T43 slow coming out of standby

[mantic]

Hi all,

I have a T43 running Windows XP SP3 and I have had zero problems over the years.  Recently, I noticed that it takes significantly longer for the system to resume after coming out of standby (not hibernation!).  And the response time on everything is much slower for about 5 minutes or so but then it returns to normal (super fast really).

I've tried cleaning out all the autorun items using Autoruns utility from the Microsoft website that I was knowledgable enough to remove, but this did nothing to improve the situation.

Also tried adjusting various power schemes, but no difference.

I didn't install any new software lately nor have I changed any configurations either.  All I do all day on this machine is use word processing and database searches online.  

These days I keep it plugged in and the battery health is excellent so I'm out of ideas...

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[mantic]

OK, so no one chimed in so I looked for help elsewhere.  I was told that there might be possibly something wrong with the hard drive, namely that blocks on the hard drive are "going bad."

So, I ran PC doc bootable CD hard drive test twice.  The first time around both the Linear and the Random Verify tests failed, the second time only the Linear Verify test failed.  The log reads:

025-025-000-20090216-74-IDE Interface: Failed Sector block (66160777 to 66160903) failed verification.

Please tell me this does not mean my drive is dying.  What should I do next?

[andyP Community SuperMod]

mantic, welcome to the forum,

sorry you didn't get assistance sooner.

Firstly, if you have the faintest suspicion that you hard drive may be failing you should back up all of your important files to other medium as soon as yesterday.

Secondly, create the boot cd from the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test and let it check your drive in the advanced mode. Even if you don't have an Hitachi drive it will tell you if it is failing.

It certainly sounds as though your HD is failing, sorry 

[mantic]

Ok, so I did the Hitatchi test and it came back with error code 70 - corrupted drive.  So, I'll be buying a new hd.

But, as if my day could not get worse, my back up hard drive seems to be corrupted as well.  I had backed up my files a few days ago, but after reading andyP's response I wanted to back up my apps using Lenovo's utility.  At some point I was told I needed to create a bootable back up disc and I hit OK without realizing right away that the selection was still on the external HD.  As the program signaled it was to reformat the drive, I instinctively (always a bad idea) unplugged the usb connection to the external HD.  

That WD Passport HD has my life on it, including the most recent manual back up of files (done just a few days ago). It won't start.  I can locate the external drive in my device manager, it says it works fine, I've reinstalled the driver, checked the drive using WD Diagnostics and PC doc and it passes all tests, but it just won't show up in My Computer and it won't respond to Run command (e:/).

Any thoughts on how I can recover the data from this drive without having to use one of those professional services?

[andyP Community SuperMod]

Ouch!

Does the drive show up in drive management? Pulling the cable has as you suspect probably damaged the drive.

You need to get your files off your main hard drive, can you copy them to somewhere else? If you start having difficulties copying them, try booting from a Linux Live CD.

Good luck

[mantic]

OK, so after some Xanax I calmed down and sent in my external hard drive to recover the data (my university does it cheap).

Regarding the original problem, I just replaced my hard drive with a WD 160GB and managed to restore all my apps and stuff from the Rescue and Recovery utility, but the machine gives the 2010 error message - from what I can see in this forum alone, not an unusual problem.

Having read all the posts, I'm still not sure if this can be fixed OR if it NEEDS to be fixed, i.e., - Is this 2010 error message signaling that this problem will corrupt something or am I ok bypassing it every time I boot up?

Buying another HD is not an option right now because I simply don't have the money and I know, I should have read up on replacing drives before I rushed out to buy one, but the damage is done so to speak. 

Any advice?