Windows 7 - Laptop disk drive running slow

As above. I had a serious crash recently where the system failed to get beyond the HP logo and Press ESC to enter BIOS. I eventually got it sorted by reinstalling an Acronis image but since then it has been running slow. It also meant that several partitions were zapped but I got them back with Easeus Partition Recovery. Has the disk geometry altered perhaps?

I just checked my disk properties in Device Manager and I'm not seeing the 'use UDMA if available.' The only tabs I get after R clicking on properties on my HDD are General, Policies, Volumes, Driver and Details. I may be wrong but I thought there was another tab or am I mistaken?

I'm running Windows 7 HP 64 bit on an HP Pavilion DV6-2113SA AMD Turion 2.5 dual core, 4GB RAM,.

I've done MBAM scans in safe mode and Win mode and found nothing, chkdsk nothing, cleaned up unwanted files and programs and all the usual stuff. I don't think turning off services will help as the laptop used to run a lot quicker than this. It takes about 4 minutes before I can use it from boot.

My feeling is that it is the disk but I don't know how to prove/disprove it!

Go to the properties for the IDE or SATA controller entry in device Manager and you should see DMA Mode listed under the Port tab.

EDIT: If you go to the drive manufacturers web site you should be able to find a free utility to test it for errors etc.

I don't have a Port tab! Under IDE ATA/ATAPI controller I have AMD SATA controller but there is no Port tab. I'll have alook for the makers test utility, I think I already have it, so I'll run it.

Ops, sorry, go to the properties for the device listed under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers entry. In your case that would be the AMD SATA controller. Mine is listed as NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller.

Nope, like I said, no Port tab. I've got (under AMD SATA) General, Driver, Details and Resources tabs. I'm beginning to wonder if I imagined seeing anything else.

Ok, maybe its because I have a nVidia chip-set. I'm told other brands don't have the speed test button either?

There are some checks & scans you can do with HD-Tune.

Hi alphanumeric

Definitely not got any tab that will let me set UDMA, PIO or anything else.

I left Seatools for DOS running overnight on a 'long' test and got a NFF, so that is encouraging.

Thanks Fantail, I had forgotten about HDTune, I'll give that a whirl.

HDTune didn't pick up anything, so I reckon my disk is OK, so I might have a software problem/clash.

When I looked in msconfig, and looked at the Boot tab\Advanced I saw an option to set the number of processors, mine is set at 1. I have not set it to 1 though. I have an AMD Turion 2.5 dual core, so should it be set to 1, or is that only for Boot, and then both cores kick in?

Mine is set to 1 too but unless there is a check mark in the little box next to Number of processors, its grayed out and ignored. If yours is checked remove the check mark and reboot.

EDIT: No its not just for boot up, as far as I know that option is for use as a diagnostic mode.