Samsung "SpinPoint F3" freezes my PC

[eXtremer]

Hi all.
About a year ago I bought a new "Samsung "SpinPoint F3 #HD502HJ" 500GB (7200rpm 16MB SATA2) to use as a second HDD for storing files, since then I had only troubles with it, most of the time it is working fine, but sometimes it just freezes my PC, the system became very slow.
Yesterday I've noticed that the HDD (partition D:) became blank, after a minute or so it appeared again, very very strange, when I want to copy something on the HDD sometimes it is very slow.
I didn't change it for a new HDD because after I bought it I went abroad, after I came back it was already too late.
I really don't think the HDD is damaged or faulty, there must be something else in the middle...
Later today I will test it with Samsung ES Tool (The Drive Diagnostic Utility), but I'm almost sure there will be no errors, till then I will be more than thankful to hear some suggestions or hints what the issue might be, should I change the SATA cable or maybe something else ?

Thank you in advance.

OS: Windows 7
Drivers: Updated
Motherboard ID: 09/19/2007-NF-MCP61-PA101C-00
Motherboard Name: Palit PA101

[Vulcan]

You could check the Windows System Event log, which may give you some clues about the behaviour seen by Windows (e.g. SATA interface errors).

You could also install the utility of your choice (there are several available, inc HDDScan from this website), to read the SMART data from the disk drive. This may also give you some clues, about the disk drive's view of its own health. This data can also show if there are some types of SATA cable problems (which seems to be your guess).

However, if you don't already have a backup of the data from that disk, then you should consider making a backup or clone of that disk drive immediately, in case you are wrong about your belief (assumption?) that the disk drive is not faulty.

Personally, I would be worried about a potential disk drive problem, from the limited symptoms you've described.

[loki]

I agree with Vulcan + the cost of a replacement 250Gb drive is very cheap.

Loki.

[eXtremer]

1. It's a 500GB HDD, not 250 and it's not so cheap.
2. I've got this issue for over a year, no data loses have been seen, as I said the OS or a "copy/paste file" may freeze.
3. I will check the eventviewer later.

[Vulcan]

@eXtremer - Don't forget my other suggestion of checking the disk's SMART data.

as I said the OS or a "copy/paste file" may freeze.

No, you didn't say exactly that before. More details of exactly what you have been doing, and exactly what symptoms you have seen for that specific test, will help to avoid ambiguity and wasted time/effort.

It's not clear to me from your new comment, whether you're saying the system may freeze even when you are doing a copy/paste of a file using only a different disk, or not. Of course there may still have been background operations on the "suspect" disk (e.g. indexing service).

Is there a reason why you haven't already eliminated the "suspect" disk's SATA cable/motherboard SATA port as possible causes, by substitution/swapping with known good ones?

[eXtremer]

For example I wanted to move a file (about 2 GB size) from the Samsung HDD to a USB device, it loaded about 30% then the OS just frozen...I removed the USB device, ths OS just came back to life!
I gave this computer to my sister long time ago that's why I didn't have the time to play with it, she was just complaining that the computer sometimes freezes, sometimes is very slow.
I will check today if there is another SATA port on the motherboard but I think there isn't, only 2. I will reaplce the SATA cable, I got a new one, but all of this after I will test with Samsung utility.

[Vulcan]

OK understood, and a disk problem is one of many possible causes of the symptoms you describe.

As well as checking the Windows system event log, and the SMART data for that disk, then running the Samsung util is a good idea - but don't forget that any "good" result from a diagnostic utility can be wrong ie there can still be a fault.

Edited to add: If it was my disk, then after cloning the data from the disk, I would also run a read scan of the whole disk (e.g. using MHDD or HDDScan etc.) if the Samsung util doesn't do that. Of course its up to you how much time/effort you want to spend on this.

[eXtremer]

So, I think the issue is solved...

I've used the Samsung utility, but before I did that I've changed the old SATA cable for a new one and from the start I saw some good results, when the PC boots the HDD drives are being detected much faster, till yesterday it took about 2-3 seconds before it detected the drives and boot into Windows.
So I booted the from the CD-ROM with the Samsung utility, run the diagnostic thing, passed about 7-8 different tests, all of them where GOOD, it asked me for a more advanced scan but I refused it, didn't want to wait a long time, as I saw that the HDD all right, after that in Windows I made some copy/paste from one HDD to another and no slowness was detected so till now I'm satisfied, I will play with the PC today just to make sure that everything fine, till my sister comes back from holiday.
So, I've changed only the SATA cable, didn't change the SATA port because I have only 2 for both HDD's I have.

Thank you everyone for your replies, if I'll have any other issues with this HDD I'll get back to this thread.
Cheers!

[Vulcan]

So, I think the issue is solved...

Good.

To help other readers, I'll add some further comments.

I've changed the old SATA cable for a new one and from the start I saw some good results

I'm glad you considered my suggestion. Also, as I mentioned before, if the SATA cable was the problem, there would often be some evidence in the Windows system event log and/or disk SMART attribute 199 would be incrementing.

So I booted the from the CD-ROM with the Samsung utility, run the diagnostic thing, passed about 7-8 different tests, all of them where GOOD, it asked me for a more advanced scan but I refused it, didn't want to wait a long time, as I saw that the HDD all right [my emphasis]

FYI that is a common misunderstanding but, as I explained before, you cannot assume that the disk is definitely all right, after any diagnostic produces a "good" result. That is part of what I teach on troubleshooting courses. Of course the disk might be OK, although as I said before, I would also have run a full read scan and checked the SMART counters, to get extra confidence. The point is that the "good" diagnostic results don't prove correct functioning.

Anyway - good luck, and I hope your problem is solved.