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Okay, bought a brand new shiny Seagate Barracuda 8TB drive to add to my PC.
PC is straight forward, non-RAID.
Started filling out the new drive, all's fine. Copied about 400 Gbs and suddenly the writing speed drops from 20MB/s - 1MB/s.
I have to cancel the copying and the drive hangs and is unresponsive.
Turned off computer, checked all connections, turned back on.
Copied one file... 20MB/s.
Copied another file... 20MB/s ... drops to 1MB/s. Drive becomes unresponsive.
Turn off computer.
Replaced connections - new SATA connector, different SATA port on motherboard, a different power line.
Same thing as above. Copy one file okay. The next file makes the drive hang and unresponsive.
Bad drive right?
Returned drive and got the same model replacement.
This time I copied 480 Gbs before it acted EXACTLY as the other drive.
What gives?
All the SMART indicators seem okay.
If it's the SATA cable then I would get CRC errors... but SMART shows none.
I am confused in what is causing this?
Share your PC specs please, the bottleneck could be another hw component.
That said, when I read your post, I had a feeling the problem could also be software related.
Something is interfering with the copying process; what would interfere and why?
To figure this out, I'd ask:
- What are you copying exactly?
- What background processes are running (especially security and synching type apps that would likely to cause issues)?
Also, when you have this type of an issue, people often overlook to check Task Manager.
Take a look at the processes running and focus on the ones that are either not responding (under PROCESSES) or using the highest resources; RAM/CPU/HD (under PERFORMANCE).
- I'm copying the contents of a 1TB drive over to the new 8TB drive - mostly bigger mkv files (1 GB - 10 GB).
- The only other programs running is Opera browser and in the background is antivirus. I suspected the antivirus, but it shows no activity (yes I had task manager running to keep tabs on all activity on cpu, memory, etc).
I doubt it's hardware (I know that is the most obvious - hence swapping wires, ports, etc) because my other drives act fine with zero bottlenecks when copying, etc.
BTW I also tried downloading files from the internet onto the new drive and it started fine with fast download, then it stopped and hung up again. So it's not a drive to drive issue.
I just know that the new drive hangs (the scan bar on explorer stays green scanning) and makes my drive light stay constant on.
I am pretty well versed on computer work, but this has me stumped TBH.
- I'm copying the contents of a 1TB drive over to the new 8TB drive - mostly bigger mkv files (1 GB - 10 GB).
- The only other programs running is Opera browser and in the background is antivirus. I suspected the antivirus, but it shows no activity (yes I had task manager running to keep tabs on all activity on cpu, memory, etc).
I doubt it's hardware (I know that is the most obvious - hence swapping wires, ports, etc) because my other drives act fine with zero bottlenecks when copying, etc.
BTW I also tried downloading files from the internet onto the new drive and it started fine with fast download, then it stopped and hung up again. So it's not a drive to drive issue.
I just know that the new drive hangs (the scan bar on explorer stays green scanning) and makes my drive light stay constant on.
I am pretty well versed on computer work, but this has me stumped TBH.
Yes, you seemed to be well-versed and savvy.
Just to clarify, you did add this new drive as an internal drive, correct?
For larger file storing/copying, it is best to configure the cluster size 8KB (NTFS) or larger for better performance during the formatting of the drive whether it is an internal or an external one.
You didn't answer my question about what exactly you were copying;
- Is that your System drive where Windows is installed on?
- What directories/folders are you copying from that 1TB drive?
- How exactly are you copying (drag n drop aka Windows file copy or a 3rd party app like TeraCopy)?
Yes, AV scanner can, at the very least, significantly slow down copying!
I always disable the 3rd party AV scanner from its own app window. If using Windows Defender, then you have to do it from settings: Windows Key + i > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings (under "Virus & threat protection settings") > Real-time protection > slide the switch of off
Last thing which I mentioned on different threads here is the utterly annoying "OneSync Service"
You cannot disable it but you can stop it on the fly; see screenshot.
- This is not my C drive that I'm copying from, therefore there should be no activity on it.
- Copying just individual files - mainly video files like mkv from 1TB to 8TB drive.
- I do simple highlight 10 files etc on 1TB drive, right click copy, right click on 8TB drive paste.
Your tip on the antivirus makes sense. Next time I will deactivate it when copying large amounts of files.
The onesync service seems interesting - I will definitely look into it.
BTW - I returned the 2nd drive too - but this time I got a refund.
I was getting really frustrated with it and don't have time to further troubleshoot it. And if it was a batch of bad drives from the retailer (both drives were manufactured Dec 2023 - one on the 23rd one on the 25th) I don't want to get stuck with it outside of the 14 day return window.
I do however need to figure it out because I intend to get a new drive - this time maybe a WD CMR drive.
- This is not my C drive that I'm copying from, therefore there should be no activity on it.
There is ALWAYS an activity on each "connected" drive. Windows Search Indexing is one of the "mother loads". AV is another. There are a few or more minor services and processes as well.
Typically you won't see the others kick in until there is actually an activity on it hence initially not seeing any activity on the subject drive.
