 /dev/sda