Hard drive fine, c-directory very slow 1

[ack3]

I used the PCPitstop.com (free) service to check machine performance. For a system that otherwise tested as "good," Drive C had uncached speed of 1.66 (compared to "normal," and Drive D, at 2.65).

Before any testing, Hard-Disk was first checked, and cleaned up using ScanDisk, Defrag and other commercial tools.

Using START > Accessories > System Tools > Configuration > TAB Startup, I shut off antivirus programs. For retest I also excluded all other non-ms routines. Got same result.

Where do I go from here?

 

[gunthnp]

slow hard drive it worksso leve it but it can be a cable problem you might check it the ide cable So long and thanks for all the fish.

 

[ack3]

Prompt answer, but I remain uncomfortable. It's like saying, "so your leg is broken, you can still crawl so forget it." I do not need computer to operate at the level of an "Olympic Champ," but it ought run freely and smoothly, and not behave as if hobbled . :-(

 

[CitrixEngineer]

What are the disks (make & model)?

Maybe you could clear out your temporary directories.

If the disk is becoming full, then it will slow down.

As a general rule I like to keep 10% of all my disks empty. This aids access time, which is the most crucial measurement of a disks' speed capabilities.

Try setting the swap file to be a fixed length.

Also, if you have more than a certain number of files in the root (c:\) (I forget how many), then you will impede performance. Try to keep files in the root to a minimum.

It's also good practice to keep the number of files in a single directory to a minimum (have you ever noticed that it takes longer to open c:\windows or c:\windows\system than other folders? Microsoft could learn a thing or two from this tip! ).

Good Luck!

 

[kjonnnnn]

What criteria is pitshop using? What is it comparing you to?
Those free checkups often have you worrying over nothing. So much depends on what your machine is and what your running.

 

[Zelandakh]

Do YOU think it is slow? If you are not waiting forever for everything, you are probably making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Free software should always be treated with caution...

 

[Alt255]

Yes, even the benchmarks provided by name-brand applications should be viewed with a bit of skepticism.

Alt255@Vorpalcom.Intranets.com

"The bottom line is that almost all software ships with significant bugs and performance limitations."
Michael Spertus in Software Development Times
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[ack3]

Thanks to all who replied. Yes the persormance testing was free, but the fial gains seem worthwhile. Stayed with it and here are results.

Discovered how to increase MaxFileCache to 32K, enabled both channels of my Intel 82371AB/EB PCI BusMaster IDE Controller and also enabled DMA.

Not perfect, but the gains were significant.