Games crash on HDD

[Tintschi]

So I've got this really weird problem with my HDD (I think its a WD Red 6TB) where I cant run any games. As soon as i start any game the audio starts lagging and freezing and soon after the freezes too. It unfreezes sometimes for a few seconds but normally it crashes before. Another interesesting thing is that when I unplug the sata cable from the hard drive and then plug it back in, everything works fine again until I restart my computer.

Specs:
CPU: Ryzen 3700x
GPU: 1080TI
RAM: 16GB 3200mhz
MAINBOARD: AX370m gaming 3

Hope somebody has an anwer because I really dont want to buy a new hard drive :/

[DirtyFishy]

Have you checked the health of your HDD?

[Tintschi]

Yes I have but I've got no clue what all of that means.
file:///C:/Users/valen/OneDrive/Desktop/HDDhealth.PNG
The only thing that I noticed was Ultra DMA CRC Error Cound but idk what that is.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Tintschi:

The only thing that I noticed was Ultra DMA CRC Error Cound but idk what that is.

What I am finding on that error indicates it might be the drive.

https://kb.acronis.com/content/9135

Recommendations

This parameter is considered informational by the most hardware vendors. Although degradation of this parameter can be an indicator of drive aging and/or potential electromechanical problems, it does not directly indicate imminent drive failure. Regular backup is recommended. Pay closer attention to other parameters and overall drive health.

EDIT..............

Try a new or different SATA cable and see if that helps :

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/ultra-dma-crc-error-count-cable-issue.3245703/

[Tintschi]

I already tried a new sata cable just now. Sadly it didnt fix anything. Games are now completly bugged and crash even if i unplug sata and plug back in :/ Should I just buy a new drive or is there a fix for that?

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Tintschi:

I already tried a new sata cable just now. Sadly it didnt fix anything. Games are now completly bugged and crash even if i unplug sata and plug back in :/ Should I just buy a new drive or is there a fix for that?

Do you have another hard drive in the PC or available ? It's easy to move the games if you do.

[Tintschi]

I only have a 250gb ssd so I dont think that's going to work. Im not to concerned about the data on the HDD because its just games a a few drivers, nothing to important.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Tintschi:

I only have a 250gb ssd so I dont think that's going to work. Im not to concerned about the data on the HDD because its just games a a few drivers, nothing to important.

Yes, the games can be redownloaded.

This is what I would do in your case right now :

Move the Steam installation to the other drive. If you can backup any games and want to, we can talk about that next. Backup one or two games only for now. You would have to go through and find what games you want to play, and move the correct files and folders for this to work.

Game folders are in the Steam/steamapps/common folder.

.acf files are in the steamapps folder. YOU MUST keep the .acf files for the games you wish to move.

Reply with any questions you have before you attempt this.

[Tintschi]

huh... Well I guess I only have one which would be if you know any good (preferably not to expensive) HDDs with about 4-6TB.

[The Giving One]

Well, as far as my opinion, that WD that you posted about above should be a good drive. There might be arguably some better, but that HDD is of pretty good quality.

However, just because a drive is brand new, that does not eliminate the possibility that it might still have issues, if this is even a problem with your drive. I am not sure it is, so that's why I was suggesting to move just one or two games for now that will fit on the SSD, making sure you have some free space left of course, after moving the games.

Are you sure your S.M.A.R.T. settings are in order in the BIOS for the motherboard ? All drivers fully up to date on the PC ? Windows also ?

It could also possibly be the SATA port, but I am guessing you tried another port by now. That would be an extremely rare case, in my opinion, though.

[Tintschi]

As for the games it's really not a problem. I've got good internet so it doesnt take to look to reinstall them. My main concern is that im throwing away a drive that could still be good. I've tried different ports and cables but none seem to work. What do you mean with smart settings in BIOS? Sry I've never really dealt with hard drive or bios problems.

[The Giving One]

Sorry for the bit of a late reply.

I want to stress again that I would not count the hard drive as the issue just yet. It's just possible that it is.

Just to be sure :

1. This is your exact board, including revision number if applicable, right ?

https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/GA-AX370M-Gaming-3-rev-1x/support#support-dl-driver

2. Your OS is Windows 10 64 bit, correct ? If so, that's the download page for all drivers and BIOS updates. I would also consider a BIOS update, as that might fix this issue if it is necessary. BE SURE you read up on how to update a BIOS so you do that properly, but it's not a problem if you follow the steps carefully.

3. You should be able to see a .pdf of the manual for that board, or you might have one. Here is the download page for that one :

https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/GA-AX370M-Gaming-3-rev-1x/support#support-manual

If you have not made any changes in the BIOS or anyone else, and you had Steam and games working fine before, then the settings in the BIOS are probably not the issue, BUT a BIOS update may still help.

That's up to you. Personally, I always try to keep my BIOS up to date, especially if I have a possible hardware issue such as you have.

If you can just install Steam to the SSD, then a couple of games on the SSD, then run them from that SSD without the issues you are seeing on the HDD, then that would help to narrow down where the issue might be. Process of elimination.

EDIT...

Also, above you don't seem sure this is a WD RED drive. Knowing the exact HDD might help also. You can see the identity of the drive exactly in the BIOS, or you should be able to.

If you are changing the SATA cables, reading it off the label would maybe be an option.

Or, right click on the drive in Windows and go to properties, then Hardware, if that is the same in Windows 10.

[Tintschi]

Dude don't stress yourself with the replies. Im just happy that there is somebody replying to my problem at all :)

1) Yes this is my exact motherboard

2) Yes I've got win 10, 64 bit and I've also got some bios updates to do

Nope I didnt do any changes in the bios and yes the games worked before. I've already tried installing games on my ssd and they all worked. Its not about steam its all games in general (in my case games from origin or uplay etc) dont work on the HDD but on the SSD everything's fine.

In my settings the HDD is named "WDC WD60EFRX-68L0BN1". When you google it you get a Red hard drive which in my case has 6TB.

[The Giving One]

Ok, thanks for the kind replies and the hardware and OS information. From your last post, it does sound like that hard drive might be having some kind of issue, or the connection to it perhaps.

How is the Power Supply Connection to that drive ? Have you checked that out to be sure it is all good and maybe changed the power connector to be sure that is not an issue ? Sometimes, things can get bumped around and become a connection problem. Saw that the other day with someone's GPU in their PC.

Can't say it is not an issue here for sure, but have you scanned for any malware recently, using something good like Malwarebytes ?

I did find an older thread where some are claiming issues with these exact drive models, but that could just be circumstantial :

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/warning-wd-red-wd60efrx-68l0bn1.58676/

How old is the HDD ?

Did you buy it new or did it come with your PC, if you purchased it with a new PC ? Tell us about the history of your PC and how that drive got in there.

Has it ever been reformatted to reinstall the OS for any reason ?

If you don't know, that's fine. Just trying to get as much info as possible.

You did use Windows to scan the drive for errors, and used CHKDSK command, right ?

How fragmented is the hard drive ? Do you have defragmentation set up to run automatically on it or you do that manually ?

See about fragmentation on an HDD. You want to keep an HDD defragmented, but never defrag an SSD.

[Komrade]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Ok, thanks for the kind replies and the hardware and OS information. From your last post, it does sound like that hard drive might be having some kind of issue, or the connection to it perhaps.

How is the Power Supply Connection to that drive ? Have you checked that out to be sure it is all good and maybe changed the power connector to be sure that is not an issue ? Sometimes, things can get bumped around and become a connection problem. Saw that the other day with someone's GPU in their PC.

Can't say it is not an issue here for sure, but have you scanned for any malware recently, using something good like Malwarebytes ?

I did find an older thread where some are claiming issues with these exact drive models, but that could just be circumstantial :

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/warning-wd-red-wd60efrx-68l0bn1.58676/

How old is the HDD ?

Did you buy it new or did it come with your PC, if you purchased it with a new PC ? Tell us about the history of your PC and how that drive got in there.

Has it ever been reformatted to reinstall the OS for any reason ?

If you don't know, that's fine. Just trying to get as much info as possible.

You did use Windows to scan the drive for errors, and used CHKDSK command, right ?

How fragmented is the hard drive ? Do you have defragmentation set up to run automatically on it or you do that manually ?

See about fragmentation on an HDD. You want to keep an HDD defragmented, but never defrag an SSD.

Windows 10 auto defrags HDDs.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by notkennyS:

Windows 10 auto defrags HDDs.

It does not default to non defrag on a schedule ? Sorry, as I don't yet have W10. Thanks.