Repeated "High Disk Usage" errors

[kokomondo]

Hi 2 all,

The following is my newly built PC configuration:

Windows 7-64bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80GHz
Gigabyte Motherboard H55M-D2H
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470-1GB
4.00 GB RAM
HDD WD1002FAEX 1TB SATA
Norton Antivirus 2011
All Windows, Drivers and Software updates installed with no issues.
HD is constantly being defragged
No running programs other than Norton and the Defrag software

My problem:

I have a powerful machine but I keep getting:

1. Repeated "High Disk Usage" error.
2. Sluggish and random hanging/un-hanging when typing in my (no addons) browser (I tried and uninstalled 3 different browsers with the same result) and also in any simple task in Word or Windows Explorer like copy , paste and move.
3. Slow Start-up & Shutdown of windows (approx. 5 minutes each).

Windows Performance Information and Tools tells me that "disk data transfer rate" is my lowest score (5.9)

I can play the toughest games available (COD Black Ops, Fallout New Vegas...etc) at the highest settings) smoothly with no problems for hours but simple tasks seem so sluggish!

Please help.

 

[Trotter]

I am no fan of Norton. I have had too many run-ins with it and its tendency to completely lock down a computer's speed. If it were my computer I would uninstall Norton using something like Revo and then install Microsoft Security Essentials.

 

[kokomondo]

Thanks for replying Trotter.

I don't think Norton is the problem in this case as I actually uninstalled (using Revo) and tested but got the same result. I even removed any and all software other than windows 7...same result. In addition I used CCleaner just in case any registry issues were there.

 

[Trotter]

Try looking in Event Viewer and see if it tells you anything. Search for it at the bottom of the Start menu.

 

[kokomondo]

Will do that as soon as I get back from a quick meeting.
One question: Whats your opinion on my motherboard (good/bad). And could there be a conflict between it and my HDD? Can I make any adjustments to my bios settings that would help? And I heard something about DMA settings in Device Manager...

 

[kokomondo]

OK.
I tried Event Viewer, but to tell you the truth, even though I reasonable IT knowledge, I had no idea what I was looking at. What/where should I be looking at?
Thanks

 

[Trotter]

Look for recent errors and/or warning (past 24 hours). Each one will tell you what log it is in. Open that log on the left and scroll down to see what each one says.

There should be no conflict with your motherboard, nor would BIOS be doing any defrag.

 

[kokomondo]

Can I some how clear all events from Event Viewer so I can monitor from scratch?

 

[kokomondo]

Thank you Trotter for your assistance. I think I found out the major cause for my problem. It is my second HDD (which I some how missed to mention it's exsitance) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 ATA Device. My Bios was seeing it as "Master" while seeing the other one as "Slave" (and still is even though I removed the WD10EARS)!!!
When I unplugged it's power cable ... BAM...speed of everything increased. I formatted and repartitioned my WD10EARS and restarted and all is fine (so far).
But my concern is why is the WD1002FAEX still showing up as "Slave" in BIOS while WD10EARS as "Master"?! I tried changing the priority but it seems that there is no option for that as both are SATA, either that or I really don't know how.
Any advice.

 

[Trotter]

Which ever drive is your OS drive needs to be set as Master. The BIOS should allow you to set this. I always plug my master drive into the first SATA slot as a habit so it shows up at the top of the list.

You can try resetting the BIOS. Unplug the computer, push and hold the power button to discharge the board, then remove the battery from the board for a few seconds.