IDE Hard Drive Problems

Fragmentation

• A visual representation of a fragmented hard drive.
  
  Hard drives store data on rotating metal platters. When you save data to the drive, it puts the data on the first available section of a platter. If this section is not large enough to store the entire file, the drive stops writing, and resumes on the next available section. This breaks the file into multiple sections, a phenomenon known as fragmentation. Over time, a large portion of a hard drive can consist of fragmented files, reducing the performance of the drive and the computer. Defragment your hard drive regularly to avoid this. All versions of Windows include a free utility to defragment the hard drive.
  
  

Cables

• Ensure that you are using the correct cable if you have recently upgraded your IDE hard drive and it appears to operate slowly. Modern IDE hard drive cables contain 80 thin wires; two for each connector pin on the back of the hard drive. Older IDE cables have just 40 wires, but look nearly the same. An 80-wire cable is necessary to enable the highest possible speed of 133 MB/sec in the IDE interface. If a 40-wire cable is used, the maximum speed of your drive will be reduced to just 33 MB/sec. Examine your cable to confirm that you are using the correct one. Count the number of wires by running a fingernail across the outside of the cable. Replace the cable if it has only 40 wires.
  
  

Jumpers

• Every IDE hard drive has jumpers, small plastic tabs, on the back. These jumpers are used to select the basic configuration of a hard drive by bridging connections across delicate metal pins. Examine the label on the top of your hard drive to learn the correct jumper configuration for that drive. Ensure that the jumpers are configured for the hard drive to be configured as a "Master" if no other hard drives are present in your system.
  
  

Drivers

• If you are sure that your hard drive is using the correct cable and that the jumpers are configured properly, but are still experiencing poor performance, you may have the incorrect motherboard chipset drivers installed. Certain rare incompatibilities with newer hard drives and older motherboards can cause hard drives to become locked into slow data transfer modes. Visit the website of your motherboard's manufacturer to look for and download updated drivers.
  
  

Drive Failure

• If your computer displays error messages when you attempt to copy files, or you hear unusual clicking, scraping or scratching noises while using your computer, your hard drive may be failing. Back up all of your data immediately to avoid the loss of important files. Every hard drive manufacturer has a free utility to check the health of the hard drives that they produce. Visit the website of your hard drive's manufacturer to download this utility. If the utility reports that the hard drive has a problem, it must be replaced.