Quote:
- Copying just individual files - mainly video files like mkv from 1TB to 8TB drive.
- I do simple highlight 10 files etc on 1TB drive, right click copy, right click on 8TB drive paste.
OK, that shouldn't really trigger even the AV but hard to say. Cluster size of each drive would definitely make a difference. Drives with larger clusters are more prone to getting fragmented but due to file types and no apps or OS residing on it, it is irrelevant.
Quote:
Your tip on the antivirus makes sense. Next time I will deactivate it when copying large amounts of files.
The onesync service seems interesting - I will definitely look into it.
OneSync would hinder the process when copying to/from the current user profile. Outside that directory, it shouldn't but it doesn't hurt to stop it, nonetheless.
Quote:
BTW - I returned the 2nd drive too - but this time I got a refund.
I was getting really frustrated with it and don't have time to further troubleshoot it. And if it was a batch of bad drives from the retailer (both drives were manufactured Dec 2023 - one on the 23rd one on the 25th) I don't want to get stuck with it outside of the 14 day return window.
I do however need to figure it out because I intend to get a new drive - this time maybe a WD CMR drive.
Now, this is the part I am worried about. You were changing/testing the new drives but what about the existing 1TB drive?
After all, file moving and copying is a 2-way process and both the source and the target drive's health is crucial.
Even though it is not comprehensive (checks the S.M.A.R.T. info only) and doesn't necessarily clear the scanned drive to be definitely good, checking a suspect drive with HDSentinel is a good first step.
If HD Sentinel shows bad/weak clusters and/or less than 100% health for magnetic drives or less than 85% health for SSDs that drive should be considered "degraded" not time to start shopping for a replacement.
For magnetic drives (HDD), to supplement HD Sentinel and be a bit more sure, I'd run the HDDSCANRead test (non-destructive; good for running a quick test of existing drives with data on them) under "TESTS" or, Erase test only for new/blank drives. For SSDs & NGFF drives, just about any major drive OEM has their own free tool you can download from their site.
Note: It doesn't matter which version of HD Sentinel you use the Standard or the Pro version. When done, you can uninstall it using Revo Uninstaller (under Utilities) to completely remove it.
Last edited by TurcoLoco; 03-10-2024 at 01:29 PM..
The behavior you describe is common with drives that use Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology.
It's really only a problem if you expect the same disk write performance no matter how full the drive is. SMR drives write slower as the disk fills. It can get really slow when only a few gigs of free space are left. This is because the tracks overlap.
If it's used for media storage, SMR is fine and has the added benefit of be less expensive than CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives. If speed in all conditions is a requirement, look at CMR drives.
The behavior you describe is common with drives that use Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology.
It's really only a problem if you expect the same disk write performance no matter how full the drive is. SMR drives write slower as the disk fills. It can get really slow when only a few gigs of free space are left. This is because the tracks overlap.
If it's used for media storage, SMR is fine and has the added benefit of be less expensive than CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives. If speed in all conditions is a requirement, look at CMR drives.
No healthy drive, regardless of its technology should become so slow that it's unresponsive.
Furthermore, what OP was experiencing didn't seem like a condition but an actual problem which warrants further troubleshooting.
The behavior you describe is common with drives that use Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) technology.
It's really only a problem if you expect the same disk write performance no matter how full the drive is. SMR drives write slower as the disk fills. It can get really slow when only a few gigs of free space are left. This is because the tracks overlap.
If it's used for media storage, SMR is fine and has the added benefit of be less expensive than CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives. If speed in all conditions is a requirement, look at CMR drives.
Ummmmm... I filled about 400GB of files and the drive is a whopping 8TB, so I filled about 5% of the drive - noway near the capacity to elicit the SMR slowdown.
Ummmmm... I filled about 400GB of files and the drive is a whopping 8TB, so I filled about 5% of the drive - noway near the capacity to elicit the SMR slowdown.
Based on all the info you shared, to me, it definitely sounded like something was interfering with the read/write process.
3 likely suspects are:
- Corruption in Windows (could be anything from a problematic update to a device driver or malware)
- A 3rd party or Windows process interfering (discussed already)
- Files being copied/moved corrupt or the "source" drive has issues
Now, for the last possibility, I'd recommend you use a 3rd party app to see if copying goes better or not.
One of my favorite file copying apps is a freeware called UnstoppableCopier.
On the surface it seems like a standalone file/folder copying app but it is actually so powerful that it can be used for data extraction from corrupt drives or when copying corrupt files. It really is quite powerful. Also, hardly anything gets in its way! It can copy OneDrive, DropBox directories as well which most other apps either skip or fail to do. It can copy hidden and system files too.
It is quite straightforward; select source directory/drive in the top field, then the target below.
Focus on the "Settings" tab. Take a look at the attached screenshot I placed which shows how I run it (remember the settings from previous session!) when I am typically "copying" files in more traditional way or more like an "incremental" backup mode. Feel free to try the default or change the options based on a brief explanation of some of the key options I covered in the screenshot.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
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