Computer guru needed

[Ratbag]

It has USB 2.
Just checked my files, I bought it on 27/02/2009 so it is 5.5 years old. A 1TB WD for $185.00
Maybe it is time for a new one.

I have HDDs that are 20 years old, and still work perfectly ...

[Ratbag]

Thanks.
With scanning I mean that Windows Explorer opens, sees the drive, and then it takes a time to open. Then after I have scrolled through some folders, it Windows Explorer greys out and there appears a green running bar through the file directory on top.
I tried the check yesterday when the message came up.
It started but it failed after a while.

Run a full CHKDSK as described a few minutes ago.

By default, Windows skips the file system check and the surface scan of both used and free space ... DOH!

[WilSurf]

Will do tonight when I am at home.

[WilSurf]

No joy.
When get into properties from the external hard drive and run the test (both checked), after a while it tells me that it can't do it because it is in use?

[Ratbag]

No joy.
When get into properties from the external hard drive and run the test (both checked), after a while it tells me that it can't do it because it is in use?

Some program is holding the external HDD open if that is happening. Make sure that all programs are closed.

From My Computer, do NOT left click on the target HDD (this opens it, and holds it open ... I should have said this yesterday, sorry ... ); left click on (say) drive C:, then right click on the target drive, then LC on properties, LC on Check Disk for Errors, LC on Check Now, tick both boxes, proceed. It should then do a full CHKDSK.

[WilSurf]

Will try again, thanks.
When trying to unmount, it tells me that it is being used, eventhough all programs are closed.

[Ratbag]

^ It may be mounting it as a "fixed" drive.

Make sure that it is configured for quick removal. Then just unplug it.

Wait for about 20 seconds, then plug it back in again. It should now recognise it as removable media.

Some processes in Windows require a HDD to be an 'internal' drive, and the OS switches the drive into this mode.
Once this happens, you can no longer use Safely Remove Hardware to remove it, but you can often use the EJECT command in the Win Explorer context menu to eject it, just so long as you don't have that drive open in WE ... . LC on another drive in the left hand pane to open it (shows the contents of the other drive in the RH pane), then RC on the target drive in the LH pane, and LC on EJECT.

[WilSurf]

^ It may be mounting it as a "fixed" drive.

Make sure that it is configured for quick removal. Then just unplug it.

How do you check/configure this?

[Ratbag]

How do you check/configure this?

RC on the target drive in My Computer > Properties > Hardware (Make ABSOLUTELY certain that you have the right HDD selected - Windows defaults to the first drive on the list; usually the system HDD!!) > Properties (again) > Policies > tick Optimise for Fast Removal.

I just noticed that my WD 2TB external boots up as a fixed disk ... Bloody Windows programmers!

This does not prevent you from just disconnecting the drive, or powering it down as if it were ejectable; just so long as no program is trying to access the drive when you do it ....

It also doesn't prevent the drive from showing up in Safely Eject Hardware list, it just won't work ...

[WilSurf]

Thanks again.
I noticed yesterday when I defragmented the hard drive, that I couldn't select the external hard drive, eventhough WE saw it as a drive.

[Ratbag]

Which defragger are you using?

[WilSurf]

The standard windows 7 one.

[Ratbag]

Download and install both these programs:

Download "Classic Shell", which will re-instate 'normal' Windows menus in both the OS and in most programs. It's free and available here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/

You can disable the classic windows shell and menus if you like, but they are much faster and better than "Aero", IMNSHO ... It is able to be completely uninstalled, if you want to.

UltraDefrag is free and available here (DON'T use the Beta version ... ):

http://ultradefrag.sourceforge.net/en/index.html

This is one of the best front-ends for the defrag 'core' program installed in Windows since Win2K.
The MS Windows defrag GUI has gotten worse and worse over time, to the point where they have dispensed with it altogether from Win7 onwards ...

UltraDefrag hands back control to you, the user, and even allows you to defragment a specific file or folder from within the WE shell ...

www.sourceforge.net are completely trustworthy.

These programs work with all versions of Windows where they are required to reinstate functionality removed by MS ...  .

[WilSurf]

So use 6.0.2?
Will do tonight

[Ratbag]

Yes.

I've been using this program on XP Pro, Vista and W7 for years.

From my Batphone

[WilSurf]

OK. I can't select fast removal in policies/

[Ratbag]

Turn it off.

MS love these dire warnings for perfectly normal choices of this kind.

From my Batphone

[WilSurf]

Turn it off.

MS love these dire warnings for perfectly normal choices of this kind.

From my Batphone

Turning off you mean uncheck this box?
I noticed why the pc was low. Hen ripping CDs to my internal hard drive, itunes is accessing it at the same time.
And I think when I changed the location of the RAM from slot 1 and 3 to 1 and 2 that although it has more RAM, it can't work parrallel tasks as good anymore.
Is this correct?

[Ratbag]

Sorry, been busy/out all day.

Yes, untick the first box; tick the second box.

When you say you have moved the RAM chips to different slots, what exactly have you done?

For modern motherboards and RAM to work at their best, the RAM needs to be in pairs (and if more than one pair, the same speed and type for each pair), and in the correct slots.

If you had four slots for RAM, and had two (identical) RAM chips, these would normally be inserted in slot 1 and slot 3. The slots are normally also colour coded - i.e. each pair of chips should be inserted in the same colour slot. Otherwise you are telling the computer to use the RAM chips using another access method, and this is almost invariably slower! It is only used if the chips do not match. The PC will normally then switch to the lower speed chip's speed, regardless of the speed of any/all other chips installed.

It is possible to mix RAM chips with one speed higher or lower (e.g. a pair each of DDR2 and DDR3), but it is not advisable, and the motherboard and firmware ROM on the MoBo need to support both the fitted RAM chips.

[WilSurf]

Sorry, been busy/out all day.

Yes, untick the first box; tick the second box. Will do

When you say you have moved the RAM chips to different slots, what exactly have you done?

For modern motherboards and RAM to work at their best, the RAM needs to be in pairs (and if more than one pair, the same speed and type for each pair), and in the correct slots.

If you had four slots for RAM, and had two (identical) RAM chips, these would normally be inserted in slot 1 and slot 3. The slots are normally also colour coded - i.e. each pair of chips should be inserted in the same colour slot. Otherwise you are telling the computer to use the RAM chips using another access method, and this is almost invariably slower! It is only used if the chips do not match. The PC will normally then switch to the lower speed chip's speed, regardless of the speed of any/all other chips installed. That's wat i thought. They were in two different slots with the same color, slot 1 and slot 3. They are both the same DDR3 1333 Mhz

It is possible to mix RAM chips with one speed higher or lower (e.g. a pair each of DDR2 and DDR3), but it is not advisable, and the motherboard and firmware ROM on the MoBo need to support both the fitted RAM chips.

[Ratbag]

So do you now have 2 pairs of RAM chips? Or one pair?

Running three chips (even if all the same speed) will switch the MoBo into a slower RAM access mode. Fast RAM chips should always be fitted in pairs.

For example, let's say that you already had 2x DDR3 1333 MHz chips totalling 2 GB (i.e. 2x 1 GB chips), but wanted to expand this for a 32 bit OS. You could fit another pair of 2x 1 GB DDR3 1333 MHz chips, giving you a total of 4 GB RAM.

If you already had 2x 2GB chips and were running a 64 bit OS, you could do either the above, fit a matching pair of 2 GB chips (total of 6 GB RAM), or fit another 2x 4GB chips (same specs) to give you a total of 10 GB. Both should work perfectly well, as the RAM speed, type and size allows the OS to mirror its access to each pair of chips. All this is dependent on what the MoBo manual states is allowed, but this sort of configuration is generally allowable in all the MoBos I have ever used.

If you fitted one of each type into the wrong pair of slots, the MoBo might either reject all the RAM outright, or run as slow as a dog with three broken legs ... It would be highly unlikely that this configuration would work at all, or work properly, if it did work. In this case, the correct way to install the chips would be to have the two 4 GB chips in slots 1 & 3 and the two 1 or 2 GB chips in slots 2 & 4 - this assumes that slots 1 & 3 are one colour, and slots 2 & 4 are the other colour.

I hope this makes some kind of sense - it's been a long day ... .

[WilSurf]

I opened up the box and has a look inside.
There is 1 x 2Gb RAM in a blue slot (according the manual named DDR3 DIMM_A1 (64 bit, 240-pin module) and 1 x 2Gb RAM in the second blue slot (third of the total of 4, named DDR3 DIMM_B1 (64 bit, 240-pin module))
When I got the pc they were sitting next to each other 1 x 2 GB in blue slot A1 and 1 x 2 Gb in black slot A2.
I am running Win7 64-bit if that helps.
The RAMs are Corsaair 1333Mhz.

[Ratbag]

Change them back to how they were. But put the 2 GB chip in the first slot and the 1 GB chip in the second slot.

As far as the MoBo is concerned, they are two different memory chips, because they are different capacities, even though they are the same speed, latency, refresh rate, brand, etc.

This will be slowing your PC down a lot, as the MoBo tries to synchronise read/write cycles to two different chips, which it cannot do ... .

Sorry, I misread your post ... You have them configured correctly now.

You could try putting them back how they were, but IMO the original configuration was wrong.

BTW, I never buy Corsair RAM chips. Stick with Kingston ... . The few bucks extra is worth its weight in gold ...

[WilSurf]

Maybe I have to look to buy 2 x 2Gb extra.

[WilSurf]

Can I add any brand of RAM with the Corsair in the remaining 2 slots, as long as they are 1333Mhz